Titan: A LitRPG Adventure (UnderVerse Book 4) by Jez Cajiao (free ebooks for android .TXT) 📕

of fury and horror filling my mental voice, and I heard the sigh that echoed back from the Goddess of Fire.

“It’s time we had a talk, Jax…”

Chapter Thirty-Three

“Uh, yeah! What the hell happened? I thought I was getting an extra plus two points to my Intelligence and Wisdom every level since I became your champion?!” I half-asked, half-screamed into the void between worlds that separated us.

“Yes… well… I tried to speak to you about this a little while ago, but you were short on time… okay. Look, Jax, there’s no easy way to tell you this, but the simple truth is that I’m barely holding on. Most of my struggles wouldn’t make sense to you even if I could explain them, but in this realm, I am being hunted. That bitch Lloth knows I’m back and seems intent on finding me. I named you my Champion twice over; the first time, I named you my Champion, as a Title, not a class. The second time, I changed your Class to Champion so that I could award you further bonuses, and specifically the ability to ‘Seek That Which Is Hidden.’ Essentially, we did this twice; the first time, it was the only way I could save your life after you’d torn your brain open. The second was what I’d always intended to grant you.”

“So… what… you forgot to add in the points?” I asked her incredulously. “Because, let me tell you, Jenae, your aura of divine infallibility is looking pretty shitty right now…”

“Jax…” Jenae said, a clear warning in her voice, and I tried to calm myself down, feeling my rising anger warring with my determination to show her the respect she was due.

“Look, I’m sorry, your Goddessness. Truly, I don’t mean to be disrespectful here, but you forgot to award me quests in the past, then you forget to award me the bonuses you promised, and now you’re saying that you… what? You never meant to award them, and it was a cockup?”

“No, Jax. It was something I had to do to save your life; you know, just like when I had to step in and enhance Nerin’s spells to save you then, as well.” Jenae let out a growl of frustration. “If I could give you both, I would, but I’m barely surviving here myself, and that’s because I keep intervening to help you, you know… like WARNING YOU ABOUT THE SHIPS!”

We both paused for several long seconds, shocked by the anger and volume she’d used to make her point. I felt a burgeoning headache from the echo alone.

“Jax, I’m trying to help you here, because I’m well aware that I and my brethren need you, and you need us. I named you my Champion twice over, and that’s cost me more than I can pay, so this is how this will have to go from now on. I’m leaving the Champion title, but I’m modifying it, as I cannot afford to give you what I promised. Instead, I’ve been giving you far more incidental help than I ever have anyone, bar Amon himself, and then, I was at the height of my power. I’ll leave the ten percent experience gain, and I’ll honor the random Spellbook or blueprint, but I cannot give you the Intelligence or Wisdom points I promised. I’m sorry.”

“No, Jenae…” I said sighing. “I’m the one who should be apologizing, I was shocked when I saw it. I had not realized I wasn’t getting those points, and to be fair, I know I could fix that myself with my new influx, so it is what it is. I am sorry for yelling at you, though.”

“One day, I will find a way to show you my reality in a way that you will be able to understand, but for now, please understand that if I could grant you those points, and more, I would. For now, please, I need more devotion, and I need it quickly. Lloth is far more powerful than I at this stage, and my only hope is in escape and evasion. Beware, as I have no doubt she is hunting you as well.”

“I’ll get everyone sworn to you and your kin when I get to the Tower, Jenae. Two days, three at most, I hope. Can you survive that long?”

“I will have to, but knowing that is coming helps; thank you.”

I felt Jenae’s presence recede, and I let out a deep breath, shaking my head in frustration and irritation. I was angry still: gods, I was furious. What kind of a god gave out rewards then went back on them? But… I had to admit to myself that Jenae stepped in occasionally, like when I’d ripped the goddamn Valspar out of myself, and to tell me about the cache in the Vault here… and… yeah, and to warn me about the ships closing on my fleet, all while being hunted herself.

So, I was basically being a little bitch and whining that I wanted frosting on the top of the cake, and threatening to have a meltdown, rather than enjoying the party.

I shook myself and sighed, scrubbing my face with my hands. I still had a fuck-ton of points to allocate, and a very short time to do it in, before the fight started. That meant that if I wanted to live to get through this, I needed to go balls deep, and in the words of the great Lloyd Bridges, I’d picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue.

I pulled up my character sheet and looked it over quickly, glancing from one section to the next and thinking hard. Eventually, I nodded to myself in satisfaction. I needed to start thinking more strategically, as I also had a Meridian node available, and several essence cores… I quickly sorted through my bags and pockets, spilling them out on the desk by my side, acutely aware that I was running out of time.

Fire Elemental Essence Core

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This Essence Core was taken