by Skyler Grant
I drew Intemperance and channeled a Smite spell to lash out with a stream of fire towards the storm clouds. Fire lit them especially brightly for an instant.
“There. That should let them know something is unusual with the storm.”
“That should also let the sender of that storm know exactly where to find you.”
I couldn’t help but wince, I hadn’t thought of that. I just telegraphed my location to anyone interested in knowing it.
Walt came up from below deck, looking as if he had just woken up. “Magic in the air.”
“Welcome to the last conversation. Teleport over to the other ships and let them know that something bad is coming.”
Walt nodded and flickered out of existence.
Teleport
The rumbling had only gotten more intense and waves were beginning to rock the ship.
Lightning Bolt
A bolt of lightning flashed down and struck the ship just a foot away from me. The force threw me backwards and I felt a twitching in my nerves.
Unholy Shield
Dara mumbled something I couldn’t catch and a brief ripple of red in the air surrounded the ship. She called out to the crew, “Trim the sails and move us away! They know our position.”
“How many hits can your shield take?”
“I’m a necromancer, not a shield battery. Don’t suppose you have anything in your flame admiral repertoire?”
“Not unless you need me to regenerate faster.”
Lightning Bolt
We were struck by another lightning blast, although this one was absorbed by the shield.
“Your Admiral powers, you useless sack of flesh!”
Dara was angry, her eyes flashing with reflected lightning.
I again proved myself worthy of having piles of charisma. “Err…”
“No wonder the zombies haven’t been hungering for your brains. Focus on Admiral under your titles and be quick about it.”
She was bossy. I didn’t like it. This also wasn’t the time to pick a fight, as much as I wanted to.
Admiral
21 ships (7 points to distribute)
Currently you may not have higher than a 4 in any single skill.
General
Navigation - The ability of your ships to navigate and maneuver on the sea. Points in this skill will impact both maneuverability in combat as well as the time needed to travel between ports.
Gunnery - The offensive skill of your ships with both cannons and firearms. Points in this skill govern how much damage you can inflict in combat.
Pirate
Luck - Fortune is fickle and plays many roles in the life of a pirate. Points in this skill make fortune favor you and your captains just a little bit more.
Loot - This ability governs both the amount of loot found and the quality of it.
Yvera
Friendly Fire - The resistance of your ships to fire. Each point in this ability adds a 25% resistance. At four points your ships are fully immune to fire and at any points above hull and structure damage can be restored by the application of flames.
Lustful Life - Those who sail under you truly might have a lover in every port. This can bring a host of benefits from added morale to surprising new opportunities.
Genea
Versatile - Genea is the human empire and humans are known amongst the other races for their versatility. Points in this skill directly confer no benefits of their own, but apply a fractional benefit of all the other skills an admiral may have access to.
Hardened - Genera is centrally positioned and has often in its history been assaulted by forces on multiple fronts. Each point in this skill strengthens the ability of your ships to withstand damage.
Wow, that was a lot of spam. I wished I’d found this menu in a non-combat situation. I wondered if I had one for being a king as well. Each branch I had access to seemed to be offering me two skills. None directly would help to shield us from lightning, although Luck might help us to avoid the hits and hardened might help us to take them.
My gut instinct was that Friendly Fire was particularly powerful, but this didn’t seem like a situation where it was going to be of much use since lightning wasn’t gunfire. Then there was Versatile. I already had skills from General, Pirate, Yvera, and Genea and it struck me that most pirates would just have Pirate and General, or more Genean admirals would have Genea and General. It was a skill I might already get more of a bang per point for than was expected, and should I ever add any more skill trees I’d instantly gain further benefits.
Thought of in that way, it was an easy choice. I threw four points into Versatility and an additional two into Friendly Fire and one into Luck.
Lightning Bolt
Just in time as another Lightning Bolt lashed down, this one seemed destined for our sail. Again the magical shield rippled above.
“I’m out,” Dara said. “Shield won’t take another hit. Did you find anything useful?”
“We’re luckier and more damage resistant.”
“Passives? You invested in passives? What the hell is wrong with you?”
I didn’t have any actives offered. Talking to Dara was like talking to Ashley in some ways. Fuck my life.
Group Teleport
Walt flickered back into existence on deck, Ashley along with him. The storm was now a maddened violent thing overhead and cannon fire was punctuating the thunder. Somewhere out there fighting was underway.
“Get the word out?” I asked.
Ashley sounded gleefully murderous as she said, “Better than that. Bull recognizes one of the ships. Stormrider, flagship of Admiral Storm.”
