Public train en route to Flagstaff, Arizona - 10:13 AM, two days later


    The path from Hanford to Sedona was a long one. I had to trek to Pasco to get on the first train to Portland. From there, I had over a day’s trip to Los Angeles. Not willing to risk running into any more celestial creatures in the City of Angels, I didn’t leave the station. This final train would put me at Flagstaff, leaving me with a thirty-mile hike to Sedona.


    It wasn’t terrible. I had a lot of letters to write and more of the manual to complete. My expectation was to stay with the group after reuniting with them in Jamestown, but things were changing and I wanted to be prepared. I received quests from Sara to get as many of them done as possible. They weren’t big point items, but every little bit helped.


    Best of all, I didn’t have to bring Glaraphel with me.


    Tarleann had wanted to send him to protect me as penance for blindly attacking me back in Cleveland. I had to get very firm with her very quickly because, as a Judge of the Crusades, she wasn’t used to taking no for an answer. Once she understood how strongly I felt about it, I was given a different gift: Glaraphel’s halo.


    The item’s description had changed from Enochian to English and was different from what I had assumed it was before. It allowed me to summon him if I needed help doing anything. This was far more preferable to letting an Inquisitor of all things tag along with me. Having a Power at my beck and call wasn’t a bad deal in the slightest. He was also repentant about his actions now that Tarleann had passed judgment.


    Not that his repentance meant anything to me; he had just been doing his job.


    Taking a breath, I leaned back and looked at the stacks of letters on my table. With not much else to do but chat with Sara, I had been burning through them. Over two hundred sat there, neatly folded, because I enjoyed seeing the fruits of my labor. I closed my eyes for a moment, tilting my head upwards to rest.


    When I opened them, there was a text box in front of me.


    <<<>>>


    [[Patron Message]]


    You look like you’re getting bored. How about a change of pace?


    <<<>>>


    I smiled. “What do you have in mind, love?”


    <<<>>>


    [[Patron Quest: Tell Me The Plan!]]


    It’s already noon. You haven’t had a chance to gain points today, and I’m feeling nostalgic. I love it when you talk to me about the future and hash out your plan. Back in the Patron Car, you mostly talked about what you would need for the device, but you threw in random places that I think I’ve only heard you mention once or twice.


    Why don’t you tell me about your route from right here all the way to when you’re whisked off to Dublin?


    Objective: Lay out the plan.


    Reward: 2,000 points.


    <<<>>>


    “Two grand for just telling you my secrets, that’s not bad,” I said with a low whistle. “I’m going to assume that it’s because you want to prepare rewards for my quests? I haven’t received any of Pustibule’s purified gear, you know. Other than the scalpel.”


    <<<>>>


    [[Patron Message]]


    Of course I want to reward you for doing well, but most of the things I purified from Pustibule have already been doled out. I’m sorry if that disappoints you, but they were mostly useful for people with crafting classes. Bethany received two of the flasks for brewing and Ashley received the hammer. The rest are still being purified. It takes time.


    I do think you’ll enjoy the water cutter and rotary saw once I’m done with them, though. Most of the others are situational weapons like the scalpel, but these can be used as weapons whenever you like.


    Here’s a hint: the cutter is going to shoot holy water once I’m done with it.


    <<<>>>


    I considered that for a moment before nodding. It certainly made sense that items belonging to the Demon Lord of Invention would be useful for the workshop. If they helped Ash and Bethany make better items faster, then I had absolutely no complaints about not getting to swing that hammer around whatsoever.


    The rotary saw called to me more, anyway, especially since I had passed off Chainsawface.


    Smiling just thinking about it, I focused on her quest. “Alright, so you want to know what comes next. I can do that.”


    Glancing outside, I watched as the desert passed by the window. I was only a couple of hours out of Los Angeles in a place where the greenery was sparse and the sand and rocks were abundant. While some might have thought it bleak, I didn’t mind it. This was nature, after all, and it was a nice change of pace from the snow.


