Nova Terra: Liberator - A LitRPG/GameLit Adventure (The Titan Series Book 5)

by Seth Ring

  “Yeah, it's like a marble or something.” The captain scratched his beard and shrugged. “That's what they tell me at least. Who knows how they do it. I guess that’s why they call it magic, huh?”

  Thanking the captain, Thorn handed the spyglass back to him and followed Bothy down the stairs and back into the captain’s cabin. It took some effort for Thorn to squeeze through the narrow doorway, but once he sat down on the floor it was not too bad. The cabin was richly decorated with carved wood and wrought iron fixtures, but all of the furniture had been piled on the bed to make room for the massive wooden desk that had been pulled into the center of the room.

  “The duke has given us our orders but has not restricted how we carry them out. We have been assigned to the northern side of Rasyn. This is where the Orc forces are concentrated the most, but we have the cover of the forest, so it will be the most suited to smaller battles, which favors us. Our objectives are threefold.”

  Listening intently, Thorn looked at the large map of Rasyn spread out on the table as Earl Blaige tapped on the large forest in the north.

  “First, we need to harass the Orcs to prevent them from committing their forces to the center of the island. Their main camp is in the northeast peninsula, above Ilha Caelora. From our reports, they have been trying to clear the forest, with limited success. It seems the Elves are resisting fiercely. Second, we need to secure the northern side of the island as a beachhead. It is the easiest spot to land troops, so we need to take control of the three bays before the Orcs know what is happening. That will make bringing reinforcements much easier.

  “Third, and most importantly, we need to rescue the Elves who are under siege in Thilvena. Thankfully, the city is hard to pin down, so the Orcs have had no choice but to spread out. Every time it changes position, they have to find it again, which has kept it from being conquered. Still, if we are going to win we’ll need the Elves on our side, which means breaking the siege and joining up with them.”

  Shuffling through his notes, Bothy found a few pieces of paper and scanned them before handing the stack to Thorn.

  “This is the note we have received from one of our contacts inside Thilvena. It isn’t much to go on, but we should be able to devise our initial plan from that. While you read over that I’m going to gather the other officers so we can plan our landing.”

  Nodding, Thorn began to read the paper while Bothy squeezed out of the cabin.

  Placing the letter down on the table, Thorn’s brow furrowed slightly. Though the letter seemed quite casual, Thorn could sense the tension hidden behind it. One by one, Thorn thumbed through the rest of the papers, reading over the various reports that had been compiled about the situation on Rasyn. The more he read, the grimmer his face became. Once he was done he carefully stacked the papers together and closed his eyes, his finger tapping on his knee as he began to think through what he had just read. A few minutes later Thorn opened his eyes when he heard Bothy come in with the rest of the officers.

  “Alright. We’ve been assigned to the north of the island. The duke is going to be assaulting the south with the main force. We also have a force that is going to be attacking from the mountains on the western side of the island to try and put pressure on Maandell which has been seized by the Orcs,” Bothy said, pointing to the city on the map. “We’ll be landing up here in the forest.

  “However, in order to disembark our whole army, we need to take control of one of the bays and turn it into a real harbor. According to the intelligence we’ve received, the Orcs have already started working on a harbor to try and bypass the forest blockade that the Elves have established. We will be landing a party further west and then will take control of the Twin Bay, using the Orc’s work as a foundation for our own. Thorn, I’m going to give this job to you. As our vanguard, we are counting on you to take the Orcs by surprise. Do you think you can do that?”

  “Yes.” Thorn’s deep voice rumbled around the cabin. “Will I have my full force?”

  “I’ll leave that up to you.”

  As the large ship continued to race toward Rasyn, Bothy outlined his plans one by one, carefully laying out the structure of the entire campaign. The more he listened; the more impressed Thorn became. Despite his sloppy appearance, the fat young earl’s mind was meticulous. With contingency plans for every occasion, he layered his subordinates’ orders like a mason laying a strong foundation. Listening carefully, Thorn tried to absorb as much as he could.

