5.09

“I miss home.” - Adventurer Giridan, a few days before reaching his home.

A strange thing about myconids was that I found that sleeping standing was more comfortable than lying down and that ‘sleeping’ to me was closer to a vague torpor state, where I was still aware of my surroundings, but not so much actively thinking or seeing.

It was almost like when you were looking at something, and slowly lost focus, where you were still aware, but not comprehending, not thinking.

So when I heard the crash and the train carriage fell to the side, I, of course, was aware of my body getting thrown to the ground.

Here was the first major advantage torpor had over sleeping.

While Noam was thrown from his bed and into the rather scaly form of Utoqa, I was already woken before my gut was smashed into the bunk bed railings.

While Utoqa was trying to untangle himself from Noam, I was already kneeling on the ground and barfing out a glowing blue liquid.

While Noam was incoherently swearing his ass off after accidentally hitting his elbow into Utoqa’s face, resulting in several cuts from his rather sharp teeth, I was already standing and swearing with far more coherency than he was.

The fact I didn’t get the short end of the stick should be apparent.

“Motherf-mmph! Utoqa move your elbow off my face!”

“That is not my elbow.”

“Your tail then!”

As the two of them finally untangled themselves, I was already focusing my manavision outwards. Confusion in the other two cabins. I glanced up, the door was on top of us. I was too short and unathletic to reach it.

“Yellow can you reach that?”

The wisp shook its head, “Yeah, but the door’s too heavy.”

I cast my Bark Skin and grew my Bracken Polypores before I absentmindedly covered Noam’s cuts with a Balm Spores. “Noam, Utoqa, can either of you get out?”

“Huh?” Noam rubbed away sleep from his eyes, before he finally realised we were tipped sideways, “Fuck, on it.”

He grabbed onto the railings of the bunk beds, thankfully bolted down, and climbed to the door, kicking it open, hopping out, having to squat slightly at the altered height. I heard the sound of a window getting forced open as Noam popped his head out.

“Shit, Dusts look through my eyes.”

I did, and I saw various moving shapes in the dark. A brief flash of fire far away to the right revealed a dozen short green skins. Goblins.

“Goblins Utoqa,” I said, the lizardfolk already climbing out, how did they stop the train? Not an obstacle, this was likely a derailment. “Noam can see at least twenty, there’s likely a lot more.”

“Grab my swords, also my belt,” the tiefling said as he got back down.

I did, the strange dagger Noam got was glowing softly red, but didn’t speak. Connecting his hook swords, I magnetised them, pushing them out the door where Noam grabbed it by the other handle and dragged me out using it. Demagnetising them halfway to account for the sideways hall space.

The hall was low enough that Noam had to squat, but I was able to just stand with my head bowed. Utoqa was already out, standing on the windows.

“Yellow, confirm the status of the other passengers,” I said as I let the wisp hop off. In this small space, Greenie wouldn’t be useful as a damage dealer, too much collateral. “Greenie, I’m going to create another body with Balm Spores, follow Yellow and fix whatever you can.”

“But I like being poison!”

“Just do it,” I said, already making the body, “we’ll find another wisp to be Balm later, but until then you have to do it.”

Greenie made a pouty face, but the small glowing wisp left the body and flew into the lime green body. Pouting as it jumped off my hand, it ran after the waiting Yellow.

Both their visions were being watched by Analyse, I’ll rely on that to give me an accurate report later. My other self was unfortunately asleep so I couldn’t make more Observers.

I crawled out after Noam, next to us, Utoqa had an arm covering his face, just as an arrow flew and bounced harmlessly off his scales.

“I cannot see them,” the lizardfolk said, just as an arrow pinged off his palm.

Kneeling down, I examined the arrows, sniffing them slightly, “Shit covered, it appears that they plan on killing us with tetanus, also, upper right shoulder.”

“Ew,” Noam said as his blade flicked away the incoming arrow.

“I think Utoqa and I would be fine, but it's a bit dangerous for you, nine con and all. Behind my cap.”

Noam batted away the arrow, “Fuck, I’m the only glass canon here aren’t I?”

“Yeah- above, firebolt this time.”

“I see it,” he said as he casually swatted the fire with his bare hands.

“Can you return attacks?” Utoqa asked me as he seemed to squint into the darkness.

“I’m outranged,” I replied, already learning the hard way that I was not a long-range mage. “I’d send you down there to attack but I have no idea how many of them are there.”

They were attacking us from outside our vision, most surprisingly, even mine. Duelling with ranged attacks wouldn’t work. Noam could probably yell and hit a few, but if this was planned, then this was likely a large operation, we should expect to be outnumbered, attention wasn’t what we needed right now. Utoqa could probably go down and take out a few, but even if he was the hardest to kill out the three of us, he was not immortal.

Another arrow pierced through the barrier that was my manavision, “My bottom left leg, ignore this one.”

There was a jolt as the arrow embedded itself into my wooden armour. ’Didn’t pierce into my flesh,’ I thought as I pulled it out. That was good news.

