“Mr. Fulgen, how do you handle delegating tasks?”

  “Huh? You mean like, making other people deal with my shit?”

  “Uh… in so many words?”

  “No way. That happens accidentally enough as it is. I would never do it on purpose.”

  I found it ironic that, even though I had crossed G-Tech’s private walkway to reach the hospital, while wearing a G-Tech uniform, I still had to show an ID to actually enter the hospital wing. Despite the situation, I was also inordinately amused that my new Licensed Vigilante Sorcerer badge functioned as a valid city-issued ID, and I flashed it for the first time.

  The waiting room sobered me up quickly. Most of Team Snowcrest was here, along with a few others. Dante and Junpei were sitting together, glaring at me as I entered as if I were personally responsible for this mess. Good to know some things never changed. Wally, Jessie, and Captain Tetsumi all surrounded a distraught Fu, whose left hand was bandaged.

  Chris paced like a caged animal. I didn’t know Tessa very well, but I got a real sense Chris was close to his lieutenant. I stopped at him first.

  “How is she?” I asked.

  Chris stopped and stared at me, as if he needed a moment to recognize me. “Hello, Jett. She’ll live. We got to her in time. They think they can reattach her legs.”

  I nodded, giving Chris a moment. I could tell he was barely holding together. “Will she uh, recover fully?”

  Chris grimaced. I didn’t need to explain what I meant. Tessa’s greatest strength as a sorcerer was her speed. Losing that would be devastating. “They think so. Some assistance from our healers, her own resilience. The cuts were clean, the edges even partly preserved by Mantis’s own freezing power. In a way, we’re lucky.”

  “How long?”

  “That’s a tougher question. Weeks? Months?” He put a hand on my shoulder, his expression intense. “We need you, Jett, is what we really need. Your fire could devastate Mantis, and I could shield you from her ice. Together we’d be unstoppable. I’ve been trying to convince Marin to drop this whole test and just let you in, but she won’t have it. You’ve got to win this. How far along are you?”

  “Nearly done with my second class. I think I have enough of a buffer to try to synthesize a skill specific to skidsticks—my preferred weapon—and make that my last focus class. If that doesn’t work I’ll take the lancer focus and try again later.”

  “Good. That’s a good plan. Ugh, those bastards. I have a strange, sick feeling they did this on purpose. That they did this to Tessa to—to bait us.”

  I glanced over at Wally’s own metal-encased legs, feeling a pang of guilt and a strange sense of deja vu.

  “Sounds like you’d better be careful then,” I said.

  What a weird thing for me to say.

  “Oh, we will. But we’re also going to make them pay. If we catch so much as a flicker of Brick’s shield or a twinkle of those ice claws we’re raining hell down on the spot.”

  “No, mom! I’m sticking this out!”

  It was Fu, berating her mother and Jessie’s boss. At least, I thought she was still Jessie’s boss.

  Chris nodded at me. “I’ll be fine, Jett. Go talk to your friends.”

  “Fireman!” Fu groused as I approached. “You know anything about dealing with overbearing mothers?”

  “Fushigi!” the captain hissed. “You’re really going to ask him that? That isn’t even funny!”

  “Oh.” Fu clasped her hands and lowered her head. “Right, that. Shit Fireman, I’m sorry.”

  “I apologize for my daughter, Mr. Fulgen.”

  I found a seat across from them. “Hey, I’ve said worse. Besides, don’t apologize too much. I hear Fu and Wally are making good progress on my new weapon, right?”

  “Oh. Hell yeah!” said Fu, clearly relieved by the change of subject. “Fireman’s weapon is gonna kick ass! We forged real goldsilver for it!”

  “Using metal,” said Wally. Noting our confused glances, he added, “Heavy metal. The uh, music genre. Fu’s a good guitarist.”

  “She’s not going to take a leave of absence, captain,” said Jessie wearily. “None of us are, after that. I’m just sorry we didn’t finish those two off the first time we fought them.”

  “And I need to get out there too,” I said. Wally and Fu both nodded, but Jessie looked at me more skeptically. “Chris just said it. If we were fighting side by side I could hit Mantis where it hurts, and Chris could absorb her counterattacks. So, Wally? Fu? How close are you?”

  “The part fabrication is almost done,” said Fu. “Sabaton?”

  “A few more tweaks to the electronics and the firmware,” Wally confirmed. “I’ll need to do some calibrations once you start using it too. You’re sure your powers will protect the electronics from damage?”

  Habby appeared. “As I’ve said time and time again, Jett’s Imbue Weapon skill has protected the electronics in his current weapon and will continue to do so with his new one! How many times… oh.”

  Everyone was staring at Habby, slack-jawed.

  “Nice one, Habby,” I said, rubbing my forehead. I hadn’t been planning this reveal for right now, but as I thought about it, maybe everyone could use the levity. “So everyone, this is Habby, and this development is new. I was going to save it for a surprise during a less somber moment, but what the hell? My avatar skill just tiered up, so now you all get to see him. And hear him. I apologize in advance.”

