Chapter 80

Etson - 12:42 PM

Kayla and Jeff didn’t talk much on the way back to The Angel Express. Not even Corwin ran around sniffing everything like he normally did, instead opting to stick between his owners. The trek to the train station was a long one, but we made excellent time. Everyone seemed fine with running and that’s what we did. I even ignored Divine Messenger to do the same, wanting to feel the burn in my legs after several miles of running. It was well past noon by the time we made it back to the train.

Seraphim was no doubt back, but I had hoped he would be too busy trying to figure out what happened during the scenario to chase after me. The final moments of the fight against Amlex would have been blocked out by the Unknown Entity and, from what I knew, that would be a bitch to go through.

We walked into the dining car only to find that it was already inhabited. “Congratulations on the big victory!” the Dealer said jovially before noting the tone of the group. He grimaced, then. “It doesn’t look like there was a big victory.”

“It was one of the best outcomes we could have hoped for,” I replied flatly, my heart not in it. “Estimated around 100 deaths on our side out of nearly 500. An estimated 1,100 Vespae died on the other side out of 1,500.”

“Beat the odds, at least,” he said. “I’m sure you all tried as best you could. For what it’s worth, I think attacking while they had their pants down was the right call. Who knows how many people would have died if they had known you were coming, yeah?”

“Thanks,” Jeff said, though his heart wasn’t in it, either.

“I’m guessing you’re here for Corwin now that the scenario is over?” Kayla asked. Jeff put his hand on the dog immediately.

“Well, yeah. That and to congratulate you, but I’m not about to take away Jeff’s emotional support hound in a moment of crisis,” the Dealer claimed.

“Thanks,” Jeff said again as he sat down at the table across from the alligator.

"We lost some good friends today," Kayla said.

“Well, I came bearing a congratulatory present just in case the mood was sour.” The Dealer reached into his overall pocket and pulled out a large, plastic wrapped gift basket. It was full of alcohol, cheese, crackers, and a few other things. My gaze immediately homed in on the bottles, noting that there was a 10 Constitution sangria, 15 Constitution scotch, and a 20 Constitution bourbon. "What do you say we drink to them?"

“If I have a Con score of 16,” Kayla began as she eyed the alcohol. “How badly will that bourbon mess me up?”

“It’ll work quickly depending on your tolerance for alcohol, but it’ll mess you up something fierce if you drink too much.”

“Promise?” Kayla asked, looking the Dealer dead in the eye. The alligator snorted before using a claw to open the plastic wrap. Without hesitation, Kayla grabbed the bottle of bourbon and went behind the bar to open it and get some glasses.

“Just be careful,” the Dealer said.

“It’s fine, probably,” Jeff said, knocking twice on the table. “We don’t look it, but I’m the lightweight in this relationship. A glass for me, Kay, I’m going to try this scotch.”

“I'll have some scotch as well.” Even though none of these would work on me unless I stripped off my magical gear, I wouldn't say no to raising a glass to the dead.

Once Kayla was back with four chilled glasses, two snifters and two tumblers, I sat down to join them.

“I can’t believe those toads in the Square didn’t send everything they had for you guys,” the Dealer said. “Unbelievable.”

“We only took in volunteers,” I said, crossing my arms. “They weren’t up for it, and we weren’t going to force them into things. Everyone who signed up for it knew the risks, and while it hurts there’s nothing to do but keep moving.”

“Still, almost a hundred dead. It’s a damn shame they-“

“Don’t do that,” I said sharply, and the Dealer looked at me curiously. “If it were as easy as everyone picking up a weapon and fighting, then the world would be a very different place. Not everyone has fight in them, and that’s not something to shame them over. There’s a reason why the rest of us fight, and by pointing fingers at those who lack the will to do so you sully the names of those who protect them.”

Silence fell over us as I looked away. Truthfully, I was livid at Father Alexander and his cronies for what they had done, but being angry at it wasn’t going to fix anything. Gabrielle and Thomas were going to make Etson better than it ever had been before, and that was all I could hope for. If the Faithful assimilated into the Tumblers thanks to Gabrielle, I would have been happy with the outcome. The two would be an unstoppable team as far as I was concerned.

Once Thomas was done grieving, at least.

"That's fair, Anthony," the Dealer eventually said as Kayla poured our drinks. "I don't agree with it, but I understand what you’re saying. Who are we drinking to?"

