Chapter 308

Northbound Train, Florida - 3:01 PM

Jamie had made it to Stanley faster than I had expected, and we settled into a private room as the train started heading north. She changed out of her armor and into light clothes before letting me into the room with her. It was safe, so there was no reason to be vigilant.

I sat across from her at the window with a small table between us, and I was facing backwards so she could watch where we were going. Jamie hated traveling backwards, but I didn't mind. It was comfortable enough even if it couldn't hold a candle to the Angel Express.

“Regular trains have nothing on the Angel Express,” she grumbled as she stared out of the window, giving voice to my own thoughts. Despite the way she spoke, she seemed to be in surprisingly high spirits.

“How was visiting Atlanta?” I asked as I summoned a cup of Bethany’s tea. Nothing with any effect, just something nice to drink.

Jamie was quick to grab it, forcing me to put another cup down for myself. “They’re doing fine enough,” she answered. “Manny caught me on the way to the train station. His axe is almost completely devoid of Demonic influence. He insisted I tell you that.”

“Good on him. I hadn’t been worried, but confirmation that he’s alright is never bad,” I said with a smile before tilting my head in thought. “They should be on, what? The Ghostly Return of the Confederacy?”

The way she wrinkled her nose confirmed it for me, and I hid my smile behind my tea cup. “Yeah. Don’t like ghosts, spirits, whatever,” she said with a decisive shake of her head.

“I think the Princess is the only one you tolerate, and only just barely,” I replied.

“Barely, and that’s just because I can’t see her,” Jamie confirmed. “If it was a small scenario I would have stayed an hour or so and helped, but it was basically city-wide and I wasn’t about to fight that many ghosts. Not when you needed to be picked up.”

“Fair.”

The Ghostly Return of the Confederacy saw the buried soldiers in Oakland Cemetery, which had been considered a hotspot for paranormal activity before the system dropped, rise out of the ground as specters who attempt to take over and occupy Atlanta. Some people were thrilled by this turn of events, but they were usually the first to be gunned down by old-fashioned weaponry.

The dead rarely held any love for the living, and this was no exception.

Jamie’s eyes flicked towards me and she looked me over. “What about you?” she asked. “You were sulking pretty hard when I arrived, but now you seem to be in a better mood. Missed me or something?”

This time, I let her see my smile. “Of course I did,” I said honestly. “This may come as a surprise to you, but I enjoy your presence. It’s good to have someone around who I can trust to watch my back.”

Her efforts to tease me was met with praise, and she rolled her eyes before looking back out of the window. The aura surrounding her was much more honest; I could tell she was happy.

“Whatever,” she replied. “What about Etson, though? You have any trouble getting out?”

“Eh, some,” I answered as I retrieved the Golden Scales skill book she had dropped during the Star Spangled Shadow Invasion. I offered it to her, and she took it. “The scum sucker of an administrator started up a new scenario moments before I arrived, expecting me to show up where he first saw me, and tried to get everyone else to do his dirty work of killing me.”

Jamie looked eager to open up the book, but set it on the table. Her hand never left it. “As in, the people?”

“Yup,” I confirmed with a nod. “Where I showed up was, thankfully, different due to shenanigans, but he had a whole squad there according to Tommy. If any of them saw me, I’d be lit up by a beacon to indicate I was the one they needed to kill, and if anyone managed to hurt me then everyone else in the area would be alerted, too.”

“Bastard really has it out for you, huh?” she asked, a small amount of sympathy in her voice.

I smiled. Not anymore, I thought to myself but couldn’t say out loud.

“Let’s just say the administration is going to have to try harder than that to bring me down,” I said instead. “Tommy and Gabrielle did find me though, thanks to his Patron, but we got to talking instead of fighting.”

Her fingers tapped on the skill book. “You mean Thomas, right? Isn’t his sister dead because of those bugs?”

“The Vespae, yeah. Kayla and Jeff told you about that?”

“They talked about it fairly early on when we were exchanging stories after Pittsburgh,” Jamie answered. “Back when you were missing.”

“Yeah, makes sense,” I sighed. “They’ve been through a lot.”

“We all have, but they’ve both handled things well for civilians,” she said, putting her elbow on the table and her cheek in her hand. “But you made it out alright.”

“It’s true, but I had to fight my evil twin in order to do it,” I replied with a smile.

That made her raise an eyebrow. “No shit? Like, a legit evil twin?”

“With a goatee and everything, but I got that as a boss drop,” I said, raising my hand and summoning the skill book that the Evil Twin had left behind. My face was embossed on it, and it did indeed have facial hair.

“I suppose that could be kind of cool, I guess?” she asked more than said, clearly not meaning her words but attempting to be nice. The Golden Scales skill book shifted on the table.

I gestured towards it as I opened my own. “Go ahead. You don’t have to be patient on my account.”

The Weapon Master didn’t reply, she just opened the book and started swiping at the air. Her eyes scanned the text box that would have popped up over it, barely glancing at the text before stabbing forward with her finger. The whole book disappeared.

