Perhaps, though, he heard the shot. Because soon after he then turned, waved his arm in dramatic fashion, and kept sprinting.

“Jim…”

A distant rumbling grew over the noise of the rain, a certainly ominous sound accompanied by a more ominous shockwave of rain, mud, and rock.

It was as though some massive giant was sprinting towards them with a great plow, turning and tearing the earth at great speeds, so fast as to catch the rain as it fell, appearing all as a tremendous wall of death. And it was heading straight for the group.

“Jim!”

In the second Mugs had to dive out of the way, he noticed that the shockwave was losing speed, relatively, that the sundering earth began to lessen, until all it became was a wall of rain. It was losing strength over the distance it traveled, but this did not stop it from colliding with a dumbfounded Jim with bone-breaking force. The man flew back at least ten paces, arms and legs snapping forward almost comically as the directed shockwave had enough power to hit him center-mass before disappearing into nothingness. Jim lay against a bank of ancient debris and mud, not moving.

“Jim!”

Mugs picked himself up and rushed to the man’s side. He may be a damn fool sometimes—or often—but the man was part of his crew. And he had already lost one too many today.

He didn’t have to worry for long. Jim groaned loudly, shifting his arms and legs slowly, baring his teeth. He sat there for a few moments like this before asking of Mugs, who knelt next to him: “Did we get ‘em?”

Mugs snorted. “No, you daft idiot, you got it the wrong way around. He nearly snuffed you.”

“Aha! Oh, ouch…” Jim stood cautiously. Dazed at first, he touched his face and neck, and then his chest. He looked down and began to giggle uncontrollably, still wincing at the pain. “You see! You see now!”

Jim brushed his fingers against the breastplate. Everyone could see quite plainly that it was dented, a cavity nearly large enough for a man’s fist. Shin nodded slightly, acknowledging the miracle, while Thomas gaped in awe. Kate was nearby stabbing a corpse with one of his swords repeatedly; the man couldn’t care less.

Mugs sighed. “Yes, we can see it, Jim. Is there any possible way you won’t gloat about it all day?”

The man beamed. “Not one bloody chance!”

Shin came up and tapped the center of the dent, causing Jim to yelp in pain. “You may yet live, gaijin, but your armor surely did not prevent the pain of a broken chest.”

Thomas clamped his hand on his whimpering friend’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, mate, we’ll have you patched up in no time! Just think of the tales of bravery and heroism for the womenfolk in New Petersburg. We’ll set you up in a tavern with a cold drink and a hot babe…”

“We’re not headed for New Petersburg,” Mugs shot at them. He hoisted himself up into the interior of the carriage they had blown open.

To say that Mugs was upset at the current situation was a bloody understatement.

“Why’s that, bossman?” Thomas pulled himself up next to him and coughed immediately at the sight before him. “O-oh…”