Jeff was the first to raise his glass. "Let us toast the bravest souls Etson and Stanley could muster," he said loudly. "They fought bravely for the lives of their community, and gave up all they had to make sure others could go on. To Gloria, Carlos, Fred, Jericho, Jill, Gunner Francis, Belt, Raquel, Ali, Etson Todd, Bill, Jerren, and everyone else I never had the pleasure of learning the names of. Kayla, what's that quote you said at my parent's funeral?"

The rest of us raised our glasses and Kayla spoke softly. "'The idea is not to live forever but to create something that will.'"

"Because of all of you, Etson will continue on. May it form the empire we're hoping it can thanks to your efforts and may you find peace on the other side as heroes." Jeff looked us over and nodded before downing his scotch. The rest of us followed suit before setting our glasses on the table. Kayla started pouring more, but I waved her off when she got to me.

The Dealer sighed appreciatively at the alcohol. “That is some fine stuff,” he said as he let Kayla pour him another drink. “Did you all at least get a good haul of items?”

I glanced at the Mills. “I was unconscious for that. Things dropped, but I didn’t have time to examine any of them.”

“Yeah, I grabbed them,” Kayla said, swiping open her inventory. She pulled out a black skill book showing a pair of horns on the cover, and I immediately recognized it as a Demonic Resistance skill book. Next was a yellow skill book showing a stinger dripping with liquid, and a piece of paper that I recognized as a Synthesis Page.

The last item was a thick gauntlet that was colored with a swirl of metallic green and a matte crimson red. In the center of the palm was a round hole that seemed to lead into a vast, inky void. Kayla hissed as she dropped it on the table, waving her hand as if she had gotten stung. “That one’s a demonic item.”

“Damn demonic items,” I said. Reaching into my own inventory, I grabbed the one item I had gotten from Sara’s quest. The Circlet of Wasps was a simple black band with yellow gold trim. They were hard to see, but eight black wasp eyes were placed at even intervals and glimmered like onyx when the light hit them just right. The Dealer nodded at the haul appreciatively. I confirmed its properties.

[[Item]]

Circlet of Wasps

(+6 Wisdom, +6 Willpower, Swarm Call [Wasps] spell acquired)

[[Spell]]

Swarm Call [Wasps]

This spell summons a swarm of wasps in numbers equal to your Constitution stat. These wasps will attack the nearest hostile creatures, dealing poison damage equal to Constitution/10 before disappearing. Wasps may perish before stinging enemies. Cost: 60 Mental Points.

The Circlet of Wasps was definitely going to be replacing my Straw Hat of the Seer. It doubled the stat boosts and gave me access to my first magic spell that could be used for a large amount of damage quickly. I pushed the circlet towards the Mills so they could look it over after I closed the description and tapped the demonic gauntlet.

[[Item]]

Gauntlet of the Corrupted Queen

(Demonic item; +15 Strength, +10 Constitution, Stinger Shot skill acquired, Sword Catcher passive acquired)

[[Skill]]

Stinger Shot

Every 30 seconds, the Gauntlet of the Corrupted Queen automatically primes a stinger inside this gauntlet’s palm. Up to 3 stingers can be primed at any given time. To use Stinger Shot, lift your hand and mentally command the gauntlet to fire. Stingers can travel up to an amount of feet equal to twice your Dexterity and deal damage equal to your Strength. The stingers are also coated in a confusion poison with a potency equal to your Constitution score.

[[Passive]]

Sword Catcher

You may use the palm of the Gauntlet of the Corrupted Queen as a shield. This allows you to catch bladed weapons without fear of injury.

“Hot damn,” I said out loud after I finished reading the description. “Why do demonic items have to be the best? That’s really unfair.”

“I was really hoping to snag that off of you, too,” Jeff said. “But then I remembered demonic items are no good.”

“I can get you something to purify that,” the Dealer offered, stroking his chin. “All I’d ask for is the two skill books.”

[[Patron Message]]

Or I can purify it for you instead of that slimy guy. Make it an offering to me and I’ll have it done better than he ever could in a few days. Less stat drops this way.

Sincerely,

Esaraphelscion, Angel of the End

Jeff and Kayla looked at me, and I reached for the yellow skill book.

[[Notice]]

You have acquired a skill book of Poison Resistance.

