At this point, the train had become...
Saigid didn't wait. He spun on his heel and sprinted back toward the wreck, toward the screams.
The train itself turned into something.
Saigid bursts into the car. The stench of ozone, burnt flesh, and the clanking of metal fills the air. The soldiers next to him are stunned by what they see.
The train car is... unrecognizable. Like something out of a nightmare. Walls buckle inward, twisting unnaturally at sickening angles. Metal plating ripples like flesh. Tendrils of black mist pulse and undulate, weaving through scattered seats and tables to form...limbs...?
The soldiers get all the wounded people out of this monster as quickly as possible.
Saigid froze in the center of the carriage, or in the center where the stomach of this creature is formed.
The soldiers moved with grim focus, dodging the tendrils that seemed eager to ensnare more victims. They were trained and efficient, but the train's transformation had turned the world on its head, making nothing seem normal or safe anymore.
Meanwhile, Saigid found himself at the very center of everything, standing in the belly of the beast. Tendrils undulated around him, almost... curious. Like the creature was aware of his presence, studying him.
"ordinary weapons cannot defeat this monster. Can I buy something with these coins?" Saigid voiced his thoughts aloud.
The tendrils around Saigid seemed to react to his words, their motion growing more agitated. He had gained the monster's attention, that's for certain.
He focused on his interface, scrolling through the shop list. He had coins... a few handful, at least. But what could he even buy that would be useful against this thing.
After the soldier pulled out all the wounded, he approached Saigid. "why doesn't this huge creature bother you?" he asked with sincere restraint.
Saigid didn't take his eyes off the shifting walls of the creature. "Because I'm its favorite flavor," he muttered, half to himself.
Then, louder: "It's not attacking me because I'm the one who triggered its evolution. The system tagged me as part of this fight the second I stepped back in here."
The soldier hesitated, grip tightening on his rifle. "So... what? You're bait?"
Saigid exhaled sharply. "I'm the only one who can spend coins here." His interface flickered, a shop menu overlaying his vision.
"Now either cover me," he said, scrolling through weapon options with bloody fingers, "or get the hell out of its range before I buy something messy."
The Steel Devourer's metal groan echoed like a challenge.
Saigid smirked.
"Let's see how hungry you really are."