  He had long realized that this sort of strategic thinking was a weakness of his. Thankfully, there were plenty of smart people around him that he could rely on, allowing Nova Luna to flourish. Still, if he could, he wanted to shore up his weaknesses, even as he polished his strengths. The briefing lasted for almost three hours, but Thorn was so engrossed that it seemed to pass by in a flash. When they were finally done and he had squeezed back out of the door and onto the large open deck, he called for his own officers to join him.

  Stretching his arms, Thorn looked ahead of the boat to where the mountainous shore of Rasyn’s western side had appeared. The strange bubble that allowed the ship to move quickly distorted the mountains, at times making them stretch high into the sky and at others making them shrink down. Behind him, on the quarterdeck, the captain called out a command and the sailors began to scramble about on the sails, getting ready to drop them.

  “Excuse me, sir. I need to lay out the line for the mainsail,” a sailor said as he tapped Thorn politely on the arm.

  “Hm? Can I help?”

  Surprised, the sailor hesitated for a second as his eyes looked Thorn up and down.

  “Uh, sure. Yeah, just hold this rope. We need to lower the sail uniformly, so we have to balance it with the other side,” said the sailor, gesturing to the other side of the boat where a line of sailors was holding onto another rope.

  “Sounds good. Just let me know when I need to start letting it out.”

  Excited to be helping, Thorn held the thick coarse rope and waited for the sailor’s signal. Seeing that everyone was ready, the first mate gave a command and the sailors who had climbed up the mast undid the ties that held the mainsail up. Thorn felt the slight jerk as the rope in his hands went taut. Glancing over, he saw the other row of sailors had begun letting their side drop slowly, so he began to let his rope out, matching their pace.

  As the big sail lowered, sailors guided it into rough folds, keeping it stacked in place. Curious about its effect, Thorn looked out toward the horizon where he was surprised to see that the warped bubble had disappeared. The ship was still sailing forward quickly, but the magic that had allowed them to shorten the distance had disappeared as soon as the mainsail began to come down. Once the sail had been tied down, Thorn handed his rope off and turned to talk to the players that had gathered.

  Chapter Forty

  The salty ocean breeze ruffled Thorn’s hair as he looked over the players who had gathered around him. The commanders from the four battalions who had come with him stood together, talking quietly as they waited for Thorn to give them their orders. Next to them, Athena and Mina chatted together, all the while shooting mischievous glances at Thorn. Ignoring their giggling, Thorn looked around for Corvo but was unable to spot him.

  “Is Corvo busy still?”

  “Uh, he started playing some super complicated version of chess with that Orc, and they’re still playing,” Mina said with a shrug. “Want me to go get him?”

  “No, no need. I’ll send him his orders. Alright, let’s go over the plan.”

  Gesturing for all of them to step closer, Thorn shared his map to show them the spot where they would be landing.

  “We’ll be sending our force out first. While the rest of the army lands, we will be advancing into the forest. Our primary job is to sweep the area for Orc scouts and take them all out. The second objective is to seize the Twin Bay port that the Orcs are building. We’ll need to move as quickly as possible to keep the Orcs from realizing what we’re doing. I want to
split into two groups. The First, Second, and Tenth battalions will be advancing with me toward Twin Bay. The Fifth battalion will be responsible for clearing the Orcs.”

  As Thorn was explaining, the hurried sound of footsteps sounded, causing everyone to look up. Slightly disheveled, Corvo and Duratan appeared on the deck, both looking quite embarrassed. Corvo froze for a second when he saw everyone’s eyes on him, but Duratan kept walking, forcing the Avatar of Huginn to catch up. Arriving next to Thorn, Corvo bowed low as he apologized.

  “I’m sorry, my lord, I lost track of time.”

  “Did you win?”

  “Pardon?” Corvo’s brow furrowed as he raised his head.

  “Did you win your game?”

  “Oh, of course I won.” A slightly proud expression flashed across Corvo’s face.

  “Good. I was just explaining how we are going to deploy. I am going to have you and Duratan stay with the Fifth battalion. You’ll be responsible for coordinating all of our battalions as well as making sure our forces are able to eliminate the Orc scouts. Duratan, you can help him. Athena, you’ll be with me and the Titan company.”

