Becoming the Dark Lord

The ghost ship kept firing its cannons at them. It did not just have guns lining its sides, there were cannons mounted at the bow too. Triss’s ship zigzagged between the buildings.

“Another glowing shot incoming!” Randall shouted.

Eleanor loosed an arrow that burst into wind. The incoming cannonball detonated the moment it hit the blast.

“I got it,” she called back.

Off starboard, the ship Anne was steering was catching up to them. They had hit one of the super-currents.

“Another glowing cannonball!” someone shouted.

The forward cannon on the ghost ship fired a shell that shone with shifting colors, and the moment it got close, it exploded. One of the buildings took the hit.

“How is that thing so fast? And how is it turning like that?” Doug asked, hanging on tight. The water in that part of the city was rough.

“The ship is operating by magic. There’s nothing weighing it down, no crew, no armor like what we’re carrying. That makes it faster too,” Luke said.

At least that was the closest thing to logic he could come up with, even if there was nothing logical about a ghost ship. More cannon fire thundered out.

“Hold on!”

The helm spun hard, and the ship turned at the last second, barely avoiding a collision with one of the buildings. The glowing shell struck and exploded behind them.

“Now we’re broadside to it!” Doug shouted.

The enemy cannons roared again, fast and repeated. Luke threw a knife and blew it apart midair. Triss’s archers were firing too. The ghost ship slipped behind a building, dodging, then came out firing again. Another cannonball lit up.

Triss’s ship cut behind another structure. “We shook that thing.”

Then they saw the cannonball curve through the air.

“What?” Triss shouted.

The shell came at them like a guided missile, and the ghost ship fired two more right after it.

“Shoot that thing down!” Randall yelled.

Luke hurled a knife, trying to intercept the shot. Eleanor kept firing arrows. The missile-like cannonballs were hit and exploded.

“Super-current!” someone on Triss’s ship shouted, and they were caught and dragged forward again.

Charlie’s ship had reached them now, moving through the next street over. They were sailing parallel, and so was the ghost ship. Its broadside opened up and started firing cannons again. Some of the shots slammed into buildings.

“Does that bastard have infinite ammo?” Marten asked as a huge wave smashed into the ship. He raised his revolver and fired.

“How do you still have bullets?” Luke shouted, grabbing a rope to stay upright.

The wind was howling now. Marten slapped the belt at his waist, and fresh rounds appeared in the empty slots.

“Same principle as a magic quiver!” Marten shouted back.

“Then that damned ghost ship probably has something like that too,” Luke said, hurling another knife. The ship was hit by an explosion, but it kept firing from the full spread of its opening broadside.

“Then we’re screwed,” Marten said with a laugh, and went right back to firing his revolver.

One of the ship’s side cannons lit up and fired a glowing cannonball. It did not hit Triss’s ship, but it tore past in a straight line, nearly slamming into Charlie’s ship. Instead, it struck a building and exploded.

The other cannon mouths began glowing the same way.

“This thing is not holding back!” Eleanor shouted.

She climbed the rigging and started firing arrows at the upper part of the ship. Some of her shots struck the buildings, others hit the ship itself, but the hull was tough. Then two flaming fists flew across the air like fireballs.

Luke turned. Charlie.

She was using her epic skill, [Twin Meteor Fists]. The ship was caught in the blast, but it kept going.

“It’s Christine, Luke,” Artemis said. “The killer car.”

“I’m not in the mood for references right now,” he snapped. “Triss, aim at that damn building.”

“Aim?”

“And do your axe thing.”

She jumped and swung. A slash ripped through the air and hit one of the weaker-looking structures ahead. At that exact moment, the current surged and dragged them forward. Luke hurled a knife, pouring a heavy amount of stamina into it.

[Telekinetic Impulse activated]

[Burst Throw activated]

The impact of Luke’s knife on the building Triss had struck was brutal. The structure tipped and came crashing down. At the same time, the ghost ship slowed. Too late. It slammed straight into the falling wreckage. Luke gripped another knife and threw it, forcing mana into it. He pushed as much as the weapon could withstand.

[Telekinetic Impulse activated]

[Shadow Mana Explosion activated]

The knife hit the ship and detonated. A white-and-black explosion. A second later, Charlie’s flaming fists smashed into it too. Eleanor and the others were firing everything they had. The ship took all of it.

