The Call of the Coven: A LitRPG novel (Shadow Kingdoms Book 2)

by J. F. Danskin

  “Lugg?” I call.

  “Yes, Miss Daria,” he says, leaning on the edge of the ship.

  “I think it’s time to get Coruff and Captain Hitch. The ship needs more work, for sure, but it’s seaworthy – I’d be willing to bet on it.”

  “All right.”

  “Here – take my key for the inn, too,” I add, handing over the iron key.

  With a nod, he disappears, and I let myself down, ready to do a bit more work before the others get here. There’s no time for a break, and the more I get done on the ship before we set off, the better.

  It is about twenty minutes later that I hear rough, raised voices, and wonder whether some of Captain Hitch’s crew have arrived already. But then I hear a clink of steel on steel, which sounds very much to me like someone moving in armor. That’s not a sailor. One of van Turk’s mercenaries? Maybe. But I need to be cautious.

  Ever so slightly, as slowly and quietly as I can, I begin to raise myself up on my makeshift rope hoist, rising up until I can see over the edge of the ship to what is happening on deck.

  There are two unfamiliar mercenaries there, and both have crossbows pointed towards Finn’s face. The boy looks terrified; I therefore can’t really blame him when he speaks:

  “There’s a woman,” he says, high pitched and breathing fast as he panics. “Red hair. A crafter. And her orc friend was here, too. And someone else was around yesterday.”

  “Do they work for magic users?” growls one of the mercs.

  Yep, they are definitely Kapa-Vanes.

  All the time, I am creeping closer. Knowing that agility is not my best attribute, I try my best to concentrate, focusing on the areas of deck that Finn and the kobolds have recently repaired, and thinking about the smooth surface of the wood.

  “Um, magic? I don’t think so,” splutters Finn, his eyes widening slightly as he notices me approaching from behind the mercs. “No, sir!”

  He is speaking loudly and waving his hands in the air. Good kid… I do believe that he is trying to distract them.

  “They work for a local sea captain,” he continues in the same booming voice. “As for me, I don’t know nothing about magic, and I’ve never heard of…”

  He doesn’t finish his sentence. The nearest merc slumps to the ground as my morning star impacts into the back of his head to deadly effect. Finn leaps out of the way and cowers behind a pile of timbers.

  The remaining merc spins, raising his crossbow towards me. But I am ready for this move, and my morning star is already whirling. It smashes down into the mechanism and wraps around it, and with a grunt of effort I yank the weapon away from him. It fires at the same moment, but the bolt whistles harmlessly past my feet as I squirm away.

  Increase in skill level: Dodge level 12 (Agility +1)

  That was close.

  The merc now grabs out at the handle of my morning star, however, and we begin to tussle over the weapon. I try to release one of my hands to pull my dagger, but the man’s big gloved hands are now gripping my own tightly. He leans into me, and I begin to stagger back towards the edge of the ship.

  “Finn – help, please!”

  I’ve obviously done enough to make a good impression on the lad, for he bravely throws a chunk of sawn wood at the merc. It’s a hit, too, but I don’t think it makes much of an impression on the big warrior, as he barely blinks, and the block falls harmlessly at his feet.

  With that, Finn has had enough. He sprints away towards the main deck of the ship.

  The merc is stronger than me, that much I realized straight away. He is leaning into me, and has now pressed me back against the edge of the ship, pushing me further and further. The recently repaired woodwork is sound enough, I know, but before long I am going to be pushed right over the edge.

  With few other options available to me, I jerk my forehead forward into his face, smashing it into his teeth and nose. He yells in pain – but it’s very painful for me, too! I then see the following.

  Increase in weapon skill level: Unarmed combat level 18 (Strength +1) - 1 hit points (25 remain)

  It helped, but it’s not enough – he’s still holding me firmly. He spits out some blood, focuses on me again looking more furious than ever, and then gives another shove.