  “Sure, sounds good.” Athena nodded.

  “We don’t have a ton of information, but I want everyone ready to go before we land. We’ll be forming our attack plan once we get to the Twin Bay. The Fifth battalion will land first and the other battalions will follow. Getting ashore by boat will take too long, so we’ll be swimming.”

  Acknowledging Thorn’s orders with a salute, the battalion commanders hurried off to get their troops organized. Staying by the railing, Thorn watched as the shore got closer and closer. The thick forest reached to the very edge of the shore, revealing only a short beach that led down into the water. Soon the ship began to slow and the other sails lowered as the players began to file up onto the deck.

  Mina and the rest of the Titan squad arrived and gathered around Thorn. A fluffy red figure dashed out of the hold behind them, swiftly scurrying up onto Thorn’s shoulder.

  “There you are, did you find anything interesting in your exploration?”

  [Yes, master! This big boat is really interesting. The wood smells really good, like magic. And the food was good as well. I found where they kept the fruit and I didn’t have time to finish it all so I brought it with me.]

  “Oh? Cool. Wait, what did you do?” Distracted by the players bustling around him, Thorn was only listening with half an ear so it took a moment for Akira’s words to register.

  [It was delicious, so I put it in my pouch for later. That way it won’t spoil and I can eat it later when I am hungry again.] Quite proud of herself and her forethought, Akira rubbed her tails against Thorn’s face.

  Chuckling, Thorn waved to Bothy, who had climbed the stairs back up to the quarterdeck. Seeing the earl nod, Thorn swept his gaze across the players of the Fifth battalion who were standing by the edge of the ship.

  “Fifth battalion, we are counting on you to clear the way. We’ll regroup near Thilvena.”

  Taking a deep breath, Thorn was surprised at how nervous he was. With a wave of his hand he signaled for Corvo to go ahead.

  “Fifth battalion, deploy!”

  After giving his command, Corvo sprinted forward, easily jumping up onto the ship’s railing and launching himself out over the water. A flurry of purple feathers wrapped around him and his body blurred as he shifted into his raven form. Behind him, Duratan rushed forward as well, his golden bracer swirling around him as it transformed into wings on his boots. Leaping up onto the railing, he launched himself into the air as well. Unlike Corvo who was flying freely in the sky, Duratan charged forward, the wings on his feet allowing him to step on the air.

  The players of the Fifth battalion followed behind them, rushing to the side of the ship and launching themselves off. Those with movement abilities that allowed them to move through the air flew above the water, but most of the players simply dove from the side of the ship, landing in the water and swimming toward the shore.

  As soon as the last of the players from the Fifth battalion jumped down, Thorn nodded to the commanders of the First, Second, and Tenth battalions who led their forces forward. The whole process was quick and within a couple of minutes all four thousand players had left the ship and were about halfway to the shore. Up on the quarterdeck, Bothy held on to the railing and grumbled to himself, completely jealous of the player’s abilities. Once all of the players were off the ship, Thorn waved to the earl and put on his helmet.

  “Want to race?”

  Squeaking her agreement, Akira jumped down from his shoulder and dashed toward the side of the ship. Abruptly speeding up when she got to the edge of the deck, she turned into a red streak that flashed down the side of the ship and across the surface of the water. Faint flames streamed from her tail as she sprinted, wrapping her paws in an ethereal energy that propelled her forward.

  Breathing out, Thorn activated [Shadow Dash], his body blurring as he rushed toward the edge of the ship. Worried that the rail would simply snap under his weight, he activated [Predator’s Leap] before he reached it, launching himself toward the shore. Despite his efforts, the force of his foot landing on the deck left a shattered board, but Bothy just ignored it and waved for his other officers to start disembarking their troops.

