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

“Well, I hope they can be taught, then, because Jenae gave me a quest to save and recruit them…”

“Oh, hell no!” Tang gaped in horror. “You want gnomes on the Airships? Jax, we’ll never get anywhere; they’ll pull everything apart!”

“Well, we’ll come up with something,” I retorted grimly. “Divine quest, remember?”

“Bloody stupid one…” he muttered, but he did so quietly, and Jenae didn’t respond, so I was relieved and just hoped she’d not heard him.

We stared at each other silently, all feeling various degrees of concern about having more of these midget nutjobs around, when Jian finally joined us.

“Ah, Lord Jax… sorry about before,” he said, nodding to me. “Ty’Baronn wants to apologize as well.” He gestured to the demon, which stepped forward and went down onto one knee, glaring at the filthy floor.

“Ty’Baronn was unaware of the Lord’s nature. Ty’Baronn begs forgiveness and wishes to remain as a bonded pair with Warlock Jian,” the demon growled out, and I inclined my head, gesturing for him to stand and trying to not snarl back at him.

“That’s fine, don’t worry; whatever. You’re welcome to stay if Jian wants you, just don’t attack anyone unless he says it’s okay, right?” I said, a little distracted as I glanced over him, and then turned my attention back to the gnome. The little bastard was just staring at Oracle again, and I mean staring; not in a sexual way, which was good, but more in a desperate-for-approval way, and when you combined that with the glowing eyes and the glittering metal teeth set in a rictus smile…

“You’re sure he’s sane?” I asked Oracle, and she smiled sadly.

“He’s as sane as I can make him. That’s all I’m saying; I bet Nerin or Hellenica can do more, though.”

“Well, I hope so…”  I mumbled, forcing a smile and speaking to Gint directly. “Well done, Gint!” I praised him, and he bobbed his head frantically.

“Giiiint goooood!” he hissed, then set off at a sudden sprint, rushing at the battle shield again. This time, I caught the glow of mana around his hands as he drove them into the machine, tearing and yanking. A screwdriver and hammers seemed to appear almost at random, practically teleported into his hands from the wide belt of pouches hanging around his waist.

His hands practically blurred, swiftly dipping in and out as he removed parts that he threw onto the back of his little creation, while other bits, he tossed aside to lie discarded against the walls. I looked from the dozens of small bits that he saved, then to the parts he’d discarded, and then back to the rapidly shrinking main construction, as he darted back and forth, integrating sections into his new creation or stacking them in the back.

“How the hell is he doing that?” I whispered to Oracle. “I swear there aren’t enough parts to account for how fast the big bugger’s disappearing, but…”

“His bags,” she said simply. “He’s putting parts into his bags as well; I think they’re bags of holding.”

“His… wait…” I hesitated, searching for the other gnome corpses strewn about the floor. “Has anyone checked the bodies?” I asked aloud, and everyone looked at each other sheepishly. “Right. Loot the corpses; they might have valuables, loot, or bags of holding, so…”

“Nooooo!” Gint cried out, dumping the parts he held and running back to us. “No plaaaays with bodieees! Deaddss cannn goooo BANG!” he squealed, jumping up and yanking his hands apart. “Waaaaant Giint mak safesss?”

he offered earnestly, and I held up a hand, stopping everyone in their tracks.

“Yes, but first, Gint, you swear fealty. I’m not letting you get weapons or anything until then, understand?” I said firmly. He cocked his head to one side and made a sound between an inquisitive kitten and a bird, a kind of chirping, before grinning disturbingly again and nodding his head fast enough that he was in danger of giving himself whiplash.

“Giiiint sweeeears!” he said and reached for the nearest corpse again. Grizz reached out to stop him, and Gint snarled, snapping his teeth sharply at Grizz’s hand. “Mine!” he growled, and I had to keep from swearing as Grizz smacked him across the nose with two fingers like a naughty puppy.

“Bad!” Grizz snapped, his Legion Centurion voice coming out as he boomed at the little figure. “Bad Gint!” he repeated, holding up the two fingers warningly.

Gint growled at him again, but impressively, he stopped and watched the fingers, as though unsure what would happen next.

“Grizz, my man, congratulations!” I said, and Grizz looked at me with surprise, straightening up.

“Jax?” he asked, tilting his head inquisitively, and I smiled, nodding to indicate Gint.

“That little bugger is officially in your care once he’s been given the Oath,” I said, and I felt the mana dip as Oracle pushed it to him.

There was a long pause as he froze, confused; then Oracle reached out and touched Gint’s head, frowning.

“Damnation!” she growled, moving closer to put both hands on his temples and starting to glow. She remained there for several seconds before Gint seemed to relax, and then, all of a sudden, he fell to the floor, spasming.

“What…” I choked, reaching out, until Oracle blocked me.

“Wait!” she said anxiously. “He’s been blocked from his screens somehow, and for a long time. I had to undo it, but now he’s getting them all at once.”

“So, what, he’s leveling?” I asked, and she nodded, rising up and casting a pitying look at the body on the floor as it twisted and kicked, crying out in pain and fury. The little gnome’s teeth glinted in the faint light as they continued gnashing angrily.

“Is he going to be okay?” Grizz asked, and Oracle frowned as she examined him from every angle.

“I don’t know, honestly…” she admitted slowly. “He’s over seventy years old, and he’d never leveled properly before, just gaining points by doing things naturally. He’d never advanced any stats by allocation, but now…”

“Now?” I prompted, and she took a deep breath,