Father of Constructs [LitRPG]: The Janitor Killed the World Boss by Aaron Renfroe

Author:Aaron Renfroe [Renfroe, Aaron]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Pivot Press, LLC
Published: 2023-09-18T16:00:00+00:00

***

Much later, after Boxton was curled up asleep on one of the train cars, Tabitha turned to Harvey. They’d been working in the cab for several hours, and both were covered in oil. Taking apart the transmission and changing the configuration to receive direct force had proven more complex than he’d initially assumed. Despite that, and all they’d done the previous day, the old man was tireless, as if the very act of engineering or building things gave him energy. She felt a pang of jealousy, mixed with awe. By all accounts, the man was in his sixties. Few people survived that long, let alone folks like Harvey. Yet here he was, outdoing them all.

“You really seem to enjoy teaching,” Tabitha observed quietly.

Holding a hand up, Harvey said, “Nine-sixteenths.” Reacher’s hand slid through the open door, passing him the wrench. Twisting his hips in some odd, contortionist way, he applied pressure just so. The stubborn bolt snapped free, cracked in half, as if Harvey had exerted as much crushing force as the construct’s grip. Tsking, he tossed the bolt aside and continued his work.

“Teaching is a lot like cleaning,” Harvey said after a few moments.

“How so?”

He used the tip of the wrench to scratch under his nose, smearing brown grease over his upper lip without noticing. “Well, being a janitor was all about putting things in the right way. Picking up what shouldn’t be left around, or putting trash where it belongs, and so on.”

“And how is that like teaching?”

“I figure it’s right for people to know how to do things. It lets them do for themselves. It also lets them do for others. The world can’t be right when people are ignorant or take things for granted.”

Tabitha tapped the wall of the cab. “Aren’t we making something that people will take for granted?”

“Maybe.” Harvey shrugged. “I’m not responsible for what people do with it, after. It’s not like we’re making an esoteric weapon. Those you have to be careful about. Children should not be given knives.”

“Children?”

He nodded. “People who can’t pick up after themselves and make messes. Those are children. Adults shouldn’t give them weapons. And they certainly don’t need to know how to make them.”

“According to who?” She eyed him suspiciously. “Is this from one of those old skills the Screw drilled into your head?”

“Nah.” Harvey gave her a big, gap-toothed grin. “It’s from me.” He hooked a thumb at his chest. “I just figured it out.”

“You just figured it out?”

“Yup.”

“How?”

Turning back to the work, he used a length of string to measure the gap he’d created. Nodding approvingly, he grabbed a small hammer and banged on a length of supporting steel beneath the conductor’s booth.

Pting!

“Sound’s right. It should hold.”

Tabitha glared at him. It wasn’t fair that he could just listen to metal and know stuff about it. “How did you figure it out?” she pressed.

Harvey stopped what he was doing and turned to face her. Setting his tools aside, he gave her a frank look. “I haven’t been smart for very long, and my memory from before isn’t the best.

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