  “Oh my Shones, Fireman!” Fu squeaked, pointing. “Is that your thingy?”

  “No, it’s my lecti.”

  “Hold on.” Wally took a deep breath. “‘Habby?’ You made your mystical spirit guide that stupid character you made up for that stupid chili pepper show?”

  “Capsaiders is art, Wally! But yes. It was slightly involuntary—the image popped into my head at a critical moment and stuck like glue—but that’s the gist of it.”

  “He’s certainly different,” Captain Tetsumi offered.

  “It… actually kind of fits you,” said Jessie. She watched Habby preen under the attention with an odd fascination. “In every possible way.”

  “Really?” I asked.

  She nodded. “Spicy, feisty, whimsical, and a total pain in the ass. If that doesn’t scream Jett Fulgen, I don’t know what does.”

  Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

  “He’s so cute!” said Fu. “I kinda wanna hug him, even though he’s on fire!”

  Habby looked at me, then at Fu, and seemed to consider.

  “You know,” he said, “my fire can’t actually burn you.”

  Zap.

  [What did I say? That wasn’t inappropriate! What did I say?!]

  “Anyway,” I said with a cough. “Do you two think you can finish up within the next few days? No pressure if you need a little time, Fu.”

  “Nah,” she said with a wave of her hand. “I already know what’s gonna happen, even though they haven’t announced it yet. Snowcrest is gonna borrow someone from another team, probably Cyclone. We’re all gonna be on call twenty-four hours, sleeping in the barracks, cooped up in HQ like… well, like you, Fireman. I’ll need something to do. Hell, unless the Garrison strikes again and interrupts me I’ll have it done in a day or two and be looking for… other distractions.” She tossed her purple hair and gave me a wink.

  “Right.” I looked to Captain Tetsumi. Her face was both knowing and apologetic.

  “How ‘bout you, Wall?” I continued

  Wally shrugged. “Probably the same. Except for the being on call part.”

  “What about the distraction part?” asked Fu with a smirk.

  “That too!” Wally turned red. “Wait, no. Maybe? That is, perhaps I would like–”

  “Right then,” I said, standing up. “I’m going to get back to learning just what makes Feverflame so fever-y. Once that’s done, I think what you guys are building will help me with the next step.”

  Branch Class: Feverflame Adept has reached Tier 1 Level 10. Feverflame Adept has been mastered. Skill lost: Feverflame Immolate. New skill unlocked: Feverflame, Tier 2 Level 1; Universal. Compatible skills: Fireball, Torch, Immolate. Two Class Points earned. One more Class Point required to promote to Tier 3.

  I experimented with combining Feverflame with my Fireball and Torch skills and blasting the training targets. I was satisfied that they didn’t scorch the wood surface at all but left it noticeably warmer. Importantly, the warmth was detectable if I reached around and felt the back of the panels.

  I had also requested a life sized wooden training dummy, just in case. This might be a big day in more ways than one.

  “Ok, Valery!” I called. “It worked! I’m ready! Can you call down to the workshop?”

  “Thank the Shones!” Valery said. “I’m sick of these two assholes—”

  “Hey, Fireman!” Fu yelled, followed by a squawk of feedback.

  I immediately heard clomping, followed by a click. A few moments later the door to the practice room slid open.

  “Catch, Fireman!”

  Something long, black, and sleek flew at me. I caught it easily.

  I gazed in wonder at my new weapon as Wally and Fu approached.

  Its profile was almost identical to Bullet Train. Sleek, cylindrical, tapered at the front, exhaust port in back. Divided into three sections of identical length, with the thin grippable handle section in the middle. Rather than being painted with actual windows and connection seams, it was more of a suggestion of a maglev train, black with malevolent-looking red stripes extending back from the nose suggesting the sides and top. It was noticeably heavier than Bullet Train—all the better to brain enemies with—and I noted that it was perfectly balanced, a flaw Fu had noticed during our initial tour of HQ.

  I summoned Bullet Train and held the two weapons side by side.

  They were indeed twins, or at least siblings. I looked lovingly at the skidstick that had gotten me through my brief pro days, then been both my escape and my vice during my wild days as Red. It had once been decorated with dents and dings, but those had been smoothed out by the self healing qualities of the Bind Weapon skill. It had smacked brawling competitors, an unhinged engineer named Troy Maddux, several grunts, Mantis, and a giant titan cat monster. I had so many memories tied to this old thing. Part of me wanted to keep it forever.

  But I also knew it needed a rest now. There were harder trials ahead, and the old girl wasn’t built for them. It had served me well, but it wasn’t cut out to deal with monsters like the demon cat titan. Or Mantis. Or whatever the hell the Garrison would throw at me next.

  I propped Bullet Train up in a corner of the room and, eyes watery, I whispered the words that severed the aetheric bond: “I forsake you as my weapon.”

  Bullet Train’s aether powered control screen went out. Nothing else about it changed. A power cell would bring it back on. It would behave just like its old self, before it became a bound weapon and joined me on this mad journey. Still, I felt a strange sense of mourning. I sniffed as I turned away.

