The Forgotten Faithful: A LitRPG Adventure (UnderVerse Book 2) by Cajiao, Jez (little red riding hood ebook TXT) 📕

walked to them, I noticed I couldn’t see Cheena anywhere, but as we came to halt, and Flux and I gripped wrists in greeting, I saw her emerge from the water as well.

“Well met, Lord Jax.” Flux said, and I glared at him. I immediately felt the subsonic vibrations I’d come to associate with laughter amongst his people as he held up all four hands in apology.

“I know, I know, my friend; you don’t like the rank unless it’s needed, but let’s get the formalities out of the way first, shall we?” Flux gestured, and several older Mer stepped forward, each bowing their heads to me. “These are the leaders of our pod. The closest you will get to pronouncing their names are Yuti, Ja’la and T’mon. T’mon, is father to T’lek, and demanded to be part of this meeting.” T’mon stepped forward first, dropping to one knee and bowing his head low.

“This one owes you the life of his only child. I will not forget; ask, and if it is within my power, it is yours,” he said simply. I reached out, taking his hand, and gently pulling him to his feet.

“No, as much as I want and I need from yourselves, I’ll not bargain for a child’s life.” I said. “There is no debt.” The Mer exchanged looks, and Flux laughed again, speaking to them.

“You see now, he is not like the Lords we have encountered before!”

“We thank you for this gift, then. Flux has told us of your adventures, both before meeting him, and together, and he put your proposal to us.”

Ja’la said, stepping forward as the other two moved fluidly to flank her. “With regret, we must refuse. We cannot bind ourselves as a people to one so new to our world, or allow ourselves as a people to be drawn into your war.” I gritted my teeth, pushing my disappointment down, as she went on. “However, we are not rulers as you are. We are Elders to our people, and while our word is respected, it is not law. We have given our recommendation to our people, and advised we wait. We will learn more of you and we will reconsider in one year’s time. This is against the wishes of some of our pod. They have declared that they will follow you if you will have them. We ask that you treat them well, should you accept them, and have brought gifts to show our thanks to you.” She stepped back, both her companions moving back at the same time, and she gestured to the water where another group of Mer waited. They slowly began walking out onto the shore, and as they left the water, I saw that they were dragging a large net between them.

“First, food.” Ja’la said, gesturing to the flopping fish caught in the large net. It looked like something a small trawler would pull, and I guessed several tons of fish being presented. It took almost a dozen Mer to pull it onto the shore, and they returned to the water as soon as it was done. “Next, goods. We have several sizes of armor that we had completed for sale to the cities; these, and the weapons we would have sold, are here for you.”

“We have also included some of our alchemical ingredients, as they are highly sought after, and Flux made us aware that you have a need of them.”

A second group of Mer walked out of the water, bearing these items in three large chests, placing them carefully before returning to the depths.

“Finally, people.” Ja’la said, gesturing to the third and final group of almost a dozen Mer. As they moved forward, I noticed that several had to be helped along, having obvious difficulty. Flux stepped forward then, gesturing to a female Mer that stood several feet back and faced off to one side aimlessly. “This is Ame, the Runesmith I spoke to you of, she and several others are skilled crafters, but their age or infirmities have robbed them of the ability to practice their craft. They have offered to swear to you if you can make use of them,” he explained quietly.

“Of course, I will, and gladly!” I said, a grin on my face as I looked at my new crafters. I would have healed them without them swearing to me, but, well…I needed them.

“Last of all, there are a couple of other Mer who wish to join you in your adventures. We cannot spare many; we are a small pod, after all, but equally, we will not hold them against their will.” Ja’la said, and she gestured to the remaining Mer that stood with Ame and the other infirm. I noticed that Cheena and Bane were among them, and I felt my heart lift. I liked them, and hell, I trusted them, and that was saying a lot for me.

“Cheena and Bane you know already; the others that are armed are Jana, Hel, and Katerin.” Flux clapped me on the shoulder, “Also, seeing as I can’t let such young and inexperienced warriors as them out of my sight, I’ll be coming along, too.”

I couldn’t help but grab his hand. My smile ran from ear to ear as I looked at him and the others.

“Thank you! Thank you, my friends. You’ve no idea how much I hoped you would join me,” I said. As the Elders and other Mer began making their way into the lake again, T’mon waded over to me and held out a pouch.

“It’s not much, but take this and use it well,” he said. “I will be watching, and know that in a year, if you’ve kept faith with us, you’ll have more than one friendly voice speaking for you amongst the Elders.” With that, he turned and set off into the water with the others. I opened the pouch, shaking a handful of small black pearls into my open palm.

“They’re beautiful,” I said, and Oren grunted from