Manuke FPS

I was doing okay, until I had to deal with these assassins. Now, I’ve been injured. My first since I’ve come to this world and fought the most exhausting battle I ever had so far. My current body isn’t normal anymore. Although my physical capabilities hadn’t improved that much, my body was now akin to that of a VMB avatar. No matter how bad my injuries or how exhausted I got, I would just recover from it as long as I stayed out of combat long enough.

And the assassin’s head was split down the middle, slicing the front from the back. Blood splattered over me. It came with the nauseating scent of blood, along with the blood that rushed through my own body; I was to be alive. Once I’d confirmed that I was, I pushed the dead body off me.  

Splat…

I tried to ignore the wet sound that came from his body as I checked on my body’s status. Busted left ribs. A blade wound on the right side and a missing forearm. First, while I laid still on my back, I pulled the shortsword out. It was very painful. I screamed as the shock ran throughout my entire body. After a while, I got up with with my left hand on my wound to starve off the bleeding.  

I checked my surroundings and was relieved to find there weren’t anymore assassins left. After all, in my current condition, I felt that even a child could kill me. Now I needed to wait for the natural recovery to take effect. After that, it’ll take no time to heal; just about a second. I also had to bring Laptiricia-sama and Ashley back to the capital as soon as possible. The threat of the ‘Mage Masher’ was still present.  

I raised my right hand to activate the TSS.

“Ah…”

And was quickly reminded that my right hand was missing, so I couldn’t activate it… Then, what would happen to my missing arm when the natural recovery kicked in? There wasn’t a case of missing limbs in the game, as it was regulated that way by law. So, I honestly didn’t know what would happen in the event that a limb was cut off. Would it grow back, or would it simply close itself off and I’d lose it forever?

“This is bad… Now where is my arm…?”

I unintentionally spoke my thoughts out loud. I tried to stand and started to look for my missing arm. My body felt heavy and weak, and a dizzy spell quickly came after. I couldn’t stand up… I tried to breathe in fresh air to help myself recover, but all I could smell was the stench of blood. Breathing merely caused pain to flash by my broken ribs and the wound in my side.  

I had no other choice but to lay on my back to look at the sky; back in the pool of blood. Fortunately, the recovery finally kicked in. The pain in my ribs and side gradually disappeared. I also felt a discomforting itch coming from the stump on my right arm. I lifted the stump to my eyes. I saw blood vessels and muscle tissue growing from the stump. Particles of light gathered around the bone, seconds later, grew at a visible rate with everything wrapping around it. The anxiety of my missing limb finally left me, and exhaustion washed over me. But I couldn’t fall asleep yet.  

The pain had subsided a while back, but my arm took a full 10 minutes to grow back completely. Meanwhile, I had mixed feelings over the fact that my body could recover from any wounds within only 10 minutes. It was like this body was some sort of monster.  

“Captain, how are those two?”

I raised the curtain to the tent where the girls were and called out to the commander.  

“Sha,Shaft-dono! That blood, are you injured?!”

“No, this doesn’t belong to me. I’m not injured. Anyways, how are they doing?”

“Ah, there is no way they’d be fine after inhaling the gas. Not only a high fever, they’re having a hard time breathing. It’ll worsen if it’s left alone. ”

“Can this be of use?”

I showed the gas masks I managed to save from the assassins, and handed them over to the Escort Commander.

“Aren’t those the Air Masks? Well, it won’t detoxify the poison, but I think at least it can help alleviate the symptoms. ” 

“Shaft-dono, what about the assassins? And… What of my men?”

The convoy leader asked without looking at me as he put the masks on the girls. However, even he should’ve been able to tell the results of the battle.  

“The assassins have been dealt with, but… I’m sorry. ”

“No… It’s alright. ”

The convoy leader also put on a mask. He then probably noticed something, because he stared at me with a questioning look.

“What is it?” 

“No, but is Shaft-dono not affected by the ‘Mage Masher’?” 

Ah… That. I guess it does look strange to him.