  But just as I feel that I am going to fall, and briefly wonder about the chances that I could somehow grab at my pulley on the way down, I hear running footsteps on the deck, and the mercenary’s face, looming over me, takes on a strangely serene expression, and blood begins to bubble out from his mouth….

  I feel a firm hand on my shoulder as the mercenary slumps dead at my feet, and I look around. “Van Turk…” I mutter, catching my breath.

  The mercenary leader is there, with Lugg right behind him. Two other of his mercenary company are close by, and together they pick up the dead Kapa-Vane soldiers and pitch them off the side.

  “We’re leaving,” says van Turk. “Everything is ready. Thank you for all you’ve done on the ship. Captain Hitch is here – and we’re only just in time.”

  “You can say that again,” I say, picking up my morning star from the deck.

  Chapter 12: To Sea

  “Is Coruff here?” I ask. This time I am determined that no-one will be left behind at the docks.

  Van Turk nods, and together we hurry over to the central deck of the ship. There Coruff is boarding, once again accompanied by the kobold with the little wooden chest. A few sailors are boarding too, though most seem to have arrived at the same time as van Turk. Up on the quarterdeck where the ships’ wheel is located I can see Captain Hitch, already busily yelling at his people, directing them this way and that as he gets the vessel ready for departure.

  With van Turk and Lugg beside me, we move to the side of the ship and help Coruff aboard. Close by stands a heavy-set man with a shaven black stubbly head, pale skin, and a very short curly brown beard. He claps his oily-looking hands together and approaches us. “I’m Tan Darville, first officer of this ship,” he says. “Welcome, distinguished passengers.” I notice that Darville is looking more at Coruff than at me as he speaks.

  “Thank you,” she replies on behalf of us all.

  Just then, the ship’s purser, a short, grey-haired woman with very wrinkled skin, steps up beside Darville. “Twenty silver moons each, if you please.” Grumbling slightly, we all pay up. Considering we are in effect part-owners of the ship, it feels very unfair, but the captain didn’t actually ever agree to waiving our fares – and compared to the cost of the repairs, it isn’t all that much, really. I hand over a mixture of standard Imperial coins as well as the more unusual-looking Dubasan-minted ones.

  This leaves me with the following:

  Copper: 15 Silver: 2426 Gold: 239

  Plenty for now, it’s true, but it is a little concerning that my wealth has so far only gone in one direction – down.

  I begin to walk away, but Tan Darville steps in my path, holding out his hand. “Pleased to meet you,” says the first officer, his eyes appearing to search my face.

  “Uh… thanks,” I say, shaking his hand.

  He leans closer to me, still clutching my hand in his. “Follow the rules and stay below deck, and we won’t have any problems with you.”

  I give Tan Darville a nod, and then step back, wiping my hand on my canvas trousers. Why would I cause any problems? Does he introduce himself like this to everyone? Or perhaps it was just the arrangement to leave early – nobody likes to be pushed off schedule. On the other hand, I wonder whether anyone around here might recognize me. As my previous experiences around docks consist of being press-ganged, starting a slave riot twice, brawling, and leaping into the sea, I sincerely hope not.

  I move away and try to get a feel of how the ship will operate now that the crew are aboard. As well as the human and dwarven sailors, there are a couple of dozen kobolds on board who seem to be responsible for menial jobs. Some of them have already been tasked with clearing away the carpentry tools and spare lengths of timber,
and others are being sent below deck. I’m aware that I still owe some silver to the two who were helping with the repairs.

  Coruff has boarded, the gang plank is being pulled up, and I see that the sailors are now releasing the ropes that tether us to the dock; my other companions are now sensibly out of sight. I check with the first officer Tan Darville, who tells me that they are being shown to their rooms, and then he gives a shout to one of the kobolds, who after a rapid scolding guides me to my sleeping quarters. Shortly I find myself retracing my steps down the stairs to the cabins, and at one of the doors I’m handed an ornate brass key that fits into the palm of my hand. There is a lantern hanging on the wall opposite, though it is still quite dingy, and it takes me a couple of tries to get the key to turn.

