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

by the spirit of the agreement, not just the letter,” she intoned formally, and I felt the magic accepting what she said as truth.

“We agreed to kill that fucker, so it dies tonight,” I said, then I forced a stiff smile. “Besides, I need your people to help with the next stage of my plan.”

The numerous Djinn who had appeared to assist with the shield had slowly been migrating inside, vanishing into the fog; more and more arrived, until at least thirty of them had disappeared into Hellenica’s swirling mass.

“We will see your will done, Father, don’t fear,” reassured a voice from my right, and I turned my head to find Xerix hovering nearby. The little Djinn wore a smile on his face as he spread his arms to the sides and bowed his head. “I thank you for freeing our Mother. You’ve no idea how you’ve changed the balance of power in these lands with that act alone.”

“Father?” I asked, confused.

“As the male head of the clan, you are formally addressed as ‘Father,’ Jax.” Hellenica said, flowing forwards. She appeared to become more solid, and her clothes considerably less so, as she smiled more deeply at me. “It is your duty to help me raise the next generation of our offspring, and to…”

Suddenly, Oracle was hovering between us. I gasped as my mana was ripped from me, dropping down to single digits again as she shifted her form and size to stand between Hellenica and I, full sized.

She was blonde-haired again, just under six feet tall, with long legs and her trademark highly impressive chest, but this time, she was wrapped in a formal dress of silver with golden highlights that accented her form and coloring. Her skin glowed with a healthy tan, and her eyes shone a vibrant emerald green. Fuming, she stabbed out with one exquisitely manicured fingernail, stopping Hellenica by sheer force of will.

“Back off!” she snarled. “He’s mine, and I’M NOT SHARING!”

Hellenica froze, looking shocked as she backed away slowly. A tight smile compressed her lips as she glanced from Oracle to me.

“Perhaps… we can come to some kind of arrangement?” she suggested to me, smiling coyly around Oracle’s stiff form. “A discussion we could have later; just the two of us?” I shook my head slowly.

“I’m all for discussing things, but that’s one thing that isn’t open to change, Hellenica: I’m sorry. I’m not interested in multiple partners. Hell, one’s more than enough to fill my life, and I always thought those people who married multiple partners were insane; double the wives, double the nagging and jobs. Hell no. All joking aside, I’m not available,” I mumbled apologetically.

“This will represent a problem for us, moving forward, Jax,” Hellenica stated seriously. “My kind require a mate, just as most do, and Djinn children are asexual. A Clan Mother is the only one that can reproduce. It is my duty to do so, and I must have a partner, who will fulfill the role of Clan Father.”

“We can figure that out later,” I said, shrugging awkwardly. “For now, we need to kill that fucker up there...” I gestured upwards, “...and we need to get a move on. We’ve already been down here for longer than I’d hoped.”

“Very well,” Hellenica relented. Turning gracefully, she flowed to the blown-in window and took in a deep breath, calling out a single word in a voice that echoed across the city. The clouds, which had begun rolling back in after the release of soul-power had pushed them back, seemed to shiver in response.

Slowly at first, lights began to lift all around the city; greens and blues, red and yellows, dozens of hues lifted into the air and began to converge onto the tower. Those closest gathered rapidly around their mother, crying out their joy at her freedom.

“What did she say?” I asked Oracle, who passed me the single mana potion we’d been able to find. I downed it as she smiled, shifting down from her full size to her normal one. Her outfit blurred into her tactical yoga pants and halter top, with camouflage stripes painting her cheeks.

“Come home,” she said simply. “She said, ‘Come home’ and the Djinn across the city have abandoned everything. Their Oaths were weak and sworn under duress, their Mother held hostage to obtain them, and so they forsake them.”

“Is that safe?” I asked, concern filling my voice.

“Oh, believe me, even when I knew of the Djinn long ago, it was accepted that they’d never get the wrong end of an Oath. Their power is tied in part to their nature, so they’ll have been planning for this for years. Their Oaths would have contained ‘get out’ clauses, and here they are now, reunited.”

“How the hell did this happen?” I asked, shaking my head and addressing Xerix. “I mean, if seven of you can create a portal, how did, what, a hundred or more of you not rescue her already?”

“We couldn’t,” Xerix replied sadly. “We didn’t know for sure where she was, and we were forbidden to approach certain places without our Promethean overlords. If we went, they would know, and they’d punish our Clan Mother. We were forced to wait, gathering our strength…”

“I was taken when young,” Hellenica interjected, flowing across the room to stand before me. “I was taken prisoner before I could breed, so I was alone for many years. The Prometheans that came to me… well, enough of that, save to say that when my children were born, they would allow me to name them, and then my beloved ones were taken from me, to train as thieves and scoundrels, serving the creature that even now plots above us.” She fumed coldly, her eyes flashing in anger.

“I don’t have enough mana to heal this…” Oracle said to me quietly, reaching out and touching the nub that was left.

“Then I’ll do it with one hand,” I said, forcing a smile.

“I will heal you fully, Jax, or I will help you to do