Chapter 8
When Jude awoke, he found himself in what appeared to be a small stone dome. What happened? He put his index finger to his head. The last thing he remembered was talking to Milla on the train, then his vision blurred and he lost consciousness.
As he sat up, he realized he was soaking wet. That's odd. As one of the people who had helped set up the train system between Elympios and Rieze Maxia, he knew the path the tracks take decently well. There isn't any water along that route… How did I get wet? Then he realized that the stone dome was completely sealed. How did I get in here!?
As he stood up, he began to examine the walls more closely. This stone is strangely smooth… There is no way this was involved in the crash. As he reached out to touch it, the walls opened up and the stone receded into the earth. Before him, was the Great Spirit Gnome.
"Look who's finally awake." Gnome said as he spun on his stone sphere. "At least you don't seem broken this time."
Jude shuddered as he remembered the train incident from three years ago. "Yea, I'm doing better this time around. Apparently I'm getting used to this sort of thing."
Gnome giggled, "Hey Undine, Jude's finally awake."
"Thank goodness" said Undine as she floated into view. "You must be confused as to what happened."
Jude nodded. "All I remember is talking to Milla…" Where is she? He looked at Undine with alarm.
Noting his expression, Undine reassured him. "Now, now Milla is fine. She woke up about an hour ago and is with Efreet and Sylph looking for people in the wreckage. She left me and Gnome to watch after you."
Jude let out a sigh of relief. That's Milla for you, always keeping busy. He remembered how hard it was to keep her down, even when she was paralyzed below the waist. He looked to Undine. "I take it you're the reason I'm soaking wet?" He asked.
Undine laughed in amusement. "But of course! I used water to break your fall. Would you rather have broken bones right now?"
He laughed, "No, no. I much prefer this outcome, thanks. Now we should probably go help Milla, I doubt she is happy that our mission is being delayed."
It didn't take long to find Milla. After all, she had been using Efreet's fire to burn through sections of the train. When she spotted Jude coming she smiled at him. That's odd; I didn't think she would be happy after encountering such a delay. What was the phrase she used to say? 'I have no time for waxing sentimental?' Regardless, it did make him happy to see her smile.
"How long was I out?" He asked.
"Roughly three hours according to the four. I was unconscious for two myself, so it's hard to tell." She replied.
"Do you know what happened to the train?" He said as he looked at the debris scattered over the mountainside. "All I remember was us talking, and then I blacked out."
She nodded an affirmative. "I sensed it the moment before the impact, it appears that monsters attacked the train and violently shoved the rear cars over the edge."
He scratched his head in bewilderment. "That's odd; the monsters in this area have never been that aggressive. They don't even venture near the tracks usually."
Milla closed her eyes, deep in thought. "Perhaps, they are acting strangely because of the loss of mana in this area. After all, the device is in this region, so the decline would be more significant here than in other areas."
He nodded in agreement. "That would be a logical conclusion." As he looked around he noticed Sylph wasn't with her. "Where is Sylph?"
"I sent Sylph to inform Gaius that the train has been derailed." She said. "They will need to send soldiers to escort these civilians home."
"Ah" Jude said with a frown. "Gaius won't like that; it will delay his attack plan."
She looked at him. "While that is true, he has a duty to the people of his country. He must put the immediate safety of them first."
He nodded. She's right, as usual. "So what's our plan now?" he asked. "We lost a fair amount of time and we don't have a way to get to Trigleph easily from here."
"Since when did you assume that anything we do would be easy?" She said with a smirk. "If we follow the tracks, we should eventually reach Elympios correct?"
"Yes, but it could take us anywhere from twelve hours to a day to traverse that distance, depending on how far the train traveled before the incident." He said, grimacing at the thought of walking for a full day through the rugged terrain and desert air that separated them from Trigleph. "I don't think we have the rations to take on such a journey."
"We will have to make do." She said as she leapt to the ground. "Besides, I don't see another option. Do you see an alternative Jude?"
He shook his head in defeat. Milla was never one to hesitate.
"Well then, we know what we must do." Milla said as she began making her way back up the rocky slope. "I shall leave the four here to protect these people until Gaius's forces arrive. We should get going, it's a long journey ahead of us and we are short on time."
