The Angel Express - 8:23 AM

  I stretched as I woke up, tensing my muscles as I emerged from the relaxation of sleep feeling surprisingly good. Despite the damage the Soul Shearer had left me, the temporary 10% increase to my hit points and Mental Points from sleeping in the guildhall did a decent job of fixing the way my body felt.

  Picking myself up from the sheets and using my Warmind abilities to make the bed behind me, I read through my messages as I readied myself for the day.

  <<<>>>

  [[Safe Zone Update]]

  Ten factions have made it through the final boss of the Aries’ constellation. The Tauros constellation is now open.

  [[Safe Zone Update]]

  You have collected 274 points in taxes. As requested, these points will be deposited into your bank account.

  <<<>>>

  I nodded as I brushed my teeth. Every one of the factions so far should have made it through Aries, not just the ten required to unlock Tauros. The higher up the mountain we got, the less we would need to unlock the next. It was only natural that some people were going to be left behind.

  The Emperor’s Ascent was a gauntlet, and everyone was going to learn that a hundred people to each faction wasn’t as big as they initially thought. They were going to lose fighters over the eleven remaining constellations, leaving them with their crafters, merchants, and other non-combat roles. Some would thrive, as they do, but it wasn’t going to be the clean sweep the people of New York City were expecting.

  However, their sacrifice meant that there were no other scenarios being played out for a while. That was acceptable to them, and I would do what I could to get as many people out as possible before the casualties could ramp up. A little training could go a long way.

  The paltry amount I collected in taxes didn’t bother me, either. Most everyone had immediately gone to rest after reaching the safe zone, and not a lot of sales had been made. The return on investment I was expecting tomorrow was going to make it all worth it as people made use of the safe zone’s amenities throughout the day.

  I moved on to the next message.

  <<<>>>

  [[Patron Message]]

  Good morning, Anthony.

  Jamie was the first to wake up to see what the first Tauros room was going to be. Since it was the puzzle room, she came back and grabbed Kayla since neither of them are going to need to be debriefed about potential Patrons. They’re in the thick of things now, working out the story of Gilgamesh versus the Bull of Heaven.

  As you can imagine, Kayla’s having a blast while Jamie is a little bored. This puzzle seems more involved than the escape room Aries set up as they try to figure out the full story behind the Tauroctony, but they should still be done within the next twenty minutes or so.

  I have gotten in touch with Cancer, and she is pleased that you have put forth the resources to allow her avatar to set up shop. They both think that would be for the best when it comes to the survival of the factions. Callie’s food buffs are pretty substantial for how long they last.

  Finally, Marishiten is very excited about meeting you face to face. She doesn’t mind if you use the Patron Car with her to host a meeting so long as she can sit in, which I think you were going for anyway since you were going to explain what happened to the Princess?

  I think that’s it for now. The other members of your guild are waiting for you.

  <<<>>>

  “Thanks, love, and good morning,” I said with a smile. Getting dressed, I sent out a message for those still around to meet me at the Patron’s Car.

  By the time I was ready and stepped out of my room, the others were waiting for me. Mercury was excited, bouncing back and forth on his feet, and I knew the wait to learn what happened to the Princess had been getting to him.

  Jeff clapped me on the shoulder while Bethany gave me a wave. Ash looked terrible, and had an oversized cup filled with the most pungent coffee I think I had ever smelled.

  The Monstersmith narrowed her eyes at me. “Got a problem?” she challenged.

  “Several, yes, but only one of them is because of you,” I replied.

  Ash snorted, and she swiped open her inventory to pull out a pair of black socks with a golden crown pattern around its cuff. My breath hitched, and my toes wiggled in my shoes involuntarily. It was clear she went with the Golden Fleece instead of the Blood Wool, probably to keep the unholy energies of the Devil Ram from affecting me.

  They were still mostly black, so I didn’t mind the gold at all.

  “You’re welcome,” she said, handing them to me.

  A big grin crossed my face as I took them, and I immediately pulled my current socks and shoes into my inventory to put them on. It was like pulling on footwear made by the gods themselves. “Thanks, Ash. You’re the best,” I told her happily as I swiped open their description and sent it out.

  “I know it,” she scoffed.

  <<<>>>

  [[Equipped]]

  Wool Socks of the King

  (+5 Dexterity, Comfort Plus passive acquired, Curse Protection passive acquired)

  [[Passive]]

  Comfort Plus

  Any piece of clothing with this passive will remain completely clean and comfortable no matter what the circumstances.

  [[Passive]]

  King’s Authority

  The way you carry yourself proves that you are a man deserving to be called true royalty. When included in an offensive area of effect ability, skill, or spell, there is a chance that you are not affected. In addition, you deal 20% more damage to those who have a lower stat total than you do.

  <<<>>>

  “Wow, good buffs,” Mercury said before elbowing Jeff. “But I thought the Golden Retriever Knight was Arthur, not Lancelot. Now that we have both a king and a queen, things could get awkward. This is going to change everything!”

