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

as the others gathered around. We looked out, seeing the second cruiser being harried by our savior, and far behind, close to the waves far below, the black ship rocked and fought to stay in the air.

“It’s Mal, isn’t it…” I said quietly.

“Who else?” Oracle whispered, her voice filled with pride and love as she gazed at me. “Who else would, or even could, fly a ship through the heart of a storm to find you?”

“God, he’s going to be insufferable…” I muttered shaking my head even as I felt my heart swell with relief, in sharp contrast with the heavy depression that threatened to take me over the loss of my friend.

I cast about the deck, seeing that most of the Gnomes were gone, but four arrow-ridden corpses remained, showing that they’d paid even more of a cost for my interference in their lives than they had already.

I looked back, finding Giint as he stumbled down from the upper deck, one hand rubbing at his chest, as he stumbled to the central node the other gnomes had been working on.

He fell to his knees, pulling tools out of his bags and going to work, and I watched him with a pang of sadness, unsure if they were tears or rainwater that dripped from his chin and nose.

Leaving him to his work, I turned to look over the edge once more, seeing the second cruiser rolling over and diving faster and faster towards the murky waves far below, as Mal raked the side of their ship with another shot, tearing the engines free and making two explode.

The ship fell in a barrel roll that picked up speed, figures being thrown from the decks as it fell, until it hit the water with a boom that we heard and felt even over the thunder and lightning of the storm.

I let myself relax, as Lydia and Miren were joined by others, and I was led back to the wheelhouse, Jian forcing the door and rushing to the controls.

He slipped in and looked over the crystals, seemingly seeing things I couldn’t, as I was helped to a seat, bleeding from dozens of minor wounds, and running low on health as well as mana.

“Are there any potions?” Oracle asked quietly, and Lydia shook her head, speaking up.

“I don’t know…”

“I’m here…” Arrin grunted, staggering into the room, and letting in a wild gust of wind and rain alongside himself. He hurried over to me and hit me with a healing spell, before grunting and clearly being hit with a mana migraine as he bottomed his own reserves out.

I let out a groan of relief as his healing spell closed the last of my open wounds, and I sagged back slightly, drew in a deep breath, and nodded to myself.

It was time to make the most of my new gifts and use the second ability that the Air Elemental Essence Core had given me.

I closed my eyes, and began to meditate, activating ‘Peace’ as I did so. I felt the world seemingly grow quieter, and a light but constant cool breeze picked up, stirring the air around me.

I saw in my mind’s eye a plateau, high in the mountains. It was in a small bowl-shaped valley, surrounded on all sides by higher peaks and walls, but here, the trees swayed gently, and large-footed hares ran across the sparkling snow. I felt the breeze grow stronger, suddenly carrying a cool, clear, and crisp layer of air around the wheelhouse, and I sighed, drawing it deep inside and letting it out.

The air grew cooler still, but stopped at the point where cool freshness became true cold, just a few degrees above the level of discomfort. Instead, it seemed to everyone in the room that they were at that perfect temperature, where the body is awake, and the mind is invigorated.

I felt my mana and health regeneration lifting, and I began to construct the box, building it all around me, making the walls, the floor, and ceiling‒all of it, in fact‒from solidified mountain air, cool and crisp.

I felt my mana dip and my body healing, and then I buoyed upwards again, building even faster, as I felt Oracle release our shared mana pool.

Several minutes later, I sensed her reaching out to me, and with a palpable sense of regret, I released that meditative mind state.

Most of the squad were gone, either scouring the ship to make sure it was clear of DarkSpore or helping the injured. I could hear the rain lessening on the decks outside.

I looked around, finding Jian and Tenandra at their joint station. Lydia stood nearby, watching me with a smile on her face, and Oracle sat in my lap, solid and ‘life-size’.

As soon as she saw that I was fully awake, she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me, hard, while Lydia laughed and made a comment about waiting outside.

I heard the door close, but I’d missed my love too much to pay too much attention… until she broke off and spoke up.

“That’s because I missed you…” she said huskily, before slapping me hard enough to make my head ring like a bell. “…and that’s for sending me away!”

I blinked, trying to see again, as a blinding array of lights filled my vision, and I reached up with my right hand to rub at my jaw.

“What the hell?” I muttered. “…and where the hell is my helm?”

“I took it off, obviously,” Oracle said, glaring at me. “Now you’ve some explaining to do, Mister! Starting with where the hell the rest of your arm is!”

“I cut it off…” I muttered, rubbing my chin again. “Seriously, Oracle? Damn, that hurt!” I said, wincing.

“It was supposed to!”

“Well…”

“Oh, thank the gods!” Jian said from behind us, and I twisted around to look at him. He slumped back on his chair, grinning at Tenandra, who was staying small and trying not to draw Oracle’s attention.

“What’s happened?” I asked, standing up and walking over. I could feel the phantom