    “Sedona is an easygoing, spiritual place,” I said after a few moments of contemplation. “One of healing and rest thanks to what the people called vortexes. They’ve been heavily speculated on for years. I think the consensus from scientists was something about electromagnetic fields, but the people living there forgot about all that when they became absolutely, one hundred percent real. Whether they were real before the system or some kind of mumbo jumbo doesn’t matter anymore. Right now, they’re something everyone witnesses.


    “The entirety of Sedona is a safe zone that absolutely thrums with psychic power,” I continued, Lifting the top letter off of the stack as if it would help me make my point. “There’s something in the air that people feel that causes transformations of the mind and soul. For the better, of course. Person to person, there are more psychic and spiritual classes in Sedona than anywhere else in the United States. Most of them are healers and it’s easy to find a specialist for whatever you need.”


    <<<>>>


    [[Patron Message]]


    It sounds like a magical place. If it’s so powerful, how come it’s not on your regular route even though it’s got so much in common with you?


    <<<>>>


    “It’s not for me,” I said with a smile. “Like I said, it’s an easygoing place. The vibes there literally calm the people down. There’s still problems, sure, but there’s nothing that can’t be worked through. I’m a fighter. I go to places to kill things that other people are going to struggle with, grab the MVP, and move on to the next one. Sedona never moves past its first scenario.”


    <<<>>>


    [[Patron Message]]


    How come? I find it hard to believe the administrator would just let so many people live there without issue.


    <<<>>>


    “And, under normal circumstances, you’d be right,” I replied. “But this isn’t someplace normal, it’s Sedona. An administrator called Dipper runs it. She reaches out to Patrons whose Avatar had been wounded in some way, offering them a place to rest, heal, and relax from the burdens of the system. They’ll come out of it with a new lease on life and a load of buffs in the tank, ready to take on whatever challenge they have next.”


    <<<>>>


    [[Patron Message]]


    So it’s… basically a resort? And this Dipper is pandering to the Patrons who care enough about their Avatars to spend an extravagant amount of money to heal them.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    As one of those Patrons who would do such a thing, that doesn’t sound too bad. What’s the catch?


    <<<>>>


    “That’s my woman, asking the hard questions,” I said with a grin and a wink. “The other side of the coin is that Sedona can also be really dangerous. Psychic enemies are harder to deal with than most others, like ghosts. On top of that, there’s a lot of cracks to other dimensions where things from the beyond just… wander in. If the first scenario is breached, the safe zone becomes much, much smaller. Almost everyone dies. Since I don’t usually need healing and I don’t want the MVP so badly that I would send an entire city’s worth of people to their death, I avoid it.”


    <<<>>>


    [[Patron Message]]


    But it’s got something you want now.


    <<<>>>


    “It’s on the way,” I replied with a shrug. “I wanted to hit the Mall of America for the Copy Equipment scroll, which a person can use to gain copies of whatever another person is wearing. There’s another Warmind there who is absolutely terrible at the job. Like, can’t Lift a watch to save his life. He just can’t envision it in his head, right? But I have something that can get rid of his class so he can choose another one.”


    <<<>>>


    [[Patron Message]]


    You still have an unused Medallion of Uuska, right?


    Let me guess. The Copy Equipment scroll isn’t for you, but for him. You want him to have the same stuff as you so that you can go to one of these dimensional breaches outside of the safe zone and hunt for the Cowl. Is that right?


    <<<>>>


    I gave my girlfriend a thumbs up and a big smile. “Got it in one, love,” I said enthusiastically. “Psychic place, two Warminds, and a mental boss monster. It’s a great way to force another piece of the Warmongering Mystic set to drop. Plus, I’m going to pick something up that will help me defeat the Doppelganger before we get to Virginia. But we’ll get there in a moment.”