[You have slain a Deadbay Ghostship- Lvl 105] *6,336,733 EP earned*

Your second class [Arcane Witch] has reached Level 84! (+12 Intelligence, +10 Wisdom, +7 Perception, +6 Willpower, +5 Agility, +3 Vitality, +2 Endurance, +10 Free Points.)

Your second class [Arcane Witch] has reached Level 85! (+12 Intelligence, +10 Wisdom, +7 Perception, +6 Willpower, +5 Agility, +3 Vitality, +2 Endurance, +10 Free Points.)

[You have unlocked a Class Skill]

Triss’s ship shot forward for several more meters until the navigator wrenched the helm and forced it out of the super-current. The ship slammed sideways into a building, but the impact caused no real damage.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

“Is everyone alright?” Triss called.

Another ship was approaching. Luke spotted Evangeline waving.

“I don’t see my ship,” Marten said.

***

That part of the city was full of trees growing out of buildings, a forest spreading through the ruins and old structures. There was no way to get close to the wrecked cursed ship without entering the current, but Luke still found himself curious about what the inside of that ruined vessel looked like.

The moment he stepped onto his own ship, he placed a [Teleportation Pentagram].

“So, did you two go through hell in the city too?” Evangeline asked as soon as Luke and Eleanor came aboard.

“We went through several,” Eleanor replied. “But we managed to collect a few artifacts.”

“Master Luke,” Charlie said, hurrying toward him with worry on her face. “The whale came, and it happened so fast.”

“I know, Charlie. Don’t worry,” he said.

“I... don’t like... whales,” Anne said.

“Not even Pinocchio’s family likes them,” Luke muttered.

Layla was off in a corner, pale as a sheet.

“I’m not nauseous,” she said, then immediately leaned over and vomited into the water.

“Hello to you too, Layla.”

“There were too many turns, too much running around,” she groaned, still throwing up.

Katarina was fine, a little bigger than before. She gave Luke a satisfied look, then pointed one of her leaves toward her mouth. She was telling him she was still eating the corpse of the giant plant monster they had stored in the ship’s hold.

“Permission to come aboard?” Marten called.

“Not... granted...” Anne said.

Marten made a baffled face. In the end, he stayed off the ship, and the groups exchanged information by talking across the gap. Their ship had gotten trapped in the labyrinth. The moment they entered the city, a super-current had hurled them forward, and then the walls shifted, separating Triss’s ship from Anne’s.

“At least I can relax knowing Jack’s ship is all right,” Luke said.

He was back in his cabin with Charlie. The third ship had stayed with them, following their route, but once the cursed ship appeared, it had fallen behind. It simply was not as fast as Luke’s ship, the one with the speed pennants.

Luke had already confirmed it. Using his eye, he had looked far into the distance and seen Jack’s ship approaching with Jack and his father aboard.

“And how are you, Master Luke? Were you hurt?” Charlie asked, checking him over.

“It was only a few hours, Charlie. You don’t have to worry so much.”

For some reason, she was sniffing the air around him.

“No other woman’s scent...” she murmured to herself.

Hm?

Jack’s ship arrived. Luke heard the noise outside.

“The fog’s getting thick again,” Luke said, watching through Layla’s eyes. “Did you run into any ghost fog over there?”

“No,” she answered.

Luke placed the [Teleportation Pentagram] there in the cabin, removing the one he had left on deck.

“Our ships are together again. Now we can plan our next move. We’re in some kind of forest district inside the city, but once night falls, more Beacons might reveal themselves. Maybe some close by.”

“You’re leaving already, Master Luke?” she asked.

“Of course. We need to move quickly, Charlie. Time is not on our...” He never finished the sentence, because she kissed him, catching him completely off guard.

Charlie stepped back, her face bright red.

“I’ve been trying to say it, but you can be a little too quick sometimes, Master Luke. I was worried about my boyfriend all those hours.”

He paused, embarrassed.

“Sorry about my pace... I was worried about you too, Charlie.”

“Really?”

“Really. I’m always worried about my girlfriend.”

That only made her blush harder.

“And nobody worries about me, huh?” Artemis said. “I’ve had enough insane ghosts and haunted ships for one day.”

The mood was immediately ruined by the talkative necklace.

“I’ll see you soon, Charlie. There’s still a little sunlight out. You don’t need to leave the cabin,” Luke said.

He left her there and stepped into the corridor.

