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

by J. F. Danskin

  Status: human, female, 20 hit points Name: Daria Level: Journeyman crafter Location: Unicorn Coast, Felesia Time: 11:18

  I have at least regained three hit points. And we have reached the continent – though perhaps because we are still at sea, the status information isn’t very specific about where.

  I look out to sea and find that we are indeed approaching land; the mass of the continent can now be seen looming up and becoming ever clearer. A compact city is visible; its rooftops and granite sparkle in the afternoon sun. I can make out a cluster of villas around a semi-circular bay, with larger buildings and towers on the rapidly rising land above. I am pretty sure that it is Llandra, our new destination, and it is close.

  From what I know of Llandra, it is an affluent city-state and one of the more loyal provinces within the Varian Empire. But my knowledge base kicks in just as I am curious to know more, and fills in some background for me:

  Llandra began as a colony of the city of Varia, and its dukes made themselves rich exporting timber from the wild and uncultured areas in its surrounds. As such, it was the first major city to be established on what is now known as the Unicorn Coast. For centuries thereafter, Llandra remained a small, autonomous city-state in the area now controlled by the Varian Empire. It had mixed relations with its emerging neighbors around the coast, warring with some and trading with others. One notable – though rather distant – ally was the city of Varia; the historical connection between the two cities paved the way for continued dynastic marriages and strategic alliances. By 200 years before the current era, Varia was first beginning to establish its land empire, starting with its annexation of its neighbor and bitter rival Vyalia, and followed by the conquest and division of Dathmir. As the Varian Empire grew, Llandra benefited from its old alliance, and provided troops for one war after another. Archers and siege engines were its speciality, and it also built excellent warships. And when Varia began to expand westward and conquer the territory of the Unicorn Coast, Llandra profited greatly from its loyalty; after the defeat of its land neighbor the Kingdom of Jhorn, Llandra found its own territory greatly expanded. Today it remains an integral part of the empire, though it is one of the smaller provinces, and its naval power has been depleted by near-constant Imperial demands for support.

  I walk towards the front of the ship. Coruff stands by the prow of the deck, looking forward, staff in hand. “Look.” she says, and nods ahead of us. Following her gaze, I focus on three ships which sit at anchor between us and the port – a pair of two-masted vessels like ours, and a long, sleek ship with a single mast and many oars. The latter is a longship, larger than the one that Josa and Garner departed in, and is not docked. I wonder if they have violent intent towards the people of Llandra. Could they be planning to sack the city itself?

  Looking around me, I suddenly realize that the crew as a whole are very quiet, all of them likewise focusing on the three unfamiliar ships. I see a deeply concerned look on the face of the nearest sailor, while one in the rigging calls out, “They’re boarders.”

  Soon the sails are being furled, and our rapid progress towards land stalls, though we continue to drift more slowly coastward.

  Before long Captain Hitch has made it to the front of our ship, wiping his mouth on his sleeve as if he had just finished eating. He is accompanied by another dwarf – apparently the newly promoted replacement First Mate, following Darville’s demise.

  “Those are Selmanese pirates,” he says without hesitation, pointing at the three ships. “Savages who know nothing about serious sea-craft. We can turn and outrun them, I am fairly sure. But without much wind today, that vessel with the oars will be quicker than us over short distances.”

  “Turn?” says Coruff.

  The captain looks at her. “Yes. I’m afraid this means we cannot approach the coast here after all. Trying to dock at Llandra would be suicide right now. The longship alone will have over 50 armed warriors on board.”

  Coruff and I look at each other, but neither of us speaks.

  “With luck we could come close to the shore a couple of miles on instead,” the captain continues, glancing up to where the rowboats are secured, “and get you ashore by boat from there. Then you could walk to town. It’s the best I can do, I’m sorry.”

  My companion nods. “Very well,” she hisses, and then she looks at me.

  But I just stand in silence. What else is there to say?

