Chapter 314

The Angel Express, en route to Brest, France - 12:39 AM

From front to back, the train was set in the following order: Engine, Patron car, luxury sleeping quarters, dining car, double-decker sleeping quarters, the vault, the training car, the greenhouse, and the workshop. The sequence had changed a few times already due to requests from my team, and I happily obliged them since it didn’t take many points to swap them.

Mercury and Bethany were already asleep in their quarters, him on the second floor and her near the dining car. Doneralaego’s phylactery, the housing for the lich’s soul we had stolen from the Pitt after he had been defeated, was still in one of the rooms up above. His body couldn’t reform in the safe zone, which made him relatively harmless.

The evil-sealing talismans on the door also helped, but that was more for the Princess’ peace of mind than anything.

I had also thought he would have a chance to help me fix my soul—Becoming a Lich required a ton of knowledge on the subject in order—but it was so dangerous that not even Sara thought of it as an actual option. Doneralaego was undoubtedly pissed about being stuck in his pedestal. Beating him into submission would probably take too long.

Passing through the barracks, I made it into the vault. This car was a small hallway on the right-hand side that was barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side. The wall with the windows had the same patterns as everywhere else in the Angel Express, but the bulk of this structure was taken up by a metallic black wall with a few nodules that would allow access to what was stored inside.

And there was enough loot in the vault that we could outright buy several guilds much larger than ours. Every unused weapon, armor, and accessory we picked up was stored there. Monster corpses and parts galore littered the inside, waiting to be crafted into something by Ash. Then, there were miscellaneous items like furniture, non-magical jewelry, food, and more.

I knew that Jamie was a bit of a hoarder, but it was interesting to see that the Mills had that same tendency.

The whole vault was divided into folders so that finding things inside the vault was easy and nobody could get into things they weren’t supposed to. One of these items was the Demon Lord of Invention’s corpse. Ash was almost ready to handle Pustibule’s body. After the Hellbreaker, definitely. The organization system was something that I had stuck with for centuries, and it was simple and effective.

Our training car was, quite simply, the blandest one of the lot. The windowless walls, floor, and ceiling were all made up of brown rubber and foam. Arena rules could apply here, making it so fights weren’t deadly, and if we weren’t in motion then the whole room could unfurl to give us more space. If it wasn’t being used, then it wasn’t very exciting.

Unlike the greenhouse, which Bethany had fully transformed into her own space. It had come a long way from when I was sowing the first seeds as Kayla dressed me down about giving her and Jeff more responsibilities.

The aisle went through the middle and plots of soil with movable dividers lined the sides. Light equivalent to that of the sun came from the ceiling, nurturing the trees, bushes, and vines that were not only growing here, but thriving. A large section was dedicated to tea leaves specifically but there were also lemons, berries, ginger, and more, including a big plant that looked evil.

Its leaves were twisted with sharp edges, and its dark purple shifted into green the closer to its base you got. This was the witch tea plant, as I called it, and the source of resource restoration potions for things like Mental Points. It had the slowest growth of any of the other plants by far, but we had done everything we could to stack the deck and make it faster.

As I walked through, I filled up the Pixie’s Watering Can and took care of all the plants. Normally there would be an automated system for that, but we hadn’t gotten to the point where we could replicate the magic just yet. Between the can and a passive Bethany had received from using a Blank Skill Book on Walter’s Rusted Loppers, our garden was doing great.

<<<>>>

[[Item]]

Pixie’s Watering Can

When water passes through the spout and out of the sprinkler, it gains the magical ability to grow plants at an accelerated speed. Any flora watered with this can will grow 20% faster.

If left alone, there is a chance a Pixie may claim this item as their home.

[[Passive]]

Informed Pruner

You always know exactly where to prune a plant to achieve your goal. Sometimes, plants pruned by someone with this passive will give an increased yield.

<<<>>>

Pushing the can gently back to where I got it, I took a step into the final car, the workshop.

It was divided into three sections. To my left, Bethany’s area looked like a science lab. There were glass vials, flasks, and tubes sitting above Bunsen burners and chill plates to regulate temperature. A table held several different ingredients as well as a huge reservoir of water. Built into the counter were two ovens, complete with stove tops, and a couple of fridges with glass doors. Several potion bottles were stored inside, cooling them down.

While it was above and beyond any tea shop I had ever been in, the results of her work spoke for itself. It was alchemy, just not the kind that would blow us all up and derail the train.

Bethany’s section took up half of the front of the train, and the section across from it was empty aside from a few things used for storage. If we ever had a third craftsperson, this is where they would go.

