The First Legendary Beast Master novel Chapter 128

Chapter 128 Storm Rolls In

The driver took his seat with a polite nod to the rest of the group, and began to eat with such enthusiasm that the server was beaming at him like her child had just won an award.

"We don't have long to sit around today. There have been issues along the road thanks to rain, and there is more bad weather set to roll in later tonight." The driver explained as he ate.

"Alright then. We won't hold the process up. Everyone, be ready to finish your lunch by the time that the driver is done. If you need more snacks, perhaps this lovely lady would pack us some sandwiches for the road." Karl agreed.

She began calling back to the kitchen to get sandwiches made for the travelling Elites, and the driver smiled.

"It's likely the most business they've seen all week, other than the morning coffee crowd. Farmers love to come in and chat in the mornings, it's how they pass the news around to those who don't live in town." The driver quietly explained.

The group finished eating as quickly as they could, and then walked back to the bus, which was just finishing receiving fuel.

"At least this stop is along the pipeline, so there is no shortage of fuel. The bus holds over a thousand litres, so it takes some time to pump." The driver explained as the students headed back for their seats.

The waitress had mentioned the same thing, and that their pumps were slow, but the driver quickly paid for the fuel and got them on the road.

But their good intentions didn't help for long. No more than an hour down the road, they turned off the paved highway to start heading for the Academy, and the skies opened up with rainfall so heavy that they could barely see where they were going.

The driver slowed down to under fifty kilometres an hour, as the rain got worse, pounding on the bus roof in a pattern that was starting to sound more like marbles on a tin roof.

"Can the mages keep a barrier up over the bus? It's starting to hail, and the windows aren't armoured. If we don't have something, we will have to find cover and stop until it passes." The driver asked.

"Yeah, that shouldn't be a problem. We can shield the bus while you drive." Dana agreed.

They worked out a plan to each take a turn so that nobody got too exhausted, with Dana going first, as the hope was that the hailstorm would not last long. She had the best barrier out of all of them, and once it was up, the bus returned to silence, though they could see the hail landing all around them like tiny snowballs.

"That weather is crazy. Is it always like this in the prairies?" Karl asked Betty, hoping that she would know the answer.

The cleric shook her head. "No, only a couple of times a year. But if you get hit by it, then there is a good chance that your crop is ruined for the year, so everyone hopes that when the storm hits, it doesn't hit their home."

That made a lot of sense. This hail was brutal. They had seen a few hailstorms at the mining town in the past, but usually never with hail larger than a pea. These stones were larger than golf balls, and even Dana was beginning to grimace at the level of continued power that it was taking to keep the shield up.

"This is a natural phenomenon, right?" One of the warriors asked as he looked out the window at the trees with their leaves gone and branches broken off.