Being a Half-Dragon with one evolution already under her belt, Jamie had a light smattering of golden, freckle-like scales on her cheeks and nose. The moment the book disappeared, they expanded. Her skin shifted as flesh became much harder, turning into small plates of pale gold. She rolled up her sleeve to watch as the process continued all over her body.

As she figured that out, I hit Yes on my own book.

<<<>>>

[[Notice]]

You have learned the skill Evil Disguise.

[[Skill]]

Evil Disguise

On command, grow a goatee. This facial hair works as an effective disguise, making you indistinguishable from yourself even if you wear the same clothes and use the same powers. Close friends and family may see through this effect. Anything done while wearing this visage will be attributed to the new person. The facial hair can be dismissed on command.

Anyone who sees the transformation will see through the disguise for as long as they remember the event.

<<<>>>

Nothing groundbreaking considering I had the Warmonger to fall back on when I needed an alternate alias, but it could still be something fun to play around with. I turned my attention back to Jamie, who was staring at her hands. When she noticed my gaze, she shrugged.

“I don’t feel any different,” the Weapon Master remarked as she began running her hands across her newly scaled forearms.

“No, the system is pretty good when it comes to that,” I explained. “Whether you take on a new race or dive deeper into one, it wants you to be comfortable in your own skin. Well, scales, in this case. There are a few that don’t get such a luxury, such as becoming a Demon, but both you and I have rather tame ones all things considered. Like, I bet breathing fire doesn’t feel all that strange.”

“No, just like breathing out,” Jamie said, still marveling. Her aura wavered and her already slitted eyes locked onto mine. “How do I look?”

“Fine. A little bit like scaly bait, but it’s not like you’re unattractive,” I answered honestly.

She was simultaneously pleased and frustrated by that. “Do you think Ash is going to like it,” she rephrased.

“Oh, for sure, one hundred percent,” I replied, waving a hand. “Don’t you worry about her at all. She’s all about you and all about Dragons, so you’re good. I’d even say you’re golden.”

“Terrible pun, psychic boy,” she snorted, but shook her head. “I was too excited, and didn’t think about her when I accepted it.”

“Nah, I get it,” I chuckled in response. “If it would have ruined what you had going on with Ash, I would have kept it for someone else or used it as trade bait.”

The Weapon Master took a breath. “I appreciate that. Don’t generally like to ask for help, but you know her the best out of anyone ever, so…”

“I think it’s sweet of you to ask,” I said, leaning onto my elbows. “You don’t show off more than your cold, tough side, Jamie. It’s alright if you do, you know. All of us are still going to be scared of your training sessions even if you let your hair down.”

“Yeah, everyone except you,” she snorted as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.

“There was a time where I was, though,” I admitted with a nostalgic smile as I turned to watch the countryside passing us by. “You weren’t my first teacher, not by a long shot, but you were very effective in getting me to focus.”

“Because…” Jamie started, trailing off.

I waited for her to continue, but she couldn’t because she was under a System Contract not to talk about anything that we discussed in the Angel Express’ Patron Car. After what happened in the Emperor’s Ascent and the Star Spangled Shadow Invasion, the cat was kind of out of the bag. There was no reason to keep the guild under oath anymore.

“We’ll get that gag order removed soon,” I told her. “But, yes, because we dated at the time.”

“That’s still so weird to me,” she admitted before taking a sip of her tea. “You and me together, I mean.”

I shrugged. “We had our ups and downs, just like anyone else. I don’t think we should dwell on it, though. The only reason why I answered your question about that was because I didn’t want to lie to you and I really thought you would leave. I can admit that you ditching us would have hurt me. Not just the run, I mean, but on a deep, personal level.”

“Yeah, I guess I am the glue that keeps the team together, aren’t I?” she joked with a light chuckle, and I smiled at it. She, too, looked out of the window. “Though, I could remember things, if I want to.”

“Jamie, that’s a bad idea,” I warned, turning to face her.

“I know that,” she told me as if I didn’t need to remind her that it was a stupid idea. “It’s just something that I have. It’s tempting, sure, but I’m not going to use it.”

“Do you still want Sara to take a look so you know what’s in it?” I asked gently. “It won't use up the Memory Orb, but she said she can skim through its contents.”

The Weapon Master sighed and looked up at the ceiling. “Athena can’t do it?” she asked. I didn’t answer, but she didn’t take long to keep going. “No, I guess not. A part of me is really curious. Outrageously curious. Another part doesn’t want anything to do with it. Those old Jamie Summers in the damn orb? They’re not me, so what would I need them for?”

“Do you want me to take it and hold on to it for you?” I offered. “Remove the temptation?”

I watched as Jamie considered this for a moment, but she shook her head and swiped open her inventory. She had clearly made a decision, and she retrieved the Memory Orb and set it on the table.

“Send it to your Patron, or wife, or whatever to look through,” she ordered. “Before I change my mind.”

