Honkai Get's Star Railed Chapter 14 (Patreon)

Things were quiet... Things were calm... I had a fucking human-shaped raccoon snoring loudly in a refrigerator box in my room.

I slowly opened my eyes as I awoke from my nap after spending like eight straight hours on my new phone. I just stared at the form of Stelle, whose legs were sticking out of the bottom of the box and kicking about.

"Stelle... What the hell are you doing in my room and camping out in a box?" I said in an annoyed grunt as I brushed the sleep from my eyes.

The snoring abruptly stopped along with the idle kicking motions, before the box shook violently with Stelle poking her head out the other side as she asked tiredly. "You awake now, Jake?"

I just stared at her before I said blandly. "Yes, yes I am awake now, Stelle. Why are you camping in my room?"

"Hmm, your room actually has air conditioning... The luggage room I prefer to relax and hide in. Doesn't have any." Stelle said before yawning loudly.

Shaking my head, I pushed back my blankets and moved to get up. But I paused as both of our phones chimed, and a message was sent to us.

[March 7TH- Guys! Himeko asked for everyone to meet at the entry hall for a group meeting!]

I looked back over at Stelle, whose golden eyes were illuminated by the phone's light. And she quickly looked up and got up. And before I could react, she said hurriedly. "Race you to tag March!"

And with the sound of socks pounding on wooden panel flooring, I watched with a wry expression as Stelle ran off.

"Well... That was something." I muttered before I drew a hand down my face, before I got up and got going.

After quickly changing my clothes and washing my face I made my way to the front train car and saw everyone was already there with Stelle throwing a 'proud' look at me.

"Yeah, yeah... I notice how you don't even have your shoes on." I said with a light chuckle as Stelle looked down at her sock-covered feet and back to me before Himeko coughed and said.

"I can't believe I didn't notice either. Go put on your shoes, Stelle."

And after Stelle ran off, I went and sat beside Dan Heng, who gave me a calm nod before he offered me a can of milk tea.

"Dan Heng! How could you give Jake one of my precious milk teas! I just ordered them!" March 7th said with a deadly pout.

In answer, Dan Heng raised a sharp eyebrow before he said pointedly. "Hmm? And who is the one who already ran out of their stipend buying a giant stuffed bear with totally unnecessary features?"

March 7th dramatically pointed at Dan Heng as she all but shouted. "A teddy bear without a heartbeat, vibrating hands, and self-cleaning fur isn't a teddy bear at all!"

I held out the can towards March and, with a shameless smile, I asked. "Heeeyyy March, can you cool this down for me."

Which earned another adorable pout from March 7th. But she did it with just an eye roll.

And within a couple of minutes, Stelle strolled back into the meeting room with Himeko, putting down her cup of nuclear death coffee with an elegant clacking noise as she put the cup and coaster on a table beside the couch she was sitting on.

"Ahem, now seeing as the Astral Express and it's new members are all here now. And more importantly, in good health, and well rested. We do have important things to discuss."

Himeko rested her hands in her lap before she glanced at Welt and said. "The Astral Express has in fact, recently got an invitation for the Charmony Festival. A very prestigious and important festival that is to take place on the planet of Penacony." 

Welt and Himeko continued to explain what the Charmony Festival was and a couple of details about the planet of Penacony. I couldn't help but smile as we were going to be stopped at least twice before we could even get to Penacony.

To say nothing of the months we would spend helping Jarilo rebuild their civilization, running back to Herta's Space Station to help her test the Simulated Universe and other experiments. Oh and of course, the whole situation over on the Xianzhou Loufu.

So after that realization, I then asked curiously. "Uhm, when does the Charmony Festival actually take place?"

Himeko cleared her throat and explained. "Ah, the actual main event of the Charmony Festival happens only once an Amber Era. So it could technically happen at any point now and possibly within the next fifty to five hundred years, depending on how Preservation is planning to swing his hammer."

My face twitched even as March coughed and whined. "Big sis Himeko! We can't just be living in Penacony even if it is an awesome place. Uhhhh is the point of going there now to learn when the real event is taking place?" 

Himeko shook her head and said patiently. "No March. I was hoping we could go there and just have fun in general, as Penacony is called the Planet of Festivities for a reason. The fun on that planet never ends." 

"And by arriving early, we can also settle our information for our hotel rooms that we have been offered for the duration of the Charmony Festival."

Everyone nodded in understanding with Himeko gently clapping her hands before she looked towards the end of the front carriage towards the engine room and the front of the Astral Express.

