A Gunslinger’s System in a World of Magic

Chapter 168: The Contraption (1)

Eloise found where Henry was pointing easily and she frowned as she glanced back at Henry,

"Are you sure?" She asked.

Henry paused. The spot he was pointing at jutted away from the ceiling by about one foot and the structure was lined with lines that Henry remembered were the 'seams' of the Contraption.

"They open," He said with conviction, "It's there. I'm sure of it."

Eloise nodded,

"Alright," she said.

She had her senses spread already and could detect nothing from the spot Henry was pointing out which made her wonder how he could be so certain. Then again, a quick search with her senses and there was nothing else around that revealed the location of Phylactery so this was as good a lead as any.

Eloise conjured a spell circle and Henry could feel a change in the current of her magic because he was sure he had yet to see her put so much power into her spell. She pointed it at the ceiling, took careful aim, and fired a shot that struck that part of the ceiling with a *Bang!*

The sound was resounding and Henry was sure it would have destroyed the Ceiling but it was fine. The Contraption appeared to be smoking slightly but otherwise was intact.

Eloise frowned and then her eyes widened as she stretched her hand to push Henry aside while also yelling out a spell to conjure a Magical shield.

The very next second, a beam stronger and larger than the one the Lich had conjured to cancel out the Beam she had shot at it earlier, slammed into the conjured shield, shattering it until it slammed into Eloise and sent her slamming into a Column.

*Bam!*

Henry had fallen to the ground from Eloise's push. Besides the fact that he had not expected it, the Mage Knight was also far stronger than he was which was probably why he went flying even farther than he would have liked.

When he stood up, Henry looked over for what had caused Eloise's reaction and he saw the Lich gritting its teeth with the tiny violet lights that counted as its eyes glowering at her with an intensity.

This was not just a random attack… It was clear to Henry that something had set the Lich off and with a glance at the ceiling and the contraption still sealed shut, he knew what that 'something' was.

Henry didn't need a confirmation because he was already so sure of his 'guess' but the reaction of the Lich sealed it all.

The arrival of the Mummies lacked all rhyme and reason but they had quickly congregated around Dungeon raiders in the Chamber which was why the area Eloise had pushed Henry to was still relatively devoid of Mummies because there had been Dungeon raiders there until now.

Henry was immediately aware that he only had a few minutes before some of the Mummies broke free of the herd to stagger over to him brandishing their weapons.

So with 'Violent Retort' still in his grip, he grabbed 'The Hydra's Sting' from his Inventory and pointed both weapons at the contraption on the ceiling.

He fired two shots from both weapons.

As Henry activated <Acidic Combustion> with 'The Hydra's Sting', he was very aware that he had run out of 'Hydra's Tongue' bullets.

He had no real idea when he ran out. It could have been many fights ago or just now. What mattered was that he had to be even more mindful of his Mana use now because the activation of magical shots with 'The Hydra's Sting' was sure to cost more Mana Points without magical bullets to half the costs.

The Mana-infused slugs fired from 'Violent Retort' struck the contraption with bangs of impact and the effects of the shots from 'The Hydra's Sting' were similar. Just powerful shots that caused the points they struck to sizzle with Acidity.

Henry had expected this. While <Acidic Combustion> was powerful even against magical defenses, it worked best against actual living beings that it could turn into a cauldron of bubbling acidic wonders.

That said, the shot had not just ricocheted against the Contraption. They had struck and left some dents that told Henry it could be worn down by more attacks.

And then, he felt a gaze nailing him and his eyes turned unwilling to the Lich whose jaw was clenched tight,

"You—" it said and while it sounded like it wanted to say more, it didn't.

Only now did Henry note that the tone of delightful mockery and casualness the Lich had before was gone now and he could tell why.

The creature had not expected the spot where it had hidden its source of immortality to be so quickly discovered. Plus, Henry's precise shots at that spot just after Eloise had made a similarly precise attack made it clear it was not a lucky guess.

The Lich wondered how they could have known and suddenly, the want to riff and joke was gone. Replaced by a frantic desire to squash these pests before they caused damage it would not recover from.

Henry was so locked in place by the Lich's gaze that it took him a moment to realize Spell circles were appearing around the seated creature. The next second, blades of Mana charged out seeking to pierce through him.

Henry leaped to the side and he heard as tens of Mana blades struck against the wall. He allowed himself a breath of relief that the blades didn't seem to follow him. They could be dodged, and with his Agility as it currently was, that was what he was best at.

And then more blades came charging at where he stood and Henry dove even further away and hit the ground to slide a bit as the blades continued to crash into the ground at the very spots he lay only a split-seconds before he slid away.

Henry's slide was starting to slow and before he could get a good footing to propel himself away again, he felt multiple stabs along his leg with a particularly painful one in his thigh.

"Ah!" He yelled before the System notified him of how much damage he had sustained;

[You have lost 40 Hit Points]

[Hit Points: 82/230]

The pain remained for a while and Henry gritted his teeth as he made sure it didn't keep him down. After all, the blood loss would not.

"Get him!" Henry heard the Lich command then just after he avoided what sounded like the last barrage of Mana blades.

At first, Henry thought the Order was to call some of the attacking Mummies in the Chamber over to him but it was even worse.

Spell circles appeared around where Henry was and Mummies —Ten, Twelve, Twenty, maybe more— rose out of them to surround him. They had eyes —glowing lifeless eyes that they were— only on him.

Gritting his teeