Spawn Campers: A LitRPG Adventure (The Crucible Shard Book 2)

by Skyler Grant

  I felt a flush of anger and an echoing pulse from Intemperance at my side. “He’s being attacked because of me?”

  “They’ve never heard of you, you have no other ships, and news hasn’t reached them yet about the Ebon Star. Bull is claiming backing they don’t think he has.”

  I wasn’t a particularly smart guy, but I could grasp lessons when they were repeated enough times. If there was one lesson that this world had been hammering home to me since I got here it was this—you pick a side and stand with your friends.

  QUEST GRANTED

  Charge to the Bull

  Bull is in danger. Can you reach him in time or will this be his last rodeo?

  John Bull was sailing under me and if those ships thought he had no backup they were so very wrong. When you push fire, you get burned. “Cobalt, how fast can you get us there?”

  Cobalt was already moving and halfway across the deck before she called over her shoulder, “Twenty minutes. Tell him to hold out.”

  Ashley closed her eyes and clutched at a carved stone tooth on a string around her neck. “He’s heading for open water, but there are three of them. He’s worried.”

  “Go get Walt, and make sure Lea and Riggs know what is up if they don’t already. We’ll need to be ready for action the moment we get there.”

  Ashley nodded and ran off. It wasn’t entirely busy work, but I knew that giving her any sort of task to do right now was what she needed. Anything she could focus on to keep her from more worry.

  The Vainglory pulled away from the wall of water and I watched it drift astern as the airship began to tremble. The wind began to whistle as we gained speed.. We were charging into battle and it felt good.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  The Bull’s Charge had made it a fair distance from the harbor by the time we arrived and the island was a fuzzy blur on the horizon. The ship had taken a lot of fire and its sails were tattered, the sides showing the scars of cannon hits. As we drew closer we watched one ship throw grappling hooks and use them to pull near and send over boarders.

  Ashley had rejoined me on deck along with Walt and she had a dangerous look in her eye as she looked over the scene.

  Cobalt joined us. “Lea has the helm and Riggs has cannon duty, they’ll miss the party but I’ll be able to join you.”

  “Are they really all the crew you have?” I asked.

  “The Vainglory is special. We get by. We can create a dense fog to hide our approach. Supposedly you have a few ships at your command, Admiral. How do you want to play this?”

  The most critical threat seemed to be the boarding action, but the two other ships couldn't be ignored. They would be able to board as well, if needed, and even if we managed to break the Bull’s Charge away their cannons would be a threat.

  I asked Cobalt, “You’re so fond of hiding your class and level I don’t know your capabilities. How good are you in a fight?”

  “Consider me the deadliest woman you have ever met and, if you are very lucky, the deadliest you ever shall.”

  I had to believe that was just boasting. Still, I didn’t have much choice other than to take her word at the moment.

  “Ashley, I know you’d like to be with Bull, but we need you elsewhere. We’ll fly past and drop you onto one of the other ships. Kill the officers, get out alive.”

  It was risky, but we needed to neutralize that ship.

  “No playing nice this time and taking them alive?” Walt asked.

  “We’re badly outnumbered and outgunned. We’ll play nice with any survivors.”

  “I’m in the mood for murder. I’ll catch up with Bull after,” Ashley said.

  “Killing is what I do. Where do you want me?” Cobalt said.

  “Loaded question. Same job, the other ship. I’m guessing you’re a stealth class.”

  Cobalt grinned at me, but gave no answer. She was a woman who really loved her secrets.

  “Walt. You’ll be with me on the Bull’s Charge. Focus on the chains, we want to get the ship mobile again. Cobalt, you said there will be fog. Can Lea move the ship in and out, fly low to deliver a volley and then reposition?”

  “Make us seem like a fleet instead of a lone ship? She can do that, I’ll pass along the orders.”

  “Do it now. We’re dropping Ashley and you off first.”

  Cobalt ran off leaving me alone with the others.

  “She’s going to an alarming amount of trouble. I don’t trust her,” Walt said.

  “She’s on our side until she isn’t,” I said, and earned an approving look from Ashley for my trouble. Yeah, I got it. Eventually.

  Fog of War

  The air surrounding the Vainglory began to fill with mist and soon the battle was obscured from sight entirely, although the sounds of combat could faintly be heard in the distance.

  Cobalt returned, gait steady across the wobbly deck and she now wore a sword belt on one hip in place of one of her pistols. “We’ll slow down three times. When we do, jump off the starboard side near the bow.”

  We got into position and everyone prepared themselves. Walt looked nervous, Ashley focused and Cobalt as if she was having the time of her life.

  The ship slowed once. Ashley ran for the ship’s side and leapt off, vanishing into the fog. I hoped that Lea was as good a pilot as Cobalt seemed to think so.

  We began to slow again and Cobalt leaned in to press a kiss to my lips, a hungered contact that was also too brief.

  Cobalt pulled away and dove for the edge, calling out, “Stay safe.”

