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

‘clunk’ as the dial twitched, so he twisted the dial completely the other way and pulled the lever down again.

This time, it moved, but the reaction… wasn’t what he’d hoped for.

The glowing light given off by the magical components of the ship, the symbols that encircled the engines, and even the magelights scattered across the decks all dimmed, and lines of power flared across the deck, converging on the enormous cannon at the far end of the ship.

It lit up, slowly at first; then with building speed, rings of light pulsed to life around it, climbing higher and higher, and the ship began to shudder.

“Okay… not that one…” Jian muttered, desperately attempting to push the lever back up. It wouldn’t move, but a crystal next to it had begun pulsing a dangerous red. He pressed it, hoping it would stop the magic from building, and it did… sort of…

The entire ship shook, shooting backwards through the air as an enormous fireball blasted from the front of the cannon. The charge was at least three feet around as it left the barrel, the metal cracking and sparks flashing across the deck as the weapon discharged.

The Fireball expanded as it hurtled away from the ship, piercing the air with a scream of power.

“Oh shit…” Jian said, wide eyed as he quickly flipped the dial back to where it was and pushed the lever back up, hoping that it’d somehow stop the giant Fireball from hurtling toward the neat rows of tents within the camp of the Church of the Death God.

It didn’t.

Chapter Thirty-Five

“What the hell was that?” I gasped, staring at the enormous Fireball that hurtled through the air, blazing toward the neat rows of tents and equipment that surrounded a tall, ominous-looking cathedral.

“It’s a mistake…” Hellenica said grimly next to me, and I glanced at her in confusion.

“Well, it didn’t look like it was planned, but…”

“We have to get out of here, right now!” she said frantically, spinning around and heading up to the helm. Confused, I turned and ran after her. Even running at full speed, she beat me, and was ordering the Alkyon to turn us around as I arrived.

“No!” I countermanded her order. “Our people are still on that ship!” She turned to me, her eyes welling up with fear.

“That’s the Dark Temple of Nimon, the God who destroyed the world, and they’ve just fired on him. He’ll respond to it!” Her words tripped over themselves in her desperation to get them out. “We have to get out of here...”

“Oh, fuck,” I muttered, looking back over at the other ship. It was twisting from side to side, still trying to get itself straight, but at that angle, it didn’t have long. I swore viciously.

“Quick, how do I control this?” I asked the Alkyon at the helm.

“Ah, your…lord, it takes hours of practice…”

“Bullshit,” I said firmly. “The wheel goes left and right; what controls up and down and power?”

“This controls the engines, the ‘power,’ I guess? And this controls how much to each engine…” He gestured to each of the levers in turn.

“Good enough,” I said. “Get out of the way.” I grabbed the wheel, simply feeling thankful that this ship didn’t have that many levers.

“My lord?” He asked, confused, as I flipped the lever for power, sending the ship jumping ahead.

“Get ready to get onto the ship and take over the helm!” I ordered, as Hellenica started trying to convince me to turn the ship around. “Our people are still on that vessel!” I snapped at her. Turning my attention to the control panel, I tried the levers, nodding to myself as I lifted the bow, then dipped it. “Okay… I can do this…” I muttered under my breath, before shouting to the Alkyon, who’d moved to the railing. “Get them back to the shipyard and landed, get someone to take over the helm who knows what they’re doing, and then get back up here!” I ordered him and he saluted, waiting as we pulled above the plummeting ship, before leaping over the side.

As soon as he was gone, I turned the ship, accidentally twisting the ship too far and making it tilt, before bringing it around and stabilizing it. Memories of racing on stolen motorbikes strangely helped with my controls as I tilted and shifted the ship. Suddenly, the night erupted off my port side, as the Fireball landed.

I swore, having been hoping it would miss, and I called out to Hellenica, who’d moved back to the railing to look out. “How bad is it?” I shouted.

“It’s… horrific,” she said, clenching the wooden railing in dismay. “The encampment... over a third of it is on fire. It must have exploded and set fire to the rest of the camp…”

Thunder rumbled through the sky, making the world seem to shake and shudder as a new prompt filled my vision. This one practically filled my vision, and wouldn’t move until I’d read and acknowledged it.

Call to Arms!

Heathens have assaulted Holy Nimon’s Chosen, cowardly killing dozens and damaging His holy property!

A ‘Call to Arms’ has been issued by the High Priest of Nimon, Thaddeus Baruman. Any who kill a heathen follower of Jax the Apostate will be granted a full pardon by the Church for ALL CRIMES COMMITED, receive a purse of ten gold crowns per kill, and will be granted a minor boon.

Go forth, my faithful… and smite the heathen unbeliever!

*

You have received a new Title: Apostate!

The Dark God Nimon has labeled you ‘Apostate.’ No matter where you go, any of the faithful who see you will feel the call to action. They will be filled with the ‘Strength of the Dark’ and will punish you for your crimes!

“Well, fuck!” I grunted, appalled as I finally managed to minimize the two prompts.  righting my course as I twisted the ship around again. Glaring back at the other ship, I realized that it had clearly been one of my people who’d fired the weapon, and yet I’d