You reflect Seduction with Ascetic!
“Stop this travesty!” I barked, putting the sword back to her face.
“You’re immune to my charms and possess a Soul Eater,” Mara said, glancing at Aelmaris and then back at me. “Why have you summoned me?”
“You want the Transformation Gem, don’t you? I can give it back, but it won’t be free...”
* * *
“Are you ready to swear a pledge?”
“We are, One of the Seven!” Mara said, impatiently flicking her scourge. “Where are the enemies?”
Without a word, I pointed at the clan hall. The wharf with the skiff lay just past it.
Columns of demons stepped out of the fire behind their mistress: huge grey-skinned consorts, female demonic warriors wearing lacework armor, scantily clad succubi mages who immediately took to the air. The Pandas probably hadn’t expected an attack of an entire faction against their castle; in any case, they would have their hands full. As for how the Succubate would leave that place...well, it wasn’t my problem.
Fusing into a single stream of winged figures, the Succubate flew into the biggest hall of Atrocity. The demonic cackle, the fluttering of wings, the howling, the clatter of weapons, and the rumble of exploding spells immediately joined together in a cacophony of battle. I squeezed Weldy’s palm—she was hiding behind me—and counted to thirty. The shield had four more minutes to live. It was time.
We ran past the slaughter in the hall while the shrieking succubi scooped up and dropped the warriors of Pandorum, locked into a frenzied fight against the demons. We moved down the long arched corridor almost blocked with the corpse of a felled protodragon, demonic silhouettes hovering in the air, their wings brushing against the ceiling, then through the wharf along the mooring berth strewn with bodies while dragon riders and Succubate demons fought above the decks of astral ships. Nobody paid us any attention; Pandorum was otherwise occupied.
The empty skiff I had borrowed from the Watchers waited for us in a berth, held by two ropes. I scooped Weldy up and jumped on the deck. The Greater Shield of Shadows, which had only two minutes left to live, covered about a third of the vessel. I positioned myself next to the engine and the reactor and whispered through the Courier, “Log in, Keith.”
“Roger that!” Borland cheerfully exclaimed on the other end of the line.
A second later, he appeared next to me, and in a second after that, unpacked his pawns, Ellaria and Nosquire. The three of them instantly gazed at the hell around us, thundering and booming, blazing with the effects of spells and packed with embattled players and demons. A protodragon plastered with succubi crashed down right next to us on a neighboring ship, sweeping away the mast and the sails and breathing out currents of fire. The walls weren’t trembling anymore—they were decidedly shaking as if the entire stronghold was about to collapse.
“What’s going on here, dammit?” Keith yelled. “What the—”
“We need to leave now!” I shouted in response, cutting the ropes that held our vessel.
A cursory look was enough for Keith to realize the scale of the bedlam happening across Atrocity.
“Ellaria, sails, quickly!” he commanded, stepping to the steering wheel. “Nosk, start the engine!”
With a sharp twist of the wheel, he turned the skiff around. The engine roared, and the gaff-sail fluttered, soaring in the air. They were a real team, careful and precise to a fault. A strong gust of wind blew out of the engine muzzle where the air elemental was trapped. The skiff darted forward like a purebred horse. Numerous masts of Pandorum’s astral fleet flashed overboard on both sides, some of their ships leaving the wharf where the battle was still ranging, their sails up.
“Burn the red ellurite!” the Octopus yelled, drowning the howling wind. “Let’s milk this baby for all it’s worth!”
Like a bat out of hell, we flew out of the gaping dragon maw that served Pandorum as a gate. Astral Plane’s pink mist looked like heaven after the malevolent castle. The skiff continued gaining speed, headed toward the empty space. Still, nobody was going to let us leave without a fight.
Bang! A heavy blow spun our ship around, knocking everyone down except for Borland, who managed to grab onto his wheel.
“Harpoon!” he screamed, pointing at the stern. “We’re being hauled!”
A four-sided steel steer with razor-sharp curved blades sunk into our yacht, piercing the bulwark and smashing through the deck. It was attached to a metal chain sparkling with electricity. Trembling like a hobbled horse, the skiff spun around, and with each loop, the chain coiled around it more and more, stripping the ship of its mobility.
It originated from a watchtower to the right of Atrocity’s gate. As soon as I fixed my eyes on it, its arrow-slits opened fire, barraging us with steel and magic. The skiff was saved only by the Greater Shield of Shadows and the precise aim of Pandorum gunners, as they targeted the engine to down the ship once and for all. However, I was standing right next to them and the reactor, guarding the most vulnerable and valuable onboard systems. One-third of the shield’s health and ninety seconds of time remained. We won’t make it, will we?
A corvette surrounded by a pack of mounted fliers slowly sailed out of the dragon maw. Dozens of sails peeked out from behind it. Tiny silhouettes of “birdies” broke away from the enormous juggernauts hovering above the stronghold. Most of them dove right toward the castle, but some headed straight to us while we kept spinning, trapped.
“That’s it; we’re finished!” Keith concluded. “We need to get out, HotCat! Use Soul Stones, Teleportation Scrolls, whatever—while we can!”
