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

Romanus simply twisted him, the attempted blow becoming a pathetic brush of his lacy sleeve instead. The Prefect took one quick glance at me, then smiled grimly and stomped down hard on the back of Faustus’s left calf, twisting, and shoving down on the shoulder he still held.

Faustus fell to his knees, and Romanus switched his grip, grabbing the back of the callous lord’s head and pressing down, folding him over and exposing his neck. His gladius announced its presence into the suddenly silent clearing.

All around the periphery, people who had been whispering, weeping in joy, and laughing, had fallen silent, watching the spectacle of a noble, one of their ‘betters’ being shoved down and prepared for execution without the benefit of a trial, without the usual gold and backhanders changing the facts, and without the chance to become one of those who had broken even the most heinous of laws only to simply laugh and walk free.

Instead. they heard his startled yelp of pain as Romanus’s razor-sharp blade came to rest directly over his arced neck, ready to slice through the spinal cord.

“Please!” Faustus cried out. “I have gold! I… I have more slaves! You can have them!” he whimpered frantically.

“From his own mouth, he condemns himself, Lord Jax,” Romanus called to me, raising one eyebrow in question.

“Do it.” I ordered flatly, turning to the guards he had brought with him. They stood uncertainly in the clearing to one side, surrounded by Legionnaires, and they knew a single movement would spell their doom. “Your former lord broke the laws of the Empire,” I called to them. “One of the earliest laws established was that Slavery was illegal, and that slavers were to be summarily put to death…” As I spoke, Romanus ignored Faustus’ squeal for mercy and drove his sword down with a grunt. The sharp blade sheared through the gap between Faustus’s upper vertebrae, slicing through the cord, and severing his head’s attachment to his body. Romanus twisted the blade, forcing the cleaved vertebrae apart, then braced himself and yanked his sword free, leaving the corpse to collapse bonelessly to the side. Blood gushed from the wound as he calmly wiped his blade clean on Faustus’s golden cloak.

“When the criminal Faustus took slaves, he crossed the line, and his death was only a matter of time. You have a choice to make now. You can join me and serve the Empire, or I’ll give you a day to leave the island by whatever means you used to get here. Decide now, but any remaining slaves in your camp must be set free, or the Legion will come and free them,” I said warningly.

There was a few seconds of hesitation, until one of the guards stepped forward and hesitantly bowed to me.

“We… we’ll take the day… lord…” he stammered, and I nodded grimly.

“Then leave. Now,” I ordered, dismissing them and turning to the two people that had carried Faustus’ rain cover. “You were slaves?” I asked them gently, and they both nodded, the older man rubbing at his neck where his collar had been. “Then you’re free men now. You can choose to leave with the guards, or you may join my people.” They looked at each other for a second, then the guards, then they began to move at the same time, easing toward the nearest Legionnaires. “Get them food and berths on the ships,” I ordered the group nearest to them, and a Legionnaire clapped his fist to his chest in salute before leading them away.

I turned my attention to the second party that had arrived and glared distrustfully at them, my anger still filling me, even as the ability drained away. I felt weakness rising within me, a gnawing hunger that seemed to be reaching up from my boots. Due to the slight tremble starting in my muscles, I knew I didn’t have long.

“Well?” I asked them. “I believe you had a deal you wanted to offer me?”

Silence hung thickly for a few seconds before Hannimish seemed to come to his senses and coughed apologetically, spreading his hands as he bowed low.

“My apologies, ah… Lord Jax?” he said hesitantly, elbowing his companion to do the same. The younger man started at the blow, glaring at him, then at me, before grudgingly bowing as well. As they both straightened, I nodded to them and strode into the tent, sinking into the chair that Denny, one of the Legionnaires who’d assaulted the Skyking’s lair with me, braced with one knee. He ensured that I was seated safely before backing away, his eyes glued to me, as though he were aware of what the Ability had cost me in terms of strength.

I nodded in thanks, and he slipped from the tent as soon as the others took their places. Oracle’s voice suddenly spoke in my mind.

“He’s gone for Nerin. I think you scared them, beloved.” 

“I damn well scared myself…” I responded internally, a terrible weariness filling my mental voice.

“Well?” I asked Hannimish brusquely. “I’ve not got all day, man.”

“Ah, perhaps you could tell me why you summoned us… Lord?” Hannimish interjected. “We had come here, expecting that a mercenary band or an expeditionary force had arrived, assisted by the Legion, and we had planned to make deals, hiring your forces to assist in the exploration of the Sunken City.”

“I intended on making deals with you,” I said flatly. “Until Faustus proved that he couldn’t be trusted. Then I moved to simply executing him.”

“Well, we’ve not done anything of the sort, now have we?” he said, forcing a smile and ignoring the significance of Romanus taking up station behind my chair as Oracle sat down next to me, clasping one hand and squeezing it. “Add to that, I’d personally love to discuss…”

“Yet,” I interrupted grimly. “You’ll have to forgive me, Hannimish…” I watched him carefully as I deliberately left off the ‘Lord’. “Every former lord I’ve dealt with so far has attempted to kill me, rob me, or