Chapter 87

The Angel Express, Atlanta - 7:00 AM

I awoke to the chiming sound of a Patron Message popping up in front of me. The train had stopped moving and I knew we were at our destination in Atlanta. Probably had been for a few hours, too. Yawning and stretching, my eyes fluttered open to see the message that woke me up.

[[Patron Message]]

Good morning, Anthony! This is your wake up call. The others have already been awake for an hour now, and they’re waiting for you in the food car.

Good luck today!

Sincerely,

Sara

“Good morning, Sara,” I said, yawning again. I shifted in the comfortable bed before flinging off my covers and oozing onto the floor.

Once I was decidedly less comfortable I picked myself up, took care of business, and got dressed. A quick glance through the system messages confirmed that I had fully healed, my Mental Points were maxed out, and the Medallion of Uuska was topped up.

Just as Sara had wrote, Kayla and Jeff were sitting in the dining car when I arrived. They were both already wearing their equipment, although the Double Agent had folded and set my Windbreaker of Warmth on the bar. “Good morning, friends,” I said cheerfully.

“Mornin',” Jeff said, while Kayla just gave me a nod of greeting. They were both deep into a pot of coffee, which looked like it only had enough for one cup left in it.

“Mind if I get this last bit?” I asked, and when they both shook their heads I poured myself a cup and joined them. “Y’all awake enough to discuss the day?”

“Getting there,” Jeff said tiredly. They both looked like they hadn’t slept much last night, and I wasn’t going to push them. Not yet, at least. “Where are we?”

I looked through the window to see the large warehouse we had parked inside of. It was mostly empty except for a large pile of metal chunks that dominated the middle of the room. The floor was scuffed all around the debris. Catwalks could be seen from where I stood, but not the stairs leading up to it. It was, by all accounts, abandoned.

“Metalworking place south of Merder Stadium,” I informed him after taking a sip of coffee. “The Angel Express is too long to fully fit inside, but it’s better than leaving her out in the open. Don’t leave anything in the train that you wouldn’t want stolen.”

Kayla looked up from her cup. “We’re expecting to get robbed?” she asked, surprised.

“Well, it’s a brand new place with a lot of people,” I said. “Those with more roguish classes can break into safe zones that they don’t have permission to enter and we’re going to be leaving the train only halfway hidden. People are going to break in, it’s just a matter of when.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Jeff said, frowning.

“Don’t worry. The Angel Express’ systems are already really good because I spared no expense, so only the top rogues are going to be able to break in. Once I have enough points I’m going to add some cars and bolster the security.”

“Oh, don’t worry, okay,” Kayla said sarcastically. “That’s fine, then. Nothing to worry about. How many points are you thinking you’ll need?”

“About twenty thousand or so, depending on what I decide to get,” I replied.

Jeff was in the middle of taking a drink, but spit it back out into his mug when he heard the amount. “Just to fix up the train?”

“This is home, man, of course we’re going to fix it up,” I said with a shrug. “We’re going to recruit some people, so they need a place to sleep. Then they’re going to need a place to work. We’re going to need a vault so I don’t have to go to sleep surrounded by Talspra’s leftover trap parts. By that point the train’s going to be twice as long, so we’ll need an extra dimensional space to put it in so it doesn’t take up so much room when we park it. That’s a real expensive one. Well, of this batch. Eventually, I want to get a really, really expensive car. Shove it right up front between the engine and the sleeper.”

“What will that one do?” Kayla asked.

“It’s a Patron’s Car,” I said, unable to contain my enthusiasm. “It lets you summon your Patron for a set amount of time per day. Just to chat, and it’s just as a hologram, unfortunately, but I promise it’s not just so I can see my girlfriend. I mean, it’s a big factor, but only one of many. The other thing is that administrators can’t peek in when we’re planning things. Total immunity from them thanks to Patron’s privilege.”

“I was going to say that it sounded awfully expensive for a booty call train car but then you had to go and specify that it was holograms only,” Kayla teased, smirking.

[[Patron Message]]

I’m excited about seeing you again face to face and not just through my mind and screens, but what’s with you humans and thinking everything is for a booty call? First you brought it up when I was telling you about my boon and now Kayla. Why are all humans such degenerates?

Sincerely concerned,

Sara

I snorted and swiped away the message. “No, Sara. Not all humans are degenerates who only think about sex all the time, but it is pretty high on the list,” I replied, glancing at the ceiling. Kayla put on an expression that seemed like she couldn’t decide between horror or amusement that Sara had actually replied. “Kayla’s just teasing me.”

“Yeah, I didn’t mean anything by it,” Kayla said quickly, speaking to the ceiling.

“You don’t have to worry about that,” I said, waving a hand. “Sara’s a fighter, not a lover, so she’s still got a thing or three to learn.”

“She wants to know what love is?” Jeff asked, though I can tell it wasn’t really a question. “And she wants you to show her?”

