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

dark gods tremble in FEAR AT THE MENTION OF OUR NAMES! We are the LEGION! You are the LEGION! Each and every one of you, Legionnaire, ex-slave, crafter, and healer, you are the LEGION OF DRAVITH! We will bring order to this broken land, we will make the wrongs right, and make it so our children can stand tall and safe! YOU WILL NEVER AGAIN BE ‘JUST’ YOU… YOU ARE MY PEOPLE, AND I AM YOUR BROTHER, YOUR FATHER, AND YOUR LORD! I WILL RAISE YOU UP AND MAKE YOU LIVE AGAIN! THIS IS MY VOW!” I screamed into the silent room. One by one, then all at once, they fell to their knees.

“WE ARE THE LEGION!” they bellowed, and I smiled grimly, turning to look at the exit into the arena.

“We are…” I whispered. “…and you fuckers don’t know what’s coming.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

“Thank you all,” I said, looking around the room and making eye contact with each person, one by one. Even Grizz, as shitty as he looked, was watching me. One eye glistened a milky white as his body rested, before Nerin could start on the next round of healing. I knew she was doing everything in her power to bring him back to as close to full strength as she possibly could, despite the limitations of what even magic could do.

“We’re with you, Lord Jax,” Augustus stated firmly, and I nodded gratefully.

“I know, and I’m with you; each and every one of you.”

“You might want to rethink that, my lord. Some of these guys have some really bad habits…” The female legionnaire who’d made the comment about Grizz’s stamina piped up, getting a laugh from the room as I grinned at her.

“Brothers and sisters always do,” I chuckled, glancing at the sand glass in the corner next to the door. It was a huge thing, with sections marked to show the time, and as Augustus saw the direction of my gaze, he spoke up over the hum of laughter.

“Half an hour, Jax; half an hour before the next round begins. Grizz can’t fight, so you need to pick someone to replace him.”

“Miren, Jian… you two sorted things out?” I asked over my shoulder, and they looked at each other sheepishly before nodding in unison.

“We have, Jax. It was a… misunderstanding… that’s all.”

“Good. Augustus, what are we fighting next?” I asked, and he replied easily.

“A beast; the South Side Gang won the roll, leaving the Harpies for last. No idea what kind of beast, but Mal sent word that it won’t be weak. The only thing he could find out was that the gang is confident they’re going to win. Confident enough to go heavily into debt to bet extensively on their side.”

“Well, that’s just peachy,” I muttered. “Miren, you’re up on the next fight. I think we’re gonna need some ranged options.” I turned, hearing the door to the outer corridor open with a clang as Gaion and two men entered the room. Gaion crossed to me quickly, while the other men stacked the shields from the last fight, along with a handful of looted trinkets and potions, off to one side before leaving.

“Lord Jax, Augustus,” Gaion said, saluting us both. “Mal suggested you have a look at the gear he’s had stripped from the twins. Most of the value is in their armor, but he assumed you wouldn’t want to wear something for the first time in a fight, so it’s being cleaned and packed away. The shields, personal rings, and trinkets, however, he thought you might make good use of?”

“Good thinking,” Augustus commented thoughtfully. “The shields are ‘Tower’ designs, making them a bit more clunky and heavier than ours, but they’re also likely to be more valuable and better made, the Legion budgets being what they are,” he said grimly.

“Let’s have a look, then… and thank you, Gaion. Sorry for being a dick and snapping at you yesterday,” I said, extending a hand.

“I’d already forgotten about words said in the heat of the moment, my Lord, and I hope you’ll do the same?” he said sincerely, grasping my forearm and smiling as I nodded to him. “Excellent; I’ll leave you then. Mal said he doesn’t know what the beast is, just that the South Side Gang expect to win, and they’re betting heavily…”

“Augustus said…” I replied, and he nodded.

“Of course, he already sent word. Sorry, it slipped my mind. Good luck, then!” With that, he turned and pushed through people, leaving the room.

I crossed to the pile of gear with Augustus by my side, and cast ‘Examine’ on one of the shields.

Twin’s Bulwark

Further Description Yes/No

Defense:

25-50

Details:

This shield is part of a matched pair and armor set, granting additional bonuses when worn with the corresponding parts and with a second bearer of identical design.

‘Sacrifice’ Special Ability: This shield can transfer the impact of a strike to its bonded twin once per day, transmitting all inertia and damage.

Rarity

Magical

Durability

Charge:

Highly Rare

Yes

76/100

1/1

“Impressive,” Augustus said as I read out the description. “I can see a great use for that in a fight.”

“Yeah, I’m just glad that fight was over as quickly as it was. It sounds like it could have been a much worse one, had the twins gotten to use their abilities.” I grimaced, moving onto the other items. The second shield was identical to the first, but the rest of the gear was intriguing. The twins had been a bit weird with their gear; everything they had was in sets of two. The pile included six rings, which turned out to be three matching pairs, a pair of earrings, and four potions, two Health and two Stamina.

Ring of the Healthy Body

Further Description Yes/No

Details:

This ring grants +5 to the Constitution of the wearer.

Rarity

Magical

Durability

Charge:

Uncommon

Yes

93/100

N/A

Ring of the Buffalo

Further Description Yes/No

Details:

This ring grants +3 to the Strength and Endurance of the wearer.

Rarity

Magical

Durability

Charge:

Rare

Yes

93/100

N/A

Ring of Flowing Movement

Further Description Yes/No

Details:

This ring grants +4 to the Dexterity of the wearer.

Rarity

Magical

Durability

Charge:

Uncommon

Yes

91/100

N/A

Earring of Awareness

Further Description Yes/No

Details:

This is part of a matched pair