Why would they attack the train? Probably to rob it, this train was mainly transporting goods, the people were a side benefit. The train’s guards should already be moving around, but their exact status was still unknown.

Towards our left, there was the sound of shattering glass. The light of a few firebolts lit up the third carriage from us. Briefly highlighting several goblins entering. There were a few returned firebolts, but the screaming that followed were too deep to be goblins’. A defeat in detail strategy? Fascinating, also annoying.

“Head back inside, Noam take care of the person trapped in the room to our right, Utoqa take guard of the hallway. I’ll take overwatch and fortify the outside.”

I began planting sporages on the outside of the carriage while Noam jumped back inside, “Once you got the passenger out safely, both of you move in opposite directions and clear the carriages. Noam, grab Celine and Tai before heading back. Utoqa, go make a beeline for the fighting at the front, get as many people here as you can.”

If this was a defeat in detail strategy then we needed to quickly group up and concentrate our forces. I was reasonably certain I could hold this carriage by myself, and that both Utoqa and Noam should be a match for any amount of goblins, especially in a cramped environment where they would only have to deal with a few at a time. We were the fourth carriage from the front, while Celine and Tai’s were the eighth, the last passenger carriage before the seating and cargo cars.

“What is a beeline?”

“He wants you to head to the fight and ignore everything else.”

“I understand.”

They may be robbing the cargo cars already, but I didn’t own anything that was being robbed so saving passengers should be our main concern. There may also be other combatants that we could grab.

“We’ll make a safe zone, then head out from there.”

Noam threw out a pair of large suitcases which had trapped a man. “You alright?” he asked as he helped him up.

“Uggh…” the short man took his hand and slowly stood up, “... Who- what’s happening?”

“Getting attacked by goblins apparently,” Noam replied.

“Fucking greenskins, that infestation is everywhere,” the man swore, “do you have a light? It’s dark.”

“Not a mage, I’ll get my friend to make some later, you gotta stay put while we secure the carriage.”

The man nodded, “Got it, thanks, young man.”

Noam nodded back, before he jumped onto the bed railings, lifting himself onto the hallway again. “Dusts! We need lights, some people don’t have darkvision!”

A few glowing sporages were thrown down, just as another up top was detonated by a stray arrow. Sneezing by the looks of it, Dustin didn’t have the time or mana to prepare a lot of poisons right now.

He threw one light mushroom into the man’s cabin, “Use this for now!” before turning to the other side where Utoqa was.

“Ya’ll alright?” he asked as he poked his head over the other cabin, shining the mushroom where a mother and child were huddled up as Greenie covered a small cut on the child. They both nodded. “Goblins are attacking, we’ll need you two to stay put.”

“Will- will we be safe?” the mother hesitantly asked.

“My friend is fortifying this carriage as we speak,” Noam replied with a confident smile, “you guys will be safe as hell, but I gotta go make sure others are as well, so I’m gonna need the two shrooms.”

She nodded, letting the two climb up onto her arm before she gently threw them out.

Noam dropped one of the Light sporages down, “This’ll be over before you know it, just stay put and don’t panic.”

To the wisps, he said, “We’ll be breaking through to the back of the train, where Celine and Tai’s carriage are.” He sheathed his twin swords, they were too long to be used in the cramped hallways, instead, he drew Celigarn and the wand he ‘appropriated’ off the annoying person. “How many charges did you say this thing had Celi?”

“Six,” the dagger said as it glowed in anticipation, “I can feel it… blood…”

“I told you, stop that edgy shit,” he said as he moved to the end of the carriage. “Good luck on your end Utoqa.”

The lizardfolk didn’t answer, instead, opening the door on his side and moving out.

Tsking, Noam opened his door, finding the other carriage similarly turned. Landing onto the ground, he opened the now horizontal door of the next carriage, dodging it as it flung downwards. No reaction.

The environment was not favourable to him, he was too tall, Dustin would do far better here. Was this how Decs felt around him? Didn’t matter.

Holding Celigarn with his mouth, he gingerly poked his head over. No people. Crawling in, he quietly dropped Celigarn into his left hand, the other hand holding the wand like a pistol.

“Check the cabins,” he whispered and the wisps rolled off him. Currently, the main points of entry were the windows and the other door, while it was unlikely for goblins to already be in the cabins, but carefulness never hurt anyone, as Decs would say.

Getting the thumbs up from the wisps, he crawled forward, opening the first cabin, seeing two passengers, a young couple. “Goblins attacking, get out of here and move to the fourth car from the front.”

Next, a single child, he repeated what he said, this time helping the kid out of the cabin. The third cabin was empty.

“Three of you get out,” he whispered, passing them a Light sporage, “quietly and quickly, don’t get caught. My friend is warding that cabin. Avoid his mushrooms and you’ll be safe there.”

There were frantic nods, the couple took the hands of the child and crawled away to the safer cabin.

He’ll make slow progress to Celine’s and Tai’s carriage, but he wasn’t enough of a tank to risk being out in the open like Utoqa. Also why he was sent to grab the squishies, the goblins' plan was probably to work down from the cabins and pacify the passengers before moving onto their objective.

