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

its thick spinal cord, sending electrical arcs through its nervous system and fired its muscles into uncontrolled spasms. The violent convulsions hurled me off as the beast collapsed to the side, sending sand flying in all directions.

I rolled back to my feet with a hand from Grizz as I swept up my naginata.

“You all right, boss?” he asked, grinning at me. I nodded, spitting some blood onto the sand from a busted lip I didn’t even remember getting. “I’m supposed to be the mad one here!” he said, grinning happily. “First time in ages Augustus isn’t going to be shouting at me.  I love this team!”

“Let’s finish it,” I snarled, rushing at the downed Teradon. Extending my naginata, I drove it deep into the same wound I’d already opened. It had collapsed on its side, its legs and secondary arms lying motionless as it tried to figure out what had happened to its body.

I dug deeper, driving the blade in, switching from stabbing to digging. I worked the weapon steadily: stab in deep, wrench it to the side, pull it out and in again, rinse and repeat.

The fight had gone from possibly lethal to almost mundane, as the crippled creature thrashed and howled, trying to catch us. Lydia battered its two upper arms, steadily smashing her mace into the elbows. Crunches and cracking sounds filled the air as she systematically broke the appendages, leaving it defenseless, while Grizz chopped at the lower legs, cutting great swathes of skin and muscle free as he searched for an artery.

Stephanos had moved in closer and was firing almost point blank into sensitive points, leveling his archery almost by cheating, as he hunted out weaknesses, and Arrin… well, that crazy bastard was concentrating like nothing else, building a layered, overcharged ‘Magic Missile’ that fired six darts, one after the other, to blast the wound I’d been working on as I stepped back to catch my breath.

When I could see again, after wiping away the Teradon’s blood that had coated my face, I could see the white of bone, and behind that, the pulsing organs I’d been searching for. I changed my angle of attack, charged my naginata with fire this time, and pushed it forward, cutting through the muscles around the bone, sliding deep, until the tip punched through the beating heart beneath.

The Teradon let out a grunt, then a soft wheeze… then died. Notifications went crazy in the corner of my vision as I pulled the blade out and straightened up, eyeing the spectators.

Above the ‘common’ seats, where people hung like monkeys from the bars, were a ring of booths for the rich patrons. As I looked from face to face, seeing Mal raise a beer in salute in passing, I saw what I knew must be the Copper Ghost Gang representatives.

Three of them stood stoically, arms crossed, with blank copper masks covering their faces, and they glared at me in unbridled hatred.

I smirked up at them, then extended my middle finger and saluted them with it before leading my team out of the arena through the now-open door to our rest area.

Bane blurred into view ahead of me, Oracle sitting on his shoulder. I shook my head at her, reaching out and feeling the pressure of tiny feet as she stepped onto my hand, before lifting her to my shoulder.

“Thanks, Bane. I knew she’d be safe with you,” I said, taking a seat and looking for the healer. “Nerin, what can you do for Oracle?” I asked as she came to me, casting spells and looking at details that only she could see.

“I need some time…” she muttered, and I nodded, turning to Arrin.

“Come on, then, mate. Let’s get a bit of practice in with the healing, hit everyone with a ‘Cleanse,’ then ‘Strength of the Seasons’… I know it’s not the best for healing wounds, but it’ll help, and we can level it up faster. Sooner we can evolve it, the better,” I said, turning to Lydia, who was the closest in the room, and following my own advice by starting with her.

“You’ve got an hour before the next round…” Augustus said, looking us over. “Make sure you use any potions you need, because you can’t afford to go in there without being in top form.”

There was a weary chorus of assent from the group. Stephanos took the opportunity to sit with Grizz and Yen, Miren following, as they began to discuss class abilities that apparently unlocked for some Legionnaires at level fifteen. I passed Arrin three mana potions, and he grinned, knowing what I wanted.

“I’ll make sure I get everyone,” he said, and I smiled appreciatively, then turned back to Oracle.

“Are you okay?” I asked her, casting the pair of spells in short succession on Bane. Finishing him off, I collapsed back in my seat, leaving Arrin to do everyone else.

“I will be I’m just tired now. I’ve never felt anything like that…” she said, pushing her hair back and looking up at Nerin while being examined.

“And I hope you don’t again,” Nerin scolded, looking over the information her spells were providing her. “Looks like your physical structure is okay, though the Sonic attack somehow interacted with the matrix of your bond. I’ve never had the chance to examine someone bonded like you are before, so I can’t tell you more right now. Best thing for you both is rest and healing, food and drink. I’d order a week of bedrest, if I thought you’d listen.”

“I’m up for a week in bed with Oracle…” I said, trying to keep my face straight, as Oracle laughed and smacked my chest with one tiny hand.

“I said rest,” Nerin said. “Men are always idiots.” She sighed, shaking her head and hitting me with a heal powerful enough that it locked me in place. My muscles went rigid for a handful of seconds before the sensation passed, and I slumped, gasping as I caught my breath.

“What the hell was that?” I growled at her,