A Gunslinger’s System in a World of Magic

[Kill-Reward: 100 Exp]

[Vyker-Killer bonus: +1 Stamina]

[Stamina: 18 ———> 19]

[Nyx has made a kill]

[Nyx has received 150 Exp]

Henry looked from the body of his victim to where Nyx was trampling on the Flame Vyker over and over even after he had flopped and was clearly no longer breathing. She seemed especially upset that the enemy had scorched a part of her mane which was quite likely her favorite feature about herself.

"Nyx!" called out to her and she trotted by his side as he continued on his way to Angus' horse.

The moment he got near and reached out to it, the horse skittered and let out a proud neigh as it began to prance in the same spot while shaking his head and refusing to let Henry touch and pat it.

"Oh, come here, you idiot," Henry let out in annoyance as he continued to reach out but the horse skittered back a step and rose on hind legs looking ready to kick them out his front hooves.

And then Nyx let out a snort; A sharp sound that hit the horse's ears and it immediately became docile. Dropping its hooves back to the ground and scratching at it while lowering its head.

"There," Henry said as he now grabbed the horse's reins and patted its neck reassuringly. Then he looked at Nyx and gave her a nod,

"Thank you."

"-It's nothing. He was just scared is all,-" Nyx told him when though she seemed to brighten up at his gratitude.

Henry took off the Angus' saddlebags filled with explosives and fastened them onto Nyx who was more than strong enough to carry it along with the load she already had.

He got into her saddle and with his hand still holding onto the reins of Angus' horse, he turned around and finally directed his eyes to the magical battle happening up ahead.

•••

The column of fire blew hard and hot with a powerful explosive impact that Angus watched with a smile on his face.

"The ~Hive Mind~ shares all," He said,

"Every teaching you ever gave them is mine to wield. To use your strategy against you… Haha, it's almost poetic."

And then a chuckle sounded out of the column of fire. It wiped the smile of Angus' face so fast because it boomed over the sound of the roaring flame and hit him with a flare of Aura that seemed to grip and hold him in place.

Following the laugh, came Maude Aleric's voice, powerful and pompous,

"You're not very smart, are you?" Maude asked as the column finally began to fizzle out,

"The Vinculum allows you to assimilate the properties of everyone you manage to bring into your ~Hive~ thus creating a compound of abilities. I should know— After all, it's why I wanted it.

Right now you possess the combined intelligence of two Warlocks which more than makes up for the fact that you naturally lack it.

Unfortunately for you, however, my Intelligence is far greater than theirs combined. And I would truly be a disgrace to my craft to have an attack prepared with weaker intelligence kill me."

The column of fire was gone now and in its place stood Maude Aleric with a spell circle in each hand and sheer magical aura around his body like a semi-transparent cocoon that kept the flames away from him.

"STAND DOWN!!!" Angus yelled with his purple eyes flashing as arches of Spellbinding force backed by the Vinculum flowed from him.

The Arches went past Maude's cocoon and certainly hit his ears but his Mana reserves, high Intelligence, and just overall magical experience made him impervious.

Maude acknowledged the arches with a smile,

"Spellbinding? Please. That pitiful magical skill made you the weakest of Meryna's Vykers and you think I'll succumb to it?" He said and let out a laugh before adding,

"Let me show you true magic."

Maude pointed the spell circle in his right hand toward Angus and the Warlocks.

A red bulb of energy fired out of the spell circle and with his eyes widened and every aspect of his physical abilities called to arms, Angus leaped to the side out of the attack's path.

*Bang!*

Tue bulb hit the spot Angus was at barely a second ago but rather than simply leave a massive crack behind, it detonated with an explosive range Angus had no chance of outrunning.

"AH!" Angus yelled as he went sailing away.

Maude Aleric raised his left hand and the Spell circle above it flashed with blue energy right before a larger replica of it appeared above Angus' body. Out of the large replica came a conjured hammer whose entire form was made up of Arcane symbols and it struck down toward Angus who had only just stopped his roll.

The Subjugated Warlocks were ready and combined their magic to create a shield —strengthened with the purple illumination they received from the Vinculum—, to block the hammer.

Maude rolled his eyes as his mind went on a tangent,

'Two dead… Two turned into mindless minions… I haven't been picking them well, it seems. There's only so much I can do if you all lack the innate potential to go far.

But that'll be a matter for later. Once the thief is dead and the Vinculum no longer has a host, you'll both be free.'

Maude spared very little time on his tangent of thoughts. In reality, almost as soon as the Subjugated Warlocks cast their combined shield to defend their ~Hive King~, he just swung his left hand down, infusing more Mana into the attack until it shattered the shield and slammed into the ground…

*BAM!*

… causing an eruption of dust.

Maude frowned.

'That attack didn't kill him,' he thought with certainty because the very next second, the subjugated Warlocks were casting their attack spells and sending them out.

Maude let out his Mana like a protective barrier and with flicks of his wrists, he smacked aside dark spears and broke apart forceful wind barriers before retaliating with bulbs of red energy that struck the two with concussive force and sent them flying away.

"Hmph!" The two let out in unison but they were back up immediately after, casting their spells again and attacking with a ~Hive Mind~ directive that shut down their ability or desires to preserve their own lives.

It was very similar to the relationship between a Vyker and their Creator actually. One exists to serve the cause of the other with no regard for personal goals.

Meanwhile, as Maude had guessed, Angus hadn't died from the hammer strike. When he stood off the ground, half of his body was badly bruised and would have been worse if he hadn't cast the shield spell however many times he could at the very last second.

*Cough* *Cough*

The dust that erupted from the hammer-spell strike entered deep into his lungs and made it difficult for him to breathe. Squinting, Angus took steps out of the dust cloud and then heard the clip-clopping of horse hooves.

"Angus, what the hell are you doing?" Henry asked.

"*Cough* What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going to get that bastard!"

He took another step forward and then heard Henry's yell,

"You can't win!"

Angus paused but said nothing.

Henry pressed,

"You realize that, don't you? You can't  win. His magic is greater than yours. There's nothing you can do.

Angus, we didn't come here for this. The others already got away.

Let's leave."

Henry held out Angus' horse's reins.

Angus eyed the reins and then his eyes went over to Maude Aleric and back to the reins as he clenched his fist and the Vinculum pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeats until finally, he let out a defeated sigh and reached out to take the reins from Henry's hand.

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