Chapter 323

The Angel Express en route to Ukraine, 4:27 AM

It had taken longer than I had anticipated to reach an accord with Katie, but jumping on the opportunity had proved to be a better decision than bullying her further. My last wish would be easier to make without any downsides, too, though that was sitting in my back pocket for now.

The only extra addition to the deal was that I had to place her lamp by a window on the Angel Express and no one was allowed to touch her except me. Mercury and I might have caught her off guard the first time we summoned her, but I knew she could see what was going on outside of her lamp just fine when she wasn’t distracted.

There were a few hints about where Katie would prefer to be as she warmed up to the idea. Subtle ones. Coy, even, but those were all immediately discarded as I played clueless. Whatever she had seen in my soul that changed her from indifferent at best had intrigued her instead.

So, instead of putting the lamp in my room like she clearly wanted and potentially upsetting my wife, she was placed in the dining car on the windowsill behind the counter. I put up a sign explaining what was going on so everyone else knew to leave her be.

Since Katie was a monster and this was a safe zone, she couldn’t come out of the lamp unless I left with her. It was going to be a quiet stay, which was what we all agreed to. I got a couple of easier wishes, with a little negotiation, and she’d have some peace and quiet before the system sent her off to who knows where.

It was nice to have another option sitting around for the future.

Especially since the second wish had worked out so well. I sat in the dining car in my pajamas while all of my gear went through the wash to get fixed up. Some of my clothes were barely threads held together by the magic imbuing them after Maahir’s first attack, so they really needed to get treated as soon as possible.

One piece of clothing was on the table I was sitting at as I drank some non-magical tea. My Seven-Tenner’s Bowling Shirt looked almost completely the same except for one detail. There was a golden C consisting of two lines at ninety degrees next to my name. The rune for Kaunan, which could mean either Torch or Ulcer.

It was done through a roundabout way, but I had finally completed my set of class items. I sipped my tea as I happily read over the description again.

<<<>>>

[[Spliced Item]]

This item has been combined by a Genie’s Curse and counts as two separate entities in matters regarding progression.

[[Item 1]]

Seven-Tenner Bowling Shirt

(Base Item, this item has 1 Patch; +2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, Heavy Strike passive acquired, Anchored passive acquired)

[[Passive]]

Heavy Strike

Any projectile thrown underhanded will deal 25% additional damage at the moment of impact.

[[Passive]]

Anchored

Treat your Constitution as 1.5 times higher when resisting forced movement.

[[Item 2]]

Tunic of the Warmongering Mystic

(Hidden Item, Set Item 1/6; Growth Item, kill 10 bosses to upgrade; +100 Mental Points, +12 Wisdom, +12 Willpower, Enhanced Astral Enlightenment ability augment acquired, Increased Incorporeal Force ability augment acquired)

[[Ability Augment]]

Enhanced Astral Enlightenment

You do not have the required ability to unlock this augment.

[[Ability Augment]]

Increased Incorporeal Force

You do not have the required ability to unlock this augment.

<<<>>>

No matter what I tried, so long as I wore this item it would be what everyone saw. Even when I planned to wear the Tunic of the Twin Lions and this at the same time using the Emperor’s New Clothes skill, I would be forced into the Seven-Tenners Bowling Shirt.

Which wasn’t bad, honestly. Katie might not have liked it since it wasn’t trendy in the slightest, but it was comfortable and easy to wear. I had no problems repping my affiliation with the Filbins.

Plus, it was the last piece of the Warmongering Mystic set, which meant I got my capstone with it. That was open in another text box, and I glanced over to read it again.

<<<>>>

[[Notice]]

You own multiple Items from the Warmongering Mystic set. You will receive the following set bonus.

Six Items: When wearing every set piece, add the following ability to your repertoire. It cannot be leveled up through any means.

[[Ability]]

Distort Reality

This ability cannot be unlocked until all other Warmind abilities have been learned.

<<<>>>

I was giddy just thinking about it. It was only a matter of time now. My goal had been to get my hands on the entire set so that they would all grow when the Hellbreaker went off. Washington D.C. was a huge place, and a lot of bosses were going to be caught in the blast.

“You look like you’re in a good mood,” Mercury remarked as he and Bethany came from the Patron’s Car.

