Chapter 4. Express Loop Train Armand IV
Episode 4.
The Express Loop Train Armand IV
In <Forest of Shadow>, 'Shadow' refers to a particular kind of entity.
They aren't encountered often enough to be called the main enemies of the setting—
but they reveal an intense presence in the game's opening sequence, and afterward they keep showing up whenever you've almost forgotten them, enemies who make life difficult for the Player.
'The true nature of the Shadows?'
I don't know either. Even after reaching 70% game progression, I still had no idea about their origins or purpose.
That also means their identity is connected to the fundamental theme of <FoS>, or to its ending.
Honestly, there's no need to overthink it.
<Shadow> is an annoying and tricky monster, and an element that raises the game's tension to the max.
......When I was playing the game, that level of awareness had been enough.
* * *
I had killed two Shadows, but this time no <Stone> dropped.
That was only natural.
The drop rate for that item was abysmal to begin with.
'Of all things, my Intuition went up.'
If only my Body had gone up, the fight just now would have been much easier.
It would've been a stretch to call it compensation, but I did get a few other useful items.
[Obtained <Old Bandage>.]
[Obtained <Old Disinfectant>.]
"Hah...... Done."
I finished giving myself some basic first aid.
I applied disinfectant to my side, where blood was streaming from a scrape, and wrapped it with a bandage.
Even just doing this made it much better.
Earlier, even breathing had hurt so much I thought I'd go mad.
Of course, I'd gotten my hands on several other items besides those.
[Obtained <Loose Leather Armor>.]
First, armor.
It was a bit big, but it wasn't too difficult to wear.
If I'd been wearing something like this from the start, I never would've gotten hurt by something as pathetic as Derek's fingers.
[Obtained <Old Leather Pouch>.]
I put the remaining bandages and disinfectant into the leather pouch riddled with small holes.
[Obtained <Rope>.]
[Obtained <Dull Knife>.]
Tying the battered knife to the tip of the spear seemed to make it a fair bit deadlier.
Where did I get such precious items, you ask?
I picked them up.
Where?
Jeez, why so many questions?
It's the same as with Derek.
[Obtained <Shabby Wrist Guard>.]
[Obtained <Glass Bottle Filled with Water>.]
[Obtained <Food Storage Key>.]
[Obtained <Iron Cage Key>.]
I searched corpses. Much more thoroughly this time.
At first I felt guilty, but once the pain got bad enough to drive me out of my mind, even that feeling faded.
Instead, the thought that this was absolutely necessary for survival only grew stronger.
Step.
I moved forward, picking up any usable item I could find.
That was possible because corpses were strewn through Cars 12, 11, 10, 9, and farther ahead.
'Most of it is junk, though.'
Still, considering my early situation of being practically naked, things had improved considerably.
'In the game, life and death were decided by a difference of 1 Defense.'
I was slightly disappointed.
Since many of the passengers were Delvers—that is, forest explorers—I'd hoped I might obtain a usable weapon or potion.
Well, in this game, there's nothing stupider than relying on luck.
'In the first place, this kind of trick didn't even work in <FoS>.'
It was possible to recover equipment items from the corpses of companion NPCs.......
But looting items they had worn while alive from unrelated corpses like these hadn't been possible.
'......So this really is reality.'
As the game became reality, the risks increased, but in return, the range of choices I could make also widened.
Just like when I broke a mop to make a spear.
Clatter......!
Of course, I was in no position to relax.
Whenever I sensed something odd, I raised my spear and went on guard.
I couldn't know where enemies might be hiding.......
'And I don't know exactly when the train will overturn.'
Rattle.
As I advanced with quick steps, I soon reached Car 6.
Here, there were almost no people or corpses left.
Instead, there was an unusual amount of damage compared with the other cars. It looked as though a brawl had broken out here.
Probably the people who had been here hadn't been swept up in the commotion inside the train, and had quickly joined the forward cars.
'......Those goddamn bastards.'
Couldn't they have gone a little slower.
If I could just join up with the Delvers, my chances of dying on this train would practically disappear.
Should I have hurried to join the Delvers instead of spending time looting corpses?
'Am I crazy?'
That was a stupid thought.
The Delvers wouldn't guarantee my life anyway.
In a sense, they were the ones I needed to be warier of than monsters.
Because in this goddamn dark fantasy world, the only one who guarantees my life is me.