  I hefted the new weapon.

  Night Train.

  “I take you as my weapon.”

  Night Train came to life with a deep hum. The shape of its engine chamber was optimized for Rocket Thruster, and a red glow emanated from the exhaust port. The screen switched on, and it gave me an accurate internal temperature reading. It quickly climbed to over five hundred degrees.

  I performed a few practice thrusts and swings. I moved across the room in a couple of quick bursts. I took a couple of practice shots at the targets using imbued fireballs. Every so often Wally would call me over and punch a code into the control panel, fine tuning the weapon.

  ?Amazing. It’s so responsive. It drinks in aether and uses it incredibly efficiently.?

  [That’s the cantorium at work. There are only a few ounces of goldsilver in the entire device, but it makes a big difference. It is a truly remarkable weapon.]

  “Well?” asked Wally.

  “It’s great,” I said, spinning Night Train.

  “And?” asked Fu. “You gonna switch modes or what?”

  ?Can you sense the trigger??

  [One moment… Ah yes, I see. On your command, Jett.]

  I eyed the wooden dummy. I lunged and battered it with a barrage of strikes. The room rang with the impacts, and smoky splinters flew. Then I mentally activated the trigger, and I stabbed.

  The front section of Night Train split in half. The train facade broke away, the two halves immediately dissolving into flame. Underneath was a leaf shaped spear blade. It sank into the dummy with a hiss, and when I withdrew it flames licked a thin hole in the dummy’s torso.

  The blade glowed red, its color and intensity fluctuating like coals in a wood fire. When I moved the weapon the blade glowed brighter and more yellow, like real coals growing hotter from wind or breath.

  That wasn’t the only part of the weapon that had transformed, either. I swung the deadly skidstick around and smashed the side of the dummy’s head with the back end of the weapon. More smaller panels had fallen away here, leaving the weapon’s weight balanced and revealing Night Train’s other deadly surprise. Four small emerged from the cylinder of the back section, arranged every ninety degrees. They were curved and pointed like narrow rocket fins. They were made of the same cantorium-coated blade material as the front of the spear, and they glowed in the same way. The overall effect was like a flanged mace.

  I drew thick, burning gouges into the dummy with the mace end, spun the weapon back around, and performed one last boosted stab. The dummy split completely in half, and the pieces dropped to the floor, kicking up flames and smoke.

  “Kickass, Jett!” said Valery. “Now put out before you set off smoke alarms!”

  I opted for one of my newer skills that I hadn’t gotten much practice with yet: Command Fire. Holding out my hand, I willed the flames and coals of the burning dummy to reduce. It took a couple minutes, and the skill leveled up to tier 1 level 5 in the process, but soon the wreckage of the dummy wasn’t even smoking.

  I spun the weapon one last time. As I did, the back fins retracted and the breakaway panels reappeared. I held the weapon up, now whole and comparatively innocuous-looking again.

  I turned to the two crazy engineers who had forged my new weapon. This stick was far better than Bullet Train. It was better than any spear. It was even better than bacon.

  “Yeah,” I said. “This’ll do.”

  [Great. Now comes the hard part. Remember, you must have an exact vision of–]

  I blocked Habby out. In my mind and my menus, I examined the Spear Aptitude skill. It had served me reasonably well, but it was made for polearms with blades. Something I hadn’t been able to give it until a few moments ago.

  The aether construct for the skill was both alien and familiar at the same time. It was in the shape of my own body, and it moved, performing thrusts, stabs, and swipes with an invisible spear.

  I compared what I saw to what I knew. To what I had felt, both past and present. The majestic sweeps of skid jousting. The powerful jab of a boosted thrust, when you had to work harder to keep the stick from flying out of your hands than you did to shove it at your enemy. The glory of crossing the finish line after a long race and holding the stick over your head as you coasted to a stop. Everything that made skidding, and skid brawling, a different animal from any staff or spear. I knew these differences like the back of my hand.

  So when I rearranged the aether construction and pulled the various parameters and triggers into place, it happened almost entirely by instinct.

  You have synthesized a new skill: Skidstick Aptitude from the tier 2 skill, Spear Aptitude. Skidstick Aptitude will begin at Tier 2 Level 1.

  [What? What?! Now, that just isn’t fair!]

  ?Hey, I’ve been doing since I was thirteen, every day I could get away with it. You can’t have a much more exact vision than that.?

  Skidstick Expert. Tier 1 Focus Class. Prerequisites: Skidstick Aptitude skill, tier 2 or higher. Further increases aptitude and learning speed when using a skidstick either as a weapon or a mode of transportation. Completion reward: Skidstick Aptitude will be upgraded to Skidstick Expertise.

  I dismissed Night Train and gave both Wally and Fu a hug. “You guys both rock. Find your distractions; I’m in the home stretch. Have the popcorn ready; I’ll be asking Marin for her mystery challenge before you know it.”