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

They totally ignored me and my team, staggering forward and grabbing at the debris, trying to dig their way through, and the change was huge.

Suddenly, the others weren’t battling creatures that were a threat; they weren’t even fighting anymore, not really. It became simple manual work, destroy the skull, and move on.

Where I was, I went from being surrounded by armed undead, intent on killing me, to all of them dropping weapons and staggering forward, grabbing at the metal, rock, and debris and yanking frantically.

I simply started to crush skulls.

One after another, I went, methodically raising the maul and bringing it down. At first, I was shattering them, but then as I moved, I worked to improve and to learn, seeking more to destroy just the skull, rather than shattering half the body at the same time and having to kick the weapon free of the pile of bones.

This wonderful XP farm lasted less than a minute, though, before the mound, with a final screech of pain, went silent, and the remaining undead collapsed to the floor, bones losing all cohesion.

The clattering filled the air for several seconds, echoing, and then suddenly it was over and more notifications flashed for my attention desperately.

I searched about, grateful that everyone appeared okay, if dirty, dusty, worn out, and bloody from dozens of small wounds. I spun around as the mound made a sound, lifting the maul, but a few seconds later, I dropped it as the small earth elemental oozed its way back up into sight to stare at me, waiting for more orders.

“Retrieve anything the Lich had on it and bring it up here,” I commanded, watching it turn and flow back down into the darkness.

“Well, thank fuck for that,” I muttered to myself, watching the group as they began picking their way across the room, and I made my way to Lydia, checking on her.

She was still unconscious, but my mana had recovered enough for a second healing spell, and using it restored more color to her and she seemed to rest more comfortably.

“What happened to her?” Grizz asked, and I winced, concern clear in my voice as I replied.

“I don’t know, in all honesty. I asked her to hold them as long as she could, and boom, she went nuts. Suddenly, she was everywhere, moving faster than I could believe, and then it was like someone flipped a switch, and she just collapsed. When I got to her, she was almost dead, totally drained,” I said, brushing her hair back from her face and peeling one eyelid back to look in.

There was no reaction, and I sighed, letting her eye close again and patting her shoulder.

“Miren!” I called, and she stepped forward. “Stay with her and watch over her while I meditate. As soon as I’ve got enough mana, I’ll heal her again, but wake me if she doesn’t look well, okay?” She nodded soberly, settling down next to Lydia. I took a moment to look at the way the entire group regarded her, and I sighed. I might be their leader, but Lydia was their heart.

“Arrin, what’s your mana like?” I asked him absently.

“I’ve got enough for a single heal…” he said, stepping forward, but I held up my hand to stop him.

“No, save it for now; do you know how to meditate?” I asked, and he grimaced, looking embarrassed.

“Sort of?” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I can sit and clear my mind, and I got the skill, but it’s only at level two…”

“Then it’s time to level it,” I said, sweeping a space clear on the floor. “We need to keep moving, and to get to the ship, but if there’s anything else out there, we’re dead as we are. We need to recover as much as possible,” I said to the group. “Arrin and I will meditate. Bane, you go explore; Tang, stay and watch over us. You’re more likely than the rest of us to spot any stealth types. Yen, you direct everyone; you’ve got twenty minutes. I want this place searched, my naginata found, and grab anything we can loot. That fucker had to have some decent gear,” I growled, gesturing toward the mound.

With that, I sat down and took a deep breath, then closed my eyes and started to speak. I spent five minutes explaining all that I could to Arrin about how I meditated, then the next fifteen was spent trying to balance the relaxed mentality needed for meditation with building and maintaining my mental ‘box’ to increase my regeneration.

When I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder, I let it slip away and blinked into the light cast by Miren’s magelight.

“It’s time,” she whispered simply, and I nodded, forcing a smile for her. It wasn’t her fault, I told myself; it wasn’t anyone’s fault, but I could feel Oracle.

She was leaving; she’d gone from somewhere higher overhead and to the right, to heading away, climbing higher and at speed. I knew what that meant. The fleet was leaving, and I was stuck trying to recover my mana in a rotting, stinking, shithole of a city, trapped underground and surrounded by wreckage and the dead, with a goddamn gang of SporeMothers incoming.

Every time I thought about it, I felt my anger bubbling up, along with my fear. I admitted that last bit to myself grudgingly. I could lose anyone at any time. I knew that, but the thought of losing Oracle made my heart clench and bile fill my throat. I was right to have sent her; it was the only way, I told myself, but still, I couldn’t shake the fear that I’d never see her again.

I forced myself to my feet and used Battlefield Triage on Lydia again. It was a quick cast, the minimum needed, mainly because it now gave as much information on the condition of the target as it performed healing, and I let out a sigh of relief. Lydia was