"Good, I am going to go speak with Pompom and get the Astral Express ready for a spatial jump. It will take me a few minutes to chart a course so don't be running around you two."

Stelle and I shared a look at being pointed out specifically and Dan Heng helpfully explained. "When doing a spatial jump, it does make the Astral Express a bit unstable, so if you were moving around, you could fall over."

And March giggled before she said excitedly. "Actually! Jake, Stelle come on over here! We are going to jump when the spatial jump starts! The winner is whoever is standing up right."

I looked to Welt and Dan Heng, who looked utterly uninterested in such childish activities... And for a moment I considered being 'cool' and just refusing before I met March 7th's earnest gaze who begged me to go along with her wishes.

And I just chuckled and said. "Fine! Let us compete to see who is stronger then!"

Time passed by all to quickly as I stood between March 7th and Stelle who linked arms with me, and all too soon Himeko's voice came over the PA system, and she began the countdown to the spatial jump.

A loud rumble ran through the Astral Express as the stars so easily visible in the front carriage's many windows, stretched out into lines of multicolored light.

Then March called out hurriedly. "Everyone jump!"

And the three of us jumped into the air as the whole Astral Express rumbled again and was surrounded by ethereal light as it shot forward and crossed great amounts of space.

Meanwhile... March 7th and Stelle both screamed as gravity forgot to take hold of us for a good moment and we were thrown backwards and with a loud thud we slammed into the back wall.

Ok. I slammed into the back wall with Stelle landing partly on my shoulder, and March having curled around to avoid the wall. Her ample chest was pressed directly into my face.

That wonderful sensation only lasted for a split second before gravity reactivated and we all fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"And that's why Pompom tells everyone to be sitting down." Dan Heng said with a small smile as Stelle and March 7th both just flopped over on the ground as the train tore through reality to head towards Penacony.

Just as I was about to respond with a grunt or something. I paused as the Chaos Gatcha piped up.

[In some way or another, travel faster than the speed of light without directly teleporting. 1 Diamond Ticket.]

I was actually suprised it gave me a Diamond Ticket for basically doing something that was rather 'common' in a high-level sci-fi setting. But then I realized that actually going faster than the speed of light was still a very difficult thing if you didn't have access to that super advanced technology.

And going faster then the speed of light in terms of pure speed wasn't nearly as common in magical worlds. Most of the time it was just pure teleportation, as mages were squishy.

So with a mental pull of the gacha, I mentally saw the resulting options swing by... Until it landed on something that made my face twitch.

[Grandmaster Medicine]|Legendary Skill|You have reached beyond human but not quite god level in terms of all fields of medicine and healing. You can perform surgery, modify bodies, and create legendary medicines as well as identify and know how to cure almost all illnesses and ailments. If you were in a cultivation world, you would be titled the medicine king.]

My body locked up as I briefly had a massive information download slammed into my brain. And then, after a moment, I realized that the term of 'God' in relation to the level of healing wasn't specified at all for good reason.

'Wait... I can literally cure the Mara Struck now. It would result in some memory loss and a significant loss of emotion generation. But it could restore people who have been entirely mutated into Abundance creatures.' I thought, with a helpless expression.

But this boost wasn't exactly a true power boost, even if it could have a good deal of help later on. After all, you can never have too strong of heals when it comes to helping your friends and allies.

Himeko's amused voice then rang out as she said fondly. "March 7th I see you have kept up your previous trial of trying to keep on your feet when we do a spatial jump. Are you two alright?"

I held up a thumbs-up and said helplessly. "Perfectly fine! Just staring up at the ceiling and contemplating my poor life choices."

March 7th who had already gotten up at this point and pulled Stelle up. Also stepped over me... And I inwardly noted that she was wearing some lacy white panties before March leaned down and offered me a hand and a wide grin as she said teasingly.

"Ha! And I say that Jake got last place in this challenge! March 7th the cutest remains the strongest of the Astral Express haha!" 

Rolling my eye's I took up March's hand and got up to take in the star systems that were just zipping by as we passed by them faster then my eyes could track.

"We will need to cross over several galaxies to enter the Asdana System, so it will take us another day to reach Penacony." Himeko said as she casually picked back up her cup of coffee and took an audible sip.

Stelle, March and I all shared a look before I grabbed Dan Heng by the shoulder and grinned before I said. "Goodie! That gives us a good while to play some of the board games I bought online. It's the perfect chance for us young trailblazers to build up a rapport with one another."

Dan Heng sighed before he said with a lazy but small smile. "Fine... But only if it's a short game. I wish to head back to the archives to do some more research on Penacony and the Family."