Free Web NovelChapter 22: Ambush on the Rails
She was created whenever her master wished to handle something personally but could not do it herself. That might be to eradicate insurgents before they could even make their presence known, or simply to fetch a freshly brewed bottle of wine from the Southern Tavern.
So when her master ordered her to act as an Outer Sect disciple for a mission, she did not find anything strange about it.
Even when her master subtly mentioned that the fourth member of their group would be a Mind Mage, she merely assumed her omniscient master had seen it through divination.
But when her master made her nothing more than an Apprentice Mage, she was confused.
Every time she had been created before, she had possessed strength beyond the Mystic Rank. After all, any injury she suffered would return to her master tenfold.
And that was not all.
The name her master gave her this time was the master’s very own.
Yuki.
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The daring monsters had set up a blockade on a sharp bend, ensuring the locomotive pilot would never have enough time to stop the train. The train’s speed would not be too high because of the curve, so the chances of a derailment were low.
But the impact would still be strong enough to fling passengers across the carriage.
Alerting the locomotive pilot was impossible. It was already too late.
Luckily, Kai, Selena, and Yuki had climbed down from the roof. Otherwise, they would have been thrown violently off the deck.
Rhys held his breath as the train approached the bend. Then, just as he expected, a sharp screech of brakes echoed through the cabin.
Time seemed to slow.
Passengers were hurled from their seats. Some slammed into the rows ahead of them while others crashed into one another. Bags and loose belongings flew through the air. Screams erupted throughout the compartment as people tumbled across the floor, unable to stop themselves.
The entire train shook violently. Rhys was the only one prepared.
One hand was already gripping an iron support bar, allowing him to keep his balance when the force of the sudden braking tried to throw him forward.
That was when he saw Yuki.
Her body was moving uncontrollably with the momentum, her feet leaving the floor as she was thrown toward the front of the carriage.
Instinct took over.
Rhys released one hand from the iron bar and reached out. His fingers closed around her forearm.
The force nearly dragged him forward as well. His shoulder strained and his grip on the iron bar tightened, but he refused to let go.
With a sharp pull, he yanked her back. A soft and warm body crashed into his chest.
For a brief moment, everything else seemed to disappear. A pair of purple pupils stared back at him from only inches away.....
Just as he had expected, the train did not derail.
Rhys let out a breath of relief before clearing his throat.
"That was close..."
Yuki did not respond.
Her eyes remained locked onto his as each passing second seemed to make her breathing slightly heavier.
’She didn’t fall in love with me, right? Well, I can’t really blame her. What I just did was something the male lead of a romance drama would do...’
Rhys coughed awkwardly.
"You already know it, right?" Yuki suddenly asked.
His heart skipped a beat.
"Know what?" he asked, pretending to be confused.
Without breaking eye contact, Yuki pointed around the compartment. The scene was a mess.
Passengers lay sprawled across the floor, groaning in pain. Some were clutching bleeding foreheads while others struggled to stand. freeweɓnøvel.com
Broken luggage and scattered belongings covered the aisle. One of the windows had cracked from the impact, and several seats had been ripped from their bolts.
Even Kai and Selena had suffered injuries.
"You already knew this would happen," Yuki said calmly. "That’s how you managed to stay safe."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Rice, you suddenly don’t seem like a harmless little Mind Mage anymore." A smile appeared on her flawless face.
For a brief moment, Rhys found himself stunned by how beautiful it looked.
"I really want to eat you now..."
[Warning!]
The sudden system notification almost made him jump.
’Damn it. What’s that?’
[Ahem. She’s using her trait on you once again...]
’Is that why you suddenly sounded the alarm? I nearly had a heart attack.’ Rhys rolled his eyes inwardly.
Meanwhile, confusion appeared on Yuki’s face. Her brows furrowed slightly.
The first time, she had only passively used her trait on him. When it failed, she assumed it was because Rhys was a Mind Mage and possessed stronger mental resistance than normal.
But this time was different.
She had directly activated her trait on him. She wanted to uncover more of his secrets. Yet it still wasn’t working. The failure left her confused. And slightly irritated.
Rhys never looked away from her face, so he immediately noticed the change in her expression.
A low smirk appeared on his lips. Slowly, he leaned closer. His mouth stopped just beside her left ear.
"Can you handle... eating me?"
Yuki froze.
Then her eyes widened. The next moment, she jerked her head back and practically leaped off his lap. A faint blush spread across her cheeks before quickly covering her entire face.
Fortunately for her, the awkward moment did not last long. A series of furious roars suddenly echoed from outside.
Everyone’s expressions changed.
Hundreds of Stone Monsters and Iron-Claw Baboons charged toward the train from both sides.
Bang!
A loud impact shook the carriage.
Bang!
Another followed.
The monsters were already slamming themselves against the carriage doors, trying to force their way inside.
The injured passengers immediately erupted into terrified screams.
"Damn it! Damn it!" a middle-aged man in exquisite attire shouted anxiously. "Mages! Where are the mages? I am paying you ten gold coins and you can’t even block a few monsters?" He furiously pointed his finger at the mercenaries he had hired.
"Respectfully, sir, our contract did not state we had to prevent ambushes," a young mage replied, helping his teammates to their feet. "We are here to protect you, and we will do exactly that. Team, get ready for battle!"
Rhys watched in wonder as the four teammates instantly assumed a defensive formation, despite the injuries they had just sustained. One of them was a healer; threads of pure energy erupted from her palms, stretching across the carriage toward the wounded passengers.
The intensity of these glowing threads was significantly stronger when connecting to the mages, whether she did it intentionally or not.
’This spell...’ Rhys studied the magic she had summoned. The strands shaped themselves like blood veins. They seemed alive as they burrowed into open wounds, closing and healing them within seconds. It was vastly different from the magic Old Tia used.
Judging by the sheer power of the spell, it had to be amplified by a Conductor. It was possibly a bone fragment, since nothing else was visible on her body.
[Veins of a Snow Woman. Snow Women are small fairies commonly seen in ice-capped mountains. They possess no combat power, but their veins are exceptionally good at conducting energy to keep their bodies warm.]
Rhys noted in his mind.
The other members of the group were all elemental mages. Although Rhys wanted to study their techniques further, the worsening situation forced him to focus on his own survival. After all, he was not immune to the incoming attacks.
The Stone Monsters were humanoid creatures with wide, bulky shoulders and short, stubby limbs. Their bodies were made entirely of jagged grey rock, with glowing cracks running along their joints.
They moved in pairs; the larger males carried the smaller females on their shoulders, acting like living catapults to launch them directly at the target.
’Couple goals,’ Rhys thought, finding the sight oddly amusing. He was not nearly as terrified of these creatures as he thought he would be. freeweɓnovel.cøm
Perhaps because he had already observed them through the vision of his Needle-Beak Hummingbird spell, the initial shock had completely worn off.
He was not scared anymore. Rather, he was excited.
A loud smash shattered the window next to him as a female Stone Monster crashed through the glass, her rocky fists raised to strike.
