by Shawn Wyatt
“Alive? Yeah, I’m alive. Come on, Bastion. I’ve been gone for months, and this is the first thing you have to say to me? Give me a break.”
“But…”
“Oh, shut up.” The girl didn’t give him a chance to speak any more gibberish, but pulled him into a scorching kiss. I felt my eyebrows crawl up my forehead in surprise, and a blush soon followed. The girl finally broke the kiss for air. “Now, can you speak like normal?”
Bastion swallowed, then pinned her with a glare. “How are you alive?”
The girl blinked. “Not the response I expected, but I do owe you an explanation. It’s a long story.” She turned to face us. “And I’m eager to meet you all as well. My name is Kalia.”
Chapter Thirty Nine: Victory
The party gathered aboard Betsy to rest. Quinn guided the ship through the narrow tunnel and out the way we had come. Scarlet stayed behind to loot the cove, but promised to bring our share to Kiribati. "You put in the hard work," she said. "And while I didn't get mentioned for killing the Leviathan, I can't complain much."
I did not argue with her. After the battle ended, any energy I had left vanished. I wanted nothing more than to sleep for the next four days. I slumped against Boris, who now recuperated on the deck of the ship. His injuries had not been too serious and he promptly fell asleep after Bastion healed him. His snores shook the deck, but he still made a comfortable pillow.
Kalia regaled us with her story. “After I fell to the Treant, I found myself in a dark place. Some sort of in-between world, if I had to guess.” Her ponytail bobbed when she shook her head. “Not dead, but not alive, either. Everything there glitched. And I don’t know how I ended up there.”
“Did you see anyone else?” I asked. If she had been sent there when she died, it was possible that other players had been, too.
“No,” she said. “I never saw another player. And the monsters I fought were nothing like the ones here. That world lacked color. Everything was shades of grey and black. If any items spawned, they were broken—either they had terrible stats, or incredible abilities.” She patted the sword at her side. “But even if the abilities were amazing, I couldn't see them. Numbers there didn’t make sense.”
“How did you stay sane?” Evey asked. “That sounds like the kind of place nightmares are made of.”
Kalia smiled and looked at Bastion. Love suffused the look, and I understood how she survived. “These portals kept appearing. They were one of the only sources of light in that world, and I flocked to them. I could see Bastion—and all of you—through those portals. I followed your adventures.”
“Is that how you knew about the Leviathan?” I asked.
“No. The last thing I saw was a volcanic island in the middle of the sea. The portals always appeared far away from me, but I finally managed to catch this one and cut my way into it—literally. I jumped in, and that’s the last thing I remember until it dumped me out on top of the Leviathan.”
“So let me get this straight,” Rune said. “Your first instinct on seeing a monster that size is to hit it with a sword?”
Kalia stared at him with a blank expression. “What else are you supposed to do against something like that?”
Rune sputtered, then burst into laughter. “Now that’s my kind of woman!” he said.
Evey pinned him with a glare. “Think very carefully about your next words,” she said. “Do you really think it’s a good idea to hit on our only healer’s girlfriend? His girlfriend who he thought dead until mere minutes ago?”
“You have a point.” Rune turned to Kalia. “Sorry.”
She laughed. “I’ll make sure he heals you, don’t worry.”
“Speaking of our healer,” Rune said. “He’s been very quiet.”
I looked to where Bastion leaned over the railing of the ship. “Let me go talk to him,” I said. I made my way over and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Hey.”
“Ren.” Bastion shook his head and turned away, but not before I caught a glimpse of moisture on his face. “Is this real?”
“It seems that way.”
“I spent the past three months mourning her. I thought she was dead.”
“And now you have a second chance,” I said. “What are you going to do with it? Waste it?”
He glared at me.
“I know you won't,” I said. “But you’ve barely spoken a word to her since she came back. I know you need time to process all this, but think about what she’s been through. Think about how she described the world she was in.” My expression softened. “She’s putting on a brave face, but she needs you right now.”
He stared at me for a moment, then shook his head. “You really have turned into a leader, you know that? I’ll go talk to her.” He took two steps away, then paused. “Thank you,” he said.
I smiled. Perla Online had taken so much from us in such a short time, but even in the midst of this nightmare world, we still found light.
I beckoned for Evey to gather the others and follow me. Bastion needed time to speak to Kalia without curious ears listening in. And we had plenty of time to ask questions later. I climbed to the upper deck of the ship. “Quinn. How fares Betsy after the battle?”
“A few dings and scrapes, but she’ll be fine.” He glanced back to Bastion. “That’s quite a thing that happened, isn’t it?”
“Enough to make you consider finding a single woman and sticking with her?”
“Aye, mate. Maybe one day. But not yet.” Quinn grinned, and I could only laugh. The man didn't seemed like the type to ever settle down. “We’ve got about four hours yet before we arrive back at Kiribati. Might as well get comfortable and settle in for the journey.”
***
I stood on the deck of the small ship that would take us to the airship platform. “Are you sure we can’t convince you to come with us?” I asked.
Quinn shook his head. “I appreciate the offer, but my place is on Shella. You said the corruption is likely to return?”
“It respawns and grows in power over time. But an early defeat can nip the problem in the bud.”
“Then that’s what I’ll do.” Quinn had used his shares of the loot to upgrade Betsy. The ship now sported new sails and several cannons, as well as a crew of would-be adventurers. “We’ll patrol the seas and stomp out any evil that we find.”
“You’ve got a couple of ladies sailing with you,” I said. “Behave yourself.”
Quinn winked.
I turned to Rune. “And you’re staying, too?”
“You know it,” he said. “The Merchant Marines could be powerful allies. I’m going to help set up trade routes between here and Toris. And once you restore travel to whatever realm you’re going to next, we can expand.”
