Seas the Day: A LitRPG/GameLit Adventure Read online

  Seas The Day

  Eric Ugland

  Air Quotes Publishing, Inc.

  Air Quotes Publishing, Inc.

  Copyright © 2020 Eric Ugland

  Cover by Sarah Anderson/No Synonym

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of Fiction. Of Fantasy. All of the characters in this novel and series are fictional and any resemblance to people living, dead, or undead is purely coincidental and surprising. Mentions of places are incidental, accidental, and mostly inconsequential. The magic and spells have been researched in absolutely no way whatsoever, and any ill-effects after you attempt to cast them are completely on you.

  Snickers, put that down. What did you do? What is that thing? Snickers, stop it—

  Dear Catherine,

  Once again, we’ve proven

  I cannot do this without you.

  Thank you and I love you.

  1

  Water was rushing by very near. I was sitting on wood that was moving.

  I stood up, stumbled a few steps, and grabbed onto the gunwale of the boat. A boat on a river, floating south, away from the city of Glaton. The foreboding forest of death on one side and a pastoral scene of farms and little houses on the other.

  “Why am I on a boat?” I asked.

  “Apparently you needed to take a journey,” a familiar voice said behind me.

  I looked over my shoulder to see four of my friends sitting and eating fruit.

  Mornax The Destroyer. Nox Kvist. Leofing Walrond. Lillian Darrington.

  “There’s a note in your pocket,” Leofing said, popping an orange slice into his mouth. “Might want to give it a read.”

  I fumbled with my pants, found the pocket, and pulled out the note.

  Clyde-

  I do care for you an awful lot, which is why I hate to say that if I am to be Empress, I can’t have you becoming a king. I spoke to The Fayden. He is quite amusing, and thinks almost as highly of you as I do. The two of us spoke with Matthew. And Matthew spoke to the other members of the Skull and Thrones. As a guild, we voted. You need to see this through, and you need to find a cure. Come back to me whole. Especially considering everything to come. I need you, Clyde Hatchett. I think you are my only hope to make it through this. Find Girgenerth in the city of Raim or Gloomguard below. And return to me.

  My heart goes with you,

  Nadya Glaton

  Hopefully Empress of Glaton (and Snogger of Clyde Hatchett)

  I sighed, and finally accepted The Fayden’s quest.

  I sat there on the boat, holding the note in my hands, wondering what I was going to do. I felt helpless watching the only place I’d ever known in this new world fade into the horizon.

  “Good note?” Leofing asked.

  “I wouldn’t exactly say that,” I said. “Feel like I just got Shanghaied.”

  “What is that?”

  “When you’re kidnapped and forced to be a sailor.”

  He barked out a laugh and got to his feet. “Look about you, lad,” he said. “You just get to lay about while others are busy doing the work. I am going below.”

  Leofing walked off, and I got to my feet, thinking I’d follow him. But just then, the boat — er, ship — hit a wave, making the deck roll just enough for me to lose my balance. I went down tumbling.

  There was laughter.

  “Never seen an elf with sea legs,” called out a voice. I looked up to see a sailor walking along the railing around the edge of a deck, just a slim little hint of wood. “You just stay layin’ down out of the way.”

  He flashed a roguish grin, one that that let me know he was most assuredly making fun of me. It annoyed me, but he did have a point. I swore to myself I’d best his ability to walk around the boat. At some point.

  Right then, as I stood up again, I had to wobble-walk over to the edge of the ship to get a better glimpse of where I was. Or, more to the point, what I was on.

  It had a wide deck and a shallow draft. There were four masts on the ship, but much shorter than what came to mind when I imagined pirate ships. There were closed trap-door-looking things that, to my mind, must have contained cargo.

  I realized Nox was all of a sudden standing at the railing beside me.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “You mean like in the physical sense?” I replied.

  “Any sense.”

  “Bit woozy. Bit aggravated. Frustrated, I guess.”

  “I was not fully behind the decision to poison you, you know. There are quite a few issues with--“

  “Poisoned?”

  “I mean— well, yes. It was the best way, or it was believed to be the best of the possible options, to get you onto a boat and out of the city.”

  “Seems like maybe you could have just asked me.”

  “There was some discussion in that regard, but everyone believed you were set against leaving.”

  “Do you agree that I needed to go?”

  “After hearing what you are going through, very much so. No offense, but I have little interest in being connected to a corpse-king in any capacity.”

  “I don’t think I’m going to turn into a corpse-king.”

  “On the contrary,” he said. “I think it is the most likely potential outcome. And a terrifying one at that. This is the correct course of action.”

  He gave me a pat on the shoulder and walked off. I watched him open a door and head down a set of stairs.

  There were about eight sailors engaged in various jobs around the ship, plus a helmswoman at the back who stood up on a platform. The helmswoman saw me looking at her and gave me a grin.

  “Glad to see you’re awake,” the woman said. “Not a big fan of having unconscious passengers brought aboard in the middle of the night.”