  I wasn’t the one I was worried about. I’d given the most dangerous jobs to her and Ashley. Both of them seemed eager, but I couldn’t help worrying.

  Fortunately I had little time to dwell on it as we moved away and then slowed once more.

  “Come on,” I called to Walt and leapt out into the fog.

  It was a longer drop than I was expecting, letting out a bellowing grunt as I hit the deck. It had taken nearly a quarter of my health and I looked around for Walt. With his smaller health bar he’d probably need a heal as soon as he was down.

  Teleport

  Walt flickered into being beside me looking completely unfazed. I was impressed. Mid-air teleporting to the deck to avoid fall damage. Walt was kind of a badass with his skills.

  Around us pirates were fighting pirates and the deck was deafening with the sounds of clashing swords. Until this moment I’d not given any thought of how to tell one pirate from another. Surely the crew of the Bull’s Charge had no problem identifying the invaders, but I didn’t know who to help.

  I focused on the alignments of those involved, but it wasn’t overly helpful as everyone seemed to be neutral or evil.

  If we couldn’t identify those already on the deck we could at least know who was boarding. That would give me some targets to burn and I wanted to get Walt working on those chains anyways.

  Through the fog I caught a glimpse of the other ship’s sails and moved in that direction, drawing Intemperance. The blade flamed to life, burning the fog away.

  I heard the cries of ‘Admiral Flame’ rising from the battle and perhaps it was my imagination, but I thought that perhaps the fighting became more intense as a result of my presence. I remembered that I did have an aura that boosted the damage of me and my allies, and I wondered if an entire ship counted. Perhaps I was helping just by showing up.

  The cries also drew attention to me and I didn’t have to worry about finding enemies to fight—they were finding me.

  Backstab

  A blade bit into my back and I turned to face the pirate who delivered the blow.

  Backstab

  Another blow hit me from a new angle. Another pirate and another stealth class. I was getting fed up with stealth classes.

  Walt was nowhere to be seen. I hoped that meant he had found the chains securing the ship and was working on getting us free.

  Now You See Me

  One of the pirates faded from view and I concentrated on Intemperance f
ocusing on the connection I always had with Yvera.

  Smite

  Like before, when I’d channeled the spell through the sword, I got a far more dramatic result than I had in the past. A billowing cloud of flames extended towards where I knew the invisible pirate had to be and a moment later I saw his outline wreathed in flames, before he faded back into view screaming.

  He turned to move towards the railing, intending no doubt to jump into the water and I charged forward driving Intemperance through his back, the unholy sword searing his organs before I pulled it free.

  “How do you like it?”

  Backstab

  Backstab

  This was so not cool. I felt a fiery rush through my body as accelerated healing began to hit my system. It actually wasn’t a good sign, because it meant my health bar was low. I was down to about a quarter health.

  Get The Horns

  The smug expression on the face of one of the pirates who had just backstabbed me became a look of horror as suddenly two scimitars slashed together and nearly cut him in half.

  John Bull was looking worse for wear, a nasty cut across his forehead and a bloodied mess of a shoulder that looked like it had taken a pistol shot at close range.

  “Admiral, looked like you could use a hand.”

  “Or a back. They seem to be sneaky bastards.”

  Bull moved to fight back-to-back with me and I reached into my inventory, withdrawing one health potion to take a quick swig and then handing it off to him.

  Scattershot

  With my back covered the fight became a lot more even . I took a blast from a pistol on my shield.

  I hadn’t yet tried casting any other spells using Intemperance as a focus, but perhaps now was the time. John Bull could surely use a buff to power and endurance that my Divine Power could give.

  You are attempting to focus one of your divine abilities through a holy relic. While Divine Power can normally only be used on two individuals by utilizing a holy relic it can be cast on all nearby allies. This will consume both casting slots and the spell will only be half as effective as usual. Do you wish to perform a global cast?

  Yes / No

  Great. A wall of text in the middle of a fight. I traded blows with a pirate and the distraction let him get in a hit on my shoulder.

  If I understood what I was reading correctly that meant that I’d lose my own Divine Power cast for one half-strength. I was getting used to being really buff, and in this fight I’d feel the loss. I don’t think I’d have survived that initial flurry of backstabs without it. On the other hand, I was pretty sure we were losing this fight and I wasn’t going to win it for us singlehanded.

  I willed my assent and immediately felt weaker than I had mere moments before. On the other hand John Bull and countless sailors surrounding us grew even more muscled and hardened.

  “Huh,” Bull said.

  Bull Headed

  Great conversationalist, this one. Bull didn’t seem to be one for questions, but rather he delivered a cracking head-butt to one of the invading pirates and then skewered him.

  Zealous Blow

  I tested out my newest combat ability. It seemed the right time, since I was weaker than usual. My sword traced a fiery arc through the air and exploded into a burst of flames when meeting a parry, creating a burst of heat that sent my opponent scurrying backwards.

  There came a tearing shriek of metal and the deck trembled violently as we broke free of the other ship. Walt must have been hard at work.