    Releasing a breath, I stood up and stretched. My muscles didn’t really get stiff from sitting still too long thanks to the system enhancing stats, but it felt good to move around.


    “Find the Warmind, negotiate for his help with a dimensional breach, get a hat and a skill and an item for later,” I said. “Hop back on the train, because we’re going to Los Alamos.”


    <<<>>>


    [[Patron Message]]


    Which is the place where the nationwide Manhattan Project scenario starts off. We’re not going to see that if your new plan works out, if I’m remembering correctly.


    <<<>>>


    “You are remembering correctly,” I confirmed. “That idiotic scenario shows up around ten months after the system appears. Los Alamos should be on its third scenario and everyone would have evacuated right now on account of the lizard.”


    Once I felt I had stretched enough, I laid on the bed and kicked my feet up, staring at the ceiling. “Big as a school, radiation spilling out of it everywhere, and really, really mean. Which is standard at this point,” I said with a slight shake of my head. “The radiation part is what gets the people, though. They know the boss is hidden somewhere, but before they find it hiding underground they’re forced out. Just staying within city limits is enough to keep taking damage constantly.”


    <<<>>>


    [[Patron Message]]


    That sounds terrible! Those poor people. Will the radiation damage be enough to make it through Heavenly Hero’s healing?


    <<<>>>


    “Alone? Yes. With the Staff of Raphael? No,” I responded, raising my hand up and summoning the staff. “Once I get it to emerge, I do my thing and start harvesting. Just like the Omega Colossus, I need its heart, but getting it is going to be a lot grosser considering it’s a living creature. And, as if that wasn’t enough, I have to be quick about it. It loses a lot of its potency very quickly, and I need it to remain radioactive for the Dealer’s device. There are other places in the world similar, but they’re all a long, long way out of our path.”


    Sending the staff back to my inventory, I cracked my knuckles and ran my fingers through my hair. “It’ll be good, though, giving the people something to come back to. Its skill book is also really handy. It’s an aura that, unlike Tyrant’s Will and Peacekeeper’s Will, actually deals damage. A good chunk of it, too, based on Constitution. It’s dangerous in groups because there’s no picking and choosing. Everything around you takes the damage.”


    <<<>>>


    [[Patron Message]]


    It sounds powerful at least. You seem to be fighting more and more titans lately. From the Merger Mannequin to the Omega Colossus, and now this oversized radioactive lizard. Before that was the Accumulator of Bones.


    Not that that’s a bad thing or anything. It’s just something I noticed. I almost wished they were worth more when it came to your items.


    <<<>>>


    “You and me both, Sara,” I chuckled. “Having something so large be worth multiple bosses would be amazing. It would also be fair, though, which is where the problem comes in. The administrators want people thinking they’re fair, but they’re anything but. Anyway, Los Alamos, lizard, take its heart before radiation decay makes it useless to me. Not easy, but I’ll make do with what I have. If one of those things happens to be a rotary saw or water cutter, then so be it.”


    I glanced upwards at the sky and waggled my eyebrows, being incredibly subtle with my hint.


    <<<>>>


    [[Patron Message]]


    You’ll get them when you get them, Anthony Franklin, and not a moment sooner. So don’t think about rushing me; it won’t do you any good.


    <<<>>>


    “I’d settle for another picture in the meantime,” I offered.


    <<<>>>


    [[Patron Message]]


    … Well, maybe I can speed up just a little.


    We’ll see.


    <<<>>>


    “Wow,” I laughed. “Alright, I see how it is. You do you, Sara. I’m happy with points, pictures, items, whatever. Nothing you do will disappoint me.”


    There was no response to that, but I was being honest. I know I had told her many times how great it was having her around. Not even very deep down, I was glad that she insisted she come with me on this trip. Her presence was soothing.


    “I’ll stop teasing you now, but only because we have one more stop before Jamestown,” I said.


    <<<>>>


    [[Patron Message]]


    You don’t have to stop teasing me, but okay. What’s the final stop?


