image [https://imgur.com/JtWwO1w.jpg]
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I reached the train car just before the caboose, making sure to use my INVENTORY menu to swap my clothes out for a combat ready outfit. My battle dress was in gnarly shape from my last fight, so all I had that worked at my current level was a blue and gold Nazalian Mage Tunic.
My snake, Samael, slithered out from under my dematerializing hat and coiled up around my hair, giving me a ponytail. I had a good feeling a fight was on the horizon, so I needed to be ready.
This part of the train was a passenger car; the last one before the caboose. Only a single mafia guy stood guard at the very end of it. Just his hulking stature could have been enough to intimidate anyone from getting past. That tailored suit of his looked like it was about to burst from his sheer size.
Based on where he was, I had to assume they probably already found Tori and the woman. So I had to get past him fast.
Despite his clear objective to block anyone like a human wall, he didn’t look very serious about it. He was chatting with someone on a walkie talkie, but very quietly, not to be heard out loud.
I twisted my ear and deployed the antenna in my head to listen in on his signal.
“I don't know if I can do this, Maria! I'm freaking out.” He had this really deep voice, but sounded kinda like a kid with that tone.
“Can you stop calling me every fifteen seconds?” A woman, presumably Maria, argued over the line. “I'm supposed to be updating the team on everyone's status!”
“You saw the movie, Snakes on the Train! Man, I just don't think I could take it if I saw one of those little Satan's slithering around… I hate snakes!”
“Would you calm down and keep the comms clear? Just stay at your post, cry baby. If anyone comes by, don't let them through.”
Oh my gosh… Seriously? Who would have thought this burly guy's weakness would be snakes? Well, that made this pretty easy.
“Samael, I choose you!” I reached over my head and pulled Samael from my hair.
He leapt right out of my hands, his jaw parting wide, blessing us with a clear view of his tiny fangs.
“Sssss!” Samael hissed as we both approached the guy at full speed!
“Ahh!” The mafia hulk was tumbling over himself to escape.
*CRASH!*
He jumped out through the train window!
“Snake!” he screamed to the sky as he ran away. “Why’d it have to be a snake?! Ahhh!
That scream was blood curdling.
“Good thing some people are afraid of snakes, right Sammy?”
“Ss…” he gave a negative hiss.
“I know you're not happy about it, but it works in our favour.” Poor thing, I didn’t blame him for being upset.
We might have gotten lucky with that guy being a big baby, but he wasn’t the last one that stood in the way of protecting little Tori.
When I finally got to the caboose, Tori’s caretaker was being interrogated by a mafia guy who was holding a playing dart in his hand, seemingly threatening to throw it at her. Little sparks of electricity crackled at its tip. Three more darts were in his mouth, the pointy ends held in place by his teeth.
“Don’t try to fool me, ya’ see?” Dart Guy’s eyes squinted as he narrowed his focus on Tori’s caretaker. “We know the bird’s here. So just do us a favour and hand him over.”
Nobody would be handed over on my watch!
-Combat Mode : Active-
-Threat sighted! IFF tags : Active-
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-Dart Guy tagged; Foe-
I blasted forth on my wings, striking the dart out of Dart Guy’s threatening hand.
I came back around to collect the other three out of his mouth, but he was all too ready to evade my second attack.
“Hah, looks like we found our little bird!” He grinned, tossing one of the darts my way, but missing by a meter.
*Tink!*
But the dart deflected off the metal surface and struck me in the back.
*ZAAAP!*
A powerful jolt of electricity coursed through my body. To prevent major damage, I rerouted the power to my arm crystals and released it into the air.
Torrents of electrical power blasted from my fingertips, striking wildly all around the train car.
One of Dart Guy’s darts extended its pointed end and acted as a lightning rod, catching all the energy I was channeling through my body.
“Damn, nobody said the kid would be a mage!” He grit his teeth And spit out one of the darts into his other hand.
