บท 26: A Call for a Choice 3
I ran till we're out of the smoke. The heavy footsteps were then suddenly dulled by heavy rainfall. The metal ceiling of the storage house collapsed down, probably thanks to my railgun.
I pulled them all out to the open area. It was night, and raining. What was presented in front of me was a parking lot made for trucks with few trucks parked already.
I looked left and right and there were a lot of storage houses similar to this one. Aligned with the one we came out of and it's close to the mountains.
"W-wah!"
I looked behind me and one of the child, was being held by I assume was an elite guard.
"Tsk tsk tsk. "
All of the kids are already behind me, but one was caught on the elite guard's hand.
I don't exactly know what his rank is but if I'm not careful it could write the demise of the child the elite guard is holding.
"You've been too full of yourself. Boy"
He looked at me whilst fixing his cap. The one he's holding has been the very child who was consoling the other children earlier.
Not even turning my head around I could already tell the human children behind me are tearing up in anxiety.
I grit my teeth as I look at the elite guard, not even a second before I could visually present my anger two more elite guards showed up.
"Isabelle is dead"
"what?! Really? How?"
"Her whole body was halved, the other half was just gone."
"What the fuck?"
The conversation was happening before me, they clearly don't see me as a threat even though they heard how their comrade was killed.
But that was fine. I'm already thinking of a way to turn things around.
They've never seen what I did to that woman elite guard after all. And besides the rail gun, I have one more Trump card.
"Tsk just get this done already"
The one holding the child nonchalantly said so as he yawned.
"yeah I hate the rain anyway—"
But just before all of them can move I already shot the one talking, and the one who's holding the child blocked with his hand but something unprecedented happened.
"wha—"
It passed through his hand and went straight to his head, the last one who was already unsheathing his sword got also shot in the head.
"Argh—"
I let out a stream of blood off my mouth.
"Big brother!"
They all called out, I thought it was for the child used as a hostage but it was for me. Staggering a bit, they helped me stay balanced.
What I just did was release my Trump card.
The [Finger gun formation] is an intricate magic circle web formation that was created to use mana as a source of bullets itself.
But the problem was, it could only be used by a certain rank, which A-9 who designed it downgraded it so a B rank could use it.
The one I'm using right now is the one he made for S Ranks. I looked at my status after what I did.
===
Name: Damian Cassanova
Rank: [E]
Affinity:[Light, Earth]
Attributes:[Metal]
---------------------------------------------
Strength: [-E]
Speed: [E+]
Dexterity: [E]
Agility: [E+]
Stamina: [E]
Mana pool: [F+{E}]
Mental power: [D]
Int: [D]
Luck: [C]
Charm: [F+]
===
My mana pool which was at E rank was degraded thrice. It was a huge downgrade considering this world's standard of ranks.
Just how it is painful to rank up I also felt the pain of ranking down.
"B-brother!"
Since they have nothing to call me they called me by brother, it's not bad actually. The one who called me was the one who's used to be the hostage.
"Argh… "
It's painful not gonna lie. Using the [Finger gun formation] literally destroyed some of my mana veins or circuits.
"It's fine, it's fine. "
I pulled out of a low recovery potion, I can't overuse my other potions, and besides these are ones I stole anyways. I walked towards a truck.
The kids behind me are trudging along like a line of ducks. Since technology is basically advancing this truck over here is an electronic, and since it's an electronic do you know who can link themselves up to a device?
'OS connect to this truck'
[Connecting…]
[Successfully linked]
'open the doors'
With a click, the doors of the truck opened. The truck is not connected to a trailer at the moment so it's good
"Alright… next is the trailer—."
I suddenly limped and fell to my knees and hit the puddle below me. The kids are worried for me right now.
"Argh… this… this is physical fatigue"
First of all my stamina is just [E] so it's not that much after I came back and forth in the underground building. Of course I'll get tired, sacrificing my mana circuits was just a cherry on top.
If I pass out right now it'll be dangerous.
"The three dwarves… "
"Y-yes?"
Huh, these races are supposed to be prideful, but right now they're young as they look.
"Have you learned to drive?"
"..."
They looked at each other, this one looks like compressed humans honestly, the dwarves in here are on the height of my chest.
I smiled gently
"Well looks like the three of you are gonna have fun."
Lifting up the dwarves in the truck one by one, I close the door and then looked at the remaining kids.
"Let's go kids"
I ran to the nearest trailer, opened it and saw a bunch of cargo filled with illegal artefacts.
"Kids get in."
"Fueh?"
They were confused but obeyed nonetheless.
"It's going to be rowdy so hold onto each other okay?"
They're going to be fine I'm sure of that. There are 12 human children. 2 elves, and 2 dragonborns.
The moment when I was about to close the doors of the trailer I glanced at the child that was taken hostage earlier. A bruise on their neck made me grind my teeth more.
As I went back to the truck, the three dwarves on the truck were sitting a bit anxiously.
"Have you ever driven some kind of vehicle before?"
"u-uhh… I was with my father when we got attacked, so uhm… "
'OS start the truck'
[Truck started]
The truck immediately has its light on and in front of the steering wheel is a screen displaying the speed, battery time etc.
"Okay, okay… so you can at least drive this?"
"I… I guess?"
I looked at the dwarf in front of me and back at the wheels.
"So does the vehicle you had with your father at least have this steering wheel?"
"Yes?"
