Perla Online, Book Two: Shella (A LitRPG/GameLit Adventure)

by Shawn Wyatt

  Quinn's voice was calm, but he held the helm with a white-knuckle grip. “There's one main path around Shella. The Great Turtles travel along that current. I shouldn't be surprised Scarlet went the opposite direction to find us. She had to know we would eventually make it here."

  Bastion leaned against the railing. “It doesn’t much matter how she found us,” he said. “All that matters is that we get away from her.”

  I kept my eyes on the Privateer’s Fall. Sunlight glinted off something high in the mast. “I think she’s spotted us. Someone up there is using a looking glass.” We had sailed straight into a trap.

  “I’m not sure getting away is an option, mate,” Quinn said. “She’s got five ships. If they spread out, there’s no way we can get through. Doesn’t matter how agile we are.” His accent started to slip through a bit more, giving away his anxiety.

  As if in response to his words, the four ships broke away from the Privateer’s Fall fanned out in front of us. “Guess that answers that,” I said. “So what’s our plan? Turn and run?” I asked the question, already knowing it wasn’t an option. We didn’t have weeks to spend dodging Scarlet’s fleet. We had to stop the corruption soon.

  I looked to my party—my own crew, in a way—and waited for their response. I wanted to stand and fight, but I refused to order them to do that. Quinn could sail straight for the Privateer's Fall, but Scarlet might sink us. There had to be other options. There always were—and no option was worth losing my team.

  Evey was the first to speak. “No. We fight. Someone like Scarlet will only respond to strength. If we turn tail and run, we'll just make her chase us.” Bastion, Wish, and finally, Quinn agreed.

  "I think so, too," I said. "But are you sure? You know what this means." A battle against superior numbers. A fight against other players. Maybe even our own deaths.

  Evey met my eyes. “You’ve never led us wrong yet. There’s a reason we voted you the raid leader back on Toris. This is no different. Make the call.”

  I grinned, half in excitement, half to hide the cold grip of fear in my chest. “Quinn. How long until we meet them?”

  He tapped his finger to his chin. “Half an hour until we get close. Twenty-five minutes until we’re in range of their guns.”

  “Then we have twenty minutes to make a plan,” I said. “Let’s get to it.”

  The party sat in a rough circle on the deck with our weapons and supplies laid out in front of us. Quinn remained at the helm and guided Betsy closer to Scarlet’s fleet—and the battle that waited there.

  “I’ve got two abilities that might be useful,” I said. “Bombardment could work. It can at least disable one of their ships. Scatter the crew, if nothing else. The other ability I haven’t tried yet.”

  “What is it?” Evey asked.

  I checked the description. I had learned the skill when I hit level 25.

  <<<>>>

  Countershot

  You know the aim of your enemies. Countershot allows you to shoot an oncoming projectile out of the air and return fire with a shot of your own. Countershot can be used within a ten-second period after activation.

  100% Success Rate (-10% Per Successive Shot)

  25 Mana to Cast

  30 Second Cooldown

  <<<>>>

  Evey raised an eyebrow at the spell. “So you plan to shoot their rifle shots out of the air? How many Marauders do they have?”

  “It’s not the Marauders I’m thinking about,” I said. “It’s the cannons. This ability doesn’t specify what kind of projectile I can use it on.”

  “Ren, I’m all for your crazy ideas, but this is insane,” Bastion said. "Why would your pistol shots be able to deflect cannonballs?"

  “Why does your sword have a living flame wrapped around it?” I countered.

  “Touché.” He shrugged. “You have a point. But even if your spell works to counter the cannonballs, that’s not enough of a defense. You can only shoot so quickly, and that spell has a cooldown.”

  "As long as I fire within ten seconds of activating the ability, I can empty my pistols and use each shot to deflect. The downside is that its success rate drops with each shot."

  “I’ve got a new ability, too, but I don’t know how effective it would be in this situation.” Evey said. “Check this out.”

  <<<>>>

  Rain of Arrows

  You fire multiple arrows into the air at once, hitting the target and any enemies around it. Make your foes fight in the shade.

