Titan: A LitRPG Adventure (UnderVerse Book 4) by Jez Cajiao (beach books .txt) 📗

that were almost too small to see, the water that washed the wounds clean, and every other strain imaginable, as she rebuilt Tang’s insides.

Eventually, I released it, opening my eyes as I heard Tang let out a faint groan. I smiled and watched him as he tried to shift, then twisted, obviously attempting to get comfy.

That lasted for about two seconds, before his eyes flew wide and he looked about, before falling off the bed entirely.

“Whoa!” he cried, landing on his head, and sliding the rest of the way to the floor as he struggled to turn himself the right way around.

Being the good friend that I am, I sat and watched him, and I heard Jian start laughing as well, clearly relieved to see Tang back in the land of the living.

“What the hell happened?” Tang growled eventually when he managed to get himself back together and upright.

“We won,” I said simply, then let out a sigh. “But we lost Stephanos,” I finished sadly, and Tang blanched.

“No… dammit.” He sat down hard on the tiny bed. “I liked him.”

“Me too,” I said. “He saved me, and I wasn’t fast enough.” I swallowed hard against the lump that had appeared in my throat.

“He saved you?” Tang said slowly, and I nodded. “While I was where… asleep?” His tone dripped with bitterness. “It’s my place as your bodyguard to defend you, and Stephanos died because I got a damn splinter…?”

“A splinter that was nearly the size of a damn spear,” I exaggerated, and he shrugged.

“It was still a splinter,” he said morosely. “What about everyone else?”

“They’re all good; only Bane is still injured now. Well, and me…” I said, gesturing with my stump.

“And Stephanos’ body?” he asked, straightening up.

“Lost overboard to the sea. Whoever those ships came from officially, there were Drow aboard them, and they were in command.”

“Fuckers!” he spat, and I had to agree with him.

“Yeah, apparently, I’m pretty high on the list of people they want dead,” I said, shrugging.

“Believe me, that’s a long list,” Tang said grimly. He thought in silence for a moment, then met my gaze with steely determination. “There’s a settlement of High Elves somewhere on the far side of The Knife. I’d bet they’ll know where the Drow are coming from, if anyone does.”

“The Knife?” I asked, and he blinked before nodding and gesturing toward the distant shore of Dravith.

“The mountain range that runs from north to south along down the continent. I don’t know what it used to be called, and there’s about a dozen names for it now, depending on who you ask. I always liked ‘The Knife’. Kinda makes sense, seeing as it cuts down the middle of the continent. Sorry, I’m just used to everyone knowing some things.”

“That’s fine, and yeah, sounds logical,” I said. “Where do you think the High Elves would be, though, and what makes you think they’d help?”

“They hate the Drow; like seriously hate them. I’m a bastard offshoot, as far as the ‘High Elves’ are concerned; there used to be a few different races of Elves, but we all started from the ‘High’ or ‘Pure’ Elves. The Drow were Elves lured away into the darkness by Lloth and seduced, while others moved to the deserts, the woodlands, or the sea, and more. The High Elves refused to ‘water down their bloodline’ by intermingling with the other races and established their own exclusive cities on each continent. They’re generally purist stuck up assholes, but some are all right. If they know where a Drow city is, they’ll either be raiding it, at war with it, or looking to recruit adventurers to destroy it. Since you’re hated by Lloth, they’ll at least give you help to fight her.”

“And quests, probably…” I said, rubbing my chin in thought.

“Oh, hell yes, especially if you bring the gods back. They’ll probably even let you into the city, rather than shouting down from atop a wall at you. And that’s a hell of an honor,” he said sourly.

“You sound like you hate them?” I asked, and he shook his head, sighing.

“I don’t hate them, I just… well, my mother was a High Elf’s daughter. Once her grandmother’s people found out that my grandmother had fallen in love with a ‘Low Elf,’ she was banished. Forbidden to speak to any of her friends or family ever again. She was twelve at the time. She used to tell us tales about the ‘City of Light’, and every time she did, she’d cry. Made me want to teach them a lesson, you know? The Cataclysm came not long after she was banished and my grandfather died, leaving her alone to raise my mother. Eventually, a settlement of ‘Low Elves’ took them in, and the rest is history. She never knew if they all survived fine, or if they were wiped out. Hell, she’d never tell anyone where the city was, even after they’d done that to her.”

“What makes you think they’re still around?” I asked, and he grinned.

“Because every so often, a caravan shows up from them, and I know they don’t have any Airships at the very least, because they bring all sorts of stuff to try to trade for one. The city lords of Himnel and Narkolt both agreed that they’d never sell one under any circumstances, and neither will the gnomes, so…”

“So there’s at least three cities out there somewhere that we don’t know about, then?” I asked. “The ‘City of Light’, the Drow city, and I assume the gnomes have one?”

“The gnomes have a couple of villages way down in the south. Small ones, but protected to an insane degree, from what I heard. But yeah, two cities, at least.”

“Well, it gives us a target for the future to open up trading relations if nothing else.” I said hopefully.

“Yeah, well, if you ever go, I want a place on the team, okay, boss?” he asked and I smiled at him.

“Sure, Tang. Now go on; go get some rest or