SSS Talent: From Trash to Tyrant Chapter 599: Arrived

With both boots planted firmly, Garrika slammed against the train's roof.

The impact resonated up her legs, but she absorbed it, maintaining her footing. Snow swirled violently around her, driven by winds powerful enough to destabilize most individuals. Below, the train snaked like a wounded serpent, a dark silhouette against the turbulent storm, its emergency lights pulsating weakly through the whiteout.

Meka landed silently ahead of Garrika, already poised near an access panel on the roof.

From above, Eldric descended, guided by a faint trail of mana that had woven itself through the tempest. He touched the roof with the composed air of someone entering a serene chamber, not a compromised train amidst a hostile attack.

Narak’s landing was more forceful, his boots scraping heavily against the metal. He surveyed the cargo section, a curse escaping his lips.

"They were precise with the explosive placement," he grumbled, kneeling by a scorched seam on the roof. "This wasn't random. Whoever orchestrated this possessed insider knowledge of the train's structural vulnerabilities."

Eldric crouched near the damage, his hand sweeping through the air.

Intricate, white-gray lines materialized around his fingers, delineating patterns across the warped plating. These lines extended, converging towards the cargo cars, then branching back through the passenger carriages.

"Their objective was to halt the train, not obliterate it," Eldric stated. "The route is now sealed, defensive formations are strained, and the external mana conduits have been forced into a containment loop."

Ilyra's voice crackled through the communication crystal.

"I have aerial reconnaissance. No large enemy contingent visible yet. The storm obscures much, but I've detected tracks near the snow ridge. Potential escape constructs."

"Meka," Eldric commanded.

"Already en route."

The hawk-blooded scout became a streak of snow and motion, disappearing across the roof.

Toval landed next, his shield retracted against his back. Saaren followed, his medical kit securely fastened at his side. Peering through a fractured roof window, the vampire's red eyes narrowed.

"Passengers below. Induced slumber, most likely. Traces of blood detected."

"Then we descend," Eldric declared.

With three swift movements of a tool integrated into his brace, Narak opened the access panel. The lock resisted momentarily, emitted a spark, then yielded. He examined the mechanism with evident disdain.

"Amateurish work."

Garrika shot him a glance. "Nevertheless, it opened."

They dropped into the train's interior.

The first carriage was a passenger car, and the pungent odor assailed Garrika even before her eyes fully adjusted. A mixture of incapacitating gas, palpable fear, the coppery tang of blood, expensive perfume, and the heat signature of damaged mana conduits filled the air. The occupants lay slumped across seats and strewn along the aisle, rendered unconscious. Some still breathed placidly. Others bore wounds sustained during the abrupt halt or its aftermath.

And then there were the fallen.

Assailants.

Several of them.

Garrika's ears twitched.

She had anticipated confrontation. Shouted commands through concealed masks. Drawn weaponry. Perhaps even the use of civilians as human shields. Instead, the men who should have been guarding this car lay lifeless on the floor.

One had his throat savagely torn open. Another was positioned with a grotesquely broken neck, his head angled unnaturally, a sight that caused even Garrika a moment of recoil. A third individual bore incisions across his ribs so precise, they appeared less the result of a desperate struggle and more akin to a cold, calculated execution.

Ilyra entered through the rear doorway moments later, her rifle held at a low ready.

"Well," she commented, surveying the grim scene within the carriage, "it appears someone initiated hostilities before we arrived."

Saaren immediately attended to the passengers, kneeling beside an elderly woman whose breaths were noticeably shallow. He retrieved a slender vial containing a shimmering silver liquid from his medical kit.

"The gas is alchemical," he reported. "Intended for incapacitation, not lethality. Those deceased here were victims of direct weaponry."

Toval assumed a defensive stance near the entrance, his shield unfurling into a wide, azure arc.

Eldric moved through the carriage with unhurried deliberation, his gaze sweeping over the fallen combatants and the scuff marks on the floor.

"One or two highly skilled combatants," he deduced. "Their movements were exceptionally efficient. They operated here prior to our arrival."

Narak grunted. "And the passengers?"

"Unlikely to have caused this level of disruption," Eldric replied. "This was not the work of panicked civilians."