  <<<>>>

  Bastion let out a low whistle. “You might not disable a ship with it, but you could turn anyone on the deck into a pincushion.”

  “Take out enough of them and you don’t need to disable the ship,” Wish said. The Invoker had been quiet until this point, her face pinched in thought. I would never tell her—lest she turn her Spirit Wolves on me—but she looked very young when she got like that. It always made me wonder how old she actually was, a fact she had never shared with anyone in the party.

  “We don’t want to kill anyone we don’t have to,” I said. A twinge of guilt pricked my chest. I could still picture the face of the Marauder I had killed back in Fenua.

  I didn’t think there would ever be a time when I didn’t see his face when I closed my eyes.

  “Remember, most of these are players. For whatever reason, they’ve joined her crew. We want to disable them, not kill them," I said.

  “I know, I know.” Wish brushed aside my concerns with a wave of her hand. “But you have to accept that it might not be possible to let everyone live. It’s us or them, Ren. And I don’t know about you, but I don't plan to die here.” She sighed. “And I still have a bit to go before I hit level 25, so I don’t have access to any new abilities. Only Frostfield. Could it freeze those ships, you think?”

  "It depends on how fast it freezes," Quinn said. "You froze Betsy during the fight against the sea witch."

  I turned to Bastion. “What about you? Anything worth mentioning?”

  He looked surprised. “Actually, I haven’t thought to check since I leveled.”

  Evey rolled her eyes. “To be so carefree.”

  “Give me a minute,” Bastion said, his eyes glazing over. “Oh, nice. I do have something that might give us an edge. Check this out.”

  <<<>>>

  Convict

  A vision of holy rage appears at the point of your choosing, a figure born of righteous fury and flame. All enemies within 30 feet of the location will turn and flee or be frozen in place with fear.

  <<<>>>

  “You’ve had something like that in reserve and didn’t tell us?” I asked. “The ability to lock down enemies makes that worth its weight in gold.”

  “The problem is the range,” Bastion said. “It only affects enemies within 30 feet of the cast point. I can position it at one of the ships, but the others won't be affected—and the ten minute cooldown time makes it a one-and-done type spell, at least in this situation.”

  “So I can take out one ship. Bastion can handle another. Evey can take a third, and Wish can slow down the pursuit of the fourth,” I said. “Rune, you focus on defense. If any pirates try to board our ship, use your axes. Quinn, do you have any spells that could help?”

  “Afraid not. All I have are buffs. I can provide a rousing battle song, but no offensive capabilities." He looked up. "Strap in, ladies and gentleman, and please keep all arms and feet inside the vehicle at all times. We're almost in range.”

  Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. “Alright. Then our best bet is to charge straight ahead and make this count.” At everyone’s surprised looks, I explained. “Evey is right. Scarlet will only respond to force and won't stop until she gets what she wants. It’s a long shot, but if we outsmart her, we can win. She thinks she has us beat due to sheer numbers.”

  Quinn never took his eyes off the ever approaching pirates. “Two minutes to go,” he said.

  “Evey, can Nova harass the cannoneers on deck? Keep them from gett
ing a clean shot off as we approach?” I asked.

  The Beast Tamer turned and locked eyes with the bird. The falcon lifted her wings in response. If I didn’t know better, I would say she had a smile on her vicious, predatory beak. After a moment, Evey nodded. “Yes. I don’t know how long it will work, but Nova can buy us a few seconds."

  “Don’t put her at any unnecessary risk. We only need to distract them for a moment. We’re moving fast enough that we’ll be too close after one round for them to fire another volley without catching the other ships in the crossfire. We just have to make sure we don’t get hit by that first shot.”

  “So Nova distracts the cannons, and you use Countershot on any manage to get a shot off?” Evey asked.

  I nodded. “Exactly. Bastion, when we get inside their guard, I want you to use Convict and position it directly above us."

  "Not on one of the other ships?"

  I shook my head. "No. Distance will give us the advantage, and anyone too close will be frozen with fear. If we keep your spell close, we won't get boarded. And when we’re almost on top of the Privateer’s Fall, we need to slow down any reinforcements. Wish, that’s where you come in.”

