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

because there’s not a thief in the city that hasn’t fantasized over doin' it themselves one day. I’ve got the plans that show the layout of the stockpile, and I’ve found a worker who knows where everything is. He’s happy to tell us, for a price…”

“And the price is?” I asked.

“He wants to come with us. Says he’s got some score to settle with the noble who runs the Guard.”

“Do you believe him?” I pressed, and Mal snorted.

“Son, I’d not believe you if I hadn’t been there when Nerin made us all swear that Oath. I don’t trust him at all…”

“So…”

“So, I’ve told him I’m puttin' together a plan to rob the next shipment out of there. It’s arriving in a week, and it will go from there to the shipyards to power up the engines for the test flight of the battleship. Makin' him think it’s in a week, rather than two damn days, makes it a bit harder as he’s in no rush, but better than lettin' him know the truth.”

“That battleship’s going to be ready in a week?” I asked, surprised.

“No, just the engines and frame, apparently. Nothin' else. It’s a test flight, make sure everythin' is integrated. If it is, then great; if not, they’ve got time to figure out the problems before they start puttin' in all the big bits, like armor and cannons, on her.”

The conversation was interrupted by a loud knock, followed by the door opening and Oracle strolling in.

She was full sized, unsurprisingly, as she was meeting with people. She had gotten rid of her wings. Instead, she wore a long silver-white dress that reached halfway to her knees. A belt of interwoven black and red leaves wrapped her slim waist and silvery mid-calf boots clung to her shapely legs. Her hair was black as midnight and arranged to fall loosely down her back in a mass of curls that bounced as she walked. Her lips were a deep ruby red, and her perfect teeth shone white as she smiled at me, her eyes a dark mixture of chestnut and charcoal. She was dressed far more demurely than I usually saw her, her impressive bust hidden, rather than the way she usually showed it off, but damn. I wanted her.

“Hi, honey,” she whispered, kissing my cheek and taking a seat next to me as I looked her over, smiling. I turned to the three who’d entered with her, having had eyes only for her until now, and I forced a smile for them as well.

The small group was composed of two dwarves, both women, and a tall elven man, all dressed in scruffy, grease-smudged overalls.

“This is Elise, Viktoria, and Finbar. They’re the shift managers on the ‘Ragnarök’,” Oracle pointed out Finbar and one of the dwarves, and nodded to the second, “and Elise is a shift manager on the structural team for the battleship, which hasn’t been named yet.”

“Good to meet you all,” I said.

“Aye, well ye might say tha’… but I dinna ken why w’ be here, laddie?” The dwarf introduced as Viktoria said, crossing her arms across her chest and tapping a foot on the floor.

“Perhaps a drink, while we talk?” Mal offered innocently, gesturing to the glittery bottles on the bar, and the dwarf’s eyes lit up.

“Well, aye! I could no be accused o’ bein’ rude by sayin’ no, now could I!” she said, stomping over to the bar to pour herself a drink and crooning over the glittery bottles and shiny glasses. She poured herself one, knocking it back and groaning as it went down, before bringing over the bottle and two glasses for her friends. She passed them out and poured quickly, as though concerned she might be told to go steady with it.

“So, you’ve had the chance to talk to my companion now…” I asked them, and Oracle picked up the conversation, as though we’d planned it all along.

“…And you seem to have no loyalty to the city, after all they’ve done to you,” she said, sitting back and intertwining our fingers, giving them a quick squeeze. “So, I ask you, friends…what would it take?”

“T’ get me an’ mine t’ come with ye an’ swear to ye fer a ten-year contract?” Viktoria asked, and I nodded, hearing a time limit placed on the deal for the first time. “Well, as we’d be leavin the city, an’ all, we’d need a good payment, upfront, naturally…” she said slowly gauging our reactions. “Say… a hundred gold per engineer, per month, half upfront, with the guarantee that we be no expected t’ fight fer ye, we be free t’ leave iffin things look bad, an’ we work four days outta seven, the remainin’ three bein’ for ourselves… an’ we get t’ sell what we make on 'em fer full price, wherever we want…”

Oracle squeezed my hand hard at that, and I felt her anger spike, despite her placid face.

“Thanks for the offer,” I said, smiling sharply as I sat forward. “But let’s be realistic. I’ve had my people healing yours, with nothing asked in return so far. How many have you helped, Oracle?” My companion pretended to consider it.

“Sixteen so far,” she said, and I nodded.

“Then that’s enough,” I declared, and I saw Elise stiffen slightly. “We healed your people as a gesture. We were demonstrating the benefits of being with us, instead of against. From now on, though, only those who swear to me will get healed.”

“But…” Elise started to say, glancing at Viktoria, who looked back at her, and then to me, firming her jaw.

“But nothing,” I said shortly. “You see, I know the going rate for an engineer is nowhere near that, and I’m not even going to mention the working hours, because that’s just fucking offensive. You clearly thought you’d try and milk me for all you could, not act in good faith, not the way you just tried to deal.”

“Especially considerin’ that, as dwarves and elves, you’re never goin' to get any higher than