A Gunslinger’s System in a World of Magic

Kayla's eyes roamed the courtyard with her lips pressed tight in displeasure.

"If you're not coming with, why even come along?" Gareth asked.

"Currently, it's a choice between being here and being at the Estate within the Lord's reach. I choose this," Kayla answered.

Returning with the body of the Werewolf had done nothing to soothe Ralph Gribbo's intense disappointment and the fact that the lockdown of the City had not produced any results at all had only made that worse.

He currently would not say a word to Kayla but she knew a reprimand was coming and was constantly on edge so she decided she might as well give her Lord some space. Hence, she picked this.

Of course, Kayla never once considered venturing into the Evolving Dungeon herself.

Besides the fact that she was still recovering from the blow to the chest she had suffered last night, Dungeon raiding had never quite been a pleasure of hers. And what she had heard about Evolving Dungeons made this even more unappealing.

Sure, there was still profit to be gained and there would be daredevil freelancing Mercenaries who would go in search of good fortune, but the danger of a Dungeon that announced its arrival and got stronger with every passing hour or so, could not at all be diminished.

Speaking of seeking fortunes;

"Welcome," Sir Doran said before Sir Boyle could, "We leave in a few minutes."

"The deal?" Gareth asked with a raised brow.

Doran and Boyle nodded. This was clearly something they had been informed of earlier and they had no issues with it. At least not with so much at stake.

"Of course. You'll have first and the most pick of whatever treasures we find within the Dungeon."

"Sweet," Gareth said with a hearty nod.

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Of all the daredevil Mercenaries that would venture into the Dungeon despite the danger it posed, this party was obviously the most significant. One of the primary goals for Ralph Gribbo even acquiring Slaves was to use them for these very sorts of tasks.

They would have likely entered the Dungeon even if they had not been called on by the Citadel but since they had been called on, they were here to aid the raiding to be done by the Knights of the Citadel. The only thing they asked for was the best and the most of the loot.

While Gareth was ironing out the last details of the deal with the two group-leading Knights, Kayla saw Eloise and by her sides, she saw two of the three men she had asked about last night.

"Dame Eloise," she said in a tone that sounded like she was calling out. There was no need for that though because since the party of Mercenaries and Slaves stepped into the Citadel's courtyard, the eyes of Eloise, Henry, and Andor had been on them.

Henry's eyes had especially been on Kayla who he recognized the most.

Eloise gave a nod of acknowledgment of the meeting last night but said nothing.

Kayla's eyes moved then. They barely paid attention to Andor and paid the most attention to Henry. Just like last night, she stared at his black eyes and again, they seemed familiar to her.

And then she looked at what he was wearing;

Unlike last night, Henry wasn't dressed in dignified clothes that were meant to present him as more than he was and assuage possible suspicion. Instead, today, he was dressed as he usually was. A jacket worn over a simple shirt that was tucked into the waistband of a pair of simple pants that were held up by an even simpler belt. He was wearing Leather boots with spurs on them and all

He wore presented a specific kind of image.

And then it clicked.

The clothes were different and he wasn't even wearing a Hat but Kayla could not help but make the connection. She had had the suspicion last night but it had not been able to develop but now…

'It's him!' she thought and again looked into the eyes. Those black eyes were the only thing she had been able to spot on the gunman's mask-covered face last night.

Now, while she could not be sure, could there possibly be two people who dressed so much like the average gunmen from the less magical west of Valaeren who both had the same intense black eyes?

Just as Kayla eyed him, Henry eyed her as well. It was like he could tell exactly when she pieced things together but somehow, he wasn't worried.

Maybe because he felt she still doubted herself too much to 'out' him here and now or maybe because he thought he'd survive even if she did, his lips just curled into a smirk.

And then Kayla did something that surprised him; She smiled.

Since she first stepped into the Courtyard she had been frowning and Henry would have assumed that recognizing one of the enemies of last night would only make her frown more intense but she looked relieved. Curious.

Their 'stare contest' and smirk/smile exchange were broken off by the arrival of another group.

The one leading this group was a very beautiful lady who looked like she was in her late twenties maybe but her face was so flawless she might as well have been ageless.

It was like she radiated sanctity itself and that image was only furthered by the fact that her hair was covered by a veil held at the top of her head by what was undoubtedly a coif. Her robe was silvery white and in layers that covered up any view of her figure.

There was a crest in the shape of a crescent moon on the chest of the lady's robe and it shimmered whenever it caught the rays of sunlight.

The lady had her hands joined together in front of her as though in prayer and around those hands was a necklace of beads that all glowed luminously like pearls. Her eyes appeared closed but she took every step with purpose and never appeared to be moving blind.

"Akreum…" she said in a voice that rang like bells when she finally stopped walking. Henry didn't understand what she said but he knew immediately that it was a greeting. This was proven when the Knights within the Courtyard bowed to the lady and said the word in reply.

"Welcome, Lady Isobel," Sir Boyle said and gave another bow.

"Peace to you, dear Knight," the lady said and she opened her eyes. They were an ordinary brown but somehow, Henry was sure they glowed subtly.

"Whoa," Andor said and Henry looked to the side and saw the Fighter's mouth gaped as he took in Lady Isobel's looks and apparent sanctity.

Henry looked at Eloise next and she had a look on her face that made it clear she respected Isabel and what she stood for but there was a lack of religious solidarity here that made Henry suspect that whichever god Isobel worshiped was not the same one Eloise worshipped.

"You requested Clerics and the Goddess has provided," Lady Isabel said and without separating her hands in their prayer pose, she gestured at the Clerics lined up behind her.

She had captured so much of his attention that Henry had not paid attention to those behind her. Compared to her they were ordinary. Their robes were not in as many layers and did not extend as low as hers which Henry assumed was a sign of a difference in status.

The Clerics were made up of both men and women all looking to be in their early to mid-twenties and while they all looked devoted to their faith and mirrored Isobel's prayer hands with less eye-catching beaded necklaces, they lacked the air of sanctity she just carried with her.

"So which Goddess do they serve?" Henry asked Eloise. She definitely had a higher chance of having an answer than Andor. And that was even without the fact that the Fighter was still beauty-struck. Henry didn't blame him though.

Granted, if you take away Isobel's air of sanctity, she does not stand to Yelena in beauty (she barely managed to even with the air of sanctity) but that didn't really matter at the moment.

"Selene is the Goddess of the Moon," Eloise said, "She's one of the more important religions in the Northern areas of Valearen. She's all about purity and healing and Divine support and such. It's why we're going into the Dungeon with her Clerics.

Their support and healing will prove very helpful."

"She's not your Goddess," Henry said. It wasn't a question.

"She's not," Eloise answered.

Henry waited and when it was clear Eloise wasn't going to volunteer information about her Divine Patron, he made to prompt her but Eloise interjected.

"Wow, they must think this is serious too," She said.

"How so?" Henry asked. What he was just about to ask was wiped from his mind by his curiosity.

"See that crest on the chest of the Clerics?" Eloise asked.

Henry studied the crest and it was a Crescent Moon that was not as designed as Isobel's but had a star symbol above it.

"What does the start mean?" He asked.

"It means those Clerics are 'Children of the Moon'. They are some of the Most Spiritually gifted of their religious recruits who are given special teachings in hopes of someday becoming Apostles of Selene.

To volunteer this many… The Temple must find this as big a deal as we do. That's good…"

Eloise paused then and bit her lower lip looking worried as she added in a low tone of voice,

"… Or very bad."