Of course, despite those thoughts, it was hard to deny that my steps were gradually getting faster.
Since there were no corpses, I advanced straight to the next car without pause.......
"Oh."
"Huh?"
"......."
At last, I encountered living people.
'They are people, right?'
I hesitated for a moment, then examined their faces while still maintaining a wary stance.
There were five in total, and judging by their attire, they were Delvers.
As for their classes...... I couldn't tell.
Still, I could tell that the formation consisted of three in the vanguard and two in the rear.
Roughly two melee damage dealers, one tank, one rear damage dealer, and one supporter—that should be about right.
"What's this? There was someone alive in the rear cars too?"
"How do you know he's human?"
"Can't you tell at a glance? His complexion is fine and he isn't drooling. Well, he's got a lot of blood on him, but same goes for us."
"The one we killed earlier was like that too, right up until we killed him. They're experts at imitating humans."
"Is that so?"
The man who had been grinning—he seemed to be the leader of the group—spoke to me.
"Stop right there for a second...... What exactly are you?"
"I'm human."
I could tell from his expression alone that he hadn't bought it for a second.
The cynical-looking man—probably a rogue—spoke.
"Do you have a way to prove it?"
"Do you?"
"What?"
"How can I believe that you people are human?"
"......You're a stupid one. We have companions. We've been together ever since the incident. Your case is different."
......Well, that was true.
Of course, what I'd wanted to say wasn't that, but rather that a human who'd been attacked by a Shadow had no way to prove their innocence.
There was no way these guys, who at a glance looked like low-grade Delvers, would know about the Shadows' traits.
"On my way here, I dealt with two or three who were wearing human skins."
"What kind were they?"
"Their eyes were all stained black. One had a tongue hanging down to its chest. There are corpses in the rear cars, so go check for yourselves."
When I said that and showed them my blood-soaked spear, uncertainty crept into their expressions too.
The man in robes standing behind them spoke cautiously.
"Could it be true? Those monsters didn't seem like they'd kill their own kind......."
"I'm not sure. I can't believe it until I see the corpses."
"Should I go check?"
"What if it's a trap to draw us in? In the first place, the people behind Car 6 are mostly ordinary civilians with no combat ability. How did he survive that chaos unscathed?"
These bastards were pretty sharp.
Unlike game NPCs, they didn't seem easy to persuade with a word or two.
Just before the suspicious gazes intensified, I opened my mouth.
"I was in the very last car. The monsters didn't come that far. They were probably drawn toward where there were more people."
"Then what about that blood?"
"I dealt with a few small fry on my way here."
"Yeah? Hmm...... No, wait."
The rogue narrowed his eyes.
"You came from the last car? Then you're......."
"A fireman."
At that, these bastards' gazes instantly turned cold.
Fuck. I knew this would happen.
Train firemen were the lowest of the low among the passengers on this train.
The rogue spoke mockingly.
"Now that I look at you, you're a stoker. I didn't recognize you because of your looks and bearing. But what's with that way of talking?"
At the rogue's nitpicking, I replied indifferently.
"What are you, some kind of noble?"
"What?"
"Then keep your mouth shut. Stop picking stupid fights."
"......You son of a bitch."
The rogue bristled with murderous intent, but I simply stared him down.
Of course, inwardly I was tense.
Why was I being so prickly? Because there was nothing to gain by letting these Delver types look down on me.
We glared at each other for a while, then the man who seemed to be the leader stepped in.
"Kal. Stop it. He's not entirely wrong. In this situation, what does it matter whether he's a fireman or a slave?"
"......."
"What's your name?"
A name, huh.......
"Ke. Keee, kek, ke, kei! Kaindel! Ihihihihik!"
I spoke, remembering how the dead one-eyed Derek had called me.
"Kaindel."
"Good. Kaindel. I'm Alec. What was the situation like back there?"
From the way he spoke, he did seem competent enough to be a party leader.
Though judging by his unfamiliar appearance, he didn't seem to be a named NPC.
"There's no one alive."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
"Hmm."
"May I ask a question this time?"
"Sure."
"Why are you staying here?"
He was asking why they hadn't gone farther forward to join the others.
Alec looked briefly uncomfortable before answering.
"Because the door to the car ahead is locked."
I knew that too.
From Car 4 onward, some of the train's more capable passengers were seated.
Apparently those important people had an elitist streak, because the passage between Cars 4 and 5 was normally kept locked with a padlock.
'The padlock is made of silver, though.'
It doesn't particularly harm humans.
In other words.
"Just open it."
It meant the Delvers here could easily break it with brute force.
"Are you insane? The people riding in Car 4 are first-rate even among Delvers. If they took offense......."
"Offense? Is that kind of thing more important than your life?"
Did that hit a nerve?
The leader's expression crumpled.
"......You're exaggerating. It's a terrible situation, but it's not the kind of incident that would cost us Delvers our lives. A fireman wouldn't understand."
"......."
In the end, even he had started looking down on me after hearing I was a fireman.
'......What do I do about this?'
These bastards clearly didn't seem likely to change their minds easily.
'Would even Car 5 be safe?'
I scanned the Delvers.
Neither their faces nor the names Alec and Kal rang any bells.
'Rank D, or lower.'
In other words, these were NPCs who mostly died after the train overturned.
Which meant if I stayed with them, my chances of dying were high too.
'Damn it.......'
I reached a conclusion.
I couldn't entrust my life to these bastards after all.
Just as I was about to speak—
-Attention, passengers.
The announcement came again.
We stopped talking and focused on the voice.
-The train delay that occurred a short while ago has been fully resolved, and the train is now operating normally. We deeply apologize for the inconvenience, and thank you for your generous understanding.
"Ah. Looks like it's been resolved now."
"Right? That's a relief."
"......."
For a moment, my mind went blank.
Were these bastards serious?
They just believed that bullshit?
'I retract my assessment that they're smart bastards.'
Of course, this was an event I'd never experienced in the game, but even from a quick listen, more than one thing was off.
First, if this many people had died, the proper order would be to tally the dead or injured.
After that, they should have given clear instructions to the survivors.......
The announcement didn't even mention the cause of the train delay.
'......Right. This was that kind of world.'
A savage world that didn't even care when dozens or hundreds died right nearby.
-Hello, is anyone there?
A voice came again.
I thought it was another announcement, but it wasn't.
The place the voice came from was beyond the connecting passage between cars—that is, from the direction of Car 4.
Alec brightened.
"Ah, yes! We're here!"
-Ah. What a relief. There are still survivors. What's the situation over there?
Alec pounded his chest and spoke in a vigorous tone.
"First, we're all fine. No one's injured."
-That's good to hear. Hmm. Then could you come over here for a moment? We're a bit shorthanded in this car.
"Ah! Of course!"
Something was off.
"Wait—"
Before I could speak, the impatient Alec strode toward the passage, drew his sword, and cut the padlock.
After that, it happened in an instant.
[The seal on the Shadow, 'Binding and Crushing Black Octopus', has been released.]
Crack!
The door shattered in an instant, and something like a bundle of blackish tentacles shot out from inside and wrapped around Alec's entire body in a flash.
"Wha, what is this......?"
Alec's panicked face was instantly buried under the mass of tentacles.
Crunch.
The horrifying sound of bones snapping rang out.
"Alec!"
"You son of a bitch!"
I immediately looked at the two who had raised their weapons and shouted.
"Stop! It's already too lat—"
"Shut up!"
Was this a party with stronger camaraderie than I thought?
The rogue and the warrior shouted and charged at the enemy.
Crunch, crunch......!
Then, in the blink of an eye, they met the same fate as Alec.
"N, no......!"
The man in robes reached out his hand, and the woman standing next to him stared at the monster with a blank face.
'These useless bastards?'
I grabbed the two of them by the scruffs of their necks and ran without looking back.
'Goddammit!'
My arms felt like they'd be pulled off.
No matter how superior this body was to a real-world body, it apparently wasn't enough to run while dragging two adults.
'Come to think of it, my shoulder aches too.'
It must have been from when the 'Man Who Greets and Embraces' grabbed me earlier.
On top of that, I could feel blood seeping again from my side, which I'd barely stopped with a bandage.
Still, I couldn't stop.
CRRRRRAAAAASH!
What kind of scene was unfolding behind me?
The sound of something breaking and being crushed didn't stop.
'If I stop, I die!'
I ran, repeating only that fact in my mind.
How long did I run?
When the pursuing presence behind me finally grew distant—
"Ah......."
I realized that I had ended up back at Car 13 again.