A Gunslinger’s System in a World of Magic

Henry was a little thrown that learning about the Werewolf got a larger reaction from Eloise than anything she had heard so far. Her grey eyes were wide and she didn't look awed, disappointed, or impressed as she had looked intermittently while Henry and Andor narrated the events in the ridge. She just looked horrified.

"Yes, there was a Werewolf," Henry told her while eyeing her reaction to every word he said,

"The Caravan was transporting it inside a Cage. We unlocked the cage…"

"Against wise warnings," Andor interjected bitterly still feeling regret at his earlier decision to free the captive that almost killed them. A captive that had proven almost a worse enemy to battle than the dozen Mercenaries they had faced earlier.

"They captured a Werewolf and were taking it to Alvareen?" Eloise asked sounding disbelieving.

Andor nodded looking almost absentminded but at first, Henry was just silent with his brows furrowed as though he were deep in thought.

"I don't think it was captured actually," he eventually said.

"You don't?" Andor asked.

"You don't?" Eloise repeated almost at the same time.

Henry shook his head,

"No, I don't," Henry said shaking his head, "I don't remember seeing a control cuff inside its cage so I doubt it was wearing one. Also, Andor, remember the way it looked at us?

He didn't seem angry or spiteful, he just looked confused that we weren't the ones he was expecting. He even asked if we had arrived. He knew he was being taken somewhere, I'm almost certain of it."

"Henry, he was in a cage," Andor pointed out.

"A precaution," Henry said with a shrug, "I mean, look at what happened when we let him out. When we let the light of the moon touch him, he turned.

The cage kept it sealed and lacked any opening so no light made it through. There were a lot of slaves in that Caravan and that Werewolf was not one of them."

"Oh," Andor said looking more guilty than he already did. He looked like he had been trying to at least rationalize that, although it almost killed them, it was the right thing to free a captive. To learn it wasn't a captive at all made all that trouble seem so unnecessary.

"Stop that," Henry said.

"Stop what?" Andor asked in a choked voice.

"Stop doing what you're doing. You did nothing wrong," Henry said.

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Andor pursed his lips and let out a sigh before leaning back into the seat he was on to close his eyes.

Eloise spoke then in a musing tone,

"Whether it was captured or convinced, it's so foolish for Ralph Gribbo to acquire a Werewolf and attempt to bring it into Alvareen. Those things are volatile beasts with difficulty controlling their bloodlust.

Even when they don't shift, they're incredibly aggressive and when they do, they hunt and kill just for sport. Having any within Alvareen will cause so many deaths."

"He could be trying to control it," Henry said and when he realized the statement could refer to the Werewolf as well as Ralph, he clarified,

"Ralph Gribbo, I mean. He could be trying to control the Werewolf."

"Well, that's just silly. For him to bring a Werewolf here when he already has capable Mercenaries, he must need the extra strength it gains when it shifts and you can't control a shifted Werewolf. You can only—"

Eloise trailed off then. Henry waited for her to continue and when he realized she wouldn't, he prompted,

"You can only what?"

"You can only direct the bloodlust. The only thing that drives a Werewolf during the Full Moon is to make a kill. Preferably multiple and while they are irrational and altogether difficult to reason with, you can direct their desire for blood toward a singular target. I.e you can set it loose on an unfortunate fellow. Or fellows."

The more Eloise explained, the more she believed she was right and the more Henry saw reason in her words.

"So a hunting dog," He said slowly.

"Essentially," Eloise agreed with a nod.

"Huh," Henry let out, "Well, I can't deny it would have been a very productive venture. That bastard damn-near killed us, after all."

"So his plan failed then," Andor said and he looked a bit cheered up even if he did frown a lot, "The Werewolf is dead."

Eloise shook her head,

"That one is dead, but Ralph Gribbo won't just give up. He'll try again."

"So he'll find another Werewolf?" Andor asked.

"He'll probably try. Werewolves are not all that difficult to find. They leave a trail of blood and dreadful legends wherever they are."

