Titan: A LitRPG Adventure (UnderVerse Book 4) Jez Cajiao (top ten books of all time TXT) 📖

energy that had been pulsing through it fading away as the connection was broken.

“You… you can’t do this!” he screamed, lifting his right curled hand and twisting the fingers as best he could while glaring up at me hatefully.

I felt the pain rage higher, and I saw my HP start to plummet as veins tore open and blood started to stream down my skin.

I forced an evil grin through the mask of blood I now wore, and was about to take his other hand, when a heavy ‘twang’ echoed around the room, and the red robed mage convulsed, collapsing in death.

I felt the pain dying down as his magic released me. The wounds remained, though, and as I fell to one knee, I looked up, seeing the short, grim-faced figure of Giint.

The little bastard had climbed up the outside of the building, I realized, all the way up, then had shot the prick through the window.

I warred with myself, half relived that it was over, and half furious, as that red-robed asshole had answers I needed. Who was he, how had he come to be here, and most of all, what the hell was…?

Then I sagged forward further, blinking at the frantically flashing indications before me. I had seventy-six health left, and I was losing forty-three per second through the outrageous bleed effects I was suffering.

I literally blinked, and the world started to go black, before something hit me. I felt a terrible, icy cold spread through me, and the world was gone.

Chapter Twenty-Two

I woke up with a start, my heart racing at what felt like a thousand beats a second, and I almost flew upright before strong hands pressed me back down. I felt something being jabbed into my neck; there was a hiss, and coldness flooded me again.

This time, it was more like a freezing wind combined with eating a ton of ice cream really fast; I almost screamed from the brain-freeze, but in a matter of seconds, it passed, and I felt warm hands propping my head up and a rough voice ordering me to drink.

I blinked and saw Tang and the glimmering red potion he held for me, and I reached up hungrily, taking it and chugging the liquid as fast as I could.

Whatever it was, it made me feel fantastic, as my eyes dilated and the room was filled with light. I felt my skin literally swell with strength and vitality, and I fought to be upright again. This time, the hands holding me let me up, and I looked around, seeing Tang, Yen, Giint, and Bane were all there, with Yen glaring in horror at Tang. Bane had Giint pinned to the wall with his daggers at the gnome’s throat.

“Tell me that wasn’t what I think it was!” she said, aghast.

“Strength of the Ogg,” he confirmed, grinning at me. “How do you feel, Jax?” he asked me, and I held up my hands, curling them into fists as I admired the jewellike shimmer my skin had suddenly gained.

“Amazing…” I muttered, trying to keep the grin from my face and failing utterly.

“Oh for… you seriously gave him one of those? You’re going to get thrown out for this…. Dishonorable discharge! I can’t believe you got the new lord goddamn Shined!” Yen said in horrified astonishment.

“What is… this?” I asked slowly, shaking my head and blinking furiously.

“It’s something that an idiot gave you to make you feel better, Jax. Just give it a few minutes, and it’ll wear off…”

“It’s high grade…” Tang admitted ashamedly.

“Are you f…” Yen snarled, taking a deep breath and blowing it out in a long sigh. “Tang, when we get back, you and I are going to Augustus, and you’re going to explain this… in fact, no. We’re going to Restun! Once he’s done with you, you’ll never touch this shit again, and I swear, if you’ve got him hooked on this…”

“I’m all right.” I interrupted her low-voiced yet fervent rant as I shook my head. “What the hell was that, though?” I asked as I blinked again, seeing the shimmer fade slightly.

“It’s a drug, Jax.” Tang admitted ashamedly. “I had it for a while, kept promising I’d throw it away, and… well… you needed something to get you back on your feet, so I mixed it with my last healing potion.”

“What does it do?” I asked him, shaking my head and breathing deeply, trying to flush the stuff out of my system. I had no real issue with drugs, but I’d known others who’d been killed or worse by them, so to have one in my system that I’d not wanted freaked me out more than a bit. I checked my mana, seeing it was at twenty-two, and I grimaced, resolving to leave it, in case Oracle needed it.

I considered meditating and thought better of it; I needed to be sure that everyone was okay first.

“It basically supercharges your stamina regeneration, but makes you feel amazing while it does, and with the healing potion I gave you, it was enough to wake you up.” Tang said, grimacing. “I’m sorry, Jax, but I didn’t know what else to do. Giint had used something on you to stop the bleeding, and it’d mostly worked, but your skin was like ice, and you… well, you looked terrible. Then he stabbed you in the neck with something he’d found, and I panicked.”

“Bane, it’s okay; let him down…” I said, then staggered. Yen was there, and a second later, Tang was on the other side, and they helped me to the edge of the bed, making me sit next to the corpse of the black robed woman.

“Giint. I know you’ve sworn the Oath to me, so how about you explain this, please?” I asked slowly, as the room spun in and out of a kind of hyper-focus, before falling back to my normal vision.

“Yooou were dyyyyying. Usssed collld bombbb. Slooow heart. Then healllingg… intttto neckkk, fasssster.” He growled, glaring at Bane as he rubbed his