  “Might want to hit their sails, Admiral,” John Bull said.

  It was quite a distance, but I could try. I focused on them and extended Intemperance in that direction.

  Smite

  The flames were far more focused than normal, intense, a narrow blue beam extending from the point of my sword and crossing the distance to the sails. They began to burn.

  Backstab

  Really? Weren’t we done with this? I was so enraged at the prompt that I just figured I had missed the blow, until I realized I’d not taken a hit at all. A soaking wet Ashley however had just stabbed the remaining attacker I had on me.

  “Get it done?” I asked her.

  “Captain and his Second. I made a big mess, but couldn’t get to any of the other officers. Nice to see you vertical, Bull,” Ashley said.

  Bull swept her up into a crushing hug that completely ignored the fight around them. I felt a flash of jealousy. Not for Ashley, not exactly, but I didn’t know if anyone would be quite that happy to see me still alive and kicking. I wished there were.

  “Still a fight going on, you two,” I said.

  Walt stepped out of the fog. He looked a bloody mess with only a sliver of his health bar remaining, “Not much of one.”

  I offered him a healing potion which he downed. The sounds of fighting did seem to have faded. I could hear the occasional pounding of cannons off in the fog punctuated with flashes of light.

  “We’ve got the sails. Get us an angle and hammer them,” John Bull called out to a woman I didn’t recognize. The ship creaked as it moved and soon begin to tremble with the force of broadsides being unleashed into the ship that boarded us.

  Backstab

  This time it wasn’t Ashley finding someone else to kill, but another sneaky bastard having a go at me. He nimbly dodged out of the way of my answering swing.

  Scattershot

  There came a roar of a firing gun from somewhere off to the side of me and the stealthy pirate went flying backwards, a mangled and bloodied mess. Looking over I saw Ashley holding the smoking pistol and she flashed me a grin while tossing it aside. “Hey, if it works for them. Those things fucking hurt.”

  They hadn’t really hurt me so far, but they did seem to do a number on rogues. I should probably pick myself up one or two. So far being a pirate was rather fun, even if it involved a good bit more of killing other pirates than I’d have expected.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  A cheer went up from the crew. I couldn’t determine the reason, but then John Bull pointed to the other ship through the fog.

  “Looks like they raised their flag of surrender, Admiral.”

  “One down, two to go. Hopefully we’ve already taken the fight out of them.”

  I was worried though as there was still no sign of Cobalt. I’d expected her back by this point, like Ashley, but so far she hadn’t made an appearance.

  “You might want to hold on,” John Bull said.

  I took him at his word and reached out to grab hold of a nearby support. It was just in time.

  Charging Bull

  There was a massive tremor underfoot and the sound of splintering wood. We’d just rammed one of the remaining ships. Given the name of the ship this was the sort of thing John Bull probably did quite a bit, which explains why it was so devastating. In the aftermath the other vessel was lopsided in the water and I could hear the panicked shouts of the crew.

  Moments later they raised their own flag of surrender. Two down. It was then that the fog began to clear, the skies and sea again becoming clear around us.

  There was no sign of the Vainglory in the sky and I wondered where the ship had gone. Had something called them away? Did they pick up Cobalt and go?

  The remaining enemy ship was the most dangerous looking one remaining, a predatory vessel with a raven mast. They hadn’t raised their flag, the deck was empty and the cannons were silent.

  “That last one doesn’t seem to be doing much,” I said.

  “The Raven, under the command of Captain Dara Riel,” John Bull said.

  “Know much about her?”

  “Deadly. Necromancer. She is always one for a clever trap or a new surprise. We should just blow her out of the water and take the other two as prizes.”

  “I took the other ship. That one must have been Cobalt’s,” Ashley said.

  I was against blowing Cobalt out of the water, if she were still aboard that ship. “Bring us in close, Captain. We’ll go over, I want to s
ee why things have gone silent.”

  “I’ll join you,” John Bull said.

  Ashley gave him a concerned look. I don’t know what made her think that was any riskier than piracy.

  “Do we need to be worried about the other ships?” I asked.

  “Admiral. They thought you didn’t actually exist and then you came out of nowhere and made them bleed all over their decks. I’m fairly sure they’d rather be with you, than against you.”

  “If you say so. Bring us alongside the Raven and we’ll head over.”

  The time it took to draw closer let us replenish our health and mana pools. We were in good shape by the time the Bull’s Charge came up alongside the Raven.

  I led the way, John Bull and Ashley right behind me, Walt taking up the rear. We didn’t have to wonder long why the ship was silent. The deck was a scene of carnage. The big fight was on the Bull’s Charge, as it should have been, but I think there may have been more dead scattered here.

  “Gods,” John Bull said.

  Ashley slipped free and began to move amongst the bodies. At first I thought she was simply investigating, but I saw her pulling items free and slipping them into her inventory.

  “Seriously? Is this the time to go looting?” I asked.

  “It’s always the time to go looting,” John Bull said.