  The sailors strike the mainsail again, and slowly our vessel starts to turn, moving northwards once more – up the coast, and away from Llandra.

  I look over at the three pirate vessels again. They are all still at anchor; as we increase our distance from them, I realize that I have been breathing quickly, tense and worried. I take two deliberate deep breaths, feeling the effects of this on my body.

  But then I see the oars of the longship begin to move.

  “Pursuit!” cries the new First Mate, who is now standing at the very back of the ship. Captain Hitch looks in the direction of the pirate longship for just a few seconds, then turns and begins barking orders, his fine braided beard wagging.

  As he passes us he pauses, looking from one to another, and then fixes me with a stare. “Have you still got that bow, Daria?” he asks.

  Chapter 15: Missile Attacks

  The enemy longship is now around half a mile behind us, its oars beating the waves in a steady, unified motion. It is closing on us, there can be no doubt. By my estimates as a former archer, it’s not long now until shooting will begin.

  Lugg is currently nowhere to be seen, but I am standing beside Coruff, and van Turk is nearby. The bulky blue-skinned mercenary is leaning on his longbow, a weapon of a similar type to that favored by Garner. His muscles rival those of the big ranger, too. And I am now holding my own new short-bow, an arrow in one hand; I am a decent enough shot, but I won’t get much of a range with this thing.

  “If only Josa was with us,” Coruff says to me quietly, pointing upwards at our sails which are flapping in the inconsistent conditions, the canvas banging every time it refills with air. “Her mastery of the weather would be most useful right now.”

  “She can modify the wind?” I ask, astonished.

  Coruff nods hesitantly. “I believe so. But in truth, she has never been beyond Dubasa, so her powers to do so have not been put to the test on the open sea.”

  The tension is shared among all on board. Few are speaking, other than the occasional very precise instruction called out between those who are manning the sails. Our vessel cuts forward through the waves, and with each passing moment the longship gets closer.

  “Coruff,” I say. “You know the spell that you used to block the rats, and against the knight back on Dubasa. The kind of energy field, that…”

  But the witch shakes her head. She, too, is staring at the pursuing ship as she replies. “It would put us in further danger to attempt that. For I am currently using my powers, such as they are, to detain the treacherous half-orc sorcerer down in the hold, and cannot do both at once. And unlike his warrior servant, he can’t be restrained by non-magical means.”

  “I see.”

  At the aft of our ship, sporadic shooting has begun from both sides, though most arrows are falling short, with just the occasional mighty effort reaching far enough to bang harmlessly into the wooden hull of one ship or the other. Van Turk is still biding his time before getting into a shooting position, it appears.

  I realize I have been fiddling with the string of my bow. I know this is because I am tense, and I sling it over my shoulder instead, slipping the arrow back into my quiver. I look around to see if Lugg has emerged, but there is still no sign of my orcish friend. Well, he is no archer, so it’s probably just as well if he stays out of harm’s way.

  Before long the banging of arrows hitting the hull has intensified; van Turk lifts his bow and turns to make his way to the back of the ship. With a brief glance towards Coruff, I hurry after. Soon I am positioned at the back edge of the hull
, the witch standing close by.

  The longship is now around 150 yards behind. It has a reinforced bow with a ram protruding, and metal shielding that sticks up behind this. Most of the arrows coming from our side are bouncing harmlessly off this shielding, but I see van Turk fire a high arcing shot that is met with a scream from their rowing deck. I try to follow suit and miss, but on the second attempt I know that my shot has made its mark.

  Increase in weapon skill level: Archery level 21 (Dexterity +6)

  Not bad. My archery skill is almost as high as my skill with the morning star, now. And I am really going to need it if we are to get out of this alive. My next two shots go well wide, however, in part because I am trying my best to avoid the enemy fire coming our way.