He was holding two darts, both extending to match 5 millimeters. The fins on them also gained a significant size boost.
He reeled back his arms and tossed both the darts at me. I just barely dodged them, only to notice wires tail behind both and wrap me up as they deflected around the train car.
More electricity shocked me as the wires clung tightly to my body, but I powered through it and gripped both electrified lines, giving them a good yank.
The darts whirled around me as I tugged on the cords to free myself, but the mafia man quickly took advantage of his momentum and sent more darts my way.
Only one hit me in the chest, but bounced off my armour skin. It crashed onto the floor, liquid spilling out. Now that I examined it more closely, that one appeared to be a syringe, possibly full of tranquilizer.
“What kinda protective wear did they put on you?” The mafia guy's face became incredibly confused. “Wait, you're not a half-breed…'least not one I've ever seen.”
While he was confused, an electrical fire started next to me. My eyes and hair turned bright orange as I elementally manipulated the flame to dance around the mafia man. Thanks to the mage tunic, the fires became even more pronounced.
He panicked and threw up his jacket for protection, but the flames stuck to it. He tossed the jacket down, stomping on it to put it out quickly. Each stomp came with a clinking sound, presumably because he was stepping on hidden darts.
While he was distracted, I took a look to see what happened to Tori and his caretaker. She’d retrieved him out of a small compartment and was running toward the crowd outside.
She wasn’t heading to as good a spot as she might have thought. These mafia men were armed with guns and dangerous magic, and were willing to hurt civilians to get what they wanted. That crowd would get knocked down easily.
*CRASH!*
I kicked down the caboose wall and raced out to give them cover, meeting with Marek, who had some good news.
“Reinforcements are on the way!” he claimed. “Look!”
A sleek looking white jeep-like car drove up next to the tracks. Four men, clad in blue coloured armour with white bayoneted rifles jumped out of the vehicle. I was reading that several more cars worth of them were on the way too.
“The Royal Guard is here!” Marek cheered.
“Royal Guard?” I turned to Marek, letting my combat mode power down.
“That's right,” he nodded. “They're responsible for protecting the capital, as well as high priority figures. They’ll clean this up quickly.”
Every one of these guys looked really serious. They surrounded the remnants of each of the train cars where a battle had taken place, fleshing out any of the mafia men that remained.
*BOOM!*
Uncle and Indena were still in an explosive battle with Bowler Hat Joe! Flames and magic bullets were flying everywhere!
One was heading for the crowd, but I reflexively activated my combat mode and caught the bullet in my hands, taking the hit and flying backwards.
“Gahh!”
Both the force of the attack and the quick re-activation of my combat mode took a toll on my body. I wouldn’t be able to fight at full strength for a little while.
Bowler Hat Joe grabbed Indena by the face, even though she was lit up like a bonfire, then tossed her aside like burning trash. That left Uncle and Joe to duke it out in a manly one on one!
Uncle grabbed a pair of train seats, slamming them into the mafia leader's face. But Bowler Joe wasn’t done, tanking the hit and shooting Uncle with a finger gun.
Uncle dodged, prepared for Bowler Hat to use his other hand to shoot.
He dodged again! Now he saw an opening!
A fist slammed hard into the chest of Bowler Hat, sending him flying out of the train.
The Royal Guardsmen surrounded Bowler Hat Joe. He couldn’t escape like this… Or so we thought.
Darts came raining down from above as the other notable mafia man, Dart Guy, startled the guards. Lightning bolts sparked among the little pieces of metal sticking out of the ground, causing the guards to back up.
“Let’s bail, boss!” Dart Guy helped his leader stand. “I think we're a little outmatched like this, eh?”
Bowler Hat Joe gave us a dirty look, but agreed with his subordinate that it was time to flee. They were heading for the hills, just barely able to escape the peppering gunfire of the Royal Guard.
“That’s right, get out of here!” I cheered, falling backwards into the turf next to the track. “Alright, I’m done. It’s nap time for me…”
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