A Gunslinger’s System in a World of Magic

A minute passed with Eloise glaring at the three still on the backs of their horses. The snowfall was getting more intense and still, she said nothing.

So Henry decided he might as well prompt her.

"So about this trouble—"

Eloise interrupted immediately to shut him up and she spoke like she had never stopped talking.

"The whole of Alvareen is on Lockdown. Last I heard, Mercenaries are rallying up within the Gribbo Estate. They're coming for you."

Henry shared a look with Andpt and then went back to looking at Eloise to ask in a somber tone,

"How long do we have?"

"Quarter of an hour maybe. Even less probably. They have fast horses," Eloise answered, and then her voice became angrier and she looked like she might just stomp her foot to the ground,

"I can't believe you'd do this! I thought you might but I really wanted to believe you had more sense…"

"I'm sorry Eloise but if we only have a few minutes, we need to get moving now," Henry said and he was starting to angle Nyx's reins for a turnaround.

Eloise noticed and for a moment, she tempered her disappointed glower.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

Henry looked confused by the question,

"We have to run. We'll go back through the Brieme mountains. Take diverging paths and try to shake them off."

"To what end?" Eloise asked.

Again, Henry looked confused but still, he answered,

"Till we get away," he said, "Till we're safe."

Eloise shook her head and lowered her voice,

"You won't be. They'll catch you."

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Henry managed a smirk,

"Nyx is fast. And strong. She can carry the three of us and still outrun any horse after us."

"Are you sure about that?" Eloise asked, "These are Mercenaries in the employ of arguably the most powerful man in the Alvareen. I assure you, they will catch you."

"You're being very bleak. What do you suggest then?" Henry asked.

Eloise took one hand away from the underneath of her breasts and pointed behind her towards the direction she had come from,

"The safest place for you is Alvareen. We just have to get you in."

"You said something about a Lockdown," Henry said, "How will we get past that?"

"You'll be with me," Eloise said like that solved the issue, "Like I said earlier. I came for you. Ever since I went to the Lotus Inn and learned you were out again as you have been out the past few days, I feared the worst. So I've been keeping up with all developments involving the Caravan.

I was informed when Kayla returned and announced herself to the Gribbo Estate. I only managed to rally myself after you before the lockdowns and chase began.

Tell me you at least took precautions."

"We wore masks," Henry said, "Our faces were always hidden."

"Good," Eloise said, "That makes this a tad easier. Now get off your horses and get in."

"Get in where?" Andor chimed in but Eloise had gestured behind her and, through the curtain of snow getting thicker by the second, the Fighter saw the frame of a carriage.

"Oh," he said at the sight.

Of course, Henry had known it was there. His perception hadn't only picked Eloise when he first cautioned them all to stop. He had detected the carriage as well as three more occupants. Two seated inside and one seated at the front: The Driver in charge of directing the horse where they ought to go.

"We'll have to change your clothes. Make you more presentable," Eloise said.

Henry got down from Nyx's saddle and he and Andor assisted Louis off his. Henry bore more of the weight because thanks to the system, he was suffering pain of injuries the least. Or not at all even.

"-I'll keep close?-" Nyx asked.

"Of course," Henry answered out loud, surprised why she even sounded unsure at all.

With a small whinny of content, Nyx manipulated his Shadow and vanished into it as she usually did.

"Eloise, who else is here?" Henry asked as he and Andor approached the Carriage with Louis between them.

"Eager help," Eloise answered.

The Carriage door opened then and two young faces appeared flashing eager smiles that were only slightly muted by the caution in their eyes.

Henry recognized them. They were the squires that had forged ahead into the Lich's chamber during the Dungeon raid. He remembered their names were Alice and Darren.

"Dame Eloise, How may we help?" Alice asked.

"Attach these two horses to the Carriage," Eloise said,

"We don't need help pulling the Carriage but I see no reason to leave them behind or have them follow us riderless."