“Things are going surprisingly smoothly,” I said with a smile as I signed for the Tea Witch. “At this point, I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

“Did that not happen when Aaron sent a bunch of people to keep you from healing yourself?” he asked as he slid into the seat across from me. Bethany joined him.

“More like a pebble in my shoe rather than the whole thing falling off, I think,” I answered before changing the subject when I turned to his sister. “Did you have a good meeting with Grandmother Hearth?”

The Tea Witch smiled. Even though it was early in the morning where we were, we hadn’t acclimated to the time zone. For us it wasn’t even 10 PM yet and she was still full of energy.

“Yes. I’m ready to try and make those Hi-Ether tea potions soon,” Bethany signed with determination in her eyes. “I’ll make sure to finish the formula before your big battle against the Demons. You have my word, it’ll get done!”

“Thanks. I appreciate your hard work,” I said with a proud smile.

Based on the way she referred to the Mental Points potions like they were from a video game, she was definitely Mercury’s sister. The Arcane Witch’s Tea that gave me back 20% of my MP was nice, but Bethany was reaching the point where she was going to go beyond that soon, especially now that she had her own class items.

“I’m just doing my part to make Grandma Hearth and Lady Sara proud of me,” she replied, returning my smile. I was glad to see how easily she had broken out of her shell with the Mills present during this run. Having more people to talk to as well as a dog had done wonders.

<<<>>>

[[Patron Message]]

Tell her she’s doing a phenomenal job for me, please. Bethany really does work very hard for someone her age. I know that she is really only here because you needed Mercury, but there’s no doubt that she’s an integral part of the team.

<<<>>>

“Sara wants you to know that you’re doing a phenomenal job, and that there’s no doubt you’re an integral part of Sol Ligatus,” I relayed, which made her smile grow both wider and more bashful. She was clearly pleased. I leaned forward and rested my elbows on the table. “By the way, did you manage to finish the resistance potions we’re going to need?”

Swiping open her inventory, Bethany nodded. “Boom,” she signed before scanning the empty space beside her. There was a slight panic in her next words. “Hold on, wait.”

I shared an amused glance with Mercury as the Tea Witch scrolled through her inventory, her tongue stuck out one side of her mouth as she looked for what I was requesting. It seemed as though she had misplaced the potions.

“Ah! Found them,” she signed before pulling out two plain bottles of slightly glowing green liquid. “Boom.”

Reaching out, I touched the one she placed close to me.

<<<>>>

[[Item]]

Poisoner’s Safeguard

Reduce the damage taken by all forms of poisoning by 50% for 1 hour.

<<<>>>

“Very well done,” I praised, and Bethany made sure that Mercury put his in his inventory while I did the same.

“This’ll work with radiation poisoning?” the ninja asked, reading the description before giving in to his little sister’s demands.

“It does say all forms. Gotta take it literal, but it’ll work,” I confirmed. “Wouldn’t have made such a fuss about it if it wasn’t going to work.”

“Yeah, you right,” he said with a dip of his head. “How bad is it going to be, really?”

I released a breath of air out of my mouth as I leaned back and crossed my arms. “Really bad. Terrible, even. That potion’s not going to be enough to keep you from losing hit points at an alarming rate. Which is why I had Jeff leave this behind.”

Holding my hand above my shirt on the table, I summoned a bundle of thick scales and leather from my inventory. Mercury arched an eyebrow before pointing at it.

“Is that the Godzilla cloak you swapped out when you picked up your Reaper one?” he asked.

“Yup, and you’re going to be wearing it,” I told him, Pushing it towards him.

<<<>>>

[[Item]]

Cloak of the Irradiated King

(+20 Constitution, Energy Resistance passive acquired, Friend of the Shapechangers passive acquired)

[[Passive]]

Energy Resistance

Take 25% less damage from all energy-based attacks.

[[Passive]]

Friend of the Shapechangers

While wearing the Cloak of the Irradiated King, shapeshifters that are not immediately hostile to you will treat you favorably.

<<<>>> 

Mercury frowned, but nodded. Even though it was a fairly stylish cloak, it wasn’t his style. It was too heavy, too noisy, and clashed with his ninja aesthetic. Still, I could count on him.