  “Huh?” Jeff asked, looking down at the ninja.

  “It’s not going to change anything. You don’t go spreading any ideas now, Leonard,” I said, rolling my eyes. If anything, the use of his real name just made him smugly thumb his nose. “Thank you again for the socks, Ash. They’re wonderful.”

  “Yeah yeah. We going to get through this or what?” the Monstersmith asked, taking another sip of coffee from the huge cup she held.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  With a nod to Mercury, he bounded to the next car over to get it set up. It didn’t take long, and he threw the doors open to lead us into a traditional Japanese shrine. It was dark inside, but there still seemed to be enough light to see somehow. We passed the red wood gate with its wild boar statues as the ninja led us inside.

  At the end of the room, which I knew would be the end of the Patron’s Car as we hadn’t actually left it, was a suit of black armor holding a bladed fan. Hovering above it was an elaborate bodkin, exactly where you’d think someone’s hair was.

  “Warmonger, meet Marishiten, goddess of illusion and invisibility,” Mercury said, stopping in front of the armor. “Marishiten, this is the Warmonger, Anthony.”

  The bodkin shifted, as if I were receiving a nod in greeting.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Marishiten,” I said with a grin and a wave. It was clear that the others had already been here before as they weren’t specifically introduced. “Thank you for letting us use your temple for the time being. I figured that you would have liked being kept in the loop when it comes to Mercury’s capabilities, especially the Princess.”

  The armored figure shifted, looking at the ninja, before nodding again and starting to fan herself. Marishiten was the type to lean heavily into her role. She liked to keep up an air of mystery and intrigue. It was possible to get her going, though, and I had managed it before. She was slightly problematic in that, once she started babbling, she didn’t stop.

  That was one of the reasons why I was glad Patrons were rewarded for staying in character.

  “Then, let’s begin the meeting,” I said, sitting down on one of the chairs. The interior of the Patron’s Car had several, they just looked different due to the setting. “We have two things on the agenda today. First up, the Princess and what happened back with Ross.”

  “I know it’s only been, like, most of a day, but I’m really excited to figure out what happened,” Mercury said with a pump of his fist. His energy was completely different from when he thought something was wrong.

  I nodded. “And I’ve got nothing but good news for you. The second thing is potential Patrons for Ash, Bethany, and Jeff. I’m sure there have been a few lined up for each of you, so take some time to write them down and I’ll go through the list.”

  “And you’ll just make the damn choice for us, right?” Ash asked while Bethany and Jeff already started working on the assignment.

  “If you want to take a wild stab at it, I’m not going to stop you,” I said with a smirk. “Just know that there are some Patrons that are worth your time and others who absolutely aren’t. Not everyone can be as great as Marishiten.”

  The invisible figure paused her fanning as she perked up only to nod vehemently at the praise.

  Ash looked over at Bethany as the Tea Witch offered her a notepad and pen before gently taking them but saying nothing more.

  “So, what’s up with the Princess?” Mercury said, scooting to the front of his seat.

  “She’s evolving,” I said simply.

  He blinked in surprise. “Oh, shit, like Corwin?”

  “Not quite like Corwin,” I answered with a smile. “Okay, so, the Princess is a blade spirit. I explained to you that she’ll get stronger with you as you both grow, right?”

  He nodded. “Right.”

  “I did mean that in the traditional way where she’d get stronger with boss kills and as you get MVPs and raise your stats, but there’s more to it. She can get better by accumulating different feats,” I explained.

  “We weren’t…” Mercury started to say, but the System Contract he had signed before our arrival in New York prevented him from asking outside of Sara’s presence. He swallowed before continuing. “What feat was it?”

  “Energy absorption,” I answered. “You’ve been relying pretty heavily on the dispel effect that the Princess can do, right?”

  “Yeah, it’s great,” he said. “I caught your Distant Slice when we fought, too.”

  I nodded, remembering that moment. “It’s not a dispel, but a drain. The Princess takes the energy of the attack and draws it into herself. For something as pitiful as a Distant Slice, it’s not a lot. It fills the reservoir such a small amount that it barely matters. For something like Magical Girl Star’s Supernova, though…”

  He grinned, picking it up. “She must have absorbed as much as she could handle, right?”

  “Got it in one,” I said, grinning with him. “That’s the only reason why you survived, by the way. That Supernova move is no joke, and it would have one-shotted you from full health if you didn’t have the Princess. Normally I’m content to just let you build it up slowly because it’s far less dangerous. This way, things worked out.”

  The ninja’s enthusiasm faltered a little bit, but he shook it off. “Okay, that’s still cool. So she’s evolving. What’s she going to wake up with?”

  “You sure you want to know?” I teased.

  “Of course!”

  “Two words,” I said, holding up my fingers. “Laser. Sword.”

  “Like the whole blade or?” he asked quickly, backing up some and putting a dramatic hand over his heart.