  I move closer to one of the rowing boats that is mounted at this end of our ship, peering out from underneath it to get a better view while maintaining some cover. As I do so, I realize that the metal shielding on the longship is not just providing cover for enemy archers and rowers, but also for a mechanism of some kind.

  A ballista…

  I yell out a warning to my fellow shipmates just as the metal shielding is lowered and the enormous crossbow-shaped mechanism is revealed. A spear-sized missile then shoots out, and no sooner have I ducked down than it smashes into the outer part of our ship just above my head with a tremendous bang. Large chunks of wood spew out across the deck and thousands of splinters fly into the air, landing more slowly. Looking up, I can see that the base of the rowing boat above me is now missing entirely – as is most of my cover.

  Strangely, the damage to the ship has given me an idea. With so much debris falling into the sea, I suddenly see exactly how I can use my crafting skills to best effect – flotsam could be fashioned into a floating weapon, breaching the hull of the enemy ship as it approaches. But first, I need to get back out of harm’s way.

  Keeping low, I creep backwards towards the small set of stairs that separate the quarterdeck from the raised mizzen deck. And rather than turning towards those stairs, I go directly towards the cap rail that runs along the fore side of the deck, and launch myself over. Perhaps that recent skill rise in acrobatics has made a real difference, because I roll harmlessly as I land, and then spring lightly to my feet, bow in hand.

  Having reached the main deck, I halt close to the set of steps that leads back down to our cabin and then hurry to the side edge of the deck, keen to find a new position from where I can shoot at our foes without risking immediate death from the ballista. I glance back up at the quarterdeck, and as I do so I see the second rowing boat take a direct hit; it is spectacularly destroyed with another huge bang. Fragments shower the entire ship and many more launch out across the sea. One large piece comes flying towards me; I raise my arm and turn, but it thumps into my back with a crunch.

  - 2 hit points (18 remain)

  It’s not the worst injury I have had, but it adds to the damage I took from the rats, and am certain that I am going to be badly bruised in the morning. Yes – the game is that realistic.

  I look back at what remains of the pair of rowing boats on the quarterdeck; it certainly doesn’t look like we will be rowing ashore any time soon, then. Captain Hitch’s latest proposal is off the table. At this rate, our best option might be swimming.

  In the aftermath of the latest ballista shot I also hear screams from the quarterdeck; it sounds like some of our crew have been hit as well, and I desperately hope that it wasn’t van Turk. Coruff, however, has followed me down here, and again I catch the spellcaster’s eye. This time she gives the slightest nod, and then calls to me grimly, “I will do what you suggested. Check on the half-orc.”

  It takes me a moment to process what she has just said, but then I realize – she is going to use her powers on the enemy vessel after all, even though doing so will release the half-orc sorcerer. And she needs me to stop him from escaping and doing any more harm. Shouldering the bow, I turn towards the steps that lead down below.

  As I begin to move, I again see the mysterious lattice-like light emerging from her hands; it coalesces, sinking slightly towards the water as she looks on. The longship is not far behind us now – fifty feet at most – and I make out dismayed yells from its crew as they shear rapidly through the water and directly towards the magical barrier. The last thing I see is the ship trying to turn, only for every single oar on one side to be sliced in half as they hit the barrier, their broken blades floating off into the waves.

  That should slow our foes down a bit.

  My feet thump upon the stairs as I head downwards towards the lower deck where my own cabin is located, and then turn towards the trapdoor and ladder that leads to the lowest areas. There, in the hold, the half-orc mage has been secured.

  I pause at the top of the ladder, listening, and as I do so I place the bow on the ground and bring out my morning star and knife. There is no sound from below but for a distant clinking and thumping which indicates that the kobolds are busy in the kitchen area.

  I put the knife in my teeth, pirate style, and begin to climb down the ladder. Half-way down I pause, looking around, and again straining to hear. Perception is still not Daria’s strongest skill – not by a long way.