  “I guess I should be grateful you made an exception for me,” I said, carefully climbing the stairs to get up to her.

  “Eh,” she said. “More concerned that the gold I was paid was real.”

  “And?”

  She laughed. “Definitely real.”

  “Well that’s a relief. Where are we headed?”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “Not every day I get a passenger with no idea where they are going.”

  “Common problem for me.”

  “Might want to look into that.”

  “It’s on the list.”

  “It’s a simple river-run down to Fürstenbrunn, where you get off. Then I get more cargo and turn back around.”

  “Ah. Good ol’ Fürstenbrunn.”

  “Aye, and if you’re using good and Fürstenbrunn in the same sentence I can safely assume you’ve never been there. Rules of the ship: I’m the captain, you listen to everything I say. You can go anywhere you like on the ship but the cargo hold, my cabin, and right next to me where you are.”

  “Oh, I—“ I started to move, but she froze me with a look.

  “Unless invited,” she added. “If I call for quarters, you and your friends stay below deck — unless you’ve cleared your fighting abilities with my quartermaster. Everywhere you go, my sailors have right of way. Got it?”

  “Got it.”

  “You are cargo to us, and I garrun-damn-tee you we’d be happier if we could just tie you up and toss you in the hold. You act up, we will. Got it?”

  “Yes, captain.”

  “Better. Now get away from the wheel.”

  “Yes, captain,” I said, and darted down the stairs.

  2

  Our quarters for the jour
ney weren’t particularly nice, but at least they were functional. We were at the front of the boat — the bow if summer camp lessons served — and had a large-ish room to ourselves. There was a small table nailed to the floor in the middle. Four chairs surrounded it, each with leather straps that could be attached to the table to keep from jostling around in rough weather. There were six bunks in total, two on each of the three walls that made up the room, and two small porthole windows were.

  I felt bad for Mornax, because try as he might, he just didn’t fit in the bunks. He could get most of himself in there, but it didn’t look anywhere along the lines of comfortable. Leofing had taken his armor off, and was snoring softly while sitting semi-upright in his bunk. Lillian looked through her arrows, checking the heads and the fletching. Tucked in the corner, I noticed a chest.

  Very subtle eyes popped open on the chest, and looked right at me.

  I smiled.

  The eyes vanished.

  So we had Hellion the mimic with us.

  “Is there a grimeling here?” I asked.

  “A grimeling?” Nox asked, sitting up straight and scanning the room.

  A head popped up from behind the chest. It looked at me with a sideways glance and then went right back down.

  “We’re among friends,” I said, looking in the direction of Hellion and the nameless grimeling. “Might as well show yourselves.”

  “Wha—“ Lillian began, but it ended up as more of a shriek when Hellion opened up his mouth and rolled his big purple tongue out, letting it hang there.

  “We brought the mimic?” she asked.

  “Thought it was heavy,” Mornax said softly.

  “You didn’t know?”

  “You think we would have brought this monstrosity if we knew?” Nox asked. “Nadya told us to grab your chest—“

  “Where did you,” I started, then shifted my question, “why did you guys grab this chest?”

  “Nadya told us to get your chest,” Mornax said.

  “And it was the only one there,” Leofing added, his eyes still closed.

  “Did she say the third floor or the fourth floor?” I asked.

  “Third,” Mornax said.

  “She meant that one,” Leofing said with surety.

  “So she meant for me to have him,” I said with a smile. “Guess you’re going on the adventure with us, Hellion. Rules though: no eating anyone in this room.”

  A few sets of eyes appeared to scan the room. I couldn’t tell if he was memorizing faces or seeing if there was a morsel he couldn’t pass up.

  “Two, you need to walk on your own when we say,” I said. “We can’t carry you the whole way. Three, no hunting on your own. Actually that goes for the whole group of us — no splitting the party unless we absolutely have to.”

  “Great,” Nox said. “We’re traveling with a mimic.”

  “He’ll follow the rules,” I said. “Right?”

  A feeling of agreement washed over me.

  “Nod or something, so everyone gets it,” I said.

  The chest lid moved up and down, but I noticed his eyes rolling.

  Lucky me — I’ve got a sassy monster companion.

  “See?” I said. “He’s a good dude, all things considered.”

  “A good dude, mind you,” Nox said, “who can kill all us in our sleep.”

  “So can I,” Mornax said.

  “Me too,” Leofing added.

  “I’ve got some pretty solid backstab bonuses,” I said. “Probably more than enough to kill any of you.”

  “I could shoot you now or while you’re sleeping,” Lillian said.

  “I get it,” Nox snapped, hands up to get everyone to stop. “We are all a bunch of murderous bastards.”

  “Doubt you could kill anyone here, awake or asleep,” Mornax mused. “So you’re just a bastard.”

  “Thank you for clarifying. I am just saying that is a monster, and—“

  “We’re all monsters in some way to some one,” I interrupted.