“Bet the storm is hers,” I said.
Dara plainly couldn’t believe anyone would say something quite so blatantly obvious. Well, at least nobody would be able to say I was wrong.
Walt nodded. “Probably. Want to go?”
“To her ship?”
“We fuck her up, we fuck up this storm,” Ashley said.
I wasn’t doing much here. I wasn’t exactly a talented fleet commander, and even if I were, the pirate captains seemed to do their own thing. I liked easy choices. “Let’s kick some ass.”
Group Teleport
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Teleport
The world warped around us and suddenly Walt, Ashley, and I were elsewhere. The deck where we materialized was larger than that of The Raven and the crew were actually alive. It was something we’d have to work on remedying. Given the alarming numbers of weapons being drawn they had the same idea.
“We’ll back up to the side of the ship. I’ll stay in front and take their shots,” I said.
“If we back up to the railing we’ll just make it easy for them to push us over,” Ashley said.
She wasn’t wrong, but I couldn’t think of a better option.
“It’s that or we fight surrounded on all sides.”
Crossfire
While we were trying to discuss our plans of action the enemy crew was getting into position and we were taking fire from two angles. The blasts peppered us and our health bars began to drop. I readied my shield and drew Intemperance, which flared to life, and we shifted so our backs were to the railing.
“Right, next time we decide on our plan of action before we teleport,” I said, even as I checked out the closest pirates.
Pirate Marauder
Level 12: Type: Human HP: 120/120
Pirate Marauders are lightly armored fighters who tend to attack their foes from their flanks and overwhelm with numbers.
Pirate Sharpshooter
Level 11: Type: Elf HP: 70/70
Armed with a rifle Pirate Sharpshooters typically fight from the masts of ships where they pick off targets below.
Pirate Hydromancer
Level 12: Type: Human HP: 90/90
Pirate Hydromancers utilize water magic for a variety of debilitating and healing effects.
I didn’t like what I was seeing. It wasn’t just that they
were all of a slightly higher level than us, but also the fact that they were so diverse. Generally what worked for us worked for them, and the more diversity an enemy could bring into a fight the more dangerous they became. Just in these three alone they had a ranged damage dealer, a melee damage dealer, and a ranged controller and healer.
Suppression Rain
Water droplets began to pelt me and I felt each impact as a flicker of exhaustion coursing through my muscles.
Smite
I focused and a burst of fire flared around the Hydromancer taking off a decent chunk of his health.
Shield of Water
Soothing Balm
Water surrounded the hydromancer and through it I saw his flesh beginning to smooth away the burns. Jerk.
“We are unlikely to prevail against so many,” Walt said. “It is imperative we find the Admiral and put a stop to her magic.”
Before I had a chance to scan any more of the crew the marauders were upon us. A took a blow on my shield from a scowling woman and she sidestepped my answering thrust.
Whirling Dervish
One of the Marauders began to move faster than I could see and I felt light blows from a number of angles. Judging by the drops to Walt and Ashley’s health bars they were taking hits as well. That just seemed like cheating, how could I protect the others when they were using area of effect spells.
Out Of Sight
Backstab
Ashley flickered out of sight and a moment later there came the squishy sound of a man being nearly decapitated as her backstab was delivered and she kicked the corpse overboard.
“Sticking together isn’t going to work, Liam,” Ashley said.
Whirling Dervish
Another Marauder burst into a flurry of activity and again health bars went down. Mine was decreasing far slower than either of the others given it was so much larger.
“Walt, use whatever you must to avoid combat, but keep enough mana for another group teleport. We may need to leave in a hurry. Find the Admiral,” I called out.
Temporal Dislocation
The air blurred for no more than a second and Walt was gone.
Sniper Shot
Critical Hit!
There was a sharp crack coming from somewhere above us and it was Ashley nearly decapitated as she took a round in the throat. There was an alarming amount of blood as she crumpled to the deck and I was already diving over her, focusing upon one of my Lay on Hands.
I didn’t think my spell would raise the dead, so I must have gotten to her while there was still a tiny bit of her health bar remaining. The rush of heat coursed through me into her and the grisly damage was undone. I might not be the most amazing tank, but at least I had the occasional big heal to pull out.
Out of Sight
Ashely didn’t say anything, she just faded from sight. That was probably a good idea, it made sense for their damage dealers to focus on her first and I clearly had no way to protect her.
Sniper Shot
Critical Hit!
