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

gear properly, something I’d not done in seemingly forever, and I found two things I should have looked at long since.

First was my naginata; it’d absorbed some of the souls from the goblins, thankfully not many, but some of their weak-ass souls had taken up slots in it, and I hated that. I thought about the fights and realized that it had also absorbed that asshole human’s soul, the mage slaver. It probably meant that it would only absorb souls if I were actively channeling into it when I killed something, but I’d need to be careful from now on to make sure that was the case, and that I didn’t waste any more slots.

The second thing that I’d rediscovered was Ora’s bow in my bag of holding. I’d completely forgotten about it, and it had a quiver of arrows with it, including some arrows clearly designed for hunting animals, while others were tipped with the heavy chisel tips of armor piercers. I looked the bow over quickly. I was no archer, after all, and while I’d been trained to use a bow, this would definitely be put to better use by someone that didn’t have magic as an option.

I lifted it closer, peering more carefully at the runes that covered the surface, seeing something that tickled at my memories. It made me think of the Spellbook I’d wasted with Oracle, ‘Airblade’. There was something…

Congratulations!

You have taken your first step toward a greater world of mystery. Basic Runes Skill has been learned. With this skill and your existing magical knowledge, you have a three (3) percent chance of understanding the meaning behind runes you encounter, provided you know the corresponding spellform.

I blinked, the notification’s appearance distracting me, and the moment of epiphany was lost. I growled in irritation; the fact that I’d allowed myself to be distracted by the flash of the notification, and that I’d then actually opened it and read it, had clearly cost me the chance to learn whatever the rune was.

I slammed the bow back down and stripped off, pulling cleanish boxers, jeans, socks, and a long-sleeved black undershirt on, as I resolved to find somewhere that I could clean my damn clothes soon. I pulled my armor on and settled my weapons, leaving the helm in my bag for now.  It was cool looking, and it’d kept my skull intact a load of times so far. But the stitches Johan or Helena had put into it in between bouts in the arena were clear to see, and I didn’t think I needed it here.

A tentative knock reverberated the door to the captain’s cabin, and I quickly jerked it open to find a human woman standing there. I froze for a second, confused, as my mind had been elsewhere, then I grinned at her. It was Renna, the artist I’d given the magical infusion book to, standing and waiting with Ame, Flux standing not far away.

“Great to see you, Renna; come in please. Ame, Flux…you too,” I said, stepping back and making sure they closed the door once they were all inside.

“Did you study the book?” I asked Renna, and she nodded, a smile coming to her face. “And my request? Will it work?”

“It should; I’ll need to study a lot, though. For now, I only know the one Rune that Ame taught me.”

“That’s fine.” I bade them all sit, and I stripped my armor and top off again, showing all three of them the torn and damaged containment rune that the Baron had etched into my skin, seemingly so long ago.

“Wha…what is this?” Ame asked, stunned. She pushed Flux aside and struggled around the small table to sit close with me, the vibrations she emitted as she examined me setting my teeth on edge. I saw they were affecting Renna just as badly, but she was fascinated as she tried to look without getting in anyone’s way.

“Renna, you’re free to examine this as well,” I said, gesturing her forward. When the pair had looked it over, they finally took their seats again. Renna was already making drawings of it in a sketchbook she’d been given by Cai.

“No, see here, the lower Dantian linkage? It must be longer…” Ame said, quickly comparing my scarring to the drawing and correcting it. I gave them a few minutes to discuss it, before explaining what it was and why the Baron had given it to me. It immediately sparked a new discussion between Ame and Renna as to the magic that had been used, and why it had included a trap, a discussion which I suddenly had visions of raging out of control, until I put my foot down and stopped them.

“You can discuss this in your own time; for now, I need you to do as I asked, Renna. Ame and Flux, you’re here both to help with this, considering your skills, and your manapool, Ame, and to plan how we could use this to our advantage in the future, Flux.”

Renna gathered her gear together, and I sat in the middle of the room, directing her as to positioning, though I left the style to her. Ame looked over the drawing as she worked, instructing her, and guiding to make sure it was as well-made as possible. It took a few hours, but in a surprisingly short time, I was buttoning up my top, and Renna was staggering out of the door, exhausted.

“She will make an excellent Runecrafter.” Ame said, looking to me, and I nodded, wincing as my body shifted.

“Well, teach her, then.” I said, shrugging. “So, how long does it take to learn a new rune?” I asked, pulling the bow out of my Bag of Holding. I couldn’t help but grin at how cool it was to do that, but it wasn’t until Ame let out a pulse of surprise and snatched the bow from my hands that I saw any reaction. Clearly, the bag wasn’t anything special to them, but