    <<<>>>


    I gave the ceiling a thin smile. “The Doppelganger,” I said. “It’ll take my form, gain my stats, abilities, skills, passives, memories, tactics; everything it needs to be the best version of me it can be. I’ve never beaten it in a fair fight, so I have a plan, but…”


    Looking away, I stared off into the distance. “Like I told the guild, don’t get too excited about it. It’s not what you think it’s going to be. I might even ask you not to watch. Haven’t decided yet.”


    Sara’s response was delayed, but it did come.


    <<<>>>


    [[Patron Message]]


    Okay, I can see that there’s something going on with the Doppelganger that isn’t going to be pleasant for you. I promise that I won’t watch if you don’t want me to. Based on what you said, I imagine it’s not something you get into often.


    Whatever happens, just know this: I’m here for you, Ant, and I love you.


    <<<>>>


    Nodding, I forced a smile. “Thanks, Sara, I love you, too,” I said, feeling better just seeing her say those words.


    I’m too old to be this sentimental, I thought to myself. Then I took that thought and squashed it. I was allowed to be what I was.


    “Jamestown is the last bit before Dublin. That’s where I’ll meet up with the others, and I’ll be joining a war. The United States of America versus Atlantis. Not the one in Ostwriter’s story,” I said firmly, holding a finger up towards the sky. “And I hate that I have to think about it whenever I go to this part.


    “Atlantis, not Atlanta, is invading the east coast soon from Massachusetts to South Carolina. They approach Jamestown first, pushing the coastline back miles to do so. I think it’s because it’s the first permanent settlement we had in the US and the administrators are big on that kind of thing.”


    <<<>>>


    [[Patron Message]]


    They do like taking from anything they can get their hands on, don’t they? History, mythology, folklore, tales of all sorts.


    Taking from religion is the biggest reason why I’m stuck here in the Hall of the End, being what I am.


    <<<>>>


    I blinked at that. Thinking back, I realized that I had never heard Sara say anything negative about what she was other than it trapped her in the Hall.


    “Is that something you want to talk about?” I asked, genuinely interested and a little concerned.


    <<<>>>


    [[Patron Message]]


    Not at the moment, but I appreciate you, Ant. I saw the surprise on your face the moment you read my message. It doesn’t mean much at all, really.


    I’m happy with what I am, even if the circumstances of my creation aren’t ideal. Believe me, it’s something I’ve had time to come to terms with, thanks to you.


    Please, continue.


    <<<>>>


    “Well, always happy to help,” I said. “There’s not much more to say, though. We help defend Jamestown and beat back the invaders. They don’t disappear, there’s still a whole country under the sea full of conquerors, but they think twice about coming after America. If the Dealer’s plan doesn’t work, then we’ll make it to the point where we beat them back enough to make them sign a tenuous peace treaty. Then, we can go to Atlantis and find whole new quests and scenarios.


    “And that’s it. Was that enough to slake your thirst for nostalgia?” I asked.


    <<<>>>


    [[Patron Quest Complete!]]


    I’ll admit, I miss being with you while it happens, but yes. My nostalgia has been satisfied.


    Plus, now I know more about your future. Hopefully it helped work out some things for you, too?


    Reward: 2,000 points.


    <<<>>>


    “Yeah, it did. These talks have always helped,” I told the ceiling. “Just because I have it in my head doesn’t mean that I’ve got the plan all solidified in there with it. They’re mostly bullet points as I fly by the seat of my pants. This helps.”


    <<<>>>


    [[Patron Message]]


    Then I’m happy to be of service, honey.


    Now, that’s probably enough of a break. You still have hours to go but the grind never stops. Those letters won’t write themselves.


    <<<>>>


    “Truer words have rarely ever been spoken,” I agreed, nodding as I stood up. Heading back to the table, I got to work. Things were going to be very busy once I made it to Sedona.