The Gene of the Ancients (Rogue Merchant Book #2): LitRPG Series by Roman Prokofiev (top books to read TXT) 📕

The creatures of energy didn’t drop items: only essences, ingredients, and fragments of magic gems. The best prize was an live enemy caught in an antimagic trap — air and lightning elementals were highly valued as components for the engines of astral ships. We captured at least a score of them.

In addition to several purple ingredients, the boss dropped a large magic gem of Epic quality, the Lightning Stone. Inserted in a weapon, it imbued it with bonus electric damage, allowed the user to cast Great Lightning once an hour, and gave them a chance of casting Chain Lightning on a group of enemies. Should I really explain how much power such a thing could add to a warrior’s sword or a mage’s staff? It was a rare item, with only six of them sold at the Bazaar auction, with the prices starting from fifty thousand.

Overall, we were tired, but satisfied. The cave turned out to be a dead end with nothing else of interest to us. Abbot led us back to the staircase exit.

Nothing seemed to have changed, and the bottom of the well between the layers shined crimson, while shadows cast by our torches danced on its walls. We went down, hoping to find a place to camp on the next floor.

One of our forward scouts was the first to raise an alarm. A single signal was closing in on us: someone was ascending from the depths of the Endless Paths. The raid immediately assumed battle formation, encircled by a wall of scaled shields and pointed ends of weapons. Slowly, step by step, we moved forward to the signal.

Abel: A girl! A young girl! She’s coming up to you!

We saw her several seconds later — dirty-faced, with a disheveled black braid, wearing a filthy homespun dress with tattered hem. She looked like a teenager, but she stubbornly kept climbing the tall stairs, constantly looking back, seemingly scared. She ran up to us and stopped before the wall of shields, reaching out with a pleading look. Komtur met her halfway.

Komtur: Her name is Daine. She gives out a rare quest. She’s asking us to rescue her.

Abbot: From whom? Is somebody after her?

Komtur: She’s not saying. She’s very scared. Should I accept it?

Abbot: Go on, and share it with the raid!

Olaf: Looks like a random event... Wow, why is it 18+?

Abel: One more signal! It’s close!

Komtur pulled the girl inside the formation, and the steel wall closed ranks once again. They were almost next to me, and I could see her scratched dusky face, blood marks on her arms, and a steel shackle with a broken chain on one of her ankles. The girl was shaking.

A nimble winged silhouette fluttered out of the depths of the well, deftly landing on the stairs right in front of us, several feet away from the first line.

“Oh, what have we here?” she asked us in a sensuous contralto. “Boys? Lots of boys?”

The girl who was staring at us looked like she stepped out of an Aimi Akada ad — big blue eyes, pink full lips, ash blond flowing locks. The only things spoiling the picture were red dots smoldering in her eyes and black batwings chastely wrapped around her body.

Olaf: A succubus. Something smells off... I’m searching the net.

Abbot: Prepare to fight demons. Holy damage, liquid silver, Elixir of Eradication, quickly!

“What a lovely surprise! Boys, you have our friend,” the demoness purred. “Will you give her to us, or do you want to play first?”

“Don’t give me to them!” Daine screamed, clutching at Komtur’s polished armor.

“They...they...” She started sobbing, hysterical.

“Then we’ll play,” the succubus observed, smiling. She spread out her wings and slowly walked along the raid to the edge of the stairs, seductively swinging her hips. Other than wide golden bracelets on her wrists and ankles, the demoness was completely naked. Her body was covered in an intricate blue-black tattoo depicting scenes of such indecency that I looked away in embarrassment.

Abel: Check! Signals, lots of them!

Ox: They’re coming up, very fast! They’ll be here in seconds!

Abbot: Raid, to arms! Assist on my mark!

The raid closed ranks and stepped back to the wall. Warriors looked through the visors of their helmets, their eyes tense and focused. Spears and swords were aimed at the succubus, and magic fire sprang up on the wizards’ battle staves.

“Boys, do you really want to hurt me?” the demoness asked, laughing, standing on the edge of the stairs. The sharp noise of fluttering wings grew louder, closing in on us from beneath.

Abbot: Fire! Lor, take the second assist!

Before the demoness could flinch, she got pierced with a volley of arrows and dramatically fell into the abyss, still laughing.

A swarm of winged creatures shot up from inside the well and soared above us, shrieking and screaming, circling us in a mad dance. The room went dark, and cries, laughter, and hooting blasted our ears. There were a lot of them, and more and more kept coming up.

I couldn’t make out what was going on. The Watchers next to me kept drawing their bowstrings on cue, striking home like in a firing range. Spells flashed, burning down holes in the clouds of monsters swarming above us. But the succubi had their own surprises. Abruptly, five players in the first line lowered their weapons and stepped forward, breaking formation. Several demons at once grabbed them and made off with them, flying up. Several seconds later, their bodies passed us, dropped into the well between the layers. Their icons in the raid flashed and faded. They were dead.

Olaf: Charm! They’re charming hard!

Abbot: Mind Shield, everyone, quick! Mages (censored)!

Popinjay: We won’t have time for everyone...

Komtur: Look up