Adelaide Veyr watched her granddaughter consume a clear lamb consommé. The brunoise vegetables matched her elegant, careful manner. Viktoria's demeanour fit what was expected from the Heir of Veyr.
"Did the game live up to its hype or is it another cash grab?" Adelaide spoke suddenly.
"Grandmother, it is so real that it feels as if I am living in another world."
"I see, and I am glad you are enjoying it."
"Me too."
Veronika finished her consommé. She is now focused on her sandwich: smoked salmon and caper berries on shin rye.
"Are you playing with your friends from college?"
"No, most have yet to receive their device, and I do not wish to be a personal money bag for them."
The bitterness in her tone made Adelaide frown."Though I am happy to partner with Elias, he is a great companion."
"Elias. Do you mean Elias Kassler?"
"Yes, Grandmother, I think you have met him before."
Adelaide snorted in an unladylike manner as she spoke fondly, "Of course, I have met that young hellion, every curious, his sparkling with endless mischief, of course, I met him."
Adelaide's eyes lost their fondness as a hint of grief overcame her voice, "Also, what happened to him was tragic."
Viktoria frowned as she spoke, "You mean, the car accident?"
Viktoria's words jolted Adelaide off her trip down memory lane, as she spoke, "What?"
"You were speaking about how tragic the car accident was for Elias."
"Ah, yes, the car accident, yes, to see the bright boy become a shell, unsure, soulless, relearning how to walk, it was tragic."
"Though, young lady, why are you only eating a sandwich and a soup? You should eat something better."
"Sorry, Grandmother, but I am in a hurry. I left in the middle of a quest, and I have to return as soon…"
Before she could continue her sentence, her phone vibrated, and she clearly saw the message sent by Elias.
Elias: Enemy attack!! Help!!
"Grandmother, I will have to leave. The quest is under attack, and I will have to back Elias."
Back in the game, the moment Adrien saw a movement, he fired his gun, and someone collapsed on the ground.
"AHHHH, my arm, that bastard got my…"
~bang~
The second shot silenced the person, but he was not the only one, as suddenly multiple bullets were fired from multiple directions towards the crawler.
Adrien could hear the loud shriek and screams of children along with a few women, while he could hear the sound of gun discharge from wagons before his.
Adrien gritted his teeth in frustration and anger when he suddenly spotted a spark of flame and immediately fired his gun towards it.
His action seemed to be fruitful, as what he hit was a Molotov cocktail, and someone was about to throw it.
"Ahhhhhh"
Another scream erupted as the arsonist was set ablaze by the Molotov cocktail.
He heard another blood-curdling scream from inside the crawler and was sure someone was hit.
The burning man, flailing around, provided enough light for Adrien to shoot down a couple more attackers, but before he could attack a few more bandits, Adrien noticed a faint, cyan glow flaring around the hooded figure's hand. Before Adrien could react, the air in his lungs didn't just stall; it was physically wrenched out. His chest buckled under a sudden, hollow pressure. Every instinct screamed for a breath that wasn't there.
'I will have to kill him, or I will die,' a cold voice echoed in his mind.
The initial spark of panic was sharp, but Adrien forced his focus into a needle-point of calm. His vision was already beginning to fray at the edges, darkening into a tunnel as he levelled his carbine.
He squeezed the trigger. The crack of the shot was muffled in the thin air. The bullet streaked toward the mage, only to jerk to a halt inches from his face. A ripple of cyan light shivered through the air, an invisible barrier.
'Fool,' the mage thought, a sneer twisting his lips behind the cowl. 'As if a pathetic scrap of lead could—'
The thought shattered, as two more rounds slammed into the shield in rapid succession. The barrier didn't just ripple; it vibrated violently, the cyan light deepening into a bruised purple. Then came a fourth. With a sound like a hammer hitting a mirror, the shield disintegrated into shimmering shards.
"My shield—!" the mage shrieked, but the cry was cut short.
The fifth bullet took him squarely in the forehead.
Adrien collapsed backwards, his lungs expanding with a violent, searing rush of oxygen that made his head spin. He lay there, heaving, his chest burning as the world bled back into colour. His carbine felt like lead where it had fallen, but his left hand still white-knuckled the grip of his smoking revolver.
'That was close.'
A finger tried to peek through the window of the guard wagon, only to be shot by Adrien, and although he collapsed, it was not the end, as a 'Potato Smasher' grenade was thrown inside.
As swift as lightning, Adrien moved, his fingers barely managed to scoop it up, as he threw the grenade outside.
The grenade was barely out when it detonated with great force.
'Damn it, how many of them are here?'
Adrien gritted his teeth as he heard the screaming of children, the praying of the woman, and the cries of men from being shot.