“Nobody goes anywhere!” I was surprised by the metal in my voice. “The game’s only beginning!”
Aelmaris flashed with True Fire, aimed at the tower that had locked us in. I opened the sword’s interface, clicked twice to select the “Improve Current Skill” button, and pressed the “Fiery Lightning” icon.
The opportunity to choose a new affix or improve an old one had appeared after the battle with Ananizarte. I had considered it, evaluating the options, and decided to upgrade the Lightning. It was my only ranged weapon that could reliably destroy the enemy. Still, its damage had proven to be too low against big targets. I needed a stronger weapon.
Are you sure you want to upgrade Fiery Lightning to Flaming Bolide? Warning! This action cannot be reversed. Yes/No
Flaming Bolide is a blast of True Fire capable of destroying even large targets with high defense. It deals 10,000-30,000 True Fire damage. 6 charges/24 hours
It fit the bill. Time to take it for a spin! A blazing blob of True Fire broke free from the blade and flew toward the round tower while its crenels glowed with light as the defenders prepared another volley. The Bolide, orange and blue, thrust into the spot between the forked merlons, hitting its mark.
Thud! The tower exploded from within, turning into a swirling cloud of fire and smoke. The stretched chain burst with a clanging sound, freeing our vessel.
The second bead of True Fire set the pursuing corvette ablaze from its keel to the banners on its masts. Now that was some power! Many voices cried out at once, and I saw dozens of burning silhouettes on birdies leave the ship, fleeing for their lives. Blinking icons with kill messages flashed in the tray bar.
I continued firing at the stubborn Pandas. The third Bolide aimed at a large group of dragon riders went south. Still, it did make a difference, as the Pandorum warriors hastily retreated, splitting up and turning their flying mounts around. So they did notice that shit hit the fan!
“Hold on!” Keith yelled, desperately spinning the wheel. “It’s going to shake now!”
Our nameless skiff was picking up momentum. The Octopus abruptly turned right and immediately swerved, sharply enough that we would have rolled down the deck if I hadn’t grabbed onto a mast and Weldy onto me. The smoke from fireballs loomed above—the Pandas weren’t about to give up. After a moment of confusion, they started firing at us at full force, and onl
y Keith’s maneuvering saved our lives.
More and more ships kept coming out of Atrocity. It didn’t bode well. The juggernauts, enveloped in protective domes, started moving as well, removing the anchor lines that bound them to the Shard. Could it be that the Succubate and Ananizarte were already out?
A blast from behind almost deafened me. Weldy gasped, and Nosquire cursed under his breath. I turned around. No, the goddess hadn’t failed us. She was going all-out, working off her freedom.
At first, I thought that the Pandas’ stronghold exploded with a thunderous boom, expelling thousands of debris, but when the cloud dissipated, I saw that the black fortress had survived, even if at a high cost. A web of cracks ran down the walls, the largest of them almost splitting the fortress in half. A huge pillar of crimson fire shot out of it, radiating malevolent light. Inside, it was all boiling flame and darkness; like a volcanic geyser, it burst, disappearing in the pink mist of the Astral Plane. The juggernauts were rapidly fleeing the fiery fountain, trying to make a circle around it.
I didn’t envy the players caught inside Atrocity. Even the wall paint crackled when in the presence of the furious Goddess of Darkness. Still, the Pandas were the strongest alliance in the whole of Sphere. I had managed to catch them by surprise, but it wouldn’t last forever. They probably had the power and the tools enough to topple any adversary, even a god. I could imagine the state of their command channel. In a few more minutes, they would recover enough for payback, and their payback would be a bitch.
“Cat, we can’t shake them off!” Keith’s voice broke me out of my trance. “There’s too many of them!”
The fire from the enemy ships kept getting closer, leaving vapor trails. Keith maneuvered for dear life, but Pandorum’s vessels had captains just as experienced. Their skiffs and fast corvettes spread apart, trying to box us in, and more vessels loomed behind them, putting up sails. If they came close enough to fire, one discharge would be enough to destroy our ship.
From the looks of it, it was time for my surprise number four. I pulled out a heavy bronze horn with an elaborate engraving.
“A Signal Horn?” Octopus’ eyes widened. “Are you going to open an Astral Portal? But for whom?”
“Honestly, I have no idea!” I grinned, putting the horn to my lips.
Interlude: Project Hell
Nestor: Tao, what are we doing here, really?
Tao: Waiting for a signal.
Peacemaker: It’s been three hours...
Tao: Stop whining! There are a hundred bodies in the raid, and half of them are whining like little girls! I’m not keeping anybody here. If you want to leave, just PM me with a “+” and strike out on your own, both from the raid and the clan. Got it?
“NICE TALKING,” Snake grumbled, turning around to his party. Stabber nodded in agreement.
“What are the Watchers’ cargo barques doing here, I wonder?” he asked, thoughtful, as he stared at the round-bellied flying vessels hovering above the raid.
“It’s not just the barques!” Tiall snorted. “Have you seen the cargo? Their holds are stuffed with Bells! If anything goes wrong, they’ll blow up and tear us into pieces!”
