Rising Tide: A LitRPG Novel (Age of Steam Book 1) Read online

  “Not saying that it's not worth the risk. Just saying that it could end badly. But oh well. It might be crazy, but I'd rather take a risk trying to make things right. This game was fun before they got their claws into it.”

  “And I think we can make it fun again if we can add a little more freedom to the mix,” Shane said.

  “I'm in,” Bailey said.

  Brandon nodded. “I'm in.”

  “I am too,” Kelvin said.

  Shane smiled. “Do you even get a choice?”

  “Sure I do. I can agree to it, or I can refuse, and in that case I'd never hear the end of it.”

  “I'm not sure I'd call that a choice...”

  Kelvin raised his bottle. “Whatever. Let's see how far we can get on this little misadventure.”

  Everyone raised their bottles and clinked them together. As Shane took another drink he didn't know how it would go, or if they'd even be able to make a mark. But as far as he was concerned, he'd rather try and fail than let things stay the way they were.

  Chapter Two

  Log in

  The selection of ships seemed to stretch on forever. Large ones, small ones, ships for carrying cargo, warships, ships driven by paddle-wheels or by propellors, and dozens upon dozens of other options.

  It seemed overwhelming at first, but Shane knew exactly what he and the rest of his party wanted. Their new vessel needed to be affordable, which took out the larger types. It needed to have speed, which eliminated many of the cargo ships. And most of all, they needed to be able to modify it in the future.

  “Here we go,” he said, stepping in front of a small ship, a little over a hundred feet long with a low profile. He looked over the specifications. It couldn't carry a lot of cargo, but all things considered it was relatively roomy for its size and speed.

  And looking at the schematics, the vessel had plenty of different options which could be modified later. They could either purchase stock upgrades from the shipyard, buy them and install the upgrades themselves, or they could use the free crafting system to create their own custom modifications.

  “What do you think?” he asked Bailey. “You're the one that's the engineer.”

  “About modding it?”

  “Yeah.”

  She looked over the schematics. “Well, it's got potential. And as long as we put a good engine in it to start we should have a fairly good vessel. Not one that's going to be carrying massive amounts of cargo and making us rich, but it'll be fast.”

  “That's what we want,” Shane said. “All the cargo in the world means nothing if it's at the bottom of the ocean.”

  “I'd go with speed over cargo capacity,” Kelvin agreed. He looked down at his guidebook. “Hm, and we should be able to afford a fairly good engine for this and still have enough money left over to get a good shipment. It's going to be tight, but we can make it.”

  “Weapons? Brandon asked.

  “If we run into a blockade ship our best bet is to turn and run,” Bailey said. “There's no way we can stand and fight, not with the equipment we can afford at this point. I'd rather specialize in something than be good at nothing.”

  Shane nodded. “The route we're traveling is relatively safe anyhow.”

  “Other than the ships that will sink us if they find out what we're doing,” Brandon said.

  He shrugged. “Well, there's that. But I think Bailey's right. We need to have a definite strength, and right now speed is it. We can worry about the rest later once we get some decent funds.”

  “So that's it, then,” Kelvin said. “We have our funds pooled. Just give me the word and I'll purchase one of these for our company. And I'll get the best engine possible.”

  Bailey looked at the schematic and the row of options. She ran her finger down the sheet of paper and stopped a little more than halfway down.

  “That one.”

  Shane looked. “That one? That has less horsepower than some of the others we can afford.”

  “That's true, but it's only just a little. It's also a lot less likely to go boom at the worst possible moment, and we can take the safeties off of it for a lot longer without worry about completely burning out the engine.”

  “So reliability over pure performance?” Brandon said.

  She nodded. “Yeah, you could say that, though I'm hoping we can get both out of it. With a little work and a few tweaks I'm hoping that I'll be able to coax some more horsepower and efficiency out of it. But first we need more cash.”

  Shane looked over at Kelvin. “It's time. Do it.”

  Kelvin stepped forward and turned one of the buttons on the clockwork display. The gears turned and clicked for a few moments, and then a bell sounded.

  “Well, it's done,” Kelvin said. “We're the proud owners of a new ship. Now we just need to head out into the docks to claim it and get settled in. And we can do some modding on it before we pull it out of dry-dock. You want to do that first?”

  Shane looked at Bailey. “You're the expert. What's your call?”

  She shrugged. “I don't think that I'm going to be able to do much right now. All the tweaking I can do is inside the ship, and I can do that whether we're in dry-dock or on the water. But I'll take a look around it while we have it out of the water. See if there's anything I can think of.”

  “And when are we making the run? Brandon asked.

  “As soon as possible,” Shane said. “The sooner we get the money coming in, the better.”

  “That means we're going to have to make a night run. Unless we hold off until tomorrow morning.”

  “We're doing a night run. That's what we should be doing anyhow, right?”

  All ships had searchlights, but trying to find a target in the dark could be a near-impossible task, even with clear weather. It was hard for someone to fathom just how small a vessel was compared to the ocean until they had to find them. That didn't even take into account weather, fog, rough seas, landforms and islands where they could hide behind, and many other factors.