  I notice the sorcerer just as a greenish light flashes towards me, and manage to avoid the attack by dropping the last few rungs of the ladder. Instead of hitting me, the magical beam smashes into the ladder itself, blowing out the central portion and setting the rest of it aflame. That’s going to make it harder to get back upstairs.

  It’s lucky I’m a crafter.

  Turning, I jink backwards to avoid an anticipated follow-up attack, and sure enough, something whistles by my face – but this time, rather than a spell, it is a fist. I step backwards into the dark, all at once finding my balance and raising my morning star, and curse the fact that I am not a species with dark vision. I can barely make out my foe in this light, while the orc himself will be able to see me easily enough, I’m sure. The saving grace is his own flame spell, which is still consuming the remaining portions of ladder, and giving out a low flickering light to see by.

  I dart forward and to the left, again hoping to avoid a potential blow, but this time the mage is too quick for me. Another magical attack flies out – a flaming blue sphere this time – and it impacts my right leg. There is an explosion of pain, and the damage is clear enough:

  - 9 hit points (9 remain)

  I can’t help but yell out in agony. That really hurt.

  There is a clawing and scratching sound at the edge of my vision, and it appears in addition to his affinity for fire magic, the mage has re-established his control over the ship’s rats. It seems that like some of the coven members that Coruff described, the sorcerer has developed the powers of more than one magical path, controlling animals as well as arcane power. This is uncommon, especially among NPCs, and makes him very much a foe to be reckoned with. Perhaps too much for me to face alone.

  I have to try, though. The knife is now in my left hand, and I swing out with the morning star, causing the mage to duck down, and interrupting yet another spell that he is muttering.

  I follow up with a low knife blow, and this time my attack hits home; there is a crunch of gristle as the blade slides into the orc’s abdomen, and I hear him gasp in pain. I attempt to bring my morning star down towards his head as a follow-up attack, but as I do so he launches the full weight of his body forward, and I find myself pinned down, his stinking face close to mine, and the morning star is knocked from my grasp.

  I pull out the knife and thump it into my enemy’s body again. He is gasping, and really starting to struggle, I think. I hope.

  Increase in weapon skill level: Knife level 18 (Dexterity +1)

  But then the rats arrive. I feel one bite on my leg and then another on my arm.

  - 2 hit points (7 remain) - 3 hit points (4 remain)

  Damn – I am getting dangerously low, and as I’m pinned on my back, it is all too easy for them to reach me.


  And now the mage has his hands around my neck and is squeezing hard while also chanting another spell as he does so. This can’t go on – I haven’t got much strength left, and another flame spell could finish me.

  As I thump the knife in again, and again, and I think that perhaps the half-orc’s hands are losing strength, no longer pressing so hard on my neck… but my entire body feels strange. I can’t breathe, I can hardly think straight.

  - 2 hit points (2 remain)

  That was another rat bite. A vision fills my head of the deck above, and I find myself thinking of how the rats scattered when the mage lost consciousness before. That is what I must do. I stab at him once again.

  As I do so, I hear a thumping of arrows onto wood, and am reminded of the bow-fire upon the rats before – or am I just imagining it?

  And then everything goes dark.

  Chapter 16: To Sefindarg City

  I regain consciousness in my cabin.

  Van Turk, of all people, is standing guard by the open door, arms folded, and he nods at me as I move and sit up.

  “Good fighting, for a crafter,” he says, taking a step towards me. “You blacked out, but fortunately your orc friend got there in time. How are your wounds feeling now?”

  I am nonplussed for a moment at his concern, and I take a moment to respond. “Did I… did I kill the sorcerer?” I say, as the events on my struggle below deck come flooding back.

  “Not quite, but he didn’t have long to go. Mistress Coruff decided that healing was best, however, so the villain lives yet, sadly. He deserved death. But with the enemy ship sunk now, things are better. He is back under her magical control. Your wounds were treated too, of course, as best as we could. I hope you are nearly recovered, for the ship’s destination is not far off now.”