  Inside, the cabin is tiny, and there is no storage space except under the bunk itself. However, the room is almost ideal for my needs. A safe space that I will have all to myself, allowing me to rest in an invulnerable state and log out of Shadow Kingdoms. The room being lockable will help me to easily protect my belongings. There is even a porthole.

  I sling my rucksack under the bunk, placing my arrows and dagger inside it too, but I decide to keep my morning star with me as I move around the ship. I notice that the magical belt that Coruff gave me has a loop of leather suitable for attaching a sword, and so I switch to using that belt only, and hang my weapon from it, stuffing the other belt into my pack. I decide to keep the valuable looking knife handy, too.

  Moments later, I feel the ship sway as we cast off. Feeling very nervous about its buoyancy – in effect, the safety of the entire crew now depends on my handiwork – I return to the deck after locking my door behind me. There is no immediate sign of van Turk, but Coruff has reemerged and is standing on deck, both hands clutching her staff, looking back to port. I follow her gaze and see that a group of riders have arrived at the dock. Mercenaries in chainmail; the sound of their hoof beats carries across the water.

  And is that Snagaras that I can see, the white elf who captains the Kapa-Vane mercenaries? Indeed it is. For some reason, he seems to dog my steps in this game.

  “So he saw us leave,” I say, moving closer to my friend. “Snagaras, I mean.”

  “Hmm,” Coruff replies. “But the question is, who told him?”

  “Perhaps the mercs that were at the docks yesterday,” I say. “Two came onto the ship while I was doing repairs, and there might have been more snooping around.”

  “Yes, perhaps. Or then again, the elf might have been contacted by the same people who summoned them.”

  “Good point.” Then something occurs to me. “Coruff, do you think perhaps he sent those bandits in the street? I didn’t think they were mercenaries, but who knows…perhaps he wanted you to be unable to cast the protection charms.”

  “It’s possible, I suppose,” she says, her clawed fingertips tapping on her staff as she looks on. “Though perhaps more likely that he heard about the attack in the street and deduced that we were on the move. If so, then perhaps those attackers in the street were just opportunists.”

  I nod. “In any case, it’s lucky we all got on board so quickly.”

  “Indeed. Van Turk did well, and it is fortunate that Captain Hitch is so efficient. We owe him a debt of gratitude for leaving early – because if he hadn’t, those riders may well have captured us.”

  I look at the dock again. “And what if Snagaras gets hold of another vessel and pursues us?”

  She looks around at me. Her big green eyes have slits instead of pupils just like those of a cat, and there is thoughtful depth to them somehow. “He may well,” she says. “But this is a good ship, and it has been repaired by a skilled crafter. I have no doubts that we will make good progress.”

  I smile bashfully. Indeed, although I would personally be cautious to declare my work a success, the ship is travelling quickly and not listing to either side.

  “Besides,” adds Coruff, “there are no further ships due to depart, remember?”

  And sure enough, there is soon a vast area of open sea behind us, the Islands of Dubasa disappearing onto the horizon.

  In the other direction, we cannot yet even see the great continent of Felesia – the main landmass of the game world – but I know that it isn’t far. And that is where I will find my other companions. And our enemies.

  It’s getting late.

  After sorting out my possessions back in my cabin I switch to the non-immersive game mode, and get myself as comfortable as I can for an overnight in the lab.

  Chapter 13: Rats

  I awake. It is early in the morning, and as all seems quiet in the lab, soon I am immersive once more, back in the little cabin on Captain Hitch’s vessel, The Hurricane.

  Game time has continued, meaning that a night has passed, just as in the real world; I asked the others not to disturb me, and the voyage was expected to last two days in total as we sail to the continent. We will be around one third of the way to Sefindarg City and the province of Kamarok by now, at most.