“Thi,this mask is actually a magic tool. It also provides a similar benefit to the air mask. ”

“I see, so that’s how it is. ”

Perhaps because the Escort Leader infused some magic into the mask, the wind magic stone glowed. He also infused some magic into Laptiricia-sama and Ashley’s mask.

“We’re heading to the capital. Inform the servants to prepare to depart. ”

With that, I exited the tent and went into the next one.

“Hiiiii!”

“You’re exaggerating too much. The assassins have been dealt with, prepare to depart. I need you all to go and help Laptiricia and Ashley prepare. ”

The servants still seemed frightened, but I left them anyway. Will they be okay? I felt a little worried and opened the TSS to extract 3 Gift Boxes from my inventory. I put the assassins’ corpse, their weapons and the broken masks aside. Then, I put the bodies of the guards that’d been covered in linens to another side then I placed them into two separate boxes.  

The last gift box was used to stash the luggage and anything that pertained to Duke Barga, leaving the carriage mostly empty. Lastly, I also peeled off the coat of arms. The carriage now just looked like a regular luxury coach. I didn’t know whether it was because of the Mage Masher, or because the assassins had killed them, but none of the horses were left alive. Without them, there was no way that the carriage could reach the capital. But of course, I wouldn’t let the girls just die.

Opening the garage menu, I took out something I’d never used even during the time I played the game. A motorhome called the Continental. A motorhome, in a nutshell, was a luxurious RV. Originally it was just a stage prop for the PvE mode. Players could purchase one for a hefty price once they’d earned consecutive wins on hostage missions. Players could still use it for PVP or other modes, but summoning it usually caused other players to just shoot at it with RPGs out of sheer jealousy.

I never really used it since it was a bus-sized coffin and the repair costs were high. Some players who owned them also would sometimes go into the PvE mode, and just cruise around to enjoy the scenery. I didn’t have that kind of hobby though.

Light particles gathered and created a large shape before me. Then the Continental emerged. It was a huge 12 meter long mostly silver bus. I entered my PIN code on the touchscreen on the vehicle’s side, in which a set of stairs extended outward. I climbed up and opened the door, sliding it to the side. This was the first time I’d summoned the vehicle, so naturally, it’s also the first time I’d seen the inside.  

I knew from the catalog that it’d included a driver’s seat, living room, kitchen, a complete bathroom and a bedroom. I intended to make sure it was all in working order. Electricity… Check. Water? Check. Hot water? Check. I wondered if the toilet was also connected to this water. The refrigerator also worked. The TV… Well, of course, it just showed a static screen. I then lowered the stairs that lead to the second floor. There was the bedroom.

So far, it showed favorable results. When I exited the RV, I noticed the Escort Commander staring at the Continental in a daze.  

“Shaft-dono? What in the world is this…?”

“… Well–”

“Well?”

“Well, it’s a magic wagon- a magic wagon to… Carry people…. Windowless magic carriage. It’s basically a magical carriage. ”

“A magic carriage?”

“Right. I’m conducting a test on this experimental vessel at the behest of another employer. This carriage doesn’t require horses, but a lot of magic stones are required to move this guy. That’s why I didn’t dare to use it before. But now that it’s an emergency, this carriage will move faster than the horse-drawn one. Better get in and leave immediately. ”

“What? There was actually something like that? This is the first time I’ve heard of a magical carriage that didn’t need horses. ”

“That’s a given. This project was a secret. So, just quickly finish the preparations. I’ve already secured the dead. The luggage can also be taken in. All that’s left to do is for everyone to board it. ”

“I understand. You have my gratitude for your consideration. Let’s prepare to depart immediately. ”

I ended up deciding to use the Continental because the other option, the Dorchester, lacked beds. Besides, there were four other servants with us. I was worried that the Dorchester would be too small if I considered space for sleeping. The necessity of having two beds for the girls, plus the fact that Laptiricia-sama had already seen the Dorchester; I was afraid she’d make the connection. I had no choice but to make such an impact to hide.  

I tapped the Escort Commander’s shoulder, then headed to the tent where the ladies rested. Riding on the Continental, the journey to the capital would be shorter. A regular journey would take two days at most. However, if I drove non-stop throughout the night, we’d arrive there by morning.