"Stop crying! Stop wavering! Look at them, look at the scum who took your lives, your dignity, and your families! Do you want to lose it all again? Do you want to be trampled? Do you want to watch your children sold like cattle?"
"Where is that fire you had when we broke your chains? Was it only for the dead ones? Stand up! Fight! Reach out and claw back your honour with your own hands. If we're going to die, we die on our feet, with our teeth in their throats! Stand up and take at least one of the scum to hell with you!"
Adrien was awed by Vera's speech. 'Damn that woman, if I lose today even after that rousing speech, I would be unworthy of my family's name.'
Adrien once again picked up his carbine and aimed, and the world seemed to slow down, the noises dying as he focused on the flashes of gunfire, and he pulled the trigger.
CRACK
His hand moved in a blur, the lever shucking a hot brass casing into the dark.
CRACK
Boooommm!!!
The thunderous explosion rocked one of the carriages, but it did not deter the group of defenders as Vera's words seemed to ignite their fighting spirit.
Suddenly, Adrien felt something amiss, before he heard lots of panicked shouting from carriages before him, and then the wall exploded as a figure covered in reddish flames stepped in.
"You filthy slaves, how dare you resist?"
Adrien watched with horror as the bullets ricocheted off him, as well as his level, which was surprisingly the highest he had seen till now, at 6.
"Stop firing at that idiot, and focus on those small fries climbing after him."
The words left his mouth even before Adrien realised.
The man glared at Adrien. Around them, passengers recoiled in terror, scrambling to keep their distance. Behind the bandit, Vera was already intercepting those trying to climb up after him.
"What did you say? You maggot!"
"Leave the old man with hearing problems, and concentrate on the real threat, and please someone provide him a blanket and a cup of tea before he starts rambling."
The battlefield was suddenly plunged into silence, except for Vera's grunt as she swung her hatchet to decapitate an enemy.
The enemy did not growl or say anything, but his eyes were already bloodshot, and the red flame surrounding him increased in intensity, while the floor cracked as he dashed towards Adrien, intending to crush his skull with his bare hands, but Adrien was ready.
Adrien did not use his guns or his machete, but instead, he got into a stance and, using the bandit's momentum, threw him over his shoulder. The bandit was flung with enough force that he broke through the wooden walls and fell outside.
'Wish I had a grenade.'
Adrien jumped down while drawing his machete, but by then the bandit was already on his feet, and to the surprise of the bandit, Adrien did something peculiar.
He pulled out a roasted meat and ate it with gusto.
The bandit blinked before chuckling, "Ah, the last meal before your execution."
Adrien smirked back as he spoke, "Nope, I was hungry."
————————[ Item Consumed ]———————————
+15 HP
+01HP/02Sec
'I hope it will do the job. If this body had the same power as my real-life body, I would have dealt with him easily.'
Adrien pulled out his machete and parried the greatsword swing before showing incredible agility and flexibility. He moved out of the bandit's outstretched hand before returning the attack, but with a horrible screech, the blade was deflected.
The greatsword came down on the ground with great force, creating a small explosion, while Adrien jumped up and kicked the bandit's head.
'Oh, interesting, it seems that the blunt attacks work, but the strength is limited.'
Adrien danced and weaved around the bandit, while the sound of fighting inside the land crawler came to a halt.
'I hope Vera and the others have won.'
The bandit suddenly fainted from a stab, only for Adrien to move away as he spoke with a taunt, "Gramps, do you need my help to hit me?"
The bandit, angered by the taunt, suddenly lunged at Ryan and sent a sweeping attack from his greatsword, and Adrien took the opportunity.
Adrien dived down as the sword missed his hair by mere millimetres, as Adrien felt the force of the strike, while his machete moved like a viper and stabbed the bandit in his groin in an upwards motion.
For a moment, the world came to a standstill, as apparently whatever the bandit was using failed to block the attack, which stabbed deep.
Adrien mercilessly twisted the machete and pulled it back out in a manner that allowed the serrated spine to do maximum damage.
Then, with the same speed as he was attacking, Adrien moved away.
The bandit swiped, his mouth opened in a silent scream as blood pooled near his feet, and a fleshy, meat-like substance slowly dropped to the ground.
"Adrien, move!!!"
Vera's scream came to his ears as Adrien moved as far away as possible, as Vera threw a grenade at the bandit's feet.
The bandit, by the time he realised and tried to move, it was too late, and the explosion blew him apart.
Adrien looked back at the pieces of nearly burnt corpse for a moment before he shouted towards his fellow passengers.
"Quickly help the injured, and those who are still able to fight come and down and let us secure the location and make sure the crawler and resume the fight, quick, we don't have time."