“Master Luke,” Artemis said, mimicking Charlie’s voice. “I want a reunion kiss too.”

“Shut it, chatterbox,” Luke said.

“I just wanted one little kiss from you, Master Luke,” she said.

***

Night fell. The three ships were anchored close together, linked by planks laid across the gaps to make moving between them easier.

“Now we have a problem,” Triss said, looking toward Marten’s ship.

“Can’t you just turn around? We want to go back to the island,” someone shouted from the lower deck. A small argument was already breaking out.

The people on the third ship had no intention of attempting a Beacon, at least not under these conditions.

“Half of them were just curious. They wanted to see what the haunted city looked like and get a look at one of the entrances,” Marten told Luke and the others as they gathered.

“So what’s it going to be?” Eleanor asked.

“That whale ruined the plan. But that doesn’t mean I can back out now. I’d have to find a way out of this city first, and you all saw how hard it is to navigate these waters when everything wants to kill you. There’s no way around it. They’ll have to come with us,” Marten said.

That meant more artifacts. But that part was not Luke’s problem.

“Not all of them will do the dungeon. Some will have to stay behind and guard the ship,” Triss said.

“I’ll leave that choice to them. What’s more dangerous, clearing the Beacon dungeon or staying in this cursed place without the strongest people around to protect you?” Marten said.

Then he walked off.

“And you and your group, Hood?” Triss asked.

Luke looked up at the sky. At night, the Beacon’s white glow stood out clearly.

“I need a few more artifacts, and I need to get close enough to a Beacon to figure out what kind of challenge it is. As far as I’m concerned, we can keep sailing together,” he said.

“There are five Beacons within our reach. No reason we can’t approach one together,” she replied.

And that settled it. When the meeting ended, Luke headed back to his ship. Jack and his father were waiting there.

“Dad, you’re going to have to do the Beacon with us,” Jack said.

“I’m not. Relax. I’ll watch your ship.”

“And if Stalkers attack the ship? You’ll be alone.”

“I’ll invite them to get drunk with me.”

“That’s not funny, Dad.”

“And you think I was joking?”

Luke glanced across the deck. It was covered in algae he had collected.

“My friend Luke, tell my son it’s perfectly fine for me to stay here and guard the ship,” Stephen said.

“Do you have experience dealing with dangerous things?” Luke asked.

“I was married for twenty years. Does that count?”

Someone jumped onto the ship. Triss.

“It’s settled with the people on the other ship,” she said. “We leave now.”

Jack’s father looked at her and straightened. “Well now. You’re very beautiful.”

“Thank you,” she said.

He adjusted his posture even more. “You know, I’m lost at sea too. Seems like we already have something in common.”

“I don’t go for weak men.”

“I assure you, I’m not weak. My liver is the strongest part of me,” Stephen said. “So how do I prove I’m strong, sweetheart?”

“Win the Sunken Realms event, and we’ll talk after,” she said.

“Alright, Jack. I’m doing the Beacon with you.”

Triss jumped back to her own ship.

“She was messing with you, Dad,” Jack said.

“Half my arrests started like that, and guess what? I still got arrested.”

Evangeline frowned. “She’s been around us since the island, and you only noticed her now?”

Stephen raised his bottle. “Up until two hours ago, I still thought I was on your ship.”

“At least you didn’t hit on my friends,” Jack said, shoving him toward the cabin.

“I’m not depraved, Jack.” He paused. “Alright, maybe I am. But I respect boundaries.”

He kept walking.

“Besides, the ninja said she’s more lesbian than straight. There’s a blonde woman wearing a ring, and you know perfectly well I hate marriage, so married women scare me. The archer girl works for the government, and after all the taxes I paid, I hate all those people. The doll maid told me she’d torture me if I so much as said hello to her, so that leaves... this.”

He pointed at Layla with his thumb.

“Hey,” she snapped, crossing her arms.

“She reminds me of your mother, Jack, so honestly I’d rather kiss the plant.”

Katarina shook her head in refusal.

“See? Nothing left for me here,” Stephen said, stepping into the cabin. Then he stopped. “By the way, Luke, I smell a potion burning.”

Luke immediately turned toward the cabin.

Half an hour later, the ships were moving again, cutting through that part of the city toward the Beacons.

“What interesting skills.”

He was looking at the five Witch skill options that had just appeared.