With a nod, I sent the lime-shaped item into my inventory and offered it to my Patron. This was a mechanic that I mostly used to share food and other things I thought Sara would like, though I had also used it to give her all of Pustibule’s tools as the Demon Lord of Invention so she could purify them.

<<<>>>

[[Patron Message]]

Yes, she was indeed very effective in keeping you focused, but I wouldn’t call what you did training.

<<<>>>

I immediately pursed my lips at the message Sara sent me. Jamie gave me a confused look. “What’s up?”

“Nothing!” I said a little too quickly. “She’s just already looking through the Memory Orb, is all.”

“Really,” she replied flatly.

“Apparently, she can go through it rather quickly,” I offered with a smile, wondering what the hell Aaron had put on the damn thing to make Sara say that.

We sat in silence as we waited, watching the scenery go by before the storm of information came. It was slightly uncomfortable, but there was nothing to do but go through it.

Eventually, Sara sent me a message. A long, long message, and I read through it twice. Jamie watched quietly as my expressions changed, until I finally scowled.

“What a fucking bastard,” I said.

“What was in it?” she asked, leaning forward slightly in her chair.

“Almost our entire relationship, for starters,” I answered, running my fingers through my hair. Jamie blinked in surprise at that. “It was good, sure, and showed off far more than my wife wanted or needed to see.”

“That is horrifying, Franklin,” the Weapon Master stated.

“You’re telling me,” I agreed with a nod. “But she made it very clear that the start of the Memory Orb was designed to make you fall in love with me again.”

“Again?” she repeated with a snort. Then, her eyes narrowed. “Hold on, the start?”

“Yes, because apparently you made it to second place on the one run where we were together. Which makes sense, all things considered, but it’s the parts after that ruin the whole thing.”

“In what way?”

“Because, when you boil it down, Aaron curated everything after the happy memories to be ones that only show scenes that would make you feel betrayed,” I answered, crossing my arms. “Which means he’s lying, again, because I don’t betray my friends. I’ve always stuck to that principle, even on runs where I was… less than sane. If I was going to fuck over a friendship, I was always up front about it.”

“Uh huh, sure,” she said. “So it’s still a trap.”

I nodded. “Yes, but we knew it was already. That’s why you didn’t take it. Hit you with the warm and fuzzy feelings, and then crush you with perceived betrayals over and over again. According to Sara, it wasn’t just me, but also towards Mercury, Ash, and even Bethany.”

“But not Kayla or Jeff.”

“They’re new, remember?” I reminded her, and she nodded. “This Memory Orb was designed to rip Sol Ligatus apart, and I know how much you value honesty and loyalty. Sara doesn’t think you’d be able to continue the course after using this, and I’m inclined to agree.”

A heavy silence hung over us as she thought this through. Her aura was a storm of conflicting emotions until her eyes snapped to attention and scanned the area before her. Slowly, she began getting a grip on herself. Whatever Athena had said must have calmed her.

“If this Aaron fucker can fix up a Memory Orb like that, can Sara?” she asked. “Take out the bad shit and whatever and give me something that’ll give me back memories of combat?”

I looked up at the ceiling.

<<<>>>

[[Patron Message]]

That is something I could do, but it wouldn’t be a short process. While I may share some similarities with others, my capabilities lie elsewhere.

That being said, there are very few memories of combat in the orb. It was made, for all intents and purposes, to break Jamie and, by extension, you. The only worth this object has is teaching me what you apparently liked back then, and I’m not sure how I feel about that.

I suppose we’ll have to see at the Patron’s Ball.

<<<>>>

“Sorry, love,” I said, though my eyes lingered on that last sentence. I wasn’t sure whether to dread it or look forward to it.

“You can apologize all you like, but that’s not answering my question,” Jamie snorted, drawing my attention.

“No, there’s no value you can glean from these memories,” I told her honestly with a small, apologetic smile. “Aaron made it to break you, likely in the hopes that you’d kill me or splinter the guild and I would have to scramble to fix my plans. The amount of combat you could learn from is negligible, so it really was a trap all around.”

“Damn,” she swore before sighing. “I guess that’s that, then. It was easy to come, so I shouldn’t be disappointed if it’s just as easy to go.”

“Thanks for trusting me, Jamie,” I said, a genuine smile on my face. “I really am thankful that you’re here even after everything else you learned about me.”

She looked at me for a second before shrugging and getting more comfortable in her chair. “It’s whatever. I figured if I can’t trust you now with this, then I probably shouldn’t trust you with anything else. But I do think you’ve been honest with me, so it’s fine. We can be friends.”

“I appreciate that.”

“Yeah, well, wipe that silly little grin off of your face,” she said, sporting a half-smile of her own. “So what about this Confederacy shtick going on in Atlanta. How does that end?”

“Manny and his group will probably finish it sooner rather than later, actually. Especially now that he’s got that Angelic axe.” Smiling, I began answering her question. While the Memory Orb might have been a disappointment, I was perfectly content to share my own experiences with her.