The Forgotten Faithful: A LitRPG Adventure (UnderVerse Book 2) by Cajiao, Jez (best reads txt) 📗

crew’s families back here, IF I can pull it off…you like the sound of it so far?” I asked and got a shark-like grin in return.

“Jax, my sister is all I have left. She’s stuck in that shithole of a city, probably thinking I’m dead, especially if I don’t get back soon."

"I’ll do anything that gets her somewhere safe and feeds her and her bairn.” He raised one eyebrow as he looked at me. “Judging from Oren’s reaction, it’s not something I’m gonna want to hear, so enough sugar coating. What is it?”

“We’re going to raid Barabarattas’s stockpile of manastones and steal them all, and as much gear, food, and materials for the Tower as we can. I’m going to need some help to pull it off; who do we know who’s still in the city?” I asked with an apologetic grin.

“Our families,” Barrett said in a flat tone, frowning at me. “Look, I’m all for getting them out, and hitting that bastard of a lord where it hurts? Yeah, I’m in for that any day, but you have to understand, most of our families are working around the clock… and the guards watch them. They’re leverage over us; you understand? So, either they’re at work, or they’re flat-out exhausted. If you turn up, a total stranger, and try to get them to help you, it won’t happen. It’d take the entire crew days to gather up their families alone, never mind sneaking them out, and that’s people that they know and trust. Unless you think we’ve got months to hide in the city in order to try to get things planned out, it’ll never work.”

“I’m planning on a few days, and that’s it. We can’t risk more than that. They’ll be expecting this ship back soon, after all.” I rubbed my chin, disappointment burning through me. This was the way to do it; I knew it, felt it balls to bones. I knew it was never going to be easy, but…

“How many people are we talking?” I asked, having just assumed until now that the families would be small, two to four members, like I’d known back home.

“Well, I just have my sister and her lad, since her husband died years back. Oren’s got two kids, a wife, and his father. Most of the crew have wives or husbands and kiddies, some parents and brothers and sisters; at least fifty? Probably not more than a hundred or so, maybe two when you think of friends, and more if you want to try to recruit any of the ship’s crew up there…” he said, pausing as he took in the look on my face. “What’s wrong?”

“I…okay, we can work with that,” I said, deliberately forcing myself to smile, my mind awhirl as I tried to figure out what to do. I’d had it in my head that I’d have about twenty to thirty extra people, maybe forty at the most. Just considering that, I knew I needed to have a proper plan in place.

A hundred or more would leave the ship ram-packed, with no room for cargo, but if we got half the crew or less, the rest would soon be swept up by Barabarattas’ watchers when the others vanished, along with his manastones. Feck.

“Look, I’m not saying we can’t do it, Jax, just that it’s going to take some work. I need to get back to my people. Go talk to Oren; he’s had some time to think about it now, and Oracle is still buzzing around a like a glow bug on crack. She obviously still thinks it can be done.”

“Well, here’s hoping. Oh, and Barrett, I need you to get everyone together for me. There’s a group of farmers on the tenth floor, in the balcony gardens, I think. Everyone else seems to be here, but if you could make sure?"

"And get them here as soon as possible, please; I need to speak to everyone in, say, an hour or so?” Barrett nodded and grinned devilishly.

“Looks like my lads and lasses get to do some running, then!”

I nodded to him, and he saluted, jogging back to shout at someone that was taking a break in between pushups. “What are you doin’, maggot! Get your lazy arse up right now and…” I tuned his irate screaming out as I headed toward the ship. He was so much like a drill sergeant I’d had in basic; it was scary. It was also reassuring, though. As much as officers were the head of the army, sergeants were always the heart.

By the time I reached Oren, who stood on the deck of the warship, I had a smile back on my face, determination filling me again. There was a way to do this, I just knew it. I just had to find it.

“Aye, laddie, I bin’ hearin’ all about yer latest madness!” he said as I reached him, looking up at me and nodding in respect. “As usual, ye dinna do things by half!” I grinned right back at him.

“You know me, Oren! Got to up the game, after all. What do you think of my plan?”

“Well, the way Oracle explained it t’ me, it willna work,” he said bluntly, then shook his head. “I wish it would, ye ken? But the first thing t’ guard will do when we land is search t’ ship. We canna just hide ye aboard.”

“Dammit!” I cursed. “I thought, I don’t know, that you’d have a little stash somewhere, a smuggler’s compartment or something…”  I said, thinking back to a movie I’d loved as a kid.

“Weeeeeell….” Oren said, drawing the word out. “I mighta had one on me old ship… just in case, ye understand…but this ship? Nah, she be clean o’ such things… sadly.”

“Double fuck,” I muttered, when an idea struck me, and I stared at Oren. “You’d not have such a spot on your old ship unless you knew someone that would make use of such things. Tell me all about it, mate.”

“Ah,