“So what comes first?” he asked, tapping the cloak. “Taking off a quarter of the radiation damage from Energy Resistance or halving it from the Poisoner’s Safeguard?”

“The general rule of thumb is that class affects you first, then passives and skills you learned through quests or books, followed by your gear, followed by spells, then consumables,” I answered easily.

“Yeah, alright. So I’m looking at…” he trailed off as he calculated it in his head. “What’s that, a thirty-seven percent reduction? Did I do that math right?”

I waved my hand. “Add a point five in there if you want to get pedantic and you’ve got it. That’s going to make things a little more manageable.”

“And what about you?” Mercury asked before putting the heavy cloak into his inventory. “Going to rely on your natural healing?”

“It’s pretty substantial now, so, yeah,” I confirmed with a nod. “I mean, the Safeguard is already a hefty reduction so I’m going to be able to keep up with it pretty well.”

“What does ‘pretty well’ mean to you?” Bethany signed curiously.

“As in, it’s going to hurt, but I’m going to be at full health so long as I keep the Staff of Raphael in my hands,” I answered honestly. “We’re both going to be okay, I promise. Even in the worst case scenario, your brother is really good at sneaking away and I still have my magical doorways.”

“Okay, good,” she said, relieved that it wouldn’t be too troublesome.

Mercury tilted his head as though he was listening to someone before nodding and turning back to me. “The Princess wants to know if she’s going to be able to absorb anything there,” he relayed before putting his hands together on the table. “Okay, so, her blade’s made of energy now, right? From what I’m hearing, it’s like non-elemental energy right now. Basic light. But, she can absorb and then mimic other types of energy?”

“Are you asking me for guidance on your own weapon?” I asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Like most women, she did not come with a manual,” he joked before laughing when something invisible caught his eye, apparently finding his weapon’s reaction amusing. ”Come on, I’m just teasing! I really missed you when you were sleeping. Just figured we’d get the answers from the Warmonger while we’ve got the time. I mean, the ride’s how long again?”

“We’re going to be crossing over the Black Sea and that’s going to cut our time down drastically. Probably take about a whole day, give or take a few hours.”

“24 hours. That’s plenty of time to train and get a handle on things,” he said to the seat next to him. “You’re still getting a grasp on all the changes you went through, and the description on your sword is… obtuse at best. He already knows, for reasons he’s already disclosed, so I say we pick his brain while we can.”

“While dealing with training from Heaven again?” I asked, leaning forward. Mercury quickly glanced at me, and I wished I was wearing my magical glasses so I could push them up my nose. I settled for putting my fingertips together instead. “You were still quite lively after the last session. I’m thinking we could turn up the intensity by a few degrees. There will be, as you said, plenty of time, and the beds will still be magical no matter what condition you return to them in.”

“Hey, man, quit playing,” Mercury whispered, slightly horrified. He didn’t even bother to sign. Bethany wasn’t sure what to make of this and patted him on the back comfortingly.

“Who’s playing?” I asked before smiling. “After all, we have a whole new skill set for you to get used to now that the Princess is back. Gotta get you at the top of your game. Don’t worry; I know you better than anyone else, so I know exactly how hard I can push you before you’ll break.”

“Don’t worry, he says,” the ninja sighed. “Right before he continues on to say something really freaking terrifying.”

<<<>>>

[[Patron Message]]

I know you’re not, but you have that poor boy sweating like you’re using Tyrant’s Will on him. As amusing as it is, give him a break. He’s not going to get any sleep at this rate.

<<<>>>

I let my intensity drop as I snickered. “Actually don’t worry, though,” I said before leaning back. “I know I’m a harsh trainer, and it really is because I know how hard I can push you, but working new skills into your fighting style is something that I’m not going to try and brute force. I want you to be confident and keep your usual finesse, not instill a bunch of panic options in you.”

Mercury let out a breath as the tension left his body. “Dang, Anthony. You had me going there for a moment.”

“I’m just pressing your buttons,” I chuckled as I finished my tea and stood up. “You should get some rest for now, though. We’ve both been through a lot and it’s basically nighttime for us anyway. We’ll start first thing in the morning. Relatively speaking.”

“Yes, sensei,” he replied, putting his fists together.

I patted him on the shoulder before saying good night to the two, and headed off to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a very eventful day.