“She wants to feel what love is,” I replied, chuckling. “I know I can show her.”

“Really, you two? Foreigner?” Kayla asked, though I could tell she was amused by our antics. Finishing her coffee, she stood up and looked at Jeff. He handed her his mug and she took them both to the sink. “We can get going whenever you want, psychic boy. Oh, you probably want to eat first, don’t you?”

“I’ll be all right,” I replied, draining the rest of my coffee. “I’m not much of an eater so early in the morning and the place we’re going to will have a lot food stalls operated by actual people. It’s not going to be as high class as the food here, but I could go for some street corn later on.”

“Street corn doesn’t exactly sound appetizing,” Kayla muttered.

“Do you like corn on the cob?”

“I do.”

“Then we’re going to get you some street corn, too,” I said with a decisive nod. “And you can see that it is, in fact, delicious.”

“If you say so,” Kayla responded, though she sounded dubious. When I gently Pushed my empty mug towards her, she grabbed it out of the air and set it in the sink with the others.

As Jeff and I stood up, Kayla picked up my windbreaker from the bar. “You going to take your jacket back?”

“If your husband isn’t going to get jealous, you can wear it for a while longer,” I said. “I don’t mind the brisk air out there.”

“Jealous? Why would I need to be jealous?” Jeff asked, tilting his head.

“No reason, big guy,” I chuckled, patting him on the arm before heading towards the door and out of the train. They followed after me after just a few seconds with Kayla deciding to take me up on my offer.

Pulling out my Vague Stick, I walked towards the big pile of scuffed gray metal. Each of the chunks were half as big as the average man, and they were piled taller than the Angel Express. I began climbing to the top. The metal was heavy and uneven with a rough quality to it.

“What is this?” Kayla asked, looking from the pile to the rest of the quiet warehouse.

“It’s a boss called the Metal Conglomerate,” I explained as I began to wedge the Vague Stick between two separate pieces. “If we had arrived here yesterday evening then we might have interrupted the group that killed it. It follows after those monsters from movies and games that are basically a bunch of boulders or rocks that move to form up in a shape made for murdering, but made of metal instead.” I looked around now that I had a better vantage point, noting the blood stains on the floor.

“Well, glad it’s dead, then,” Jeff stated, releasing a heavy breath.

“It’s not,” I said, then shook my head. “I mean, it is, but they didn’t destroy its core so it’ll revive in another twelve hours or so. That’s what I’m getting: the core. The Monstersmith will be able to make armor out of it.” I began moving the metal chunks by using the Vague Stick as a lever. In addition to my strength, I used Push to help move faster.

“Okay, makes sense. Who’s the Monstersmith?” Kayla asked.

“Her name is Ashley Reilly. Ash to her friends.” I grunted, exerting more force until the metallic boulder bounced down the side and dented the concrete floor. “She can take monster parts and turn them into armor, weapons, and other gear. There’s a wait list to see her and have things made, but we’re going to have some leverage here in a couple of days and we’ll skip the line.”

When I began reforming the nearly broken Vague Stick, Jeff started climbing up the side of the metal hill and gave me a hand. “So there’s non combatant classes like merchants and stuff,” Jeff said slowly. “What makes a Monstersmith any different from a regular blacksmith class? Like an armorer or whatever.”

“Higher power class, and thanks for the help,” I said as we started moving the second chunk. “So, guess now’s a good time to call it out and don’t take it as gospel because this is all arbitrarily labeled by me, but not all classes are created equal. For instance, the Boxer class like Arnold had is kind of a bottom of the barrel class as far as abilities go. Sure, you can make it work if you’re really good, but you probably should have waited. Same with a class like Paladin or Gunner. Low amount of abilities, not a lot of bang for your buck.”

Our efforts paid off, and a second chunk fell to the ground. I continued as we started on a third one. “Then there’s stuff like the Guiding Light class we wanted Thomas to get. Souped up paladin, which is near the top of that first tier. It comes with a couple of abilities that synergize well with a large party. I’d say Guiding Light, no, just about any paladin class would be near the top of its tier.”

“The completely arbitrary tier list, right?” Kayla asked.

“Completely,” I agreed. “I could see Double Agent being up there near the top of tier two; it’s got its uses and under the right circumstances can get the job done. Not quickly, usually, but done right. You can get by solo, but it works best with support. Plus, any solid team can really build around a Double Agent in their midst.”

“Good thing I have my own personal pocket support then, huh?” Kayla chuckled.

“Yes, my queen,” Jeff responded, letting go of the metal boulder he was pushing to salute his wife. She stopped chuckling, and I braced myself inside the pile to make sure it didn’t roll back onto me.

“Come on, dude,” I said, and he quickly got back to pushing.

“Sorry, boss,” he said sheepishly. “Gotta pay homage to my wife, that’s just how I do.”

