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Chapter 130 (End of Book 3)
🕑 Added 2023-12-18 14:01:59 +0000 UTCThe Angel Express, Atlanta - 12:17 PM
On the other side of the Broken Boundary, I emerged into my home sweet home. I stood face to face with Kayla, Jeff, and Ashley in the dining car.
“You know how damn annoying it is to get told you’re going to get rescued like you’re some kind of damsel in distress by some masked man, only to end up waiting days on end for any sign of him?“ Ashley asked, clearly frustrated. She hadn’t changed any since the last time I saw her days ago. Based on her appearance, it was obvious that she had been working on something when the Mills retrieved her. “Because I do. Are we ready to get this show on the road?“
“Soon,“ I said as I reached up for my mask only to realize that I was still wearing Ostwriter’s Plot Armor. I glanced around, and saw someone standing outside. “Just a moment.“
Ignoring Ashley’s protests, I turned around and opened the door. I stopped as I noticed Jamie was standing in the middle of the large warehouse I had parked the Angel Express in. Her arms were crossed, but she immediately started walking towards me once she noticed. The Weapon Master paused, however, as she looked me over.
“Warmonger?“ she asked.
“The one and only,“ I replied. “Wait, did you not see me activate my armor?“
Jamie looked me up and down again before shaking her head. “I didn’t. What happened to you?“
“Got my ass handed to me,“ I replied as I stepped down onto the ground.
“By what? Last I saw you had the thing down on the ground.“
I nodded. “Well, that explains how you got here so fast; you left before it got the drop on me,“ I stated. When she arched an eyebrow, I continued. “The Uuska had an ability that made it invulnerable to death for a short amount of time, and it saved a teleportation skill til the end. Blinked behind me, shoved its hand through my spine, and took an item off my neck that let it evolve. Putting on my armor was the next step in combating it.“
“That sounds made up,“ Jamie accused. Her eyes flitted up to the door, and I saw Kayla and Jeff standing there. “Friends of yours?“
“Yep, they’ve been with me for a while,“ I confirmed. “Kayla, Jeff, meet Jamie. Jamie, meet the Mills. Kayla is my second in command, and Jeff is overprotective.“
“Guilty as charged,“ Jeff said, raising his hand in greeting. “Hello.“
“A pleasure to meet you,“ Kayla stated.
“Likewise,“ Jamie responded, though it seemed forced. She looked back down at me. “Anyone else I should know about?“
“We’re absconding with the Monstersmith, if that entices you any,“ I said.
That did get her attention, and she nodded. “It does. I was under the impression that she was basically stuck in Artist Alley forever.“
“Would, if those assholes in charge had anything to say about it!“ Ashley yelled from inside the train.
“I imagine she would have broken free eventually, given how spirited she is,“ I whispered before speaking up. “I take it you’re here because you decided to accept my offer?“
“More like you owe me one,“ Jamie responded, placing her hands on her hips. “Branson went back on our deal. Said that you messed things up for him too much. If you want my services, it’s back to four grand a week.“
“Done,“ I said immediately. She gave me a curious look, but I just shrugged. “Once we’re in the train I’ll pay you in advance. It’s my own personal safe zone. Just give me a moment to finish up here.“
“Finish up with what? You just stepped outside.“
I waved my hand in the air. “Good night, Jezebel.“
“Who’s-“
The paper armor encasing me disappeared in an instant, and the flecks of now dried blood fell to the ground all around me. Some of it landed on my shoulders or clothes, but they were easy enough to brush off. I removed the Kingtin’s Foil and began shaping it back into a ring. From the corner of my eye, I could see Jamie scrutinizing my face.
“Staring, Ms. Summers?“ I asked.
Jamie snorted. “Just not what I was expecting.“
“Best be ready to be surprised a lot,“ I chuckled before nodding towards the dining car. “Come on, let’s get moving. Benedict Merder said the best thing to do was flee, and I plan to be out of Frastina’s area of influence asap.“
Snapping open my menu, I gave Jamie permission to enter before heading inside. Kayla and Jeff moved out of the way, and she followed after me. “Nice place,“ she stated as she looked around.
“Thanks, I’m very proud of it,“ I replied. I noted that Ashley was already sitting down and scrolling through the menu. A moment later, a thick, juicy steak appeared in front of her. The aroma was mesmerizing, and I realized how long it had been since I ate. “Glad to see you’re already making yourself at home.“
“I’m starving,“ Ashley said as she cut into her food. “Though, speaking of home, what’s the plan now? How are we planning on going anywhere in the train? Aren’t all the tracks highly congested because of all the freight traveling all over the place?“
“We thought the same thing, but we made it here all the way from Etson,“ Jeff said as he moved to lean against the bar. Kayla joined him. “But apparently everyone’s a fan of trains, and the system allows them to travel through a little pocket dimension so people can get to where they need to go. That about right, Ant?“
“You’ve got it, Jeff,“ I said. I checked to make sure that Jamie was securely inside before I snapped open my menu and started scrolling through. The door closed behind her, and I set our destination to the wilderness near Madison, South Carolina, just on the other side of the state line. Moments later, the train started gradually moving.
