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

“Sweet.”  Nodding my thanks to Bane for not letting me chuck them into storage, I passed them to Miren and asked her to keep them safe, figuring she was the least likely to be in a close-quarters fight.

The final pile in the room was composed of money and jewels, coming to a total of ninety-six gold, three hundred and eleven silver, and forty copper, as well as sixteen emeralds and nine amethysts.

I had been planning on sorting it all out later but decided not to risk it and passed out the Drow gear to my team. All in all, we had five swords, four of which went into Fenris, unclaimed.

The Drow bow, I gave to Miren, and she grinned as she sorted through the quiver that came with it and put her old bow into Fenris. There were five tunics in total, six pairs of pants, and two full sets of Scalemail and Gloom Plates. I gave the team the choice of the gear, having taken a set of Gloom Plate for myself already. Quickly changing out of my normal gear, as badly damaged as it was, I dressed in Gloom Spidersilk pants and tunic, equipping the set of Gloom Plates over that. I felt almost as though I had less protection than I’d had previously, as this gear was far less restrictive, but I knew that was all in my mind.

As I jumped up and down and stretched to get a feel for the gear, I noted that it was both lighter and stronger than the ‘Night’s Embrace set I’d been wearing previously. My stealth was lowered considerably, but it was compensated by the fact I could move much easier and faster in the Drow gear. I kept my old ‘Boots of Night’s Embrace’ for the passive sound reduction they gave to my footprints, not to mention the fact that the Drow had shitty-looking boots that reeked.

I gave Bane the nine throwing stars, Arrin the Ring of Destruction, Lydia the Ring of Defense, and took the Necklace of Vampirism for myself. Arrin accepted a mana potion, while I took the other that we’d found. The remaining three potions of healing were handed out to Lydia, Bane, and Barrett.

I skimmed the room, now much clearer than when we arrived, and nodded to myself, when a sparkle coming from under the rubble caught my peripheral vision.

“What’s that?” I asked, making my way to the shattered remains of the building. All that remained were cracked and shattered slabs of thick stone. Whatever magical means the Drow had used to construct the building in the first place had seemingly given up when the Drider and I had smashed down through the roof.

I couldn’t initially see whatever had gotten my attention, but after shifting a few of the larger rocks, I found it. The boulder that I’d used to smash the Drider into paste had also ruined the creature’s whip, and the weapon had basically exploded among its scraps of clothing, so we’d just left them. However, off to one side of the crushed corpse, a small orb glowed, pressed up against the remains of a statue. I reached out to pick it up, and Yen grabbed my wrist, shaking her head in warning.

“It’s an altar of Lloth. There are stories about the consequences for anyone but Drow that touch them…”

“So, take the hint and leave it the fuck alone?” I asked, and she grinned and nodded.

“And the Orb?” I asked.

“Looks like the Essence Core for the Drider… what?” she asked when I started in shock at her knowledge of it.

“You know what a Core is?” I asked cautiously, and she nodded.

“Yeah, it’s a trophy some monsters leave behind. There are a few shops in the city that deal in them; why?”

“Seriously? A trophy? And there are shops that stock them… oh fucking yes,” I chuckled, using a rock to roll the Core back from the altar, and picked it up, dropping it into my pocket with a grin.

“They’re not worth much, unless you find the right buyer,” she said, shrugging.

“To me, they’re fucking priceless, believe me,” I whispered, shifting the rocks away from Lloth’s altar. “Give me a minute, okay?” I braced myself on the edge of the uncovered section, closing my eyes and summoning my mana. I reached out, the process far faster and easier with my new Class, and I sent a mental call to the Goddess Jenae.

“Jenae!”

There were several seconds of silence before I felt her presence surrounding me, and I relaxed, hearing her voice in my mind.

“Eternal… it is good to hear from you.”

“It’s good to speak to you too, Jenae. Look, I’ve found an altar to Lloth, and…”

“That dark abomination?!” Jenae’s mental voice was suddenly filled with loathing, and she spoke quickly. “Don’t touch it! She traps her altars, and where you find one, there’s usually a Drider close by. Have you dealt with it?”

“Oh, yeah, don’t worry; that bitch is toast! Well… more like marmalade, actually. She kinda… splattered…”

“Well done! I saw that you had completed the quest, but not that it involved a Drider. I would have warned you, as they can be fearsome foes… So, if it’s dead, and you know not to touch the altar, why have you reached out to me? I’m sorry, I don’t have the strength to cast another tracking spell yet, but soon I will. A day; two, at most.”

“I appreciate that, and thank you, Jenae. No, I was wanting to know what you want me to do about any altars I find. You said that your altars being destroyed injured you and stripped you of some of your power?”

“Yes… Very well, Jax. I’ll give you a quest, if you’re willing? Destroy the altars of the dark minor gods Lloth, Asmodeus, Baphomet, and Ardat. It’s too soon for us to start actively destroying Nimon’s altars, but if you get the chance, I’ll reward you well.”

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