On a train of this caliber, numerous formidable individuals were likely present: seasoned guards, influential nobles, hired mercenaries, esteemed academy professors, and guests en route to a renowned Conclave. Whoever had executed this assault possessed considerable skill, yet this alone did not suffice to narrow the field of potential perpetrators to a manageable few.

Saaren carefully uncorked the vial, guiding the silver liquid to transform into a fine mist between his fingers. He gently dispersed it over the nearest passengers, ensuring not a single drop was wasted.

A beastkin male was the first to stir, erupting into a violent coughing fit. His eyes snapped open, unfocused and wide with residual terror.

"Where… what just happened?"

Saaren placed a steadying, gloved hand on his shoulder, preventing him from sitting up too abruptly.

"You were exposed to a soporific agent. Please remain seated and control your breathing."

The man blinked, his gaze shifting from Saaren to the surrounding figures.

"Who are you people?"

Toval responded from his position by the door, his voice calm and resonant.

"We are the First Concord."

The man who had spoken clearly didn't grasp the situation.

Saaren continued her work on another woman, explaining, "We are subordinates of The Concordant Wardens of The Council. You are currently under The Council's protection. If you comply with our instructions, your chances of survival will significantly increase."

This explanation resonated more effectively with the man than any attempt at comfort could have.

As Saaren continued her ministrations, more passengers began to regain consciousness. Some would cough, others would weep, and a few would call out for loved ones or companions. A human merchant, sporting a bleeding gash on his forehead, made an attempt to rise, only to collapse back into his seat immediately.

Just before he hit the floor, Ilyra secured his shoulder.

"Sit yourself down. If you pass out again, I'm leaving you right where you fall."

The merchant directed a bewildered stare at her.

"She intends to offer assistance," Saaren interjected, her focus still on her patient.

"I meant precisely what I said," Ilyra retorted.

Garrika proceeded down the narrow passage, meticulously examining the areas beneath seats and within luggage compartments. Her keen nose distinguished individual scents: the lingering odor of sleeping gas, the metallic tang of blood, the acrid smell of fear, the worn scent of old leather, a faint trace of gunpowder residue, and the chilling aroma of frost emanating from the breached seals. She detected no signs of any living adversaries within the current carriage.

Her progress halted near the entryway to the adjacent car.

"There is more blood further ahead," she announced.

Eldric turned his gaze towards her.

"Are they hostile?"

"Some are. There are civilians present as well."

His expression remained stern. "Toval, ensure this car remains sealed. Saaren, rouse only enough passengers to aid in relocating the injured away from the aisle. Ilyra, accompany me. Narak, ascertain if the emergency lock separating the train cars can withstand another severe jolt."

Narak was already positioned beside the mechanism, kneeling. "It can hold if nobody foolish interferes with it," he stated.

"Then guarantee that no fool lays a hand on it."

"It would be my pleasure."

Together, they moved into the subsequent car.

This compartment bore even more significant damage.

A private lounge area had been completely overturned, its tables splintered, and its windows reinforced with protective formations that now showed signs of severe strain. Two passengers lay deceased near the far wall, their lives extinguished before the incapacitating gas could fully take hold. Three assailants were also present in the vicinity; one had a dagger plunged deep into his eye socket, another bore a chest cavity violently ruptured by a surge of mana pressure, and the third was grievously wounded, having lost a substantial portion of his throat.

Ilyra emitted a low, impressed whistle.

"Whoever is responsible for this is clearly very determined."

Eldric's magical aura flared around him once more, outlining ethereal white lines that traced patterns through the air. These luminous trails followed traces of blood, scattered footprints, disturbed mana signatures, and fractured protective formations.

"The engagement is progressing towards the cargo section," he reported.

Garrika's ears twitched perceptibly.

A distinct sound reached them, faintly audible through the structure of the train.

Initially distant.

The groan of twisting metal.

An explosion, less powerful than the initial blast but significantly closer to the cargo cars.

This was followed by another impact, powerful enough to cause the floor to vibrate beneath their feet.

Passengers further back cried out in alarm as the train lurched violently.

Eldric raised a single hand, and the ephemeral white lines in the air all shifted, bending in unison towards a specific direction.

The cargo hold.

His voice became resolute.

"Leave stabilization teams in place. We are moving forward."

Garrika cinched the straps on her gauntlets tighter and advanced alongside the others.

Just ahead, another violent crash reverberated through the train, and this time, the raging storm outside was insufficient to drown out the sound.