The Forgotten Faithful: A LitRPG Adventure (UnderVerse Book 2) by Cajiao, Jez (little red riding hood ebook TXT) 📕

said, and Flux and Barrett saluted, deep in discussion before they’d gone a handful of steps. Bob looked to me, nodded once, and followed them.

“They grow up quickly,” Ame said, and I turned to regard her, one eyebrow quirked quizzically. “Our children; I’ve heard it said they grow up quickly and judging by the way you look at that creature, you obviously created it yourself.”

“I did. Well, no, I summoned and built him. I gained the option of sentience for him, and as he grows over time, he becomes more self-aware, so I suppose he’s his own as much as he’s ‘mine’…ah, fuck it.” I shook my head, dismissing the confused thoughts of Bob’s sentience, and looked over at Ame. “You ready for this?” I asked her.

“I have never been more ready for anything in my entire life,” she stated quietly.

“Glad to hear it. We’re just waiting on Cai; he’s confirming a few details with Isabella, so why don’t you go over and wait with him? I need to speak to someone, so as soon as you’re both ready, head up to the Hall of Memories together, okay? He knows the way.” She nodded and walked over to him as Oracle and I set off toward the stairs.

“Where are we going?” she asked me, and I grinned at her.

“Well, there’s one more person we need to speak to, remember, about both the Runecrafting and about the healer…Jenae!” Oracle smiled back at me, twisting her flight into a roll in midair and heading for the stairs, well aware both that I intended to relax a bit in the Hall while I spoke to her, and that I was getting a terrific view of her legs and cleavage as she flew around me. The teasing little sod…

It didn’t take long to jog up the stairs to Oracle’s old home, and we strode in, relaxing as the crystal doorway closed behind us. Oracle had resumed her full size, and the sight of both her naughty smile, and the little black cocktail dress she’d summoned from somewhere was hugely distracting, especially as I took a seat on one of the sofas, and she hopped up to sit on the arm of the one opposite me, showing an incredible amount of tanned leg in the process. I groaned and closed my eyes, well aware that she was getting exactly the result she wanted. When I heard her laugh, I reopened my eyes, and she had shifted again, back to her diminutive usual form and dressed in jogging bottoms and a halter-neck top. It wasn’t covering her as much as that outfit would any other woman. She’d somehow altered it to stick like rubber in places, but it was a lot less distracting than she had been a few seconds before, at least.

“You just do that to get a rise out of me, don’t you?” I asked her, getting a grin in return. “Thought so. Okay, I’m going to talk to Jenae.” I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath, pulling mana in and concentrating. I felt it build and build, until I was sure there was enough. For the second time, I imbued it with Jenae’s name, and a sense of who she was, then I knelt, pressing the knuckles of my right fist flat against the ground, and my left to my chest, and released it.

There was a soundless wave of pressure that spread out from me, and a second later, the sense of her presence was there, filling my mind.

“Jax, you called to me?”

“Hi, Jenae. I wanted to ask a few questions if that’s okay?”

I asked her, getting a sense of amusement back through the contact as she replied, and I stood up, moving back to my seat.

“You may ask, Jax; I’ll answer what I can, but if it involves specifics, I can’t, and you understand that you’ll have to use the boon I granted you?”

“I do. Look, I’ll just tell you what I need to know, and you answer what you can, okay?”

“That seems sensible. Go ahead.”

“Ame, a Runecrafter from the Mer village, has joined us. However, she also wants to learn some healing… I need to know if she’s a good choice for the healer we need, I need to know how we can get Runes from spells, and I need to know if Tommy is still alive…Anything you can tell me about those, first?” I asked her, conscious that there was one more question I needed to ask.

“As far as Ame is concerned, that’s a choice you need to make. Magical aptitude is different among the races of the UnderVerse. The Tia’Almer-atic are rarely gifted with any use of magic, beyond their natural uses in camouflage, but those that do have it tend to be powerful. I would, however, suggest that you think on it very hard. Runecrafting is a rare art, and to have an extremely skilled individual give it up to become a healer? Consider well. Also, runes are specific magic, and can be hugely powerful. They are, however, a form of crafting…and as such, perhaps researching something in the Constellation of Secrets would help you. That’s all I can say on that unless you want to use the boon?”

“Gotcha. I’ll have a think, and I’ll save the boon. Thanks, Jenae…and my brother?” I asked cautiously.   

“I have seen no sign of him yet. I am sorry, Jax…”

“Okay then, there’s one last question I need to ask…”   

Chapter Fourteen

It was only a few minutes later when I heard the muffled sound of a fist banging on the crystal doorway to the room, and having just finished my conversation with Jenae, I’d been idly admiring the view as Oracle contrived excuses to show as much flesh as possible while pretending she was doing no such thing. We’d both started to get entirely too interested in the game, and the arrival of Ame and Cai threw some much-needed cold water on our increasing ardor.

I concentrated,