If you want to read up to 20 chapters ahead go to https://www.patreón.com/cornbringer
Discord invite: https://discord.gg/XHduApz
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Augsburg, Germany.
Of all places, the last piece of my unsolvable puzzle was here.
Heck, as soon as I had read the paper, a quest had appeared, legitimizing everything.
[Quest: The Super Soldier Serum - The Last Piece
Description: In the house of Abraham Erskine lays the last piece of the puzzle, the answer to all of your dead ends, the last ingredient to perfect your scientific conundrum.
Objectives: Enter the house of Abraham Erskine and find the hidden piece.
Rewards: The Last Piece.]
I suppose it is poetic in a peculiar sense, after all, Abraham Erskine the creator of the super-soldier serum, the scientific puzzle I was trying to solve, was born and raised here, in Augsburg, Germany.
In a way, everything started here.
"Well, time to find that last piece," I sighed, opening my map, according to the coordinates the Ancient One had given me, the last piece was on a house, quite anticlimatic if you asked me, but who was I to judge.
Closing my map with a blink, I walked towards the location setting a waypoint in my minimap.
I was close, very close, which is why I was taking the scenic route.
I had waited for so long for this last piece, for this last clue, that I wanted to take my sweet time, ironic considering how desperate I was for it before all of this began.
Eventually, without even noticing I reached the house, I suppose my own thoughts burned the purpose of the scenic route.
Taking a deep breath, I knocked at the door.
According to my minimap, there were four people inside the house.
"Was auch immer Sie verkaufen, wir wollen es nicht." [Whatever your selling, we don't want it] a man opened the door growling at me. [Lukas Müller LV 22]
So much for a first impression, "English?" I asked with a hopeful smile.
"An American?" Lukas sighed, "What do you want?" he asked in an exasperated manner.
"I want to check something inside your house, I will pay you for your time…" First there was the friendly approach, if the guy said no, well, there was the not-so-friendly approach.
"Why would I let you inside my house, with my family?" Lukas asked, glaring at me.
"My grandfather used to live here… I just wanted to see the house...," I lied with a smile, "You can follow me if you please, all I want is to connect with my roots, his roots."
Lukas raised an eyebrow at that, "What's your Opa's name?"
"Abraham Erskine," I replied without missing a beat, "He died during the war,"
"How much will you pay?" Lukas sighed, rubbing his eyes.
"How much do you want, it is your house, after all," I replied, smiling.
"5000 Deutschmarks?" Lukas answered.
"That's a lot, but I'll pay it," To be honest I had no idea how much was that, but fuck it.
"Fuck, wasn't expecting a yes on that one," Lukas chuckled, "Come in, I guess."
I smiled at him, whoever this man was, he was not a businessman, after all, you always ask for your money first.
"Thanks," I smiled at him, walking inside the house, where he proceeded to do some quick introductions.
Lukas, the somewhat angry man was a father of two, a girl and a boy, and was angrily married? I couldn't tell.
"Take your time, I want my money before you leave!" Lukas growled as I started to tour the house.
I sighed, searching each room methodically.
Until I reached the attic and found what I was looking for in the form of a shining beacon, my minimap started to blink, and there I realized I had reached the place I had been meant to find.
Following the minimap, I reached a wall in the attic, and with a bit of magic cracked the thing open, finding a journal.
The Journal of Abraham Erskine.
[Quest COMPLETED!!!: The Super Soldier Serum - The Last Piece
Description: In the house of Abraham Erskine lays the last piece of the puzzle, the answer to all of your dead ends, the last ingredient to perfect your scientific conundrum.
Objectives: Enter the house of Abraham Erskine and find the hidden piece.
Rewards: The Last Piece.]
I had done it, finally… I had the last piece, no more dead ends, no more incertitude, in my hands I held what I needed.
"You broke my wall?!" I heard Lukas growl, but I paid him no heed.
"I will double my payment," I said, giving him the money, cash.
"What is that," Lukas asked, glaring at the journal in my hands.
I looked at Lukas noticed his eyes gleaming with greed, "It's what's left of my family," I lied.
"I want to read that," Lukas growled, he probably thought I had a treasure map on my hands, why else I was here right? His mind was racing through a million thoughts, many of them probably related to the diary and the cash I had given him.
"No," I shook my head, putting the journal under my coat, aka my inventory.
"It was in my house, it's mine," Lukas growled, grabbing me by the collar of my shirt.
"You don't want to do this," I warned him with a smile, "I paid you, you made money today, I can even give you a tip… but if you go this route, you will lose that money in hospital bills."
Lukas scoffed, "Kid, whatever your Opa left here, it's now mine, so hand it over," his hand moved to my neck.
I sighed, "I tried to do this peacefully," disappointed with this development, I grabbed the hand holding me, "I told you," and with that, I broke his hand.
So little resistance, it was a horrible feeling, when was the last time I fought a normal human, they felt like crackers now.
"Ahhhh! Verdammter Mistkerl!" Lukas cursed, no idea what he was calling me though, my German classes didn't go so far for me to recognize insults.
"Here," I kneeled to his level, putting more money on his reach, "That should cover the arm," I winked, tapping his head, using Eldritch Magic to erase certain parts from his memory, my fake name, my fake grandfather, and why had we fought.
"Schatz?" I heard his lady wife say in a worried tone.
"He's here," I said, walking out of the attic.
The woman glared at me, which was understandable.
Sighing I approached the woman and with my Eldritch Magic did the same I had done with her husband, erasing certain parts of her memory, and then I left, for them, today was a day with a bittersweet ending, they helped a stranger, they made money, but unfortunately, as the stranger left, Mr. Lukas broke his arm on the way up to the attic, such sad turn of events.