  Most smugglers tried to make their runs at night to take advantage of those factors, but the Iron Guild patrols became even more vigilant after the sun went down. The night could either provide a smuggler with protection, or it could just make their enemies more alert. It was all just a matter of luck.

  “Night run,” Kelvin agreed. “But let's take a look at what we've got, first. Don't want to try to make a run without knowing what we're sailing.”

  Shane nodded. “Let's go.”

  Bailey walked around the bottom of the vessel and tapped a fist against its side.

  “Looking for holes?” Kelvin asked.

  “You think that the shipyard is going to sell us a new vessel that's already damaged? When has that ever happened?” she said.

  “Then what are you doing?”

  “Checking the thickness of the hull, for starters. That's the difference between having to make repairs to the hull if we run into some shallow rocks, or having to swim for it when the rocks open the hull up like a tin can.”

  Kelvin shrugged. “Well, you're the expert. I can't argue with you.”

  “You've done some engineer work,” she said.

  “Not as much as you have. And I'm not nearly as far into the skill tree as you are.” he replied.

  Bailey couldn't dispute that. Age of Steam's modular class system allowed players the chance to switch between the different specializations and temperaments at Beylan's hall of records, but most stuck with a particular build.

  Staying with a build was helpful, since the more a player used their skills, the more experience they would gain in that track, opening up more perks for them to use. Anyone could choose to be an engineer, for example, but a player who never used the specialization before would have far less ability than Bailey, who had been using it for a while and had several perks to show for it.

  Bailey had chosen to focus her perks toward construction and practical engineering. She knew that plenty of others took perks for weapons modifica
tion and creation, explosives management, and other combat-focused disciplines, but her gut instinct pushed her toward a non-combat focus.

  But it was important, especially in a world structured like Age of Steam. The map was vast, and the only travel options were by foot, by rail to certain places, or by ship to the rest of them. Her skills could give them a critical advantage, or at least help them to get to other locations faster.

  “Still sticking with the brute temperament?” she said.

  “Yeah. Why not? You always need someone big and strong to lift things and bash stuff.”

  “That only works if you're hitting it the right way. So you'll need the right specialization.”

  Kelvin shrugged. “Merchant seems fine.”

  Bailey laughed. “Oh, that's hilarious. You're a muscle-bound freak built like a linebacker, but you're also an accountant. Most people with that specialization go for a champion or shadow temperament.”

  “So I can count well and keep track of business. I can also crush annoying business associates with my bare hands. What's not to like?”

  She laughed again. “Ah, forget it.”

  “I don't think now is the time for us to start screwing around with our classes,” he said. “We already have enough to deal with. Between making a run, and then getting used to a new ship...”

  “Yeah, yeah. I see it. This just isn't the time for it. But it's something we might want to think of in the future.”

  “There's a lot of things we need to think of in the future. Speaking of which, is there anything else you need to check on out here?”

  Bailey took one last glance at the hull. “Nope, I think it looks good. Let's get them to flood the dry-dock and then take this thing for a spin. We'll let the helmsman get a feel for it.”

  “Shane?”

  “Of course it's going to be Shane. Unless you're offering to steer?”

  “I'll stick to being navigator and the generalist.”

  “Probably the right move.”

  Bailey tapped the hull one last time for luck. This ship might have its shortcomings, lacking even a name. But it was theirs.

  “I'm increasing the power. Hang on.”

  “Got it,” Brandon said. He gripped the railing around the ship's hatch and steadied himself.

  The vessel slowly picked up speed, its engines chugging and its pair of funnels belching black smoke. Brandon looked forward, feeling the sea breeze tugging at his hair and jacket. He pulled his goggles down over his eyes so he didn't have to squint.

  Just the first test run, but everything seemed to be going well. The ship accelerated quickly, and its hull seemed to cut through the water with ease.

  “What's the speed?” he called down through the hatch.

  “About ten knots. I can increase it easily,” Shane called back.

  Brandon looked around. “Keep it steady.”

  They all had their roles aboard the ship, decided by their specializations and plenty of trial and error. Bailey managed the engine room, Kelvin dealt with navigation and communications, Shane was the helmsman, and Brandon stood at lookout.

  His role would be important. The vessel had plenty of good points, but one thing it lacked was good lines of sight. The windows of the pilothouse surrounded all sides, but they were narrow and left many blind spots.

  But Brandon could stand outside the hatch and have a perfect panoramic view of the entire ocean, especially with a spyglass or binoculars. He looked around, enjoying the sight of the virtual world around him. Few clouds hung in the sky, and the breeze churned up slight waved. Brandon saw flocks of gulls flying overhead. He heard the sound of other motors, ships going in and out of Beylan's harbors. The city stood at the end of an island, surrounded on three sides by the ocean. It had plenty of waterfront to sustain operations.

  He looked up as the ship made another turn, heading toward the rail bridge crossing from Beylan, heading west.

  Brandon looked down. “Are you-”

  “Yes, I can see where the piles are,” Shane called back. “I'm not going to ram us into one of them and smash up our ship on the maiden voyage.”