"Hmm, they must be at least a bit scarce. I never heard of any signs of them where I came from," Henry said.

It was true. To the Henry of this world, Werewolves were as much stuff of legends as they were to the Henry (Him) who had lived and grown up in the American Wild West.

"And how magical is where you're from?" Eloise asked with a raised brow.

"Not that magical," Henry admitted. Where the Henry of this world had lived before joining the Dionisio Gang was fairly devoid of magical or Awakened people. New Freuidein was the change that put him so close to such. As had also been the case for the vast majority of the Gang.

But then, what did that matter? He thought.

"What does it matter if it was magical?" He asked out loud.

"Come on Henry, think about it," Eloise said with a small sad smile,

"What joy would a magically empowered creature glean from killing the downtrodden that's not even at all magically gifted?

The more Mana a person holds inside them, the more pleasure a Werewolf gains from spilling their guts. Also, the more chances they have of evolving and getting stronger.

Of course, Werewolves take it a step further by always being thrilled to battle strong opponents, defeat, and mutilate them. Lycanthropy is a disease and one of its most obvious symptoms is a crazed desire for combat."

A brief moment of silence passed as Eloise's words settled and then Andor voiced,

"You think Ralph Gribbo will get another Werewolf?"

"Undoubtedly," Eloise said with a sigh and then she stood up,

"I have to go."

"Oh," Henry said, "Alright."

"I have to think," Eloise said, "I want to tell someone so they can discourage or stop that crazed maniac from bringing— well, a crazed bloodthirsty beast into Alvareen but I worry no one will care. They haven't cared about all he's been doing for years, so why would they start now?"

She sounded so demoralized that Henry thought to say something to help her mood but he couldn't, for the life of him, come up with anything.

Eventually, Eloise nailed him with her grey eyes,

"I'll be back to check up on you in the morning," she said, "Don't do anything stupid till then."

"I won't," Henry said.

She looked him in the eyes for a full minute more and when she saw no sign of deceit, she looked away and walked to the elevator. In a minute, the door closed and she was gone.

Andor drifted off to bed soon after that and Henry went into his own room soon after. Nyx came out of his shadow after and folded her legs beneath her at the end of his bed while he took a bath to get rid of the grime of the day before he lay in bed.

All things considered, Henry was glad for the day. It was only the first Quest completion in a larger Quest to ruin Ralph Gribbo but he was delighted. He had leveled up some, survived, and had tomorrow to brainstorm what came next.

***

—The Next Day—

It was almost noon when Henry woke up and when he drifted out of his room, he saw Eloise was already in the common area seated opposite Andor with a small table between them.

The small table was laden with breakfast meals and Andor was taking a sip of a beverage when Henry walked out. He looked up and Henry saw guilt in the Fighter's eyes before he hurried to look away to hide it.

"Good morning, Henry," Eloise said before Henry had the time to question Andor's guilt.

"Eloise. Good morning. You're here early," Henry said.

"It's almost noon," Eloise said, "You're up late."

"I had a long day yesterday," Henry pointed out.

"Indeed you did," Eloise said with a smile but it was clear she didn't think that was a valid excuse.

Henry dropped his eyes to the small table,

"What's all this?" He asked.

"Breakfast," Eloise said.

"I can see it's breakfast," Henry said, "I meant why are you having it now, and why with Andor?"

Henry glanced at the Fighter as he said his name but Andor was far more interested in the content of the cup he was holding.

"Join us," Eloise said with a gesture at the table.

Henry furrowed his brow but stepped forward and took a seat before reaching out and taking a cake that he bit into. It was delicious. As delicious as any of the food he had eaten since they had started staying at the Lotus Inn.

"So, Henry, Andor told me about your plans. About taking down Ralph Gribbo and his Slave Trade," Eloise said.

"He did, did he?" Henry said and looked at Andor again, now understanding why he was averting his eyes.

Eloise nodded with a smile, completely at ease,

"Yes he did," she said,

"And I want In."