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

bits the gnomes had already salvaged. He grinned at me in what he clearly thought was a winning way, but as wide and crazed as it was, it just made me want to taser him on general principles.

I glanced down at the gear in the hold and shrugged. Some of it was also glowing alarmingly, and the less of it I had around me, the better.

“Sure; get the gnomes below to help you as well. Work very, very fast,” I said brightly, and Grizz piped up before Giint could run off.

“But carefully!” he interjected. “It needs to go off when we say, not before!”

Giiiint underrrrstand!” Giint nodded his head frantically, then tore off screaming at the top of his lungs at the gnomes below.

A few seconds of silence reigned as they listened to his practically incomprehensible screeching, followed by a chorus of cheering, and they all started swarming the ship, unloading again.

“What did you just do?” Yen asked me anxiously, hurrying over to stand by my side, where we watched the gnomes with a sense of fascinated horror.

“I asked them to make the barricade explode,” I said finally, wincing as Yen gaped at me in utter horror and betrayal.

“Jax, you… they… no… please, by all the gods, no…” She shuddered, clenching her eyes shut. Then she immediately turned and started shouting orders to the rest of the group.

Everyone started moving, dragging Lydia and Bane below decks, and gathering everything they could to cover the few windows.

“Gnomes like three things, Jax…” Yen said through gritted teeth, when I grabbed her arm and demanded an explanation. “They like speed, drugs, and things that explode. They have it reinforced over and over from an incredibly early age that, to make anything explode, anything at all, they have to have permission. Like the way we teach kids that shitting in their pants is wrong, gnomes start teaching their kids explosions are naughty at that level. They are fascinated by fire and combustibles and would burn the world if it didn’t mean they couldn’t play with it later. They have no sense of self preservation, so when someone in a position of authority tells them to blow something up?!?” She pinched the bridge of her nose, exasperated. “Honestly, Jax, I hope I’m wrong, I really, REALLY do, but we need to get this ship ready to go, and fast!”

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you,” I said, nodding towards the wheelhouse. “Frederikk is in there trying to get the ship ready to take off; he’s given a few of the other, more sensible gnomes jobs to do, but the SporeMothers probably know where we are, so we need to be able to open the barricade up as soon as we’re ready, and fucking escape. Get everyone ready in there; make Jian take the pilot’s console, then get your ass out here and get ready.”

Yen paused, then nodded firmly, clearly deciding that it made sense. All of a sudden, I had a thought and shouted to send Jian to come here first, and I reached into my bag, pulling the Core free.

“What do you think you’re doing!” the wisp hissed at me, glaring as I held the core in my hand and she reformed.

“I think I’m trying to get my people to safety, and I’m making sure you, and by extension, the Prax, can’t be taken by the enemy!” I snapped back at her, meeting her anger with my own as she swelled to a foot tall, hovering in the air over my palm, hands on her hips.

“I have survived hundreds of years in perfect safety…” she started, and I cut her off.

“Until you stupidly let a lunatic into the Vault and he almost took command, after which, he managed to use one of the artifacts you’re supposed to guard to change himself into a fucking Lich!” I snarled at her, before calming myself and huffing out a long breath.

“You know who I am, and what I am,” I said slowly, fighting to keep an even tone. “Your attitude isn’t helping, so let’s make this simple. You are required to aid me, to serve me, as part and property of the Empire, correct?” I asked her, hating that I was having to go down this route, but not having time to do anything else.

“That is correct,” she confirmed flatly, and I was struck by the attitude difference from Oracle to Seneschal and Hephaestus to her.

“Good; we’ll sort this shit out later, you and I, but for now? You are to help Jian, here,” I lifted her to see him as he approached, “to fly this ship and get us out of here. I know it’s smaller than your Prax, but you controlled that, at least in part, so you should be able to do something here. You are to give him, and me, the most aid you can. You are to help to carry out my plans and schemes, and you are to do all of this to the letter and spirit of these orders. Do you understand?” I asked, staring her down and hating that I’d had to enforce my position of authority to get her to comply. It felt like I was using slavery; honestly, in my eyes, I was, but right now, I didn’t have a choice.

The excuse of tyrants and assholes through the ages… My mind informed me.

I squashed that little voice down and ignored the sense of confusion and approval emanating from Amon. God, it was getting crowded in my head these days, I reflected, as I handed the Core over to Jian.

“Jian, I know you have little more experience than anyone else here. I know you don’t know what you’re doing, and I know that you accidentally started a war with a god last time you flew a ship…” He flinched at that last one, and I grinned amiably at him and nodded towards the Core. “… but despite all of that, I still trust you, and I believe in