Would you like to learn the passive Poison Resistance?

Yes

No

I looked at the Mills and shook my head. “Demonic Resistance is a sham, but Poison Resistance is really good. Jeff’s got buffs against that sort of thing now that he has a class, so I think Kayla should get it. It makes poison effects and poison damage effects 25% less effective,” I explained before meeting the Dealer’s eyes. “But thank you.”

“Bah, don’t thank me if I haven’t done anything," the Dealer sulked, waving a dismissive hand.

Chuckling, I passed the yellow skill book to Kayla, and she tilted her head. “Wouldn’t the gauntlet be better, though?” she asked, hesitant to take it.

“The Dealer’s method of purification will reduce the stats of the item by more than half, which makes it worse by a large margin. Trust me, I have a plan for it.”

The Dealer scoffed at my proclamation. “The only one who could do it better is an angel,” he claimed. “And good luck getting them to do anything but destroy it.”

“Yeah, I have a plan for it,” I repeated with a wry smile. I would have bet that Sara had a smug look on her face at the Dealer’s words.

Kayla thought it over before nodding. She opened the book and tapped the air in front of her to accept it. “Done.”

Pulling the Gauntlet of the Corrupted Queen into my inventory with a grimace of pain at simply touching it, I navigated my menu screens to the Patron menu. There, I was able to provide offerings to Sara.

A normal Patron would ask for offerings as a way to increase their point totals, thus giving them more leverage and power. They could get the items to trade with other Patrons or have them changed for points. In this case, Sara was actually in the system and thus could interact with the offering in a way other Patrons couldn’t.

I pulled the Demonic Resistance skill book back into my inventory and sent it to her along with both the Gauntlet and Doctor Pustibule’s Demonic Scalpel. While I wasn’t sure if she could purify the skill book, I knew she could do it to the scalpel and I was really looking forward to meeting the damned doctor with a purified version of his own weapon.

The thought of it filled me with vengeful mirth, but I did my best not to let it show. Kayla and Jeff were still in somber moods, and I didn’t want them to think I was taking the deaths of the others lightly. Reaching out, I picked up the Synthesis Page.

[[Notice]]

You have acquired a Synthesis Page.

Would you like to fuse two skills together?

Yes

No

I hit Yes, and another screen popped up in front of me. Knowing that I already wanted to swap out the Straw Hat of the Seer for the Circlet of Wasps, I selected Clear Eyes as one of the skills.

Item skills could be taken this way, but the other skill had to be one learned from a skill book. I understood why the system did that, but I wouldn’t have minded grabbing two item skills at the same time. Picking the skill that made the most sense to merge, I moved on to the next screen.

[[Notice]]

You are about to merge the Clear Eyes skill (item) with the Trap Sense passive (skill book) to create the skill Dungeon Sight.

Would you like to learn the skill Dungeon Sight?

Yes

No

I hit Yes again, and the Synthesis Page disappeared from my hand as a new screen popped up in front of me.

[[Notice]]

You have learned the skill Dungeon Sight.

[[Skill]]

Dungeon Sight

You can always see through darkness as if it were daylight and you gain a sixth sense for anything out of place. For a low Mental Point cost per minute, you may see through magical darkness, smoke, fire, and similar obscurement. In addition, items of distinction, traps, and hidden doors have a high chance of releasing a glow that only you can see.

And just like that, I had an ability that made searching for things incredibly easy so long as I had the Mental Points for it. Removing my black straw hat, I offered it to Kayla. “Does this help with your stats at all?”

She took it and examined its properties. “Plus 3 to Moxie, but nothing for Credibility.”

“Well, a plus 3 is still a plus 3,” I replied, placing the Circlet of Wasps on my head. “Go ahead and take it."

Instead of putting it on right away, Kayla put it into her inventory for later. I really couldn’t blame her for that; it needed to be washed. All of our clothing needed to be washed after the battle, actually. The smell suddenly hit me as I realized it had to exist. The Dealer was gracious enough to share a table with us despite it.

I released a heavy breath before looking at Kayla and Jeff, a little worried about their answer. “Does anyone mind if I get us moving?”

“Where are you all heading?” the Dealer asked.

“Atlanta,” Kayla answered. She gave me a pointed look.

"The four of us are going to Atlanta," Jeff added.