  “Whole blade past the crossguard,” I answered. “She’s going to be able to change length at your discretion so you can wield a katana if you want, or even make it something ridiculous like a Haja-no-Ontachi.”

  “That’s the…” Mercury flinched before putting his head down. “Oh, it’s at the tip of my tongue.”

  “The one that’s somewhere around 15 feet long,” I chuckled.

  “That’s going to be so cool!” he replied. “Man, this is great. The Princess is going to be so versatile after this! Will she still be able to dispel?”

  “Of course. It’s just that she’s also going to be able to temporarily add the power of what she cancels to her own attack for a short time since that reservoir is already full. It’s a pretty neat trick.”

  “I’ll say,” he agreed immediately. Mercury pulled the Princess out of her sheathe and held the blade in his hand. She was inert now, only a simple sword, but there was a sheen of power reflecting in the light. “How long will that take?”

  “Roughly a week,” I answered.

  “A whole week?” he asked, almost standing up as if I had punched him in the gut. “That’s a long time, Ant!”

  “I said roughly,” I replied. “She absorbed a lot of power very quickly. You’ll get her back, man. We’re going to be here longer than that, after all.”

  “Yeah, I guess,” Mercury said. He raised the Princess and a soft smile appeared on his face.

  I glanced towards Marishiten to see that she had tilted her head and was watching her avatar fondly. She may have been invisible, but my aura awareness still caught it. Her fan stopped for a moment until I looked away, and then resumed.

  “Here,” Ashley said gruffly, throwing a paper airplane at me.

  It sailed hard left, but I course corrected with Pull and let it land in my hand. Of course, she didn’t notice at all, she was too busy giving the Princess a discerning eye. The blade spirit wouldn’t have let the Monstersmith take too close of a look at her before, but that could change now.

  That was Mercury’s decision, though, not mine.

  I unfolded the paper airplane and looked through it. Then, I scoffed. “You’ve got thirteen Patrons here, but only one of them is a crafter of some sort,” I said with a shake of my head. “And that guy’s someone who gets replaced by another member of his pantheon. Ash, don’t worry about any of these options. Only one is going to be decent and the others are just throwing their names at the wall and hoping they’d stick.”

  “So I’ve gotta, what?” she asked, crossing her arms. “Open up my workshop to these Patrons until the right one graces my presence?”

  “Or, just don’t allow yourself to become an avatar. I know you can’t be hurting for points considering you’re piggybacking off of us, the people using your stuff. You could wait for a long while if you wanted to.”

  Ash went quiet with that, nodding to herself. It was tough out there for a crafter, but we’d get the right one eventually.

  Bethany walked up and handed me her paper. Before I had a chance to look through the list of ten, a green arrow popped up next to one of the names. I reached out and flicked it, and my finger passed right through the illusion. Without looking up, I addressed the Patron in the room.

  “This one?” I asked. “Are you sure?”

  Marishiten nodded once, fanning herself even more furiously. From her mannerisms, I could tell that she wanted to say something but was holding herself back. Which was very much fine by me. I looked at the name again before smiling at Bethany and signing at her.

  “Go with Grandmother Hearth,” I told her with a smile. The Japanese goddess who lived in the stove was a fantastic addition to the team. “You two will make wonderful tea together.”

  Bethany grinned back before thanking me and returning to her seat. Marishiten folded her fan and patted herself on the chest, causing me to look back at her.

  “You brought Bethany to Grandmother Hearth’s attention?” I asked. When the goddess of invisibility nodded, I returned it. “Thank you. They’re going to have a great amount of synergy together. I’m looking forward to seeing how much more potent her tea gets from here on.”

  “She’s going to be great,” Mercury said and signed, reaching out to muss up Bethany’s hair. She didn’t like it, but she still looked pleased.

  “How about you, Jeff?” I asked, turning towards the Queen’s Knight.

  “I’ve got 35,” he said, tapping the paper with the end of his pencil. “Some I recognize, some I’m going to have a hard time pronouncing. I’m really glad you’re here because I’d have no idea what I’d do otherwise.”

  “That’s a good number, but they might not be worth anything to you still,” I replied. “A little harder given you’re a warrior, but it still happens. Let me see the list.”

  Jeff dutifully handed it over, and I paused at the first name on the list.

  “Fuck me,” I sighed, staring at it. I gave the rest of them a cursory glance to make sure there weren’t any hidden gems before sighing and pinching the bridge of my nose. A part of me couldn’t believe this Patron was here. Another part knew that this was the only option that made sense.

  “Boss?” Jeff asked, arching an eyebrow.

  “Pick the first one on the list and figure out why he’s here,” I told him.

  The Queen’s Knight took the list and frowned at it. “You sure, Ant?” he asked.

  I nodded. “Yeah. Despite his shenanigans, he’s the best option there by a large margin,” I sighed before gesturing to Jeff. “Go ahead and pick Coyote.”