  “Frostfield?” She asked.

  “Frostfield.” I grinned. The plan was absolutely, completely, totally insane—but crazy enough that it might actually work. “Freeze the ships in place. And after that, summon your Spirit Wolves in case anyone tries to board us once Convict wears off.”

  “You got it,” she said. The Invoker cracked her knuckles while the breeze whipped her mohawk.

  “Time’s almost up,” Quinn shouted. “We’ll be in range of their guns in thirty seconds. Are you ready?”

  “As ready as we’re going to be,” I said.

  “Hey, Ren? What happens once we get within range of Privateer’s Fall?” Evey asked.

  I laughed. “We board it and take it. I’m sure Boris wouldn’t mind a second go at the woman that captured him.” In response, the bear let out a roar that shook the air around us. It was the rallying cry we needed—especially since no one could find the words to respond to my plan to board the ship.

  Our crazy plan was in motion. I drew both of my pistols and checked the chambers. Fully loaded, and ready to go.

  I pulled the hammers back and waited. Ten seconds later, Nova launched herself toward the enemy cannoneers.

  Chapter Twenty Three: Countershot

  I stood at the bow while the rest of the party crouched low behind me. “The main threat isn’t the cannonballs, but the splinters from the wood,” Quinn had said. He had abandoned the helm and laid low with the rest of the party.

  Nova dive bombed the enemy cannoneers, but there were too many for her to handle. The falcon didn't need to do much, though. We would be inside their range in fifteen seconds as long as a cannonball didn't sink us.

  I double-checked my pistols. The Children of Lir's additional water damage might help take down a cannonball. I welcomed any advantage I could get. I primed Countershot and waited, my heart in my throat.

  The nearest ship focused more on Nova than on us. She managed to harry enough of the men that only three were left to man the cannons, but even three men could fire a few shots. My main concern were the two ships to the left and the one farthest right.

  The Privateer’s Fall had more cannons than the four smaller ships combined. Despite this, the flagship faced us head-on. A display of force from Scarlet. On the bow of the ship, silhouetted against the sky like a hero of legend, stood the Pirate King in challenge.

  Explosions ripped through the air from both sides. A quick glance told me the three cannons on the right would fall short, but the two ships on the lift had better aim. At least half of the cannonballs would find their mark.

  I snapped both pistols up and took aim. A musket ball whistled past my ear, courtesy of one of the Marauder Sharpshooters on the other ships. I willed myself to ignore the danger. The Marauders would hit me or they wouldn't. I couldn’t dodge bullets and bring down cannonballs at the same time.

  The volley of steel and iron screamed toward the ship. I took a breath and activated Countershot.

  The world ground to a halt around me. Everything moved in one-sixteenth speed—except me. I spared a moment to look around in surprise and marveled at the cannonballs, each the size of a cantaloupe. They moved with all the velocity and force of molasses.

  So this was Countershot. I understand now how it worked. My limbs felt drawn to certain positions, guided by the game's aim assist function. A countdown timer flickered in the corner of my vision: seven seconds remaining.

  Even at a reduced speed, the cannonballs still posed a serious threat. I aimed at the closest cannonballs and fired. Shot after shot erupted from the revolvers, but even my bullets moved in slow motion.

  The countdown timer ended as I fired my last round. Cannonballs burst into shrapnel around us, reduced to nothing more than harmless scrap.

  The cannonballs I had ignored splashed violently into the water. Betsy had suffered no damage aside from a gouge in the figurehead.

  But the pirates weren’t finished. The two barquentines closest to the Privateer's Fall moved to intercept us.

  Ice shot toward the ships with the speed of breaking glass. The surface of the water into a treacherous island of sharp, jagged shards that would rend the hull of a ship.

  Light bloomed above the our ship. Massive wings unfurled from an angel of battle. The figure wielded a sword as long as it was tall and thrust it toward the approaching ships. The crewmen onboard froze in shock at the sight. Radiant light burst from the blade. I turned my eyes away from the intensity of the light. The sea shone like a supernova.