“Could have warned a girl,“ Ashley said, and I noticed that she had spilled some of her drink onto the table. The magic of the luxury car was already starting to clean it up.
“My bad, I’ll set up some kind of announcement for that,“ I replied, giving the Monstersmith a sheepish grin. Turning to Jamie, I offered her my hand. “Now that I can introduce myself properly, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Anthony Franklin, Warmind.“
Jamie nodded and took my hand, giving it a firm shake. “Jamie Summers, Weapon Master.
When I turned to Ashley to greet her properly, she waved me off. “Ashley Reilly. Monstersmith and still eating.“
“Small crew so far,“ Jamie noted as I backed away from the Monstersmith’s table.
“We’re actually still missing one,“ Jeff said. He glanced at me. “The Dealer won’t have any problems bringing Corwin back, right? We're supposed to be in Atlanta for a bit longer.“
“Don’t you worry about that,“ I said with a smile. “The Dealer will be able to find us just about anywhere we go. Corwin will be back to us once his work is done.“
Kayla snorted. “Yeah, work.“
“Who’s the Dealer and Corwin?“ Jamie asked.
“Corwin is the goodest yellow boy,“ Jeff answered.
“He’s our dog,“ Kayla clarified. “He’s a yellow labradoodle and a monster called an Evolution Hound. He eats skill books to become more powerful. Right now he turns into a demon dog when he transforms.“
“Not exactly fitting the name of the train, is he?“
“We’ll get to that later,“ I said, though I couldn’t say she was wrong. “The Dealer is a treasure hunter. They’re like a mix between administrators and players. They roam the world finding items for Patrons to buy. I have a contract with him so we’re helping each other out.“
“Interesting,“ Jamie said. “And before we get out of the city, I believe you mentioned something about an advance?“
“I sure did,“ I replied, as I navigated through my menus. I took a moment to check my point total, but I couldn’t tell how many I lost through Break Free. The status screen showed that I was sitting on 95,190 of them. “We’re going to be in Pittsburgh for a few weeks before we drop Ashley off in Boston. Not sure how long it’s going to take, but I figure this will hold you over for a sufficient amount of time.“
[[Points Transfer]]
Would you like to transfer 16,000 points to Player [Jamie Summers]?
Yes
No
I watched as she read it over and nodded. “It does.“
“Good, because once this initial four weeks is up, I’m renegotiating your contract,“ I said. “By then we’ll have a lot more resources, and the benefits of being a part of our group will far more evident.“
“If you say so,“ Jamie muttered.
“For the record, I don’t plan on staying past Boston,“ Ashley said. “I’m thankful that you got me out of there while that Benedict asshole was distracted, so I’ll stay with you for Pittsburgh instead of jumping into the nearest transportation hub and getting myself back home, but that’s the end of the line.“
“Noted, and thank you,“ I said.
Regardless of her words, I knew that Ashley would end up staying. Behind her irritated, brash exterior was someone who truly did want to help others, she just had trouble expressing herself in a way that wasn’t aggressive. She would come to like us, and that would influence her more than she let on.
Jamie was the opposite. She would stay, though not to help people. The talent and resources that I gathered to the Angel Express would be better than those she could find consistently elsewhere, and that made her decision easy. Warming up to people came slowly, but I had faith in the Mills to do so as the ones here who weren't her employer.
I saw her glancing towards either end of the car before turning to me. “Where’s the bunk?“
“Hasn’t been made yet,“ I answered, giving her an apologetic smile. “Once we’re over the state line, I’m going to stop the train and add a few cars. I’m planning on creating a sleeping car with rooms for you and Ashley, a vault for storing stuff, and a workspace.“
“Will the vault keep everyone's stuff separate?“ she asked.
“And can you make sure my workspace is more comfortable than my last one?“ Ashley added. “Bastards threw me in a tent of all places. All the power to build shit and I’m stuck in a tent.“
“The vault does keep everything separate unless you put it in a communal section,“ I confirmed. “I’m the only one that can access everything both private and public, since I own the safe zone, but I won’t touch anything that’s not mine without permission. Even if I wanted to, it’ll show up on a log that you can access and you’ll figure it out pretty quick.“
“Good enough, I suppose,“ Jamie said. Taking one last look around, she took a seat and started looking through the menu.
“And my workspace?“ Ashley asked again.
“Will be marvelous,“ I told her. “More space, more tools, less people disturbing you. Better in every way.“
“Good, glad to hear it,“ she said with a nod.