  Nox just rolled his eyes.

  “I don’t suppose there’s another bag or anything else for me,” I said, feeling around my body and realizing I was as unarmed as I’d ever been in Glaton, outside of being in the shower.

  Mornax flung a leather knapsack my way. I caught it at first, but then fumbled, bobbled, and ultimately dropped it onto the table.

  “Smooth,” Lillian said.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  “I can carry it for you,” Mornax said.

  “Pretty sure I’ll be okay.”

  He shrugged, which somehow got him even more stuck in his bunk.

  I unhooked one of the chairs and sat at the table so I could go through my gear. A set of clothes. Two steel daggers — plain, but nice enough. Not magical at all from what I could tell. One slim notebook, one pencil, and a small coin purse. Not a particularly large or heavy one either. It seemed empty. I reached inside, and it felt cold and vast, like I’d just put my hand through a portal into nothingness.

  It had to be a bag of holding. Still, it seemed like it would be a good idea to make sure.

  “Nox,” I said.

  He looked up from his book.

  I tossed the leather pouch his way.

  “Can you tell me what this is?” I asked.

  He grabbed it out of the air and peered at it.

  Meanwhile, I pulled the notebook out and took a peek.

  The first page held a note from The Fayden.

  Apprentice,

  Distance learning is certainly far from my preferred means of operation, but it seemed like you were keen on staying, even though you had to go. This is a paired journal. I will check it when I can, and through this, we can keep your training apace. Also, I might be able to give you a word of advice here and there.

  First up: while you are on the riverboat, take the time to learn a shield spell. It is very useful. I have written some notes on the following pages so you might work on it.

  Then the handwriting changed.

  Valerie here. (Who I assumed was Mrs. The Fayden) Maximus was not letting me talk, so I had to take the pencil away. He is yelling at me and preparing a spell so I must be brief. You also need to work on holding multiple spells at the same time. The easy method is to just cast the same spell over and over again, say, with light. But I think you can handle something more difficult. Cast an illusion while you are working on your shield. Or cast water-breathing and light. Pick disparate spells and hold them as long as you can. You will thank me later.

  Sorry about my wife. She is a bit touchy, and thinks you are her apprentice too. Which you are, but never tell her I agreed with her. Or that she brings up a good point. Work on that shield and hold a fire bolt. You will need the shield and water-breathing before you get to the port. Oh, and probably a wind spell. I will try to get that written in here as well. Chances are better for you getting across the Sea if you have a few good spells in your back pocket. Which reminds me to apologize for taking all your weapons. Time to learn by dropping in the deep end. Jumping in the deep end? Dropping seems more apt. But we can pretend you jumped.

  The Fayden

  I sighed.

  “Small pouch of holding,” Nox said, setting the pouch on the table in front of me.

  “Do you know what’s in it?” I asked.

  “No, do you need me to check?”

  “Might help.”

  “Empty,” he said, holding the pouch upside down.

  Gold coins poured out of the little pouch and clinked around the table. It was far more than the little pouch should’ve been able to hold, but it wasn’t an overwhelming amount either. Especially not for as long as I assumed we would be traveling.

  All eyes in the room were on the gold. Except, of course, for Hellion’s. His eyes were looking everywhere else.

  “Looks like we’re a little light on petty cash,” I said.

  The grimeling charged in, grabbed a coin, and darted back to his hiding spot behind the mimic in the blin
k of an eye.

  “I guess that’s his,” I said.

  “Is that group gold?” Lillian asked.

  “The rest of it is, yes,” I said. “We’re in this together, right?”

  “Shall we finally put together a party?” Leofing asked, opening up one eye and straightening a little.

  “Is that a thing?” I asked.

  Even Lillian sighed.

  “Okay, it is,” I said. “I didn’t know. Why didn’t one of you set up a party?”

  “One,” Leofing said, “it is your quest. Two, you are the lowest level among us.”

  “Ahh. Yeah, that makes sense.”

  I dropped into the menus and started looking for how to make a party. But as soon as I thought about the desire to form a party, I got a prompt.

  Do you wish to form a party?

  I picked yes, then I sent out the invitations for the party, and everyone joined in short order.

  “There we go,” I said. “Party formed.”

  Then I scooped the gold back into the pouch, and tossed it over to Mornax.

  “You want gold, talk to him,” I said. “Now, are any of these bunks unclaimed?”

  3

  I watched the water go by from my bunk for a while, just letting the world do its thing around me. It was odd having nowhere to go and nothing to do. Especially considering how go-go-go everything had been since coming into this world. A moment to relax and breathe felt nice, even if my anxiety started to bubble up after about ten minutes. I pulled the notebook out of my knapsack, and read over what The Fayden had said. I wrote out a little scribble in the margin.

  Next time you send me away like this, can it be on a luxury liner of some kind? This place really needs a better cruise director.

  I took the book with me up to deck, and found a relatively quiet corner to start working on my magic.