  I suppose I could have first set Daria to a task the previous evening, repetitively working on a skill like I did at the forge. But it’s too late now. In any case, my options were pretty limited within the small cabin, and it would have left Daria more vulnerable to attack, too.

  So not to worry. There will be time to work on levelling up when we get to the continent.

  I sit up and stretch. I had forgotten quite how tiny the room is, and I stand up with some care – the ceiling isn’t very high, and nor is there much standing room beside my bunk. Indeed, it’s difficult to get down to peek under the bunk, but when I do, I can see that my pack and weapons are still there, entirely as I left them. Looking around, I step over and gaze down through the porthole – empty sea. Well, it appears that I am safe, as are my things, and I don’t think my enemies can reach me while the ship itself is still sailing. It’s a fast ship, after all. All is well.

  Just then, I hear a strange squeaking from outside the door. Nothing to worry about, I’m sure.

  Until I hear a scream.

  A quick inventory check reminds me that while my backpack and most of my stuff is currently stowed under the bunk, I do still have my morning star and knife attached to the magical weapons belt:

  Other items: belt (enchanted), brass key, cloak, fine morning star, jeweled knife, money pouch.

  I unlock and push open the door, and then lock it behind me again. The corridor is dark – that’s to be expected – although I recall that last time I was standing here there was a lantern lit nearby. That has gone.

  Guiding myself by feeling my way along the walls, I make my way in the direction of the small flight of steps that lead up to the deck. As I reach it, I hear another scream followed by a pounding noise, like a sword hitting against wood. The deck? Coruff’s staff? There is some kind of fight or trouble underway, that seems certain. If my companions are involved, I hope I am not too late to help. I wouldn’t like to see anything bad happen to them, even though I barely know van Turk.

  I hurry on.

  Sure enough, I see as I emerge up the stairs that it’s very cloudy, meaning that it’s a bit darker than I might have expected. My eyes rapidly adjust to make out the scene outside. And what a scene it is.

  Nearly all the crew have climbed up into the rigging or retreated to the extreme edges of the main deck. Two dwarven sailors have climbed right out onto the bowsprit at the front of the ship, and both are waving cutlasses. Someone is shooting a bow – a sailor, I think. No, more than one. Perhaps the thumping that I heard was the noise of arrows hitting the deck, for it is peppered with arrows and crossbow bolts.

  And I can also see why.

  Enormous rats, foaming at the mouth, are swarming over one another in a drive to attack the crew. A mass of them are surging towards the two trapped dwarves, and many more are attempting to claw their way up the mainmast, with limited success. A dozen or so stragglers are roaming around the main area of the deck, and a good number more
have already been picked off by the archers.

  But the remaining beasts have now spotted me.

  They may be small, but they are at my eye height as I mount the steps, and it’s all I can do to loose my morning star from the belt and sweep it in their direction as they reach me. I make contact with two or three, but then the others are upon me. I feel a bite, and then another.

  - 3 hit points (23 remain) - 2 hit points (21 remain)

  Although I can see that my sideways strike has made a couple of kills, there is no time to stop and celebrate. Further bites could be poisoned, and I could quickly be overwhelmed by the sheer number of the creatures. Like the others on board, I need to run.

  I turn and scamper back down the steps, making for my cabin once again. There is a further ineffective bite at my leg as I disengage and head back down into the dark, and I stumble – it’s lucky that I don’t fall, or the foul creatures would be all over me and biting at my face, that’s for sure. I spin and slam the morning star down in the direction of the deck behind my heels; I don’t feel any contact, but the thumping noise may have startled them, for the rattling of their claws recedes momentarily.

  And then I am at the cabin. I scurry inside, and slam the door, catching another creature in the doorway as I do so, its face snarling as tries to wriggle after me. A well-placed kick sends it flying backwards, and I successfully push the door closed and catch my breath, barely paying attention to a notification that pops up.

  Increase in weapon skill level: Unarmed combat level 19 (Strength +2)