  He smiled. “OK. Just to make sure that you don't do it.”

  “You know, you're the worst backseat driver.”

  “I try.”

  A perfect day with perfect vision. It would be much harder running tonight, though, with the lights off and the sea engulfed in blackness. If they made a wrong move they could very well end up smashing their ship to pieces.

  But they had to take that risk, because if the Iron Guild boarded them they were dead meat. Just like any other smuggler caught in their grasp, he and his comrades would be blown out of the water and blacklisted by the guild. After that it would be nearly impossible to make money in Beylan without mind-numbing grinding.

  Brandon knew they had to take the risk. But they had to do it the right way as well.

  Kelvin poured over the charts, trying to figure out the best way to make their run tonight.

  They had to reach Tengra, a small city to the east of Beylan. There they could pick up their cargo and make their way back within a few hours, but what route should they take? They had two options. The passage north of Beylan Island was a bit shorter, but near the approach to the city the channel narrowed, giving them far less room to maneuver. Once they neared the city they could rely on the NPC navy to protect them, but until then they risked being confronted and boarded by the guild.

  The southern route was longer, but the channel was also wider, giving them plenty of room to maneuver. And as an added bonus, they also had the option to flee south into the open ocean if things became too much for them to handle.

  It was the southern route, then. It had to be. In Kelvin's opinion it gave them the greatest chance of success. Their ship's speed and acceleration was going to be their trump card, and they needed to take the route that exploited it to the fullest, even if it took a little longer. Impatience might get them all killed and send their ship to the bottom, and while they could deal with death, the loss of their most valuable resource was another thing entirely.

  He paused for a moment, then pulled out the guidebook, thinking. The book served as the in-game menu, allowing players to log in and out, storing data, maps and information, and carrying the codex. Kelvin might have preferred a heads up display, but that wasn't thematic. And the guidebook served them fine.

  He flipped to the section on historical market prices and found vanthum. Kelvin did a few calculations in his head. They'd be losing out on a lot of money by not charging the current market price, but with the amount of ore they could carry in their hold…

  They still stood to make a decent profit, and that was all that mattered. Kelvin closed the guidebook and exhaled. He had been afraid that they were going to make a pittance, or even lose money, but this put him at ease. If-

  “Well, that didn't sound good.”

  He glanced over his shoulder at the sound of Bailey's voice.

  “I just breathed out.”

  “Yeah, I'm sure that's it,” she said. “How long have we been married?”

  “Two and a half years.”

  “That was a rhetorical question.”

  “And how bad would it look if I couldn't answer it?”

  Bailey smiled and shook her head. “OK, what are you worried about? Because I've heard that sound enough to know what it means.”

  “I guess that I'm concerned?” he said. “We're taking a big risk.”

  “And a virtual reality is a good place to do that. Or would you rather try to do all this intrigue and smuggling in the real world?”

  “I'll pass.”

  “So what's the problem?”

  “If we screw this up it's going to be a problem,” he said. “A big one. We're not going to be able to afford another ship for months.”

  Bailey shrugged. “I know. But we can always walk away.”

  Kelvin sighed. “I don't want to, though. I'm with Shane. Remember when this game had a lot
more freedom? I know that the Iron Guild got control legally, but still.”

  “I do. And I miss some of them,” Bailey said. “But if we want to get that back then something has to change. And to make that happen we're going to have to take risks.”

  Kelvin nodded. “Yeah. I know.”

  And for better or worse, their first risk would come later that night.

  Chapter Three

  Tengra's dockyard lacked the bustle of Beylan's harbor. Part of that was a matter of scale. Tengra wasn't even a third of the size of the sprawling metropolis that was Beylan, and its harbor reflected that.

  But part of that was due to the the trade restrictions set forth by the Iron Guild. Tengra's main attraction was vanthum ore, collected from the surrounding areas and sold in vast quantities on the markets, but with the licensing restrictions in effect trade had slowed considerably. There were still a decent number of small merchants going to and from the city, but they carried basic goods with only a small margin of profit.

  Shane watched as the clockwork drones moved about the docks and their ship, loading it up with huge open-box crates of ore. The ship had a fore and an aft hold, both with foldaway doors that could be opened up for easily loading and extracting cargo. All that needed to be done was to fit the holds with the metal boxes, and then the vanthum could be dumped in.

  Buying ore was the easy part of the job. The Iron Guild couldn't control the buying and selling of goods within settlements, only the routes on the open ocean. Anyone could buy anything they pleased so long as they had the cash to do so.

  The route back to Beylan would be the problem, but Shane was sure they could avoid any trouble, even laden down with heavy ore. Their ship had powerful engines, and they had stripped it of any unnecessary weight. They didn't even have guns, mostly because trying to fight was going to end very badly for them.

  They just had to get within two miles of the city and they'd be safe. Even the Iron Guild wasn't foolish enough to tangle with other players there, not when the NPC navy would blow them out of the water for showing aggression. They might chance it in the five mile exclusion zone, where the navy took time to respond, but even then they had to be careful. Take too long and the navy would arrive on the scene, and then their problems were only just beginning.