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

past a dozen buildings, the guards splitting up in an effort to follow everyone they could, shouting as they went.

We took a right, down between two large shops, and I spoke quickly to the others with me.

“Split off into the nearest shops in the next street. I’ll draw them off.”

“No chance, sir.” Grizz chuckled, every step of his enormous boots echoing like bricks hammering the cobbled road. “I’ll lead them off. After all, I know the area!” He winked at me, then pulled ahead, bowling someone over as he sprinted out into the next street.

“Asshole!” I growled, smiling at him despite myself as I turned the corner a half dozen steps behind him. The shouts from the tumbled man drew the guards, and I grimaced at how much busier this street was than the last.

“Stop… them…!” The guard screamed from deep in the alley behind us, huffing like he was trying to bring a lung up, and I grinned as Lydia scrambled to a stop outside a shop that had just opened its doors, the smell of meat pies wafting from the entrance as she ducked inside.

I looked around quickly, not seeing any other shops that were close enough, but an older man sitting on a bench grinned at me, and before I could think twice, I braced myself, sliding to a stop and slamming down to sit next to him.

“In trouble with the law, eh, lad?” he said, passing me a hat that I pulled down low to hide my face as the guard finally erupted from the alley. Two more guards ran out behind him, and they looked around frantically, when Grizz popped out from behind a building, giving them a pair of one-finger salutes, then sprinting down a different alleyway.

“You have no idea…” I grinned at him, and he winked back.

“Oh, I’ve been there, son, believe me. Nothing you’ve done that I’ve not done in the past!”

“Then I stand corrected! What’s your name?” I asked him.

“Franz. Franz Golden-Tongue. Yer might have heard of me; hell, the way yer move, yer might be one o’ my kids!” he said, chuckling.

“Unless you travel a lot more than I’d guess, that’s unlikely, Franz, but it’s nice to meet you, and thanks for the help!” I said, passing his hat back and standing up. I pulled out a gold coin and flicked it to Franz, nodding to Lydia as she strolled out of the shop, holding up a bag and regarding it with satisfaction.

“What’s your name then, lad?” Franz asked, and I replied without thinking.

“Jax.” I said, then paused, realizing what I’d just revealed. The old man’s grin grew wider as he pocketed the coin.

“Maybe yeh’ve a good tale to tell after all, my lord…” He winked. I winked back at him, lifting a finger to my lips and getting a nod in return.

I hurried over to Lydia and we both began walking, as calmly as we could, back to the bridge. sticking to the busier streets and munching on unidentified meat pies. Unsurprisingly, when Lydia held a third pie out to the side, Bane appeared and grabbed it with a low ‘thanks’ before vanishing again, and I had to laugh. I didn’t know how the hell he did it; the bugger just disappeared as soon as you stopped looking at him.

Half an hour later, we strolled casually over the bridge, the lightening sky now clearly showing the dawn had arrived. As I looked around with feigned disinterest, I spotted Augustus leaning casually against a wall up ahead, his hat firmly atop his head again. A pair of his Legionnaires strolled arm in arm nearby, like bodybuilders on the weirdest date in the world. When we passed him, he fell in with us like an old friend, joining our conversation easily.

“How’s it looking?” I asked him, displaying a confident smile for anyone that was watching.

“Not bad; we’re missing three still: Yen, Bane, and Grizz. How did you get away?” he asked, and I grimaced.

“Grizz, he ran ahead, drawing their attention while we hid. Bane’s here… somewhere.” I waved noncommittally.

“Then just we’re missing the scout and that mad bastard, Grizz. That’s fine. Let’s get you back to base,” Augustus said firmly. I pulled up short, frowning at him.

“I’m not leaving them.”

“Jax, I would think less of you if you were happy to, but we are leaving them, I’m afraid. I know my people better than you do, Yen won’t have any trouble making it to us later, and as for Grizz, well... let’s just say if they catch him, they’ll have more to worry about than he will. He’s probably in a bar somewhere with a girl on either knee, telling bad jokes.”

“I…”

“Please, Jax, we have to get you back. I’ll not leave one of my men behind, I assure you. Now, come on; we need to get back, get some rest, and prepare for tonight.”

I nodded, feeling terrible about leaving when I didn’t know if everyone was okay, but for all I knew, Grizz and Yen were already back, having taken a different route.

Ten minutes later, we were walking into the smog of the Cloudring, sighing as the streets outside faded from view. We slipped quietly into the Arena, pausing briefly in the courtyard so that I could unload several tons of loot into Fenris. Once he’d been filled up to the brim, we jogged through the facility until we reached Mal’s suite.

We gave him a quick breakdown of the night, then asked after Grizz and Yen, both of whom had not yet returned. When I could barely talk for yawning, I made my apologies and went back to my own quarters, slipping into bed too tired to even make a single joke or sexual innuendo with Oracle.

The stress, the fear, and the adrenaline crash wiped me out as I laid back, closing my eyes. The last thing I remembered was listening to the quiet voices of Bane and Tang as they planned out their watches for the next day and