  Bastion whooped behind me. “Now that is an ability.”

  “Convict?” I asked, blinking away the spots that danced in my vision.

  He nodded and grinned.

  Quinn reclaimed the helm and steered around the ice and toward the Privateer’s Fall. He squinted against the light. “What now?"

  “Bring us alongside the ship,” I said. “I’ll go up alone. Everyone except you and Rune should follow a few seconds later. I need you ready to flee if we need to. I suspect they’re all a bit blinded from Bastion’s ability, so we should be able to make a somewhat stealthy approach.”

  Rune's job as ship defense would dissuade any ambitious pirates, but I had a secondary reason for keeping him on board. He could not sneak around in his armor. The clanking of metal would give us away long before Scarlet or her crew ever caught sight of us.

  “Bastion, what’s the cooldown on that ability?”

  “Ten minutes.”

  “Let me know when it’s ready again,” I said. “We may need it.”

  Quinn brought us alongside the Privateer’s Fall. Ropes hung low, unsecured and not stowed away near the life rafts. Any other vessel would keep access points secure, but Scarlet didn't need to. No one would be crazy enough to try to board her ship.

  Except us.

  I grabbed ahold of one of the ropes and gave it a tug. “I’m going up,” I said. “The rest of you, make your way up as best you can. But do it quietly.”

  Evey leapt on Boris’ back, and the massive bear raised a table-sized paw and sank the claws deep into the hull of the Privateer’s Fall. “I’ve got my way up,” she said. “Anyone need a ride?”

  I grinned. “Give me three minutes. If you hear my gun go off, come right away." I scrambled up the rope and tried to ignore the slime that had accumulated on it.

  My arms burned with exertion by the time I reached the top. I paused below the deck railing to catch my breath. And then launched myself up and over onto the deck with both pistols drawn.

  The crew had recovered from the effects of convict, but my appearance surprised them. Their shouts drew the attention of the others, but by then it was too late.

  I had Scarlet in my sights, too close for any chance of escape. And I wouldn't miss. “Hello, Pirate King,” I said. “How good to see you again.”
>
  ***

  Scarlet's facade fell away for a second before she sneered. "I'm impressed," she said. "You have quite the arsenal of tricks."

  Three pirates moved forward—a Harmonist Swashbuckler, a Dervish Assassin, and one clad in the lightweight robes of an Oracle Invoker. I pulled the hammer down on my pistols. "One more step and your leader loses her head."

  “Come on, Ren. You can drop the charade.” Scarlet wrapped contempt around her like a robe. “We both know you would never willingly take the life—”

  My bullet grazed her cheek and cut off the rest of her sentence. “Do you want to test that theory?” I asked. “I’ve already taken a life because of you. What’s one more?” The face of the Marauder flashed through my mind, followed by a wave of fury. The sands had been stained with blood because of her treachery.

  The faintest hint of fear flashed in Scarlet's eyes. “You realize the moment you do that, my men will kill you."

  The familiar heat of Bastion's sword washed over me. Boris snarled, and the screech of a falcon split the air. The men on deck stared at the reinforcements.

  Evey perched on the rails, five arrows nocked in her drawn bow. Wish stood beside her, one hand extended palm-out, the other clutching a pulsating, black-blue stone.

  “Go ahead and try," I said. "But know this: Quinn has a cannon aimed point-blank at your hull. I only need one shot."

  Scarlet let one hand fall to the rapier at her side. "Your cannon can't pierce my ship."

  "I remember an overgrown squid doing enough damage to almost sink this ship," I said. "And I remember you owing me for that."

  Each word angered her more. Scarlet kept up her facade, but her knuckles shone white where they gripped her weapons. “So what? You want me to hand over my ship? My fleet? What is it you want, oh great conqueror?”

  Her question caught me off guard. I laughed.

  And that broke what remained of her composure. Scarlet screamed in fury and lunged forward, her rapier aimed at my throat.

  I fired a single shot. The bullet tore through her leg above the knee and the Pirate King stumbled to the ground. I leveled the other pistol at the three men beside her.