Skating for all I was worth, I slowly gained on the train, which was also speeding up. As I neared, I could see the darkness within fade, the roots crack and die. By the time I leapt inside, there were just dessicated woodchips around a bled-out war-mage corpse.

  I looted a scroll of bark skin, a guide to bonsai, and a route map off the corpse, then headed inwards. The rear was apartments—I looted a shelf of books, figuring mages might have valuable tomes—then a chamber with dozens of huge pots for bonsai. Only half the pots were full, and I realized that the planted bonsais had names on them.

  I stared for a moment. The AI description about turning me into a bonsai had perhaps not been wrong. I took those, too.

  There was also a far-larger bonsai at the center of the chamber, dead. It was the source of the huge roots that had stopped the train. I realized that all of the shards of that plant were listed as reagents and scooped up Dessicated Enchanted Bonsai Splinters by the armful.

  Next was an empty car, presumably where the trap started, then more bonsai—thousands more dessicated splinters—and another apartment and seven more books.

  A small door led past the engine into the control compartment, where I could see from the dry, crumbling wood that the mages had used their bonsai powers to control it. I could hear the engine getting louder and louder, but couldn't make sense of the controls.

  On the other hand, we were going incredibly fast. I finally figured out how to expand my mini-map and checked for the station I needed to transfer at, helpfully marked by the route map. At this pace, we were maybe five minutes out.

  I hopped onto the back, waited until we were almost there, and jumped to the rails, braking enough that I was in control as I reached the a station full of stage-2 Dreks. It was crowded, but far from overwhelmed. I killed a few on the way to the safe room—empty—then headed out the other side.

  Hurrying down two stations, I found the tunnel strangely quiet. There were some ghouls, but not enough to be a problem. The next station was vacant, including its safe room, and then I was on a train platform decorated with bright posters in a language I didn't know.

  The label in the weird language the dungeon let me read said Aureolin, and I didn't bother waiting for another deathtrap train. Hopping onto the rails, I skated as fast as I could. It was almost an hour on that I heard the train behind me, slowly gaining.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Jack Smith 4: The Death's Head just shot past at like a thousand miles per hour. What happened?

  Maddy: Everything was dead and it was accelerating. I don't know how trains work, so I left it.

  Jack Smith 4: Okay. Cool. Next time, tell us. You know steam trains can expode, right?

  Maddy: Oh no! I'm so sorry. I didn't even think about that.

  Jack Smith 4: It's all good. I discover a new way to make a mistake every minute I'm down here.

  I couldn't pay much attention, focusing far more on keeping ahead of this train. It was gaining, gaining, and there was my stop. I braked hard, slowing drastically as the train closed, and leapt onto the platform with inches to spare.

  "All aboard the Suicide Direct!"

  This time, I believed the name, speeding past the raging babababoons in that station and getting onto the rails on the opposite side.

  It was a fairly straight shot to the Nightmare Express. According to the map being shared around, I had a long ways to go on its entirely-clear tracks.

  Cool.

  I entered a sprinter's crouch, steadied my breathing, and took off. It felt amazing to go that fast, the wind ripping past as I sped through the tunnel. Maybe this was foolish, the risk of something getting in the way, but on the other hand I was up to 80 constitution at this speed. 81. 82.

  New Achievement! Run Like the Cops are Chasing You.

  You managed to break 150 kilometers per hour without the help of conveyance, spell, or falling off a fucking cliff. Now, are you sure you can stop?

  Reward: You received a Silver Adventurer Box!

  I was sure I could stop, skidding to a clean halt at station 83. I began messaging people, asking if anyone knew about the daughters, but quickly gave up. Those who replied just said they were busy.

  I bit my lip. I knew which line they had been on, and everyone was going down the tracks towards the stairs, so presumably I just had to make those transfers and then head down the tracks.

  There were still mobs to evade as I made that passage, but far less than I expected. Well, time to hope for the best. I headed down the line, keeping a measured pace, up until I saw an effectively-unending swarm of blister ghouls, whatever those were.

  That wasn't a group I was going to kill my way through. But, on the other hand, they looked to be staying at that one station. I turned back, getting about ten miles of run-up.

  Deep breathes, steady focus, date with Lacie, go.

  I built speed quick, getting well past 90 mph by the time they were in sight. Closer, closer, a few turning my way, and I drank an invisibility potion. Up onto the wall, feet gliding smoothly across it. A jump to skid along the sharp edge of the platform, down onto the rails again, three quick body-checks, and I was clear just as my four-second invisibility faded.

  There were still a lot of blister ghouls past that, but not dense enough that I worried about dodging them. As I continued past, I hurled some fastballs back into the mass, for practice, then continued until I found the press of battle, not too bad, around station 60.

  I cut a bit of a path, then darted through the opening in a mad dash, somehow certain this was the place.

  And there she was, right past some flying blue lady who was yelling at me to move. Lacie.