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

“You’re crazy,” he said, nodding.

“Are you Mal?” I asked, confused, and he shook his head.

“No, but you ask me to…”

“Forget it.” I sighed, interrupting him. “Where’s Mal?” I asked, and I gestured to the ladies to move inside.

“Ah, no,” the creature said, shaking its head and holding its hand out to the side, making some of the group step forward to keep the ladies back from us. “Forgive, but the Arena Master, he says you come to the Arena. Says you will have fun. Your people, they come as well, yes?”

“No,” I said flatly.

“Yessss,” he repeated, and at his gesture, six more people stepped out of the crowd, holding up hands that suddenly filled with fire or lightning. “Arena Master, he says ‘Tell them come here, and no take no for an answer.’ So, I bring enough to make sure you come to the Arena, speak to the Arena Master, and maybe he says you can leave, yes? Maybe he makes deals with you, maybe not. Not my concern. Hector is told ‘Go get people,’ and Hector does this. You come with us now, and we lets you keep weapons, keep goods. Fight? Maybe you all dies. Then Hector takes shiny stick.” He nodded to indicate my naginata, and I grinned up at him, feeling the icy anger filling me.

“Maybe you try it, Hector, and I feed you your horns through your asshole,” I said, smiling right back at him.

He looked at me quizzically for several seconds, as I turned to call out to the others.

“Okay, people, looks like it’s plan ‘B.’ You know what to do.” Amaat and his four Alkyon burst into flight, hammering up through the trapdoor and out into the slowly lightening sky. Half of the Djinn followed them, ready to act as distractions, while the rest moved up to surround me.

“Wheres do they go?” Hector hissed at me, gesturing to the sky.

“They’re keeping watch over us, you fugly bastard,” I said, winking at him as I stepped closer. “They see anything they don’t like, and they make sure that your asshole and the arena end up looking the same… bloody and badly fucked up. Now, I’m going to tell you what’s going to happen here, you dumb shit… I’m coming with you, and so are my people, but that’s because I want to meet with Mal. Don’t be stupid enough to think it’s because of your pathetic little gang of animal fuckers, though. If you try to separate us, or try to take our weapons and gear… I’ll slaughter each and every one of you.” I reached up, and before he could stop me, I grabbed his ear and pulled him down till his face was level with mine.

“Believe me, you ugly bastard…” I whispered, glaring into his eyes. “I didn’t gut that fucking SporeMother, slaughter the Drow, or kick the shit out of this gang of Harpies, just to have you try to screw me over. Give me one fucking reason, and I’ll rip your head off and shit down your neck. The deal I’m bringing to Mal, he’s not going to give a damn if I gut you on the way, so behave yourself… understood?” I let go of his ear and turned to the assholes between Lydia, Yen, and Ellen and I, and I slammed the base of my naginata into the ground, sending a flare of magic into it and making everyone step back. “Now, are you gonna get the fuck away from my people, or do I have to slaughter each and every one of you?” I asked, almost conversationally.

Hector growled something at them, and they backed up as he glared at me, rubbing his ear. He was either smart enough, or had been given specific enough orders, that he backed off, and I let out a little sigh of relief as I gathered the group.

I ordered that the Imps should not be harmed, but they still had to be tied up. We bundled them on Fenris’ back, and before long, we were all ready to go. We prepared to leave, but before we could set off, I held up one hand, gesturing into the air… and a few seconds later, we were joined by two more of the Alkyon, who brought the remains of the overwatch from the Harpies with them. Evidently, they had been able to get the Imp before it could get away from their expanded group.

Satisfied at last that the group was no longer being blatantly watched, I nodded to Hector, and he snarled the orders to get going.

Chapter Eight

It took about half an hour to cover the distance across the city to the Cloudring district, and it wasn’t fun.

The first ten minutes or so, all we got were glares from people who were forced to move by the guards, and with it being either very late at night, or very early in the morning, the majority of innocent people were gone from the streets. That left only criminals, rioters, and nightshift workers, who were by their nature a bit batshit. I hoped they’d gone to bed, or work, rather than gone to join the mob, but the closer we got, the more obvious it became that they hadn’t.

Soon we came across smashed windows and crap in the street. I mean literal crap; we actually walked past a guy curling one out in an alleyway, and the fucker just stared at us as we went. It took all of my self-control not to lightning bolt the dirty fucker on general principle.

We crossed alleys that were choked with rubbish and less identifiable… waste… and walked along roads that were clearly filled with small businesses, many of which had been ransacked by the mob in passing, or damaged by accident.

We passed buildings that gave off horrific smells and jets of steam, buildings that belched smoke into the skies, and occasionally, buildings that poured stinking