“You really want to make this world livable, don’t you?”
The Berserker nodded. “Until you clear this game, someone has to look out for the little guy. That’s my job.”
I clasped his arm. “Stay safe, my friend.”
“You too. I’ll send you letters once I figure out where you’re going next. Still no word on where that is?”
“The airship destination is random unless a landing point is set, so it has to be either Horus or Riven. Either way, I’m sure we’ll find our way. We always have before.”
Evey nodded to where the captain tapped his foot. “Come on, Ren. Time to go.”
“I guess this is goodbye, then,” I said. “Until next time.”
“Later, mate,” Quinn said. “I’ll keep an eye on this one for you.” He pointed at Rune, but the Berserker only laughed and waved. I returned the gesture and stepped back onto the ship.
In what seemed no time at all, Kiribati shrank into a speck in the distance.
“Everyone ready for the next step?” I asked.
Evey, Wish, Bastion, and now Kalia—the newest member of our little party—smiled back at me. “As ready as we’re going to be,” Evey said.
Wish held a stone in her hands and turned i
t over and over again. I raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that your Bone Wyvern stone?”
The Invoker gave me a mischievous grin. “It was.”
“And what is it now?” I asked.
“Well, it was touching the Leviathan when it died.”
“…oh, you have got to be kidding me.”
Her laughter was my only answer.
The smaller vessel stopped alongside a dock. At the other end floated an airship, its gossamer sails primed and ready. “So how does this launch?” I asked the captain.
The man grinned. “Hold on to your hats.”
The ocean underneath moved, and a moment later, a whale breached the surface of the waves.
We floated in a small depression on its blowhole.
I barely had time to draw a breath before the massive creature expelled a stream of water that launched the airship into the sky. We breached the clouds above the sea and found ourselves once more in the void between realms.
Toris gleamed in the distance, but our trajectory carried us toward another world. The dull greys and browns of jagged mountain peaks filled our view. Strange creatures skimmed the upper reaches of its atmosphere. We plunged through the unfamiliar clouds and toward the surface of Riven, the mountain realm.
Air resistance slammed against the sails and rattled the ship. “Hang on tight,” I shouted. “This is going to be a hard landing!”
“One day we’re going to travel in luxury!” Evey cursed as the airship scraped the side of a mountain. The captain guided the ship away from the mountain, but a monster appeared ahead of us. Stone-grey wings held aloft a scaled body. Eyes burned with intelligence in its angular head before the monster unleashed a gout of flame that tore the sails and started the vessel on a downward spiral.
I held tight to the airship. It slammed into the ground and scattered the party, but no one took any serious injuries. I staggered to my feet.
And then a roar shook the mountain around us. I looked up to the top of the highest peak, just over our heads, and into the eyes of a massive dragon.
Fin.
* * *
Author's Note
Thanks for reading! Your support helps small authors like me continue to write stories like this one. If you enjoyed the story, please leave a review on Amazon. Reviews are one of the number one things you can do to help you favorite authors sell more books.
I've loved pirates for as long as I can remember (but if we're being honest, it's probably tied to playing with the Lego Pirate sets as a kid.) Incorporating them into a swashbuckling, seafaring adventure like Shella just made sense.
I want to give a quick thanks to my friends and family for their support throughout the creation of this novel. Their feedback has been invaluable.
In the back of this book you will find a list of character abilities from levels 20 to 30, as well as Ren's final stats at the last chapter.
Want the chance to be a beta reader and receive exclusive content? Here's how.
SIGN UP FOR MY MAILING LIST HERE
You can also drop me a line at [email protected] or find me on Facebook.
If you want to join me for a quick dungeon in Final Fantasy 14 or snag some Dark Zone loot in Division 2, just reach out. I'm always happy to find people to play games with.
Cheers!
Shawn
Check out the GameLit Society, a group dedicated to the enjoyment of this growing genre.
Appenix
Here you can find more information about the spells and abilities used by the characters in this story.
Marauder Ability List
Level 20 - Bombardment
You love the smell of burnt Kobold in the morning. This ability utilizes a Caster Shell that splits apart and rains down in multiple explosions that damage all targets in a 30ft radius.
Level 25 - Countershot
You know the aim of your enemies. Countershot slows time and allows the user to shoot income projectiles out of the sky and return fire before enemies can react.
Level 30 - Tracer
This Caster Shell lights the target with a supernatural glow, completely eliminating its ability to hide even if invisible. The effect lasts for three minutes.
<<<>>>
Beast Tamer Ability List
Level 20 - Beastial Rage
Rage overwhelms the Beast Tamer and their pets, increasing damage dealt by 25% for 10 seconds.
Level 25 - Rain of Arrows
The Beast Tamer fires multiple arrows up at once, hitting the target and all enemies around it.
Level 30 - Wild Aspect
The Beast Tamer takes on an animal aspect and gains the mobility of a wild beast for 30 seconds.
<<<>>>
Prophet Ability List
Level 20 - Holy Shield
Erects a shield worth 50% of target's HP.
Level 25 - Convict
A vision of holy rage appears before your, causing all enemies within 30 feet to flee.
Level 30 - Spirit Phase
Grab hold of the spirit of an ally and pull them to you and away from harm.
<<<>>>
Oracle Ability List
Level 20 - Frostfield
The Invoker channels ice from the Spirit Realm to race across the battlefield and slow their enemies.
Level 25 - Blink Summon
The Invoker phases through the Spirit Realm and leaves behind a doppelganger of themselves capable of inflicting damage. The doppelganger mimics the movements of the Invoker.
Level 30 - Spirit Shroud
The Invoker takes on the aspects of their most-used familiar and gains increased speed, strength, or HP.
To learn more about LitRPG, talk to authors including myself, and just have an awesome time, please join the LitRPG Group.