A Gunslinger’s System in a World of Magic

As Angus recited his plan to Henry, he placed a knee right against his spine, pinking him into the grassy floor and leaving him no wiggle room.

Henry gave up trying and his mind worked fast to come up with something— some series of words to spark sense into Angus' head when the padding of horse hooves sounded.

Nyx was careful about her approach. She didn't whinny and she didn't snort. She just trotted over slowly and when she was within five feet of Angus, she built up speed with her head held out like a battering ram, aiming to knock him off her bond.

Without taking his eyes off the back of Henry's head and with one hand more than enough to keep hold of Henry's wrists, Angus swung out a fist that struck Nyx's head so hard, that a wave of wind blew out from the point of contact.

*Bam!*

"NEIGH!!!"

Nyx was sent many feet away and hit the ground hard before rolling once to hit her back against a tree.

[Nyx has lost 15 Hit Points]

[Nyx's Hit Points: 65/80]

Nyx gathered herself off the ground almost immediately, shaking off her pain, and was ready to try again. This time she implemented some strategy into her charge and also made use of <Shadow Dash>.

Ordinarily, her Speed was greater than Angus' Agility and the difference only got larger thanks to the 30% increase she gained as her body was shrouded in dark mist thanks to her Magical skill.

Alas, it was all for Naught.

Angus knew she was coming and as long as she was going to get within four feet of him, he could Spellbind her.

"Down!" He said and his purple eyes flashed as the Vinculum glowed a dull purple to bolster the force of his Spellbinding.

Nyx was seized by the magic and let out angry whinnies while hurling curses at Angus. Curses that only Henry could thanks to their telepathy.

*THUD!!!*

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With a heavy sound of impact, Nyx's legs grew weak and she was forced to the ground so hard she smacked the underside of her head against the ground. Hard enough for her strong neck to sprain.

With his Spellbinding to hold her down, Angus turned his attention from Nyx and back to Henry,

"You should tell your horse to just stay there quietly now even if she does manage to break free of my Spellbinding. It would be such a shame to kill her. You both appear to share a special bond."

Henry's eyes widened slightly at Angus' choice of words but his expression returned to normal quickly and he didn't think Angus, who was staring at the back of his head, would notice.

How wrong he was.

"Oh, you didn't think I'd notice?" Angus asked and when Henry still said nothing, he continued with a chuckle,

"How unobservant did you think I was? Do you think I didn't notice your horse could suddenly use magic? Or that the magic it uses has an interesting similarity with the Shadow Vyker you and the horse killed together?

Hahaha, you picked that horse from one of the wild ones we had penned away for emergencies. If it was magical before you tamed it, I would have known, Henry."

Angus took a moment to shake his head before he let out a sigh and continued in a more subdued tone that almost took on a somber tremor,

"Did you also think I wouldn't notice Yelena's dark tendril spell was the same as that of the Warlock we all fought on the train?"

That got a reaction from Henry and he arched his head around a bit to ask,

"What?"

"Oh don't play dumb, Henry. You know what I'm talking about.

When Joe told me what he saw, it wasn't just Yelena's immortality that surprised me and I began to wonder if the spell could just be a coincidence.

I might have dismissed it as such too but then I finally took notice of how you were around her. She went out to fight in a battle she technically could not lose. In a battle she had no danger of dying in and yet, there you were, offering support. Speaking words of encouragement to her.

And then things started to make sense…"

"What the hell are you on about?" Henry asked but Angus ignored him.

"… It finally made sense why we found nothing on the Warlock on the Train. Somehow you got to it before us and on him must have been a book or a scroll or maybe even just a parchment containing the Arcane knowledge for that spell and you gave it to the Witch."

"You're nuts," Henry said.

"Oh, am I?

The first time the Mansion was attacked by Vykers; After, when we found gold on some of them, Dana searched the Vyker you killed and found nothing. She accused you…"

"Please, she's never really liked me…" Henry said.

"But it happened again," Angus said in a loud voice to drown out the rest of Henry's words,

"The second time we were attacked when you so gallantly went out to face them by Yelena's side, we found nothing on any of the Vykers. The only gold coins we were able to acquire were on the body of the one Vyker I took into the Mansion to question.

You think I didn't notice all that? Don't take me for a fool, Henry.

You have not been sharing and I'm very disappointed. You forget… We're a family."

Henry laughed then which was difficult seeing as Angus' knee was pressing him hard into the ground and impairing his ability to breathe,

"That's rich coming from you," he said,

"You have me pinned against the ground and are rambling on about a bunch of nonsense.

If you want to kill me, you might as well just get it over with."

"Kill you? What, why would I do that? No, I care about you Son. Besides Devon, you are the only one in the Gang with Awakened Potential. Killing you would hurt me, believe it or not.

No, I'll leave you here and get a head start to the Hadron Mansion.

I'll break Yelena's bond with the Mansion…"

"What?" Henry asked with wide eyes and for the first time in a while, he resisted against Angus' hold.

It was useless.

"You heard me. The Mansion is the source of her immortality and the fount of her incredible Magic. There are conditions I have to fulfill to bring someone into my Hive;

They are either weaker than me and subjugated by my Spellbinding as you are or they are so weak physically that their mind is incapable of coming up with a defense.

So I'll break her bond with the Mansion, make her mortal like the rest of us. Maybe deal some damage to soften her up nice and good and then complete the deed."

"Angus, listen to me, you can't do that," Henry said.

"Do what?" Angus asked with a leisured smile.

"You can't break her bond with the Mansion. She'll die if you do," Henry said, his tone imploring for Angus to be sensible.

"Not if I'm quick. I've got it all figured out, Henry.

Take away the bond, bring her into the Hive, and reinstate the bond. Besides, if she can't survive a few minutes without the bond, how will I be able to transfer her to the Black Manor."

"Tran— Transfer her to the Black Manor?" Henry asked, unsure if he had heard right.

Angus laughed,

"Well, you don't expect me to start building my empire in a backwater town like New Freudein, do you?

I'll rule the entire countryside but I must establish myself somewhere powerful first. The Black Manor has heritage. There has been some destruction but it should hold up well and just in case that explosion didn't end Maude Aleric, Yelena as my secret weapon certainly will.

How do you think he'll fare against an Immortal Witch subjugated by me, the ~Hive King~?"

"Angus, don't do this," Henry pleaded, resisting against the ~Hive King~'s hold.

"Henry," Angus said gently, "I'll knock you out now and go on ahead to the Hadron Mansion.

If you supported a Witch in a battle she could not lose and handed her precious loot you somehow managed to steal, I'd like to believe you won't let her down now.

You'll come for me and I'll be waiting.

I'd like to see how that complexity in your head holds up against me drawing on Immortal might."

"Angus, don't—" Henry started to say before…

*Bam!*

… A fist slammed the back of his head and he blacked out.