I started driving the truck and immediately attached the trailer into it. I tapped at the monitor screen beside the steering wheel and immediately went for a map app.
With it our location is displayed, I used the GPS and it led us to Berkley Highway. It's the biggest highway in Hunberg, leading to other cities.
"okay, uh… "
"...Mirthor"
"Okay Mir, you see this one on this screen? The blue dot is us. Follow the outline drive continuously, is that okay?"
Mir seems reluctant but agreed anyways, he doesn't want to stay here any longer. And that's all we could agree with.
I got out of the truck and climbed up the trailer.
I know we won't be going out here with no obstacles so I prepared myself. As the truck was out of the parking area we were met with a rough road, turns out we are hidden from the rest of society.
I just rushed putting the coordinates on the map and for directions that I didn't even notice.
Once we were on the rough road the truck wasn't shaking but the trailer was, although a tiny bit. I was still worried about the children inside.
I knocked a certain pattern, and good thing I got the same knock back. I went down to the driving dwarvlet
"Mir, we're far from that place by now right?"
"yeah!"
Since I'm outside, and I was talking to Mir with the door open, the noisy downpour is masking my voice.
"Stop for a moment!"
"why!?"
"I'll check the other kids!"
"okay!"
We were in the middle of the woods on a rough road, I need to make this quick. Going to the trailer I opened it up and saw all the kids huddling together.
"Sorry if there aren't any lights!"
I saw their expressions sully for a moment when I opened the trailer, but when they saw me they had relieved expressions on their faces.
I took out an electric lamp off my earpiece storage, since I walked over the trail my legs are muddy as hell.
"take this kids"
"w-what about you, brother…?"
"I have to stay guard, all of you just stay put"
I closed the trailer once again and told Mir to drive off. I stood on top of the trailer on our long journey.
I keep my eyes pried open for any danger lurking, occasionally I have to get off and push the trailer due to it being stuck on mud, sometimes even fending off some beasts, which is good because I'm used to them unlike dealing with people.
Till finally we manage to be on the main road. But that took too long, we've been on the rough road for an hour. My vision is starting to dwindle. I saw my arms which had blue veins in it very visible unlike earlier which is only subtle.
"Fuck… "
I'm extremely fatigued, mentally and physically. So I don't even know if I could make it before I started passing out.
"huff… "
And this heavy downpour too. I only lived for a decade, of course these conditions aren't going to be kind to me, my young body.
I chose to stick with my consciousness and called Anna.
"An… Anna"
—D-damian?!
"I'm… I'm too tired right now… "
The moment I got out that place where I was kidnapped all of my communications were back again, I guess that place hindered outside communication and so as inside.
I guess the truck has a downloaded map.
—Damian, where are you?!
"I was kidnapped and… And I saved some children, a… apparently there were also some children from other races… "
—W-what?!
"We are going to Berkley Highway… please meet us… we have a giant truck"
—Okay.. Okay! Damian please hold on. You seem ragged by your voice. I don't know if you–
I decided to tell her a bit of my circumstances.
"some of my Magic circuits got destroyed."
—Damian, don't you dare die…!
Our call was cut off, she was in a rush. And honestly I needed some rest. While the truck was moving I went to the door that's on the passengers side.
The truck has seats in the front and also the back, the three dwarves are small enough to fit in the front row.
Of course with seatbelts on.
I stayed in the back and laid down.
"Haa.. Haa.. "
My head is a wreck, I can't think properly anymore, I think I have a fever, it's getting to me.
This… this was a first, I even sometimes got caught up in rain when I hiked back in the days but I never had a fever.
"Ugh… for the first time I had a fever."
"For the first time?"
The young dwarves here don't have that thick accent yet but I'm pretty sure when they come back to their domain their voices would become raspy and have that accent everyone knows a dwarf has.
"Yeah… and never this exhausted." I rested my forearm on my head "Haa… haa… "
My head is numb but I have to stay awake, I'll use some potions if I had to. If there is some sort of danger I need to be awake and aware.
The three little dwarves are looking at me with worry, but please focus on the road.
–Bam!
We felt the whole trailer shook, I know that's not normal so I grit my teeth and held out a pistol.
"Brother!"
The two dwarves on the passenger just looked at me with worry, the two looked like 6 year old toddlers. It's quite adorable. Even though I'm pretty sure they're close to my age. We age differently after all.
"I'll be back."
I assured them. Even though my breathing is ragged I could still move.
Going on top of the trailer I saw it.
There is a woman with daggers, she was black from head to toe, if her body wasn't outlined I wouldn't know. She's also giving off dangerous killing intent.
"hah… "
Amidst the heavy downpour I lifted my hands with pistols as I looked at her, the only thing I had to worry about was my balance on the roof of the trailer.
"What… how could they fail to subdue a kid"
I could hear her click her tongue.
"Let's finish this fast"
Does everyone in this world have a habit where they talk before acting? I know I created this world but I only had the main characters talk, so..
I aimed below my feet, the children are inside the trailer but they're at the entrance. And I'm at the very front of the trailer.
And why did I aim below me?
Because the woman in black dress disappeared in her shadow and her head appeared instantly below my feet.
I just shot her in the head before her whole body even emerged and she just flew off the trailer, I couldn't hear no sound at all. My head was ringing at this point.
I just grabbed the edge of the trailer so I wouldn't fall off, my balance is bad right now.
"Haa… Haa…"
'Just a little bit more, just..'
Before I knew it someone crashed into the truck.
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