“You can rest today, if you want. I know you’ve been working hard. Though, I’ll need the Vambrace of Wires to be repaired when you do have the time.“
“Broke it already?“ Ashley asked, sighing. “Just don’t get in the habit of it, okay?“
“No promises,“ I said with a chuckle. Glancing at Kayla and Jeff, I nodded. “Anything you two need before I go and clean up?“
Jeff looked down at Kayla, who shook her head. “No, I have a feeling you already know what I want to say,“ she replied. “I know you understood what I meant down in the tunnels.“
I grimaced, but nodded. “Yeah, sorry, I didn’t mean to leave you guys hanging like that. It was a dick move.“
“But you stand by it, right?“ Jeff asked. When I nodded, he shrugged. “Just try to warn us next time. Before I have to throw you away from Kayla, I mean.“
“Though, that was pretty fun to watch,“ Kayla admitted.
“I don’t recommend being on the receiving end,“ I said, smiling. “Alright, I’m going to head to my room. I’ll be out by the time we stop, which should be within the next hour.“
“Alright, rest up,“ Jeff said.
“Yeah, we’ll hold down the fort,“ Kayla added.
As I left, she pulled out a Polaroid camera and discretely passed it to me. I wasted no time putting it into my inventory and sending it to Sara as an offering.
“I really appreciate you both,“ I told them honestly before waving to Ashley and Jamie. Only the Monstersmith responded as the other was staring at the passing city outside, and I headed back to my room.
Once I was there, I closed the door and immediately got rid of the sweat and blood soaked clothes. They went straight into the washer as I turned on the shower.
It didn’t take me long to get cleaned up, but I stood there for a long, long time contemplating the events of the day. Eventually, the water started to turn cold, prompting me to finally get out and return to my bed dressed in comfortable cotton pajama pants.
But I didn’t jump in. Instead, I stood there, staring at the blue and gold bed sheets. My head was still swimming. It didn’t hurt, but I felt my mistakes running through my mind now that I had a moment’s peace.
The Uuska could have easily escaped the arena if it hadn’t been so focused on me. It managed to shake the safe zone barrier by simply screaming. While it had decided to use my head as a battering ram, I wasn’t sure if I would have been able to stop it if it had chosen a more efficient route. That scream would have gravely injured several of the spectators, and likely killed even more.
[[Patron Message]]
I’m proud of you, Ant. You did very well.
My eyes focused on the message in front of me. No signature, though it didn’t feel like she was mad at me like the last time. Still, I sighed.
“I didn’t make my decision fast enough,“ I said. “I should be able to fight through it, but every time I struggle with it I’m reminded of how helpless I am against the Regression Imbalance. Against what my mind thinks is the right call. I shouldn’t have this much trouble, Sara.“
[[Patron Message]]
Enough of that.
Do you know what you did? You succeeded in beating back your compulsion to power up the monster even when I gave you the go ahead to do so. I was with you no matter what, you knew that, but you still decided to do the right thing.
So what if you weren’t able to do it immediately? You fought that battle, and you won. All that boiling blood and battle lust was an obstacle that you overcame. Will the next time be easier? Maybe, maybe not. But for today, you triumphed.
And don’t give me any of that “not making a decision fast enough“ nonsense. You had it on the ground and dying. The only reason why it got up in the first place was because it stole a passive from you that let it do so.
Either way, I will not have you disparaging my boyfriend. You’re amongst the top of the top, and you need to think more highly of yourself.
Sincerely,
Sara
I read through her message three times before I finally nodded. Taking a deep breath, I smiled and looked up at the ceiling. “Thank you, Sara. For being there for me.“
[[Patron Message]]
I will always be on your side. I should be thanking you, Ant, for bringing me along.
I’m glad that you are able to show me this side of you. While I certainly enjoyed our times together in my Hall, I only saw a part of you. The one you wanted to show me. Now I feel like I have a firmer grasp on the true Anthony Franklin.
Sometimes you’re great, and sometimes you’re mean. Oftentimes you're fickle, or sarcastic, but you always mean well. There are Angels out there who don’t embody as much good as you do.
You mean a lot to me, and all I want is for you to be happy. If I could turn that into a quest, I would in a heartbeat. It would offer you millions of points, because that’s the kind of thing that aligns with my beliefs and goals.
I’m… not sure where I’m going with this. But keep smiling for me, okay?
Sincerely,
Sara
After reading this one, I spun around and allowed myself to fall onto my back. I grinned up at the ceiling, and it wasn’t completely forced. “Thank you, that’s exactly what I needed to hear.“
Resting my arms behind my head, I closed my eyes and allowed the gentle motion of the train to rock me deeper into a sense of accomplishment. I allowed myself this satisfaction, knowing that the amount of peaceful moments the future held was finite.
This particular moment, however, wasn’t meant to be.
There was a frantic knocking at my door. “Warmonger!“ Ashley called. “What’s this about leading us into a zombie apocalypse!?“
“Sorry, boss!“ Jeff yelled over her. “Didn’t mean to rile her up. My bad.“
I sighed as I heard Ashley turn on Jeff, but I couldn’t help but shake my head and laugh.
“Yup, that’s my team, all right,“ I whispered to myself before getting up to help settle things down. We still had a long road ahead of ourselves.