“Atlanta soon,” I corrected, giving them a small smile. “It’s our ultimate destination for the next scenario, but we have some crops to harvest in Cordele first. It’s on the way. I also want to get an MVP token for Jeff before we go to Merder Stadium.”

“Anthony, boss, I’ll follow you anywhere,” Jeff said as he poured himself another glass of scotch. “But please don’t take me to a place called Murder Stadium.”

“Well, I feel like you said it wrong, to begin with,” I replied. “I’m afraid what you heard was Murder with a U, but the place we’re going to is Merder with two Es.”

“Murdeer,” Jeff said, enunciating the long E.

Under any other circumstance, I probably would have chuckled at that. “It’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium,” I told him. “So it’s most of Mercedes, and the B in Benz has been destroyed to make a lowercase R.”

“This damn system is so damned weird,” Kayla said before pouring herself another drink, making it her third one.

“So we’re not murdering anyone at Merder Stadium, is what I’m hoping you’re saying?” Jeff asked.

“The only thing getting murdered at Merder Stadium is monsters,” I said, giving him two thumbs up. “It’s got a bunch of games, contests, and tournaments. Gambling is not only allowed but encouraged. It’s run by a tutorial administrator and even during fights between people the system stops the match before a final blow can be struck. We players are even protected from death when fighting against monsters in gladiatorial games. And it’s all volunteers, so it’s all people trying to get better or seek glory.”

“Well, a tournament sounds fun,” Jeff admitted. “How long will we be in transit for?”

“Until the evening. Cordele won’t take but a few hours because we don't have to worry about train schedules, and we’ll be in Atlanta by the time we wake up tomorrow.”

Jeff looked at his wife who was nursing her bourbon as if asking what she wanted to do. She leaned against him heavily before raising her glass to me. “Get us moving, Mr. Conductor.”

I looked at the Dealer for permission since he was still on board, and he shrugged. “I need to get moving, so don’t wait on my account,” he said as he finished his bourbon in one gulp and set the glass on the table. He stood up, petting Corwin on the way, and headed towards the door.

“If you want to meet us in Cordele, Dealer, we’ll let you take Corwin then,” Jeff said quietly. “We’ll be okay, then.”

“Mighty kind of you, Jeff, and I appreciate it. You all be safe now.”

“You, too,” I said as I began navigating through my menus.

The train menu was accessible to me from anywhere within the vehicle, and I began putting in all of the relevant data to get us to our destination. Luckily, The Angel Express did everything on its own so that we didn’t have to worry about actually driving the train. Completely automatic as part of the luxury package. The dimensional pockets it made when passing by stationary trains that lost power during the initial system drop were a part of that. If we didn’t have it, the train would take much longer to get anywhere.

“You be safe as well, Dealer,” Kayla responded. “Thank you for the alcohol."

The Dealer waved before opening the door to leave. Then, he stopped. "You all have a visitor," he said to us before looking back out. "You're in the way, kid. Ain't never seen a gator before?"

I got up to see who was outside, and arched my eyebrow when I saw that Francis was standing there. He was out of breath as if he ran all the way here. "He's a friend, Francis," I said, walking to the doorway. "Let him pass. We’re leaving in a few minutes but you're welcome for a short visit."

"Oh, uh, alright," Francis said before moving out of the Dealer's way. The treasure hunter nodded before he began walking off. "See you later, alligator."

The Dealer paused as if he had never heard that phrase before laughing and continuing on his way. "Huh, guess he didn't mind that one," I noted. Looking back at the man outside, I noticed that he was pointing at me with an angry expression on his face.

“Why did you leave like that?” Francis asked, his breath still ragged. “Why did you think it was okay to cut and run just because you got yelled at a little bit, huh?”

“Francis, I didn’t leave because Thomas yelled at me about Gloria, I left because I’m being hunted by the administrator,” I answered, putting my hands on my hips.

“That’s not an excuse either, Anthony, we’re all being hunted by the administrator! They’re the one who set this whole thing up!”

Kayla cleared her throat behind me. “What he means is that he’s being actively hunted by the administrator,” she explained. “Like the evolution of the Writhing Zeppelin. Seraphim should be back in charge and pissed off that the scenario was completed while he was absent.”

Francis looked back at Kayla, then to me. “Wait, for real?”

“For real, Francis. We’re about to get out of here because I really don’t want that scum sucker coming back to find us after figuring out what happened at the hive. Hence, the quick escape. So, what’s up?”

