Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 64: Chapter 60: Last Meal

Read chapter 64 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Chapter 60: Last Meal Chapter 60: Last Meal They were shoved inside the pit without ceremony. One of the guards clattered the iron-bar gate shut behind them and walked off without a glance back. Above, torchlight flickered. Beyond that, deeper in the tunnels, came the unmistakable sounds of music and laughter. Kobold voices raised in celebration. Crude flutes, drums, the crackling of a fire pit, the occasional cheer, the feast had begun. But not for them, not for the humans. He sat down heavily, back against the cold stone wall, wincing as his calf throbbed again. Someone had hastily wrapped a strip of shirt around the gash, but it was soaked through. He wished he could bandage it properly, but his extra supplies were in his backpack, which he left in the forest, tucked under some brush near the tunnel entrances. Most of his other gear, which had he brought with him for the rescue mission, was already taken by the kobolds. At least they hadn’t taken everything. His bracelet , still hidden in plain sight, sat innocently on his wrist like a chunk of river rock. His ring , the vine-like one, curled around his finger. Neither looked like anything more than scavenged junk to kobold eyes. At least that was what Alex still assumed. Everything else—his belt, pouch of stolen crystals, gear, his dagger—gone. He let out a breath. Allie knelt next to him with a worried look. “Let me see that leg.” “I’m good.” “You’re very much not.” Tom-Tom plopped down nearby, his own tiny legs crossed with his tail curling around his feet. “Human wounds are squishy. You don’t clot right.” “Appreciate the commentary,” he muttered, as Allie began untying the shirt around his calf to inspect the wound. Alex caught her eye and gave a weak smile. She didn’t return it. “Can you understand him?” Devon asked with wide eyes. “Like… fluently?” He nodded. “I think the magic helps bridge some of the grammar. I’ve been picking it up better and better every time he speaks or whines.” “I do not whine!” Tom-Tom objected. “I declare with enthusiasm. ” “Great,” Eric grunted from the corner. “So now we’re relying on Alex to be our translator and our champion. No pressure, right?” “Oh! That reminds me,” with a flick of his wrist Alex accessed his bracelet’s storage and pulled out the pouch Sylvaris had given him. “I have presents for everyone. Be careful when the other kobolds are around though okay.” “Oh my goodness, Alex. Yes, yes a thousand times yes!” Garret shouted when Alex handed him his own ring. Alex ignored him and continued, tossing the enchanted rings to everyone. With rings on fingers, translation duty was off Alex’s shoulders and now everyone could finally talk with their little scaled lizard friend. As he was handing out the rings, Tom-Tom gawked at him. It seemed the little lizard was taken aback by what Alex did. Since he didn’t appear to be an ultra powerful space mage, Alex could only guess at what Tom-Tom’s mind was thinking. To avoid confusion, he showed the little guy his bracelet and how it works. Luckily, Alex still carried the most valuable items in his bracelet. Glyphcrafting stylus and other tools for one thing, the potions he bought from Celeste for another. Drinking one of the healing potions now was certainly tempting, but he couldn’t do that. He just wasn’t sure how he could explain his sudden miraculous recovery when the kobolds came back for this Dark Den trial. He would have to suffer his wounds for now. All the money he still held on to was also in his bracelet, a lesson learned from the last time the Kobolds scavenged him dry. And of course the final gifts he had for everyone else, the spell tomes. Smiles as well as “ooh’s” and “aaah’s” filled the pit as Alex performed his Santa Claus act for everyone. Kate was especially surprised when he pressed a tome into her hands. She looked at him with suspicious eyes, the bruising around her nose almost gone at this point. “Just take it,” Alex said. “We are in this together okay. Get stronger, ma