The sound of hammering echoed through the car, though it wasn’t as loud as it ought to be. Nor was it as hot as the raging fire in the back indicated it was. There was a climate controlling effect that made it so Ash’s hellhole back there, which took up the entire back half of the workshop car, wouldn’t seep into the other sections and ruin anything.

I stepped through a poorly erected privacy cloth and everything became far more intense. The clanging noise of hammer on metal could be felt in my bones, and the flames in the furnace were enough to make me immediately break into a sweat despite Heat Resistance and my race.

<<<>>>

[[Passive]]

Heat Resistance

Take 25% less damage from fire based attacks. Exist comfortably in hot environments as high as 150 degrees Fahrenheit.

<<<>>>

Thankfully, Instant Adaptability picked up the slack as my body adjusted, and I wiped the leftover sweat from my brow as I took in the room.

Ash had always been a messy person, but her chaos was organized. Monster parts, dried and preserved, littered the area even though she had an inventory that worked perfectly fine. Tools of all trades, not just those belonging to a blacksmith, were placed exactly where they needed to be. Here she could work with everything from metal to leather to gemstones to strings whether they were attached to a bow or sewn with.

It looked like Jamie had taken the dishes and empty water bottles, too. That had been my job since Ash tended to hyperfixate on her work, but it had been picked up by her girlfriend who was far more effective at pulling her away from the forge. For all the woman loved to grumble, she enjoyed being the Monstersmith.

I cleared my throat but didn’t say anything as I watched Ash work with a purified version of one of Pustibule’s hammers. She was wearing her new class items, which didn’t upgrade the same way as everyone else’s. Instead, they became more powerful the more gear she made above a certain threshold. There were boons she could get if those items defeated bosses which helped the process.

Shifting so I could see better, I noticed she was hammering away on a dagger with an unusually long hilt. Like she had put a sharp piece of metal on a rod. Given that this was something for Kayla and this was her first time coming along on the journey, that meant this was something that I didn’t know about.

The Monstersmith’s skin and outfit was incredibly dirty, but not wet. Despite her proximity to the heat and the overall atmosphere of this side of the workshop, she didn’t sweat at all. She worked for a few more minutes before she examined the red-hot blade. With a nod, she dunked the entire piece of metal into a barrel of oil.

I continued to be patient as she moved her lips, counting without saying anything. After half a minute, she pulled the cooled, but still hot, metal out and stared at the edge. Once again she nodded, and it went right into the long tempering oven that she already had set up.

“Done with that for now,” she announced, putting down the hammer and removing her gloves before looking at me. “Took you long enough to show up. Figured you’d try to corral me faster now that the Dragon confining me to the tower was off on vacation.”

“I came right here, though?” I asked, arching an eyebrow, but I knew that’s just how she was. “Besides, can a train really be considered a tower? Or you a damsel?”

“Hey, watch it,” Ash said. “What’s a train but a knocked over tower that moves, and I’m the most eligible damsel here. Bethany doesn’t count, either. She’s too young.”

“I’m pretty sure by dictionary definition she—”

“What the fuck ever, psychic boy. Don’t be such a Kayla. Dictionary definition, my ass.”

Chuckling, I nodded towards the dagger. “Speaking of librarians, do you not need to grind that?”

“Nah,” Ash snorted before taking a swig of water. She swished it a few times before swallowing, and waved a dismissive hand at me. “Pustibule’s tools, now that they’re not trying to turn me into a Demon or something, are really fucking handy. Some parts of the process I can skip over completely. That hammer has done a shit ton of work for me.”

“That’s good, then. We never got our hands on something like that before, so I’m glad it’s working out,” I told her with a smile. “Don’t think I’ve ever seen that weapon, either.”

“It’s, as you’ve figured out, for Kayla,” she replied as she swiped at the air to open her menu. “I’m trying something new. It’s got the blade of a dagger, so I’m hoping it’ll pair with her Mastery skill, but I’m trying to mix it with a rod to help boost her support side. The whole thing’s going to be hit or miss, but there’s above average odds that it’s going to work the way I want it to so I’m making it happen.”

“You’ll be finished with it tonight?” I asked, eying the oven.

“Don’t get your knickers in a twist, psychic boy,” Ash scoffed, crossing her arms. “I’ll have more than enough time to make your WMD, or whatever you think I had to mentally prepare myself for.”

That made me smirk. “Perfect. Thanks. I have a couple of new toys for you to tinker with, too. Things I can’t take out of the safe zone because the administrators will see them. You know, for after you’re done building the bomb.”

The Monstersmith arched an eyebrow at me before shrugging. “Alright,” she said, and reached into her inventory. When she pulled her hand back, a golden lamp was in it. The woman thrust it into my chest. “There’s your regular ass lamp, by the way. I’ve also got the Leo and Gemini combination shirt finished for you, but I want the blueprints first.”

