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

“I’ve heard tales of the other two.” Bane spoke up.

“The armored figures sound like a variation on the coastal Chuul. I’ve seen them before; as spiked and evil-looking as you say they were, I’d think a Deepwater variant. They usually raid anything they can, so other races tend to kill them whenever possible, as the Chuul only respect strength. The other, maybe a species of Sea Elf? I don’t know. The black eyes and skin don’t sound right, but the actions, maybe…”

“The fucker tore my throat out,” I said touching the ridged scars, and he nodded.

“Would you prefer to die slowly, or have it end quickly? The few Sea Elves I’ve heard of were very…blunt and practical. Flux warned us about them when I was young; he used to tell tales of the Oceans, and that would fit with them, of course it could be that they just didn’t like you, and wanted your gear as well.”

“They had fuck-all,” I said, nodding my head. “They were fighting with clubs and rocks.”

“They were gifted mages, I’ve heard; if something had stolen their magic, they’d have grabbed whatever they had to hand,” Bane said, shrugging. “At least that’s what I’d do. You might have found a Sea Elf nursery; the local group would have been intent on slaughtering anything they’d see as a threat to their children…”

“Or something totally different.” Said Hanau, shaking his head. “There’s really no way of telling, unless you can go back?”

“Not as far as I know,” I said, finishing my coffee and setting the mug aside. “Who knows what there was?”

“So, you could be pulled somewhere like that at any time?” Lydia asked me, and Oracle spoke up quickly.

“No! He can be called when he’s asleep as he relaxes, and his guard is down. I’ll see to it he’s protected from it from now on.”

“No, you won’t,” I rebutted her. “Normally when this happens, I’m all someone has, I’ve seen hundreds of villages destroyed, innocents slaughtered, and children killed over the years. I will not leave them to face the night alone, not when I could help them. You can prevent me from being pulled to them when it’s dangerous for us, like when we’re resting between battles or while we’re in the city, but otherwise no. I’ll not let people die when I could help them.” I said, and Oracle glared at me.

“You could have died if I hadn’t been here,” she said, a touch of anger and fear in her voice.

“I’ve survived hundreds of these dreams over the years, Oracle, all without healing magic. Believe me, I’d have survived; my body heals the injuries somehow, I don’t pretend to understand how, even in my old world, but it did it.”

“I still don’t like it.” She said frowning.

“You don’t have to like it.” I said. “You just have to do it. I’m sorry Oracle, but I won’t let someone face the creatures I’ve seen alone, not if I can help it. That’s an end to it,” I said the last bit firmly while looking around, fixing the others with a glare as they were about to speak.

I got a round of nods, even though some where clearly unhappy. The happiest of them all seemed to be Hanau as he gazed at Decin, and I couldn’t help but quirk an eyebrow at him, where he sat smiling faintly, patting Decin’s hand.

“You heard something you like?” I asked him and he smiled.

“Definitely. We both did, didn’t we?” He said, looking at Decin, who I saw now had tears in his eyes.

“What?” I asked confusedly.

“Ach, hell, ye’d probably no remember, hell, it may no have been ye; iff’n I understand it right, it were mebbe yer brother… but I grew up in a village in th’ forest. Miles from anywhere, a proper shithole it was… but it were home, yer know?” He sighed and shook his head in remembrance. “It no be there now. It were attacked by a creature when I were only a wee laddie. Great big thing, like a hairless wolf with six legs and scales. It tore through the village when I were a bairn, killed half o’ us before this big eejit appeared. ‘E were naked, runnin’ around wit’ a great big mace in both hands. ‘E jumped on it, an’ fair nearly beat it th’ crap out o’ it before it even knew ‘e were there.” Decin scrubbed at his face, and snorted loudly, shaking his head before going on gruffly. “Ma father, ‘e led us, and we ran. Left everythin’ in th’ village, an’ jus’ ran. The crazy bastard fightin’ it just kept shoutin’ fer us to go and kicking twelve shades o’ shit outta it. Never saw nothin’ like it.” He grinned at the memory. “Big bastard swinging his cock at it, darin’ it to try and bite it, while singing some crazy song about bein’ too sexy fer his shirt.”

“It was Tommy,” I said immediately. “That guy could piss anyone off, and that song…I hope it killed him.” I shook my head as I thought about it, remembering that phase he’d gone through, singing shit like that just to wind me up.

“Well, me Da’ went back a few days later wit’ a huntin’ party; they found the creature, but no sign o’ the mad bastard. The corpse looked like it’d been hit by a mountain by th’ end. It were th’ final straw, an’ we all moved to th’ city after tha’.”

“When the job is done, our bodies tend to last a few hours, then that’s it. We just…fall apart, becoming dust. There must have been someone in your village that knew about us, that made a sacrifice of blood to the altar and woke us.” I said, smiling. “I’m glad it worked.” I thought about if for a few seconds. I realized the vast drop off in Dreams over the last few years must have meant