Encountering a Dark Guild

The train slowly pulled away from Magnolia's platform, its wheels clattering crisply over the rails as it sped onward.

In the cramped carriage, the three little ones sat side by side, their excitement impossible to contain.

Riyao pressed himself against the window, his little face flat against the glass, his eyes shining like stars.

It was his first time riding a speeding train, and he watched the houses, woods, and fields race past outside.

Unfamiliar scenery rushed toward him. The trains in this magical world were actually as fast as the high-speed trains in his previous life.

Gray and Cana, by contrast, were a little calmer.

They had ridden a train when they wandered from place to place before arriving in Magnolia, so they were already familiar with this form of transport.

Even so, they were full of excitement and couldn't sit still.

Their joy came not from the train itself, but from being allowed to leave on an official job for the first time.

Free of the guild's supervision and off on an adventure to a distant place with their companions, their two little hearts leaped at the thought of reaching unfamiliar Hargeon and seeing the world beyond.

Cana swung her legs as she chatted away with Gray about the interesting things they had encountered on the way.

Riyao listened while gazing out the window without blinking, eagerly anticipating this first long journey for the three of them.

The train was clattering through the fields, and the three were huddled together, chattering away.

Suddenly, a piercing commotion and the sounds of shoving came from the carriage ahead, shattering the easy mood of the journey.

Their curiosity piqued, Riyao, Gray, and Cana immediately leaned out in unison and looked down the aisle.

A group of strange, menacing-looking mages was brazenly blocking the way ahead.

Their clothes were ragged, ashen bone patterns covered their skin, and a cold, ominous magic hung around them. One look was enough to tell they were no good.

They waved their cursed tools arrogantly and shrieked at the passengers.

"Nobody move! You're surrounded by the Spectral Bone Trickster Guild! If you know what's good for you, hand over everything you've got!"

Their leader was a gaunt man with a deathly pale face. Narrowing his cloudy eyes, he slowly licked his cracked lips, his hoarse voice carrying a bone-chilling malice.

"Listen carefully and hand over your things, or... we'll kill every last one of you."

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly let out a bizarre laugh. His voice turned shrill and distorted, with the cruelty of someone toying with people's hearts.

"Then again, I'm only teasing. Even if you obey, we'll kill you all the same."

Those utterly unscrupulous words instantly broke down every passenger's mental defenses.

Panic erupted throughout the carriage. Some screamed in terror, some hastily curled up to shield their families, and others covered their mouths, trembling, their faces deathly pale.

The once-peaceful train carriage was completely shrouded in fear and a cold gloom in an instant.

The smiles vanished from the faces of the three little ones by the window.

The innocence faded from Riyao's eyes, replaced by a trace of coldness.

Young Gray instinctively clenched his fists, wisps of cold air faintly gathering around him.

Cana, too, put aside her playful mood and quietly placed a hand beside the cards she carried, her small body blocking the way in front.

A soft golden glow slowly flowed out, and magical patterns wrapped around the three of them—Healing Magic: Life Link quietly took shape.

He lowered his voice, his tone steady and reassuring.

"Don't be afraid. I'll take all the damage. Go all out, but remember: don't accidentally hurt the innocent passengers in the carriage."

Before he had finished speaking, the ill-tempered leader of the Spectral Bone Trickster Guild, who seemed to have a split personality, swung his bone blade straight at a passenger cowering in the corner!

At that critical moment, Gray abruptly pressed his hands together. An icy blue magic circle unfolded, and magic burst forth. "Ice-Make: Ice Spikes!"

A cold gleam flashed as sharp pillars of ice erupted from the carriage floor, precisely blocking the fatal blow. The biting chill instantly drove the attacker back.

Beside him, Cana did not hesitate. Her fingertips flicked out several magic cards, and the intertwined elemental forces of fire and wind exploded, violently hurling several dark mages at the front away.

"Everyone, get out of here! Run to the carriages in the back!"

Riyao was even more direct. He charged into the crowd of dark guild members and threw several of the passengers among them into the carriage behind.

"Where did these brats come from? How dare you ruin the Spectral Bone Trickster Guild's plans? You're asking for death!"

The thugs flew into a rage, their eyes gleaming viciously.

In moments, all the ordinary passengers had evacuated the carriage.

Gray formed a thin wall of ice to seal the aisle, while Cana stood ready with her cards. Side by side, they blocked the connection between the carriages.

Riyao stood at the other end. With one in front and the others behind, they had formed a perfect pincer attack.

"Gray, Cana, be careful. Just hold your position there."

With that, Riyao cast Healing Magic: Hundred Battles. Golden patterns spread from the golden guild mark on his chest and covered his entire body.

"Riyao, can you handle this by yourself?" Gray clenched his fists, his eyes full of worry.

"Don't ignore us, you little bastards," the Spectral Bone Trickster Guild mages protested.

The perverted boss at their head, who seemed to have a split personality, unleashed a surge of black energy from his fingertips as his bones cracked. Bone-Make: Soul-Devouring Curved Bone Blade!

He reshaped the bones of his arm into a massive curved blade wreathed in the foul aura of the dead. Its edge was razor-sharp, and it could extend at will. Now it hacked wildly, now it stabbed out insidiously, changing shape without any pattern. It was vicious and difficult to deal with.

The lackeys around him cast their spells as well, sending all manner of Bone-Make attacks one after another.

One gave a low shout, and magic struck the floor. Bone-Make: Ensnaring Corpse Thorn Chains!

Countless long chains of barbed white bone formed from the carriage floor and walls, winding and coiling as they sought to bind the three and cut off every avenue of movement.

Another gathered cursed power and shaped it in midair. Bone-Make: Vicious Fang Bone Puppets!

Scattered bone fragments joined together, forming several small skeletal puppets with hideous faces and black-glowing eyes. Fearless in the face of death, they charged forward to ram and bite.

Another hid at the back and launched a sneak attack, light gathering at his fingertips. Bone-Make: Shattered Bone Piercing Rain!

Countless tiny, sharp bones were swiftly formed and fired in a dense rain of arrows, aimed at vital spots and nearly impossible to guard against.

Yet another built a spell to defend, trap, and kill. Bone-Make: Withered Bone Cage!

Thick pillars of white bone closed in at once, seeking to trap everyone inside. Corrosive magic also swirled around the cage, eroding the mages' strength.

More than half the members of the Spectral Bone Trickster Guild formed their strongest Bone-Make spells—bone blades, a tide of bones, and bone cages all pressed forward together.

The dense barrage of white bone attacks kept Riyao, with his enhancement active, tightly occupied.

Seeing this, the remaining few cunning mages avoided the strong and attacked the weak.

They quickly formed short bone blades and restraining bone locks, went around the main battlefield, and lunged with vicious grins at Gray and Cana, who were guarding the passage and looked younger!