She's still sulking.
We've already left Ruvere but she hasn't said anything since.
I've never encountered this scenario before. She's sad because some people she didn't know died... I can't understand this. Just because I know something happens, it doesn't mean I understand the 'why'.
I'm not sure what I should do...
-Claud Branford's Willpower: 4/24-
"Here, eat."
I offer fruit to her but she lazily chews on it while it's still in my hand.
She's becoming dependent, it's like she has mentally regressed into a toddler.
It's not as if she'll get better if I yell at her. I'll placate her for now.
We're out of fruit. Even while sad, she ate the whole tray... That's a good thing. She hasn't lost her appetite yet.
I want to go wash my hands.
Hmm?
Don't tug on my shirt... it's not like I'm leaving forever.
-Claud Branford's Willpower: 3/24-
"I'm just going to wash my hands. Wait here alright."
Without responding, she releases her grip.
Sigh.
Hmm.
Looking out the corridor window, it's dark out and foggy but I can see something moving within the strait. It's large. Bigger than this train at the bare minimum.
Something's off.
The hum of the engine. The dissipated mana in the air is increasing.
Spark.
The train is speeding up?!
But we're about to pass over the last bend to Eindell!
This train's going to derail.
I ran into the cabin and called the butler.
-Claud Branford's Willpower: 2/24-
"Butler! It's an emergency! Take Sophie to the second class carriages now! Sophie, get up! You have to move now!"
"C-Claud?"
What's going on in the engine room?
Bang!
What the hell's going on in here?!
"Captain! The train isn't slowing down! The lever isn't working!"
Useless bastards!
I shouldn't have come here.
The train is burning mana. I don't have a large enough capacity to absorb a train's output.
Although I've been diligently following advice from the Swordsman and Priest instructors, I just haven't reached that level yet!
My stats aren't enough!
[Name: Claud Branford
Age: 13
Title: Little Tyrant of Branford
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
Personality: Foul mouthed (Legendary), Empathy, Entitled, Calculative, Selfish, Sadistic (Super Rare)
Class: Priest (Villain)
Skills: Heal Lv1, Mana Mastery (Passive) Lv1, Covert Taunt
Stats
Strength: 24 +1
Vitality: 13
Dexterity: 24
Intelligence: 34 +1
Luck: 38
Karma: -1650
Willpower: 2/24]
I probably don't have enough Vitality to survive a descent of a few hundred feet like this. And that's doubly so for Sophie.
Off in the distance, I can still see the presence in the strait glowing ominously...
Sophie, please use your skill!
Ally Empower is clearly a buff skill of some kind!
We'll coat ourselves with mana and with your skill, we might survive!
Running from the engine room, I can see them through the corridor, several carriages down.
-Claud Branford's Willpower: 1/24-
"Sophie! The train is about to derail! Use your skill!"
Skid.
The world turned.
Sophie emitted a bright light.
That was the last thing I saw before being knocked unconscious.
----------------------------------------
-Willpower: 1/24-
I-I'm alive.
Where am I? I'm laying on my side.
It's too dark.
-Willpower: 0/24-
H-heal.
How bad is the damage? it's probably not too severe. I just feel uncomfortable all over.
I'm tired but I somehow manage to roll onto my back.
Oh. There's a window above me.
That's not where that's supposed to be.
I'm surprised the train managed to stay so intact, some of the windows haven't shattered. The train must've had protection spells cast on it.
Ugh...
I have to get up...
Rolling onto my side, I use my arms and legs to push myself into standing.
"H-help..."
Huh? It's the voice of one of the useless bastards from the engine room. He's still alive?
Forget him for now. You're not my concern.
I need to get to my cabin. Our medical kit is in there. Sophie's probably hurt worse than me... I need to hurry up and check on her.
I've adjusted... I can make out rough shapes now.
I drop into our cabin to feel around for luggage flung across the room.
Found my bag. I strap it onto my back. I grab one of Sophie's bags too. She'll want clothes.
Using the bunk bed ladder, I hoist myself up and over the door.
"H-help please..."
This guy... he can't even get out from under the rubble?
"Fine... I'll lift this crap off you. You better compensate me for this. Otherwise there'll be hell to pay. You asked me for help after all."
"T-thank you. Thank you..."
Going down the corridor, I find debris and rocks blocking the way. Looks like I'll have to climb out the window.
Once outside, I don't see as many passenger cars as expected. Why?
Through the thick fog, I could see a towering figure in the distance. That must've been the glowing thing in the middle of the strait... It's at least three stories tall.
Looking around, I noticed on the mountain, I could make out some lights.
Are those the other carriages?
It seems during the derailment, the engine and first class carriages were decoupled from the rest. But does that mean 2nd class is safe? Or...
I'll have to look through the other carriages.
----------------------------------------
I was lucky.
The engine and carriage I was in were the only lead carriages that survived. The rest of first class fell on rocks and were mangled. Mine fell in sand so the impact wasn't as bad.
Only three 2nd class carriages came down. They look fairly alright.
But upon entering, the damage was more obvious internally.
Nobody survived the fall. Even if Sophie's skill covered them, they didn't have mana training and their Vitality were probably too low.
I didn't find Sophie in the cars and she couldn't have fallen out, the windows were still intact.
That's good.
It's just me.
The derailment was at the bend before Eindell. That's about 50 miles left. A shorter distance than Oliver Twist had to walk. Hehe.
It's manageable.
----------------------------------------
That monster from the strait is moving onto land. Despite the fog, I can see its appearance now, 4 elongated limbs, a head, roughly humanoid with streaks of mana emitting all over.
But it's moving oddly stiff.
It's approaching the train. Is it eating it? It didn't touch anything besides the engine.
Was it after the mana in the engine?
Did it affect the train's controls somehow? Causing it to burn more mana and run faster so it would derail down here.
This was premeditated.
I thought about this before while fighting the goblins but monsters really do think intelligently. This is why I'd never want to be on the frontlines.
I better drop my mana barrier. If it decides to come chomping on me because I'm emitting mana, I'd hate that.
But as I'm thinking that, it stops moving. Its feet are now burrowing into the ground, kicking up a large dust cloud.
Soon the dust settles.
It planted itself? That's the only imagery that comes to mind.
The ground starts rumbling, light seeps out through the dry cracks in the earth.
It's growing something on its head in the shape of a budding flower.
Suddenly, it blooms.
An erupting noise tears through the air.
A shroud of what looked like giant tumbleweed, enveloping the sky, floated slowly downwards. Pollen?
I'm not waiting around to see what that is about. But I don't think I can escape the radius of the explosion.
Tumbleweeds were already landing further ahead of me faster than I could run.
Upon landing, the tumbleweed unfurled and starting spreading white tendrils, deforming the landscape.
I can't let that nasty crap grab me.
But I don't think I can outrun the pollen shower. No choice, this cliff face has to suffice.
I wrap my uniform's cape around my head and nose. Definitely not going to let the pollen enter my respiratory system.
I start digging out a trench into the dirt by the cliff face with my scabbard.
Then I got spare blankets and clothes to cover myself with and bury myself in with some dirt.
Finally, I put up as thick of a mana barrier as I could.
I might end up as a preserved mummy like this. Maybe some archaeologists will stumble upon me one day. Hah.