He entered the next carriage, having the wisps check them out, seeing they were all empty, he carefully moved forward again. Fighting was intensifying at the front of the train, should he risk faster movement? Yes.

Opening the carriage door, he hopped out to the side and onto the grassy ground. “Check this for me,” he muttered to the wisps as he let them into the next carriage. Now outside, he walked two steps forward, before taking a single step back.

An arrow tinked off the metal underside of the train. Right where he would’ve been if he had walked forward.

Random variations in movement, really fucked up shooters who relied on prediction to hit their targets.

“Fucking missed ya damn idiot!” he yelled. A single fire lit up in the distance as a goblin started screaming and tearing at its hair. ‘Fifty-ish metres. That easy?’ That made things harder in a way, he couldn’t Catch these Hands if all the things angry at him burned to death. Regardless, he pushed in his foot and practically leapt as arrows started whistling towards him. Attention was on him now, so he ran the remaining distance between one end of the train to another. Numerous arrows all tinking behind, missing him by wide margins.

‘Not as good as the first or…’ He came to an abrupt stop, grabbing the train wheels, he hurled himself over and onto the train, just as something exploded in the area in front of him, rocking the carriage slightly. ‘Using arrows as a way to pace my running, making it easy for an instakill to get me.’

“Well, I guess all goblins are blind if they can’t even hit me!” four more flames appeared, goblins tearing at themselves as flames burned their bodies. “Or maybe the guy who’s leading you is fucking shit!”

Noam tensed as there was a burst of green energy in the distance, briefly highlighting the forms of several dozen goblins, and most notably, a goblin with a stick. The flames extinguished.

Buffing or protective spell, mental type, annoying, but Noam knew their location now, he could move in and take the caster out.

Jumping onto the other end of the carriage, he opened the door, letting the wisps out. “Find Tai and Celine,” he said as he unsheathed his hook swords. “I’m going hunting.”

I saw the burst of green energy in response to Noam’s insult. A protection spell it seemed, AOE, given the fact it extinguished the flames on the other goblins, might be a reactive spell, but just as likely to be normal casted.

One of the people Noam grabbed hesitantly approached from behind me, “Are you the…”

“Yes,” I answered. “Go one step back, you don’t want to trigger my mushrooms.” I only have a few poisons mixed amongst a majority of sneezing sporages, but they were still there.

“I could help with warding if you would permit…”

A magic-user? Interesting, “What kind?”

“It would take a while but I could enchant the doors and entrances to be harder to break and enter,” he hesitantly said. He gestured to a woman clinging to him, “My girlfriend could also help with lock wards.”

“Do it,” I said, “but don’t risk yourself and inform me if you need a mushroom moved. It’s best if non-combatants stay down for this.”

They both nodded and led the kid they had to hide in one of the cabins. To my left, there was a massive explosion as the engine car blew up. I held my free hand up as the light almost blinded me. Well, there went the train trip.

From the wreckage, I saw several figures run back, throwing spells behind them with their wands. They wore thick clothing- no, judging from the metal studs they were actually wearing gambesons. Utoqa was in front, leading them to the softly glowing nest that was our carriage.

“Morning,” I said as they came underneath me. Casually rolling a purple glowing sporage between my fingers. “Fuck,” I muttered when it fell out of my hand. I can never get used to a low dex.

“Are you the Bronze Mercenary?” one of the guards asked.

“Affirmative, and I assume you’re the train’s guard?”

She nodded, “Guard’s captain. I require your assistance in purging the goblins, you will be compensated.”

I shook my head, “Not where my talents lie,” I said as I gestured to the softly glowing mushrooms dotting the carriage. “I’m setting up this carriage to be unbreachable, if you wanna go hunting take Utoqa,” I said as I gestured to him. “There’s another Tiefling who should be ignoring my orders and hunting goblins right now, along with two other Bronze plates who could help.”

She nodded, “We’ll rely on you to make a safe spot then. Do you require help?”

“If you could spare any ranged,” I answered. “No goblins will be coming near but I can’t do anything if they decided to shoot us from range.” They weren’t attacking right now, staying just out of my visible range, but I had no doubt they were moving, utilising the Fog of War.

She nodded towards two other guards, who nodded in return, “You’ll have Derrick and Jennice. And do you have any healers?”

I raised an eyebrow, appraising them again. “Anyone in need of healing?” I asked as I stood up.

“Not currently, but we’re going to need one,” she said.

“One of the Bronze mercs is a specialised healer and alchemist, I could do a bit of group healing but it takes a lot out of me.” Tier Two spells were currently a rather big strain on my mana, the one Rot Sporage I created almost used forty percent of my pool. I was still regening it.

“Umm…” the woman from before raised her hand, “I can do some healing…”

I turned to her, as did the guards, “Be prepared then,” the captain said. Turning back to me, she asked, “Which carriage was the Bronze in?”

“Fourth carriage from us, towards the back,” I said, turning my eye towards there.

“You heard the mushroom!” she shouted, gesturing at her fellows, “Lizardfolk with us! We’ll move and start securing the train!”

“““Aye!”””