“Bells? What are Bells?” Mercaptan wondered.
“Bombs used during a siege,” Tiall explained enthusiastically. “A hollow ball as tall as you made out of metal and glass and divided into sections. Each contains a special alchemical admixture. When the ball breaks, they mix together, creating a big boom.”
“Why bells, though?”
“They ring just like them. I saw them in action when we stormed Nova on Taerland. They can take down anything!”
“So are we storming a castle, then?” Stabber asked.
“I doubt that. We don’t have any siege weapons,” Snake reasoned. “We’re probably going to ambush someone, and the barques will act as fireships.”
“No, it’s not that. The freighters don’t have any domes or armor. They’ll explode at first hit.”
Mirgus: Attention! We have a signal. Exit point: the Astral Plane!
Nestor: Tao?
Tao: Quiet! No, stop. It’s not for us. Let’s keep waiting.
Chapter 2
I WAS STRETCHING THE TRUTH, of course, but only a little. I really didn’t know which one of the five alliances at odds with the Pandas would answer the letters I had sent their leaders. Maybe one, maybe all five if they followed the events at Atrocity. They must have been surveilling the battle.
I handed Weldy a Teleportation Scroll.
“Take it and go to Eyre. It might get dangerous now.”
“So it wasn’t before?” Borland yelled, throwing the skiff aside to dodge yet another attack. The small mobile ship could easily evade the shots from the pursuing vessels, but as soon as they locked us in, their crossfire would finish us off.
“No! I won’t leave without you!” Weldy pushed my hand with the scroll away. Really, was it the best time to show off her character?
“There are signals!” Ellaria announced triumphally as if listening in. “They’re closing in! Many, many signals!”
Rainbow swirls of Astral Portals lit up around us: dozens, if not hundreds. They bloomed like exotic flowers, and thousands of flying ships, big and small, emerged from them. All of them had black-and-yellow striped sails, golden eagles on their black banners. The fleet of the NAVY alliance came to attack Atrocity.
They met the pursuing Pandas head-on, immediately raining down fire from their cannons, ballistae, and ray guns, showering the enemy with magic and steel. And we—we finally felt safe, even if caught in the middle of a raging battle. After all, who would care about a tiny boat with an enemy fleet right under their noses?
In a graceful pirouette, Borland took the skiff out of a dangerous gap between the two armadas. We found ourselves hovering above them, watching the show as if onscreen.
More US ships kept coming from the portals, surrounded by groups of mounted fliers. I wouldn’t dare to estimate their numbers, but there were at least several dozen ships and no less than a thousand players. They clashed with the Pandorum fleet, and beams of many colors crossed each other like the rapiers of giant fencers. My understanding was that the “Eagles” had an advantage. The Pandas’ ships had to turn around as they left Atrocity, and the Americans moved in a single column formation. The groups of Eagles fired at the enemy clusters, changing formations in confusing maneuvers. Several Pandorum ships caught fire, and the advance parties of flying cavalry had already locked horns.
“Where to, Cat?”
Without a word, I pointed up at the five juggernauts circling the giant fountain of fire pulsating out of Atrocity. It wasn’t a fountain anymore, though, but rather a cloud of fire and darkness transforming right before our eyes into a fiery black dragon that I had already seen as the Colossus. So Ananizarte had managed to regain one of her forms?
“There?” The Octopus was appalled. “Are you sure? I’d rather go in the opposite direction!”
“Can you bring the skiff right above the juggernauts? At a safe distance?”
“Which one of them?”
“Preferably the one with the smallest crew,” I said.
“The second on the right, then,” Ellaria said. “The dark green one there. Just forty signals.”
In the shape of a dragon, Ananizarte was almost as large as Pandorum’s flagships. She breathed out a stream of fire and clutched at the protective dome around one of the juggernauts, rocking it. I saw players fall from the deck, tumbling in the air, and wondered—could the ultra-strong shields of those vessels hold back a god?
The Pandas, however, didn’t want to surrender. The four remaining juggernauts kept slashing the goddess with the rays of their Pikes. Something resembling a spider web flew toward her, slowing down her movements and chaining her to the dome. Dozens of giant spectral swords started hacking at her. Apparently, that was painful, as the scream of the wounded goddess made us get down and cover our ears.
Weldy grabbed my hand,
pointing down. The spectacle raging there was just as impressive.
Pandorum had seemingly realized that the time for jokes was over and activated the full extent of their power. Watchtowers spit out fire, sending lines of glowing orbs at the NAVY fleet. The sky of the Astral Plane turned black as a myriad of dragon riders soared above the walls, preparing for an attack. The area in front of the fortress was teeming with sails. Battleships left the gates under the cover of their fleet: large steep-sided galleons, carracks, frigates...
NAVY kept maneuvering, stretched out into two columns. Some of the ships boarded the Pandas and were caught in a melee. More than a dozen ships were ablaze, burning like giant torches. A plethora of odd green lights lit up the walls of Atrocity, and I saw glowing spectral figures thrice as tall as a human. They were drawing large bows.
Shadow Seer (Rogue Merchant Book #3): LitRPG Series Page 2