"On it!" The two Squires said in unison as they leaped out of the carriage and grabbed the reins of both horses to urge them to the front of the carriage where the driver awaited with the fastens to secure them. Their saddles were stripped and kept safe while they were fitted with the proper harnesses.

"Here," Eloise said and thrust her hand into the Carriage so that the change of clothes fell from her storage bracelet and onto the carriage floor.

"Thanks," Henry said as Eloise stepped back and made a point to look away and give the three some privacy whether or not they needed it.

"You have one minute."

They were done faster than that.

The dresses Eloise had provided were not the sort Henry would have ordinarily worn. They were even more expensive than the casual wear she had on but he understood why; There was a sort of appearance those searching for them would be on the lookout for and this could help hide them better.

Andor had wounds and while their bleeding had stopped, he decided to keep his clothes on underneath the new ones to act as a barrier so any blood stain did not seep through.

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Henry sent his 'Abominable Vest' and the 'Hat of Shielding' into his Inventory but he employed a similar principle as Andor by fastening the new clothes over a more plain shirt underneath.

Louis was still capable enough to pull on the new clothes on his own and by the time the minute was over, the horses were joined the earlier simple formation of two horses and the carriage was ready to pull away.

Eloise, Alice, and Darren entered and the journey back to Alvareen began.

"Hold still," Eloise said to Henry with a small bottle now in her hand. She pushed a small bit of ball from the bottle and b fan to dab it on the wounds across his face that had not been healed by the Healing Potions.

Wherever the balm touched, the wound sealed up.

"It's not healed," Eloise said gently, "This is purely cosmetic and will keep the skin looking normal. That should be enough to dissuade suspicion."

Her finger moved so lightly across his face and when she started trailing the ball down his neck at the scratches he had sustained there, Henry realized the carriage was very silent. Or maybe he was just too focused on the look on Eloise's face that he didn't hear what was being said.

He noticed Eloise's cheeks gain a reddish hue as her finger stopped in place against a wound she had been mending with the balm. She seemed to realize she had stopped her finger in place because she flushed, cleared her throat, and dropped her hand.

"And that's how it's used," she announced as she retrieved another much fuller bottle that she tossed to Andor who caught it and began to apply it across his wounds before doing the same with Louis's.

As a cosmetic solution, the balm did nothing to soothe the Mage's pain but it did make him look less on the brink of death even if he leaned his head against the seat looking pale while he took in the occasional deep breath.

The carriage had dragged across the snow-covered ground for about five minutes before it became clear that they had company in the form of a host of horses.

"Halt!" Said the deep voice of the one leading the formation. He pulled his horse to a stop and the others behind him followed his lead.

"Is anything the matter, sir?" The driver asked gently.

Gareth eyed the driver and then the carriage,

"Where are you coming from?" He asked.

"Alvareen," the driver answered immediately and then when Gareth raised a brow, he clarified, "I mean we are originally from Alvareen and are on our way back."

"Seems late for a ride this far from the city?" Gareth said with his brows furrowed, "Where exactly did you travel to and are returning from?"

"Nowhere in particular," the driver answered, "My young Miss enjoys occasional rides out of the City, you see. She finds Alvareen sometimes stuffy and enjoys what she calls 'fresh mountain air'.

"And your Young miss is…?"

"Lady Eloise Du Vurgen," the driver answered grandly.

Gareth shifted atop his horse then. He observed the Carriage better and only now noticed the noble crest emblazoned against its coat. He cleared his throat,

"Hmm, I see. Well, there's been a situation so I had to be thorough."

"I understand," the driver answered.

Gareth nodded,

"Very well. You may…" he started to say.

"Wait," Kayla said and her horse trotted forward. Her eyes were on the horses pulling the Carriage and she was almost sure she recognized one… maybe even two of them.

The more she stared, the more convinced she was until she was saying with some confidence;

"Hold on. Don't let them leave just yet."