“Yeah, sure, okay, Mr. Third Tier,” I replied with a shake of my head. “Queen’s Knight,  and its counterpart King’s Knight, would both be high in third. The buffs they get are game changers at all levels, but they rely on another person. They have to be in at least a two person team. Except for one guy from Indonesia, who was able to become a King’s Knight for himself due to his deep rooted narcissism. He never lasts long enough for me to meet him, but I’ve heard plenty of stories.”

“So your fourth tier classes are ones that do well on their own?” Kayla guessed. “I’m guessing the Warmind class and the Needle Lancer class are up there?”

“Needle Lancer is low four, and does incredibly well on its own,” I stated. “Four is for classes that do well solo and absolutely break teams. Needle Lancer doesn’t have a lot of synergy when it comes to other people, which is why I put it down as low four. Warmind is in a special position because it requires a lot of knowledge and practice put in to use it properly. Under normal circumstances, I’d rate it mid three. For me, high four.”

Jeff opened his mouth, clearly about to say something, but closed it.

“You were about to say I was really thinking highly of myself having forgotten last night’s conversation, weren’t you?” I asked him as we finally dislodged the boulder. It fell to the ground, cracking the concrete on impact.

“Yeah, you got me,” Jeff admitted. “What’s a Warmind do later, though? Cause right now it just seems like there’s a lot of flinging things around. Which, don’t get me wrong, it’s cool and all, just not really impressive, I guess.”

“Oh, sure, moving things with my literal mind isn’t very impressive,” I joked as I lowered myself and reached into the hole we had made in the Metal Conglomerate’s pieces. “Either way, spoilers. I want to surprise you guys with some of the cool stuff I can do later on, and that’s not going to happen if I spill the beans about every little thing.”

“So you’re being a drama queen for the sake of sweet reveals later on, then?” Kayla jabbed.

“And step on our Double Agent’s toes? No, never in a thousand years,” I retorted, causing Jeff to chuckle.

Sticking my hand between the metallic boulders, I reached in deep and began feeling around. The Metal Conglomerate - all Conglomerates, really - knew that they would be able to revive so long as their core was still intact and usually tried to collapse in a way that kept it covered and safe. As heavy as some of them tended to be, it was a good tactic, but not good enough.

My hand gripped something cold, and I felt my fingers sink into something malleable but still solid. An involuntary shiver ran down my spine at the ooze-like feel as I pulled my arm free from the boulders. The Metal Conglomerate’s core was a polished silver sphere that depressed like slime when I pushed down with my fingers. Light reflected off of it easily, and in some places it had a red sheen to it.

“Got it,” I proclaimed as I jumped to the top of the pile and then to the floor. Jeff followed me down a moment later. As a monster piece there wasn’t any item description, but I allowed Kayla and Jeff to look it over.

“So you give this to the Monstersmith, and she’ll be able to do a lot more with it than a regular blacksmith can because the tier you put her in is higher?” Kayla asked. She made a face as she felt the not quite firm surface of the core and immediately passed it to Jeff, who didn’t seem to have a problem with it.

“Not because I put it in a higher tier, but because it belongs there,” I stated. “When it comes to crafting classes, specifics trumps general. A Blacksmith might be able to make anything you need, but an Armorer would make better armor and a Swordsmith would make more powerful swords. A Monstersmith could do both, but it’s even more specific. The primary ingredient to their recipes has to be monster parts like this core.”

Jeff tossed the core back to me and I set it in my inventory. He swiped the air and pulled an item out of his own. The first was one of the black and red stingers that Amlex had shot at me, which was something I hadn’t been able to grab.

“If you use that as material to reforge Killer Sting, it should be pretty good,” I said, whistling appreciatively. “It isn’t likely to become a demonic weapon since you’re using just a piece, but it may have a high stat spread like one.”

“I thought you might like that, but I also have this,” Jeff said, grinning. Putting the stinger back, he pulled another item out of his inventory and I couldn’t help but nod approvingly.

Sitting in Jeff’s hand was a length of purple cord that I immediately recognized as the one Pustibule had put inside Amlex. He must have returned to pull this out of her after taking me to the tent to get checked out, which put a gruesome image in my mind. It was sturdy enough to resist Thomas’ ultimate attack, so it was incredibly tough. It certainly felt organic; I had little doubt that the Monstersmith would be able to use it.

“While it certainly must have been very gross, it’s a good pull,” I said. “But you didn’t even know about the Monstersmith, why did you even grab this?”

“Trophy, and I thought having something so hard to cut through could come in handy,” Jeff said with a lopsided grin. “She caused us a lot of trouble. I figured I could save the poison on the stinger, though I dunno if it’s dried up or whatever, but this little intestine thing gave us a lot of trouble so I wanted it.”

“You’re a weird dude, Jeff, but I like that about you.” I chuckled as Jeff put the cord away and Kayla finally got closer to him, taking his hand. “Come on, let’s get us to Merder Stadium. It’s only about fifteen minutes if Jeff goes on his bike.”

“Then let’s get moving,” Kayla said, and we headed off.