He stared at me for a few moments before swiping open his inventory. “I promised Charlie I would give this to you, so I ran here all the way from the forest when people said you had left,” he explained. “I didn’t realize that you were leaving immediately after taking out the queen, so I thought I had time.” Finally finding what he was looking for, Francis pulled out a folded piece of paper.

I took it to see that it was a hand drawn card. The image on the front was of a small child sitting alone in a black room, a door right behind him and stairs in front of him. It was a depiction of Charlie, right down to the clothes he was wearing when I found him. Downstairs were a few streaks of silver, which I assumed was the light I had made.

“How’s he doing?” I asked lightly, staring at the image.

“You want the truth or…?”

“Truth, always.”

Francis grimaced. “He’s not too well, honestly,” the pyromancer admitted. “One of the healers that came was a pediatrician before everything started, and she thought this might help him start healing, or something. Iunno, I heard it, like, third or fourth hand. I just promised to get it delivered.”

I nodded but didn’t say anything else. Opening the card, I saw Charlie standing next to two people that I guessed were Francis and Jess. He was covered in snacks and drinks with a wide mouth as if he were going to consume the whole pile. On the other side was a message written with neat handwriting.

Mr. Anthony

Thank you for saving me. It was so scary down there, and I didn’t know what to do, but you still found me and saved me.

I’m sorry I didn’t say so after you saved me. I didn’t know what to say, but now I know to call you a hero. When I get stronger, I’m going to protect people just like you.

Thank you,

Charlie Montoya

Just below his name were words written in crayon. This handwriting looked more like a child's.

PS. Ms. Jess helped me write this card but didn’t want any credit, so Mr. Francis let me sneak in this extra note.

I smiled at the card and looked up at Francis, only to recoil as I saw the young man was tearing up. He reached for me and pulled me into a hug. “I’m going to miss you, man,” he said through the tears.

“Yeah, buddy. Me, too,” I said, patting him on the back. "Say goodbye to everyone for me, alright? You don’t have to let them know I’m being hunted, just that I’m off to save more people."

"I will, I will." He squeezed me tightly before pushing past me, and he nearly tackled Kayla in a hug. “I’m going to miss you, too, Kayla.”

Kayla looked down at me and gave me a small smile before hugging Francis back. “You be safe, Francis.”

“Extra safe,” Jeff said, standing up and hugging the both of them. The tall man squeezed and picked them up. His wife didn’t struggle, I knew she was used to this treatment, but Francis floundered for a moment before accepting it. “Take care of Etson for us, and make sure the folk from Stanley get back okay.”

“Sure, just please stop crushing me,” Francis squeaked. Once he was put down, he smiled and dried his tears. “Look, you guys are always welcome here. That battle was scary, damn scary, and we lost a lot of people, but I know you wouldn’t push for us to be there all willy-nilly. Yeah? Tommy’s mad, but he knows that deep down.”

“Make sure you watch him most of all, and to keep your sister safe,” I said to him as he started getting off the train.

“Psh, she didn’t even show up to the battle. Had to feed that damn bird,” he said, though he lowered his head afterwards. “But I’m glad for that, I guess. She might be, well, Jess, but that fight was rough. I don’t know what would have happened if she…”

I patted Francis on his shoulder and held out my fist for him. “We all do what we have to do, Francis,” I said. “Just keep saving lives and you’ll have no regrets.”

Francis chuckled and bumped his fist against mine. “I feel like I’m going to have a lot of regrets if I survive long enough, but I’ll be careful,” he said. “But you all need to get going, right? Don’t let me keep you.”

With one last nod, I closed the door and brought up the train’s menu once more. I paused to look at the Mills. “The four of us are going north, right?” I asked, knowing the answer but having to put it into words one last time. I felt like a broken record, but I felt like I owed it to them.

Kayla and Jeff both gave me a thumbs up without looking at each other, and I smiled. I hit the button, and the train started to move on its own. Without having to worry about trains, switching tracks, and hazards, it would be smooth sailing.

“Alright then, to Cordele!” I said, raising my fist as I left the doorway.

“And then we’re off to do a little Merder,” Jeff said.

I dropped my head and smiled. “Yeah, Jeff, then we’re off to do a little Merder. You’ve hit the nail on the head once again.”