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

it, starting with the fact that I didn’t know anyone I’d trust to do it. Then there was the whole ‘bloodline’ thing, and most importantly of all, I liked my life! Sure, it was mental, and I never got a chance to sit down. But as I watched Oracle zip from sail to sail, peeking down at the sailors to check on them, I pondered the fact that I had an insanely hot fairy companion who could literally, happily, look like anyone I wanted. Her body was every possible sexual fantasy within itself, and the mind behind it? I was in love with her, madly, and still despite days and days of us both wanting it, we’d had no time for our sex life.

That was changing tonight, I vowed to myself. I was going to save these people, get my ships in the air, and as soon as we were all safe, I was gonna rock her world.

Oracle looked up at me from where she hid in the rigging across the deck, and I felt the smile that I couldn’t quite see at this distance as she picked up on my thoughts and my love.

“Tonight,” was all she said, but I couldn’t keep the smile from my face in response as I concentrated on the ship again, looking ahead. I had seven points to assign, but I decided to hold off until I had some time to think. After all, I wasn’t going to get another xp dump like I’d gotten within the last few days, at least for a while… I hoped.

The ship floated along gently, the power dialed back, as I waited for the larger warship to catch up.

“Keep an eye out below,” I called to my people. “See if you can spot anything.” I deliberately phrased things as vaguely as possible, just in case, but after a few minutes, we were hovering over the Shipyard, just as the second ship began to line up for their own landing.

“Now, how the hell are we going to do this?” I muttered to myself… “We can’t get to the ‘Star’s Glory’ now, not the way we’d planned, and the cruisers are more important, but still, I don’t like the idea of leaving the ship to continue running slaves… maybe I could…” I trailed off, my mind’s eye full of images.

“We’ve got a couple of fliers incoming!” Miren called back, drawing her bow and following the path of three inbound Imps. The lead one held its hands out to the sides to show that it was unarmed.

“Let them come but be ready to blast them out of the sky,” I called back, shaking my head as Hellenica held up a crackling lightning bolt questioningly.

The three flew closer, until they were a few dozen feet from the side of the ship, and the leader moved in alone, landing on the deck a handful of feet from me.

I looked at him, noting the tribal tattoos and dark grey skin, the horns, complete with the broken-off tip of the right one.

“He’s one of the ones we left at the tower…” Oracle said through our bond.

“I see you managed to get free okay, then,” I said, and he nodded curtly at me. “So, what are you doing here?” I asked, and he glared at me for a few heartbeats before wrestling his temper under control.

“Grebes wanted us to goes with you. Said we should trusts you. Said Impses could be free, not slaveses,” he said finally, and I regarded him in surprise.

“How many of you?” I asked, looking over the other two, then back at him. “And you don’t want to come with me, you hate me.”

“You kepts us prisoner! Made poor Tats eat green foods…” he complained, wiping at his tongue in remembered disgust, as I recalled the people in the cages. My mood plummeted instantly, and I started to say I didn’t want the filthy creatures with us, when I remembered Grebes’ warning.

He’d warned us about the trapped stair, and it’d cost him his life, and the woman in the cages had said the Imps were addicted, and that they couldn’t help themselves.

Maybe they weren’t as bad as I thought, but…

“How many?” I asked again, slowly as I tried to consider the implications. I couldn’t risk an extra skirmish tonight, but I could always do with a few extra helpers, and the Empire was supposed to be for all the species, provided they would take the Oath and swear to protect each other…

“Lots,” he said calmly.

“How many is ‘lots’?” I pressed, turning my eyes forward again and adjusting the course as a tall spire became visible on a building ahead.

“Lots?” the Imp repeated, confused.

“Shit. You can’t count, can you?” I asked him, closing my eyes for a second before forcing them open and glancing down at the shipyard to my right. Fights were breaking out now, and I grinned as I saw the Legion appear around a corner, sprinting for the gates. Two guards that were supposed to be on watch turned and ran for their lives, and I felt a load of my tension floating away.

“Fine…” I said, looking back to the Imp. “If you want to come, you can, but you and all those you bring have to swear the Oath of citizenship of the Empire. You do that, and I’ll let you come. And you don’t eat sentient meat anymore. Animals only!” I stressed and he nodded, taking off and flying away without a word. “Fine! I said, scowling at his retreating form. “Fuck you too!”

I shrugged, turning the ship to pass over the Shipyard again, as a pair of Alkyon rose from the ship that had just landed, flying up towards us. Oracle slipped down from the rigging and landed on my shoulder, reaching down for my hand. At the same time, I reached up to her, patting her legs as she rested her hand on mine.

“The crew are scared, but they seem to be thinking that going along