A bullet found the joint of my knee and judging by the explosive burst of agony more or less destroyed the joint. At least it wasn’t instant death. I toggled a healing potion from my inventory and my health slowly began to restore. It wasn’t enough to get me back on my feet. The leg wouldn’t support my weight.
Eviscerating Slash
A marauder slashed out at me with a cutlass, digging through my armor and adding a bleed effect. The healing potion still had me gaining health, but now it was only a trickle. I had to do something to neutralize those snipers up in the masts. They were the biggest threat right now.
Smite
I focused the spell through Intemperance and willed it towards one of the ship’s sails. The flames around the sword grew particularly intense and then lashed out with a whoosh of the oxygen being sucked from the air.
Perhaps it was my upgraded Aura of Destruction that gave enhanced environmental damage. The sail caught fire more quickly than I could have hoped with heat I could feel where I stood.
Sniper Shot
Critical Hit!
It was an elbow they aimed at this time, Intemperance clattering out of my hand as I suddenly lacked the strength to hold on. The flames faded from the blade as it hit the deck.
Smite
It might not be as impressive without the bolstering effects of the sword, but I still had fire and they had another sail.
Sniper Shot
Critical Hit!
I went flying backwards as a shot hit me in the head this time. In a testament to my armor and my health pool I wasn’t dead, but the entire world had gone red and all I could hear was ringing.
I felt a rush of heat inside me as Fire Within activated, boosting my regeneration. After a deep breath my vision had recovered enough that I could toggle on another health potion from my inventory.
It wasn’t enough to keep me alive much longer. I was tough, but there were just too many of them. I did take some satisfaction in watching a figure on fire drop from the mast to lay dead on the deck. That was at least one sniper silenced.
Backstab
Ashley came into view right behind a marauder moving to stab me, her twin daggers biting deep to his howl of pain.
“Stay the fuck down, Liam.”
“You can’t take them all.”
“Just buying time to get you back on your feet and for Walt to come back. I start looking like a corpse, you have another heal?”
“Two more, actually.”
Throat Slit
Ashley slashed across the throat of another pirate and he pulled back.
Flanking Maneuver
Blades stabbed at Ashley from multiple sides and she had nowhere to dodge with her usual grace, several swords plunging into her midsection with a sickening sound. I reached out and focused my will delivering another Lay on Hands.
Lay on Hands
Ashley didn’t miss a beat and took the opportunity to do some bloody work with those daggers.
Dislocation
Planar Quake
Walt flickered into being beside us and with a sharp gesture the air twisted with a wave of force that flung those closest to us back.
“Did you find her?” I asked.
“No. She has to be below decks somewhere. I tried, but it was taking too long.”
“Then get us the fuck out of here. I’m not that much of a killing machine.”
Group Teleport
We materialized about two feet above the deck of The Raven and collapsed into a jumble of groaning bodies.
The ship was a mess, one of the masts appeared to have snapped in half. The deck crew was still on their feet, but only due to being undead as most seemed to be sporting an alarming number of pieces of splintered wood buried deeply into their flesh.
Dara had a nasty cut across her forehead and seemed wobbly on her feet. I didn’t use my last Lay on Hands. Maybe that made me a jerk, but if she wasn’t dying I’d prefer to save it in case someone I actually liked needed help.
“Did you get her?” Dara asked.
I shook my head. “Killed some crew. Took out the sails. Couldn’t find her.”
“Useless.”
“A little respect, bitch,” Ashley said.
“No.”
That was a challenge to counter. It also wasn’t a fight I wanted to have right now.
“Status of the fleet?”
“Check your menus, Admiral.”
I wished she would stop telling me to do that and being right. It wasn’t good news. We’d lost four ships and had seven others with major damage including The Raven.
“Four down, almost everyone with some damage. Are we still under attack?”
“The storm is fading and they are pulling back. They weren’t out to kill us all, they were just out to show that you aren’t strong enough to protect your fleet.”
“Fuckers,” Ashley said.
“Tell the captains not to pursue. We’ll put in at Madrosa and perform repairs
. I want to know where Storm calls home.”
“She’ll be expecting a counterattack,” Walt said.
“We won’t be going in blind and without a plan this time. Get me a list of what our captains and their ships can do. Yvera, are you listening?”
I felt the whisper of heated breath on my ear as I heard her whisper, “Always.”
I briefly marveled and despaired at how a single word from her could turn me on at even the most inappropriate of times. I wanted to commit mass murder, not flirt. “I’ll want your help.”
