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

so yourself. Your body truly is not capable of it now, not without severe need. You will be pushed past the limits of your own mortality, losing the ability to regenerate your Stamina, Health, and Mana until you have fed and rested. Please trust me in this. Healing you fully at this time is not the solution, or I would have done it in a heartbeat, in exchange for the gift of freedom you have given to me and all my children.”

I forced myself to smile at her in acceptance, and she returned it, as the rest of the team gathered around me. Their wounds had all been healed, although they all appeared the worse for wear. Even Miren and Stephanos had taken injuries in the battles, and their clothes were torn and filthy.

“Looks like we’ve got one more round to go, guys.” I said, trying to sound upbeat, when the faint sound of fighting began to filter down to us from above. I exchanged a quick look with Yen, who nodded in affirmation.

“The Legion are with us…” I started to explain to Hellenica, gesturing upwards, but she cut me off with a raised hand as she snapped at the Djinn that surrounded her.

“Portal to the next level, quickly!”

Seven of the Djinn moved forward, gathering together and chanting in unison. More Djinn moved up to stand on either side of them, placing a hand on their shoulders and closing their eyes. The glow of their mana built as they fed it into the casting group.

Unlike before, where it’d taken them several minutes, this portal seemed to simply pop into existence, due in part to the huge amount of mana the supporting Djinn were funneling into their casters.

As soon as the Portal opened, shouts of alarm arose, and a dozen of the Djinn flowed through the opening. Four threw up shields, while others started casting offensively behind them. I followed them through, the rest of my Squad drawn up protectively around me, with Hellenica and the remaining Djinn flowing after us.

The other side of the Portal was a mess. The space had clearly been decorated to suit the Skyking, with black stone everywhere, illuminated by bowls full of glowing coals, and everything draped in red silken banners with weird symbols on them. The Legion was there, or at least four of them were. Augustus fought in the lead, with Tang stealthing and unstealthing every few seconds to stab someone. Rinko, fighting at Augustus’ side, looked battered all to hell, and a Legionnaire I’d seen around, but whose name I couldn’t remember, flanked the other.

They were being slowly pushed back by a half dozen Prometheans, with four more dead or dying, and a dozen creatures vaguely resembling humanoid Komodo dragons lay dead as well. I could see a single Legionnaire’s body laid back by the entrance to the stairwell, but beyond that, there was no sign of the others.

“Save the Legionnaires!” I bellowed, and the Djinn spread out. The Prometheans whipped around, glaring furiously as they realized they were being flanked, but there was nowhere for them to go. The fight that they’d been slowly winning, became a slaughter, as first five, then ten, then two dozen Djinn released endless volleys of spells. The few arrows that were fired in return were caught by the shields, and in less than a minute, the fight was over, the last Promethean falling to Augustus’ blade.

“Glad to see you’re all alive, Jax,” the Centurion Primus gasped, bending over and bracing himself on his knees. The Djinn spread out, taking up defensive positions around us at Hellenica’s orders.

“Glad to see you as well, mate. What happened? Is everyone...?” I asked, and he shook his head quickly.

“We lost three more; two in the stairwell to the traps, and one when we finally got out onto this floor. The rest are a few floors below, wounded.”

“Wounded? What happened to…”

“Nerin was hit by a dart of some kind, turned her mana against her. She can’t cast worth a damn now, so she’s been bandaging up the injured the best she can, and swearing up a storm while she’s at it,” He explained grimly.

“Altearian Night,” Hellenica supplied, floating up in a great billow of cool mist. “It’s a poison the Prometheans like; I should know,” she said bitterly. “It takes a few hours to work through the body, depending on the concentration. They typically used =it to render me powerless when they came to… visit.”

“Well, I think you’ve got your revenge on them, so far…” I commented soothingly to her, before turning my attention back to Augustus. “Augustus, this is Clan Mother Hellenica, Mother to the Djinn, and she’s our ally.” I had to double take at the look on Augustus’ face. “Do you know each other?” I asked in surprise, and he nodded slowly.

“I remember you,” he murmured, leaning heavily on his shield and trying to catch his breath. “You used to dance in the Midnight Glade, south of the mountains… did you not?”

“I did…” she admitted slowly, moving closer and reaching up to touch his face with gentle fingers. “That was long ago, when I was but a child…”

“A beautiful one,” he persisted, gazing into her eyes, before he seemed to remember himself and coughed, straightening up. “Perhaps this isn’t the best place to have this discussion,” he mused, then caught sight of a Djinn floating nearby. He looked around, finding more and more Djinn present, and he seemed to sag. “Clan Mother?”

“I am the Clan Mother of the Gueric Clan; a clan without a Father, as the Lord Jax has refused me, and his companion is disinclined to share.” A touch of sourness stained her voice, until she regarded Augustus more closely, and a note of hopeful curiosity filled her last words.

“Yeah... sorry to interrupt this joyful reunion. I know I’m off the cards, but that might allow you to pick someone that’d be more suited to you. Either way, though, perhaps that’s not a conversation to