“Thanks, and no problem,” I replied as I pulled it into my inventory. It wasn’t anything special and didn’t have any magic, but it would be perfect for genies regardless. In exchange, I pulled out the blueprints for the Hellbreaker.

Ash nearly snatched it out of my hands, slamming it down onto one of the workbenches nearby as she unfurled it. “It’s about time I get my…” her voice trailed off as her eyes skimmed it. I put my hands on my hips as I watched her aura tighten. “Holy shit.”

“Yeah.”

“Anthony, I mean, holy fucking shit.”

“No, I get it.”

“This is a literal nuclear warhead.”

“Yup.”

The Monstersmith blinked before pulling out a chair and taking a seat, but her eyes never left the blueprint. “You’re going to kill…”

“A lot of Demons, mostly,” I finished for her, my voice taking on a softer tone. “Remember how I talked about what was happening in Washington D.C.?”

“Yeah,” she said, a little dazed. “There’s still people in there.”

“The vast majority of those who are going to die will be Demons,” I replied with a nod. “Most of the deaths are going to be monsters, but not all of them. Demons like to use humans as cannon fodder. Stitch bombs into their victims, mutate them just a little to make them sensitive to holy power, and let them loose. Especially against Angelic forces. Those people are used to soften up incoming armies, which will happen in a few months. They’re not being treated well and, as much as I hate to say it, this is the best outcome for them.”

“How many?” she asked, voice low.

I frowned. “Somewhere between 60,000 and 80,000 humans.”

Ash blew air out of her lips, causing the blueprint to shift, but she caught it. “I’m going to help you kill that many people, then? Even if ending their suffering is better than letting them live their lives?”

“You know I wouldn’t do this if there was no other way, Ash,” I told her honestly. “Demons always make sure there’s collateral damage, that the simple act of fighting them puts us on the back foot. Any victory taken from them is one they force you to claw from them. Jeff would have died in Pustibule's falling building if I hadn’t saved him this time around. This is the army’s version of that. One of them, at least.”

“I see why you told me to be mentally prepared,” she whispered, hanging her head.

I didn’t say anything as Ash worked through her own emotions. She was strong enough for this, I knew, but that didn’t mean she liked it.

Neither did I, to be frank, but I was focused wholly on the Demon killing side of things. I wasn’t about to tell her that they were a necessary sacrifice. Ash didn’t care one bit about the numbers game I forced myself to play.

Eventually, the redhead opened her eyes and took a big breath. She put both hands on the blueprint and held it down, looking it over again. Her aura began to firm as she found her resolve.

She moved on from the topic of human deaths and got right to business. “The only thing we’re missing is something from a large, radioactive monster,” Ash noted, pointing towards the center. “We can use the Omega Colossus’ core, but that won’t have the yield you’re looking for. It’s the Hellbreaker bomb, not the Hell Kinda Put A Dent In It bomb.”

“You’re right,” I said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She tensed for a moment before leaning against me, searching for a reassuring touch. I put my arm around her shoulder in a half hug. “That’s what we’re going to Chernobyl for. I would have had it already at Los Alamos, but things didn’t work out.”

“Never does,” she replied before shaking her head. “I can get started on the outer casing and most everything else without it, but there’ll be a point where I’ll have to have the fissile material in order to continue.”

“I’ll make sure you have it before then.”

Reaching up, Ash put her hand over mine and squeezed, staring at the nuclear blueprints. “I hope those new toys you’ve got for me aren’t going to be as gruesome as this.”

“I know you’re going to love them,” I chuckled as I disengaged.

“Going to be a drama queen about it?” she huffed.

Asi appeared beside me, floating. “A Primordial Weapon to use as a blueprint.”

The Monstersmith’s eyes immediately widened at the sight.

“Two fingers from a Hidden World Boss, Arontalscion,” I continued, retrieving them from my inventory. They had started icing over before I managed to cut them off, and there was still some frost on it.

If she was staring before, her eyes were bulging now.

“And the body of Pustibule, Demon Lord of Invention, himself,” I finished. “Which is somehow the most tame of the three despite how powerful he was.”

“Goddammit all,” Ash breathed. The only move she made was to put the back of her hand to her forehead as if to make sure she wasn’t having some kind of fever dream.

I grinned at her. “Once you’re done with the Hellbreaker, you’ll be ready to handle all of this.”

Ash’s anxiety over Washington D.C. was quickly overcome with the promise of better things on the horizon. Her drive came back as her gaze shifted at each item in term, like she couldn’t figure out what to look at first. “Oh, put me the hell in, coach. I’m fucking ready.”