  Flying through the air like a meteor, Thorn took a moment to examine where he was going to land. The ship had stopped almost five hundred feet away from the shore and Thorn’s leap was not enough to get him all the way there. Grinning, Thorn curled up his body into a ball as he flew over Akira, landing in the water with a thunderous splash. Plunging down into the depths, Thorn felt the earth below him and his [Spiritual Sense] automatically activated, letting him know that he was about one hundred and fifty feet from the shore.

  Hissing in annoyance at the giant waves that Thorn had caused, Akira zigzagged across the top of the water, continuing to sprint toward the beach. In the water under her, Thorn rotated to get his feet under him. He ignored the silt that his landing had kicked up and pushed off, sending himself shooting through the water like a missile. Using the ground for leverage, Thorn charged up toward the beach, bursting from the water like a behemoth. Laughing with enjoyment, he stomped through the waves and up onto the small beach, the other players giving him a wide berth. Looking around, he spotted Mina standing with Heidi and Athena. Akira was relaxing comfortably in Athena’s arms, getting her stomach rubbed.

  “Well, that was fun. Alright, let's get ready to go,” Thorn said, flicking some water from his fingers.

  Within a few minutes all of the players had arrived at the shore and Corvo led the Fifth battalion away. The other three battalions spread out across the shore, waiting for Thorn’s command. With one last check to make sure that everything was in order, Thorn opened up his map and set a path to Twin Bay. Sending it to all of the other players, he activated [Pack Travel] and rushed into the forest, three thousand players streaming behind him.

  On the boat, Bothy watched them leave and shuddered slightly, drawing a curious look from the officers around him.

  “I’m just glad they’re on our side,” Bothy said, waving for the officers to continue with what they were doing.

  The forest that surrounded Thorn and the Iron Wolf Army reminded him of Fang Valley, and even with his size Thorn had no issue traveling through it. If anything the Elven forest was even older than the forest in the valley. Each tree was huge, towering over the Iron Wolf Army, the emerald green leaves forming a solid canopy above them. Light filtered through the thick leaves in spots, preventing it from being completely dark.

  With their travel skills active, the Iron Wolf Army covered ground at a tremendous rate and it was only a few hours later that they arrived at the rally point that Thorn had set. Waving for everyone to stop, Thorn sat down and concentrated his mind, focusing on his connection with Akira. With a shudder his vision changed as he borrowed her senses to scout out the Orc camp. Akira had run up ahead, stopping at the edge o
f the forest. Below her, Thorn could hear the ringing of axes as the Orcs worked to clear more of the forest.

  A shiver ran through the branch that Akira perched on as one of the nearby trees creaked and began to fall. Slamming into the ground with a loud crack, it was immediately stripped of its leaves and branches by a swarm of bare chested Orcs skillfully wielding hand axes. With an axe in each hand, the Orcs were like machines, cutting away any protrusions and processing the felled tree into a smooth log.

  With the branches cleared, another Orc appeared with a thick chain and a hammer. Slamming a spike into the end of the tree, the Orc looped the chain around it and began to tug it down the hill toward the harbor, his massive muscles practically bursting under the strain. A guttural roar sounded as he dug his feet in and pulled, digging a furrow down the hill as he moved the log. As he picked up speed, he passed an Orc carrying a chain climbing up the hill to get the next log.

  Down below the hill the Orcs were hard at work constructing large wooden piers on either side of the peninsula that jutted into the ocean between the two bays that gave Twin Bay its name. Countless figures swarmed the half-built harbor, the sounds of hammers and axes mixed with the guttural yells of the Orc workers. Carefully watching the scene from Akira’s point of view, Thorn examined the Orc forces, trying to identify the threats.

  [Akira, can you spot any Orc soldiers?]

  [Master, what do Orc soldiers look like?]

  Scratching his head, Thorn opened his eyes and gestured for Mina and Delmore to come closer.

  “It looks like there are no soldiers at the harbor. That seems really strange to me. Unless maybe they are hiding out in the woods.”

  “No soldiers? Then who is building the harbor?” Delmore asked.

  “Uh, Orcs?”

  For a moment Thorn and Delmore stared at each other blankly until Thorn’s brain caught up.

  “Ooh! Those are the soldiers? They looked more like workers to me.”