If you want to read up to 20 chapters ahead go to https://www.patreón.com/cornbringer
Discord invite: https://discord.gg/XHduApz
For those wondering, my mom is fine, recovering from all the shit that has happened, currently living with me.
Momma corn sends love.
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I had finally done it, after so long, I had finally completed the super-soldier serum.
With Abraham Erskine's journal, I had managed to finally decode and recreate the formula that had haunted me for quite a while, to perfection. And now, in my hands, I held the final product, all there was left to do was test it out.
For that, however, I still needed something else, the last ingredient, figuratively speaking. The Vita radiation chamber in SHIELD's possession, which I had requested from Fury.
[Outside, with your big ass microwave,] I won't lie, when I got this message, I basically teleported myself to the door to receive what I was craving for.
"That was fast," Fury commented with a raised brow, "So, can I know why you need this old thing?" he inquired.
"I am testing some stuff," I replied avoiding the subject with a smile, "Basically I am researching about Vita radiation, and the effects on human biology," technically the true.
Fury hummed with a blank look, "Good enough for me," he eventually shrugged.
"You really never question my projects," I chuckled, as the SHIELD agents he had brought moved the Vita radiation chamber into my room.
"Alex, you're like a cat," Fury replied with a chuckle.
"In what way?" I asked, confused by his analogy.
"A cat is happy when left to do his own thing, I don't press on you, and you don't fuck me, as simple as that," Fury replied with a grin.
"Hm," A cat, well, I guess it could be worse.
At this Goose came to the door purring, with her tiara.
"Hello princess," Fury bowed.
At this, Goose purred even louder, as she left the door happy with the respects Fury had paid to her.
"Goose the Princess that eats furniture," I chuckled.
"It's a cat, they do weird shit," Fury shrugged, "Anyway, I have to go, terrorists to kill, agents to train, bitches to slap, you know, the usual."
"See you Sunday for movie night," I waved at him, slowly closing the door.
"See ya then," Fury waved back, leaving his people.
Finally without anyone else in the area, except Bucky and Goose, because the girls were in school, I moved to inspect the Vita radiation chamber. [Vita Radiation Chamber - Broken]
Broken? Ha! Not for long!
"Bucky!" I called.
"You called?" Bucky replied, coming out of nowhere.
"That was fast," I nodded.
"I was waiting behind this wall," Bucky replied without missing a beat, "I was bored," he added after a few seconds.
So he was getting empty nest symptoms during the day… I might need to find the man a hobby, "Ok, well, help me move this to the lab," I pointed to the Vita radiation chamber.
"This was it, right?" Bucky asked, "The one they used on Steve to make him the first super-soldier right?"
"Not sure," I replied, looking at the chamber, "But perhaps," I added.
Bucky smiled, "Let's move this thing," he said with a hint of sadness, I almost felt bad for not telling him Steve was alive.
After a long painstaking process of geometry to move the Chamber to my lab, I started working on the chamber, I had, after all, to fix the thing, which would be easy, barely an inconvenience, considering all the fucking skills I had hoarded for this very moment.
"How long do you think it will take you to fix this?" Bucky asked, he was working as my assistant for today, I needed the extra muscle.
I hummed, cleaning my hands with a towel from the oil and other things, "Well, I say a few extra hours at best, a few days at most,"
"Fury doesn't know, right?" Bucky asked.
"No," I shook my head.
"Smart," Bucky muttered.
"The higher-ups would target me if they caught wind about my projects," I nodded, for the moment the council heard about my secret projects, they would turn on me.
"Not that it would make much of a difference," Bucky snorted, "They can't take on us,"
"No, but like my grandpa used to say, no enemy is too small, everyone can be a threat," I replied with a sigh.
"Wise I suppose," Bucky sighed.
With that said and done, we returned to our work, we still had a few good hours before I had to pick Emily and Nat up from school, six hours to be precise, and I would make good use of them.
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Six hours later, and the Vita radiation chamber was still not up to optimal conditions, but if I continued working like I was, I estimated I would finish fixing the thing up by the end of the day, but first, I had to pick my girls from school.
"Well, that's enough for the moment," I whistled, cracking my neck. "I'm off to pick up the girls, thanks for the help."
Bucky nodded, "I will order some food, is Chinese good?"
I nodded, walking out of the lab, using magic to clean myself up, and change my attire, "That sounds good enough,"
"Perfect," Bucky replied, grabbing a towel to clean his face.
"Keep an eye on Goose, if she eats the chamber, I will muzzle her for a month!" I shouted for Goose to hear.
"Will do," Bucky chuckled.
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I picked the girls from school, and like every Wednesday took them to pick some donuts for after lunch.
"A boy was flirting with Nat!" Emily blurted out, getting a glare from Nat.
"Poor parents," I sighed as I shook my head, "To lose their kid so young…"
"Dad!" Nat gasped, which melted my heart, this was the first time she had called me dad.
"What?" I asked with an innocent smile.
"Don't kill him," Nat muttered, "I don't like him, but he likes me, which is not a sin," she stated.
"I wouldn't do such a thing," I replied in amused shock, then again…
"Don't worry, as if I would date a brainless kid," Nat smirked, "I have high standards,"
"He or she has to be stronger than me," I winked.
"So… a nun, that's my future?" Nat replied with a blank look.
"That sounds… not bad actually," I hummed as if I was actually thinking about it.
Nat chuckled before she turned to see Emily with narrowed eyes.
"Don't look at me like that, we promised daddy that we would not date until we were 80!" Emily puffed her cheeks in indignation.
"85!" I chimed in with a chuckle.
"I pity our love interests in the future," Nat chuckled.
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