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

sank, then just as easily, she rose up through the water, fully incorporeal again, her clothes back to pristine.

“Well, I… yes...” she muttered, shaking her head as she shrank down and flew to my side, clearly embarrassed.

“What happened there?” I asked her, and she just shook her head furiously, glaring at me and getting a little grin in return. “Okay, I can take a hint. I’ll drop it.” I shifted my attention back to Ame, who had sat back up and was massaging her legs slowly.

The half-hearted effort she was putting in made it clear that her attention was elsewhere.

“Well?” I asked after a minute. “Did you learn it?” Ame turned to face me fully, her tendrils waving in excitement, and she lifted her hands, about to cast.

“Whoa!” I said, holding my hands up, and she froze. “You know how to channel more power into the spell as well, right? So, you can power it for longer?”

“Of course; it was part of the spell,” she said, and I grinned at her.

“Then in that case, rather than wasting your mana on me, why don’t you get your arse down to the rest of your people and start fixing them? It’ll be good experience for you!”

Ame paused for a minute, before scrambling to her feet and heading away at speed. She’d almost disappeared into the trees when she remembered where she was, and she turned, bowing low and calling out.

“Thank you, Lord Jax, I will put this gift to good use,” she said with forced calm, and then spun and raced away again.

“That woman will be the death of me,” muttered Flux, and I looked to him, grinning.

“The best of them always are mate. You sure you want to go to the city with me? I think you’d be better off here; fuck knows, you’d be more use training them than wandering around with me.”

“But at least there, I’ll have some time to get my head and my heart to decide how they feel,” he replied, and we both heard a snort from the darkness beside an old tree.

“What male ever understands a female?” came Cheena’s voice, and I grinned, knowing she’d been watching over me as well. “That being said… I think Ame will be interested to hear that you’re planning on escaping her clutches, Flux. Might even make a charm for me if I tell her the news right…”

“You’ll keep your words to yourself!” Flux growled, raising one hand, and pointing one crooked finger at her. “You’ll be helping me to train the fighters here yet; I haven’t decided how, though; trainer or victim?”

There was a long pause, broken only by Bane calling out “Trainer” a second before Cheena said the same.

“Looks like I’ve one more trainer than I need…watch your words, Cheena!” Flux said, and he turned to me. “Are you sure you’re okay?” When I nodded, he continued, “In that case, I will return to the lower floors and see if Ame needs any help. Excuse me.”

Once he was gone, there was a long pause as we all waited to see who’d make the next move. Eventually, I got bored of it and I stretched out, letting out a low groan as I straightened myself out and rested my head back on the grass.

“Jax?” came a voice into my mind, and I almost groaned. I did not want to hear from Jenae at the minute. not at all. Certainly not. Unless it was about…

“Jenae? Did you find him?” I asked quickly, sitting up.

“Not yet. I have released the spell, and it is currently mapping the continent, but it will take some time to finish. I’ll be in touch when it’s done. I just… I wanted to apologize again, and to let you know I was doing as we agreed.”

Her voice was much calmer, and seemed a lot sadder as well, which made me let go of a little of the residual anger I felt towards her.

“Thank you, Jenae, and I’m sorry as well. If I’d been a bit more respectful, this would never have happened.” There was a sense of acceptance, and then she was gone, and I laid back again with a groan.

“Well, I’m going to have a nap here; I can’t be bothered to find my room. Go do whatever, okay, guys?” I mumbled; my eyes already closed as I enjoyed the peace of the garden. The breeze made the leaves rustle all around me, the occasional ‘clop’ of disturbed water only serving to lull me into sleep faster.

I didn’t notice Bane and Cheena agreeing upon a watch, or even when Oracle shifted back into a more or less corporeal form to snuggle into me. I didn’t even stir as, hours later, she got bored and flew off to cause mischief somewhere. I just slept on, exhausted.

Chapter Sixteen

I woke slowly, stretching luxuriously as I gazed at my surroundings. I was still in the small garden on the fortieth floor, thankfully, and as I slowly sat up, I tried to work out what had disturbed me. I could just make out the change in the sky from the rising sun, and the birds were raising a cacophony of songs all around me, but…

“He’s nearly here,” a voice whispered, and I glanced in the direction of the call, making out a Mer crouched in the deeper shadows under a tree.

“Uh… thanks?” I murmured slowly, wracking my brains for her name. “Jana, right?”

“That’s right, Lord Jax,” she said quietly.

“Who’s coming?” I asked.

“Flux. He’s ordered that everyone who needs training should gather in just over two hours on the parade ground at the twenty-sixth floor of the Tower. He also said he was going to be spending the first and last few hours of the day with you, so that means he’ll be here any time now. I thought you’d rather wake up without his help…”

“Definitely!” I said, clambering to my feet and cracking my back, even as Jana moved out of the darkness. “Thank you for that,”