City of Fallen Souls: A LitRPG Adventure (UnderVerse Book 3) by Jez Cajiao (fb2 epub reader .txt) 📕

out for you to train, again?” I asked casually, and Raat fixed me with a piercing stare for a second before bobbing his head and focusing on a point in the sky over the bow, responding to his partner’s quick comments about power and direction.

“We practiced on a ship helm that was being worked on by the dwarves in the shipyard … my lord?” he asked, as though unsure it was the right answer.

“Ah, of course. Sorry, it’s been a long night…” I said, forcing a smile as I rejoined Augustus.

“Nobody expects you to know everything, Jax,” he said to me quietly.

“Yeah, but it’s so bleeding obvious that we’d need to train for the ships, now that he’s mentioned it…” I said, trying not to facepalm.

“Nobody can think of everything, and you’ve been battling every night to the death in an arena as well. Don’t worry; just be thankful that Mal thought of this,” he remarked, a faint smile on his lips as he changed his mind and went on. “Scratch that; I think it was Soween. That woman’s a wonder at the details.” I nodded agreeably, instantly feeling better.

“Oh, well that’s different, then,” I said, straightening. “If it was Soween, that’s fine.”

“Little bit jealous there of Mal?” Augustus quipped, a smile tugging at his cheeks.

“No!” I snapped, then sighed. “He’s just got a plan for everything, that’s all. Makes a man feel pretty green at all this.”

“He’s had years to plan for most of this stuff,” Augustus said calmly. “Remember, he said it was a thief’s dream to do the things we’re doing tonight; he just couldn’t figure out how to make it all work without your input. You came up with the ships, with the crews, and the Legion… he’s just doing the… what did you call it?”

“Fiddly bits,” I replied shortly as the ship finally lifted clear of another building.

We’d had to navigate between some of the larger towers as the Alkyon at the helm tried to turn the ship around, dodging around an old clock tower and out over the river. They finally managed to loop back around to head towards the other ship, floundering in the sky as it was.

“Looks like we might have some work to do on the other ship…” I said slowly, watching the battle as we closed the distance. Dozens of people were fighting on the decks, both with magic and by strength of arms.

The Alkyon seemed to favor small blades, against the ship’s few remaining soldiers using full armor and a sword and shield combination, and that was making it hard for them to get to their targets.

The Djinn were battling it out with the ship’s Mage and a series of archers, who kept popping up from cover to take pot-shots at them. The two dozen Djinn who had originally answered Hellenica’s call had been reinforced by another dozen, who’d taken time to travel to the fight, but at least twenty had died over the course of the two ship’s battles. The Djinn were powerfully magical, but they proved to be physically weak once that magical ability was exhausted.

“Shit,” I hissed as we lifted above the other ship, at last able to clearly see the deck and the bodies that were laid across it.

For every soldier, there were at least two of our people, and as we watched, more and more started to fall. The Djinn fell back, erecting shields around the Alkyon, helping to keep them alive as endless crossbow bolts and arrows flew from the doors to the lower level.

I scanned the ship, noting in passing that it was quite a bit larger than our own warship, the ‘Agamemnon’s Pride’. It had a lower central area that I termed the main deck, with a raised stern and forecastle that had solid doors leading inside. The rear also had a raised deck, with the helmsman under cover of a lean –to, and what I assumed to be the Captain’s quarters below him. The front of the ship, above the forecastle, held a five-cannon battery, two smaller cannons on either side, and a single large cannon that was built into the forward deck, surrounded by ornate sculpturing.

The main fight was taking place around the upper and lower decks, with bodies strewn everywhere. The crew had taken cover inside the forecastle and were firing out at the Djinn and Alkyon, popping out and jumping back as spells hurtled inside after them, while a group of four heavily armed and armored soldiers were pushing the Alkyon back.

The few Djinn who could still cast had fallen back to protect their comrades with shields as best they could, and from the shouting of the crew, the enemy thought they were winning.

“Not for long…” I whispered to myself. “Augustus. I need that ship,” I said, and he saluted, smacking his fist to his chest, bellowing out orders.

“Rinko, Plas, Yen, and Tang, you’re with me. The rest of you are to secure this ship and make sure that nothing happens to it or Lord Jax…” He started before I caught his attention. He paused, waiting for me, and I nodded to Lydia.

“Take my squad, Augustus. They’re good fighters, and you’ll need them,” I said, holding up the stump of my missing right hand. “No need for them to miss out on the fight. If not for this, I’d be with you.”

“As long as you stay up here…” Augustus said quietly, and I nodded to him. “Then I’ll take them, but Bane stays with you, as do the rest of the Legion.”

“Fine but be careful. As much as we need the ship, if all else fails, get everyone off it and we’ll blow the fucker up,” I insisted.

Unlike our own ship, which had a single large mast in the middle to help propulsion, the other ship had two smaller side masts and no central one. The constant contrast between ships made me shake my head in wonder, considering what a centralized, standardized approach would do for their