>>5964095“It’s an honor to be in your service,” he bows, “Are you interested in the train's operations?”
“Indeed, I did not know their intricacies before boarding it. Could you perhaps give me a tour of the engine?”
“It would be my honor, Your Highness. As you may or may not know trains are magical constructs, powered by refined mana. It’s stored here right before the engine so that one may easily retrieve more should the engine begin to run out.”
“I was told previously that the design was changed from the demontech it originally was. How was it?” You ask as the conductor leads you to the engine car.
“Ah, it originally used a more mundane substance, we improved upon it with our own superior knowledge of magic to make it both safer and more efficient. Those Stranger barbarians didn’t know how to use magic properly. It’s ludicrous how they could make such a complex machination while knowing so little!” He laughs.
The engine room is small, cramped, and hot. There are a few people here who nod to you and show respect but seem a bit too busy to truly acknowledge your presence. Perhaps if you were a meaner woman you’d demand the peasants to grovel but their work seems important. Best not to disturb them.
The conductor gives a brief run-through of the operations, how the train’s engine keeps it moving, and how the wheels stay on the track. It’s all very complex, you feel like you’re back in the academy, but the complexities of the machinery are nowhere near as interesting as that of swordplay. However, you can see why there were a few people at the academy who absolutely adored the machinery that a locomotive possesses.
As the conductor leads you back into the storage room and starts to ramble about how the mana is stored, you hear a gunshot and screaming. A lot of screaming. A quick look out the window shows multiple horse riders trying to ambush the engine and the train starting to slow down as the riders point their weapons at the train driver. Though you also notice a horse belonging to a woman in the distance, they don’t look to be a part of the bandit group.
Your train is being robbed, and the conductor looks to be hyperventilating as he stares at the bandits through the window. Maybe it’s a good thing you brought your weapons.
>You should go to the engine car and make sure the train keeps moving. There seem to be bandits who’ve snuck inside the train but this will keep more from coming on.>You should go find the inquisitor so that you can coordinate with him. He was still in his room last you saw him.>You should go confront the bandits that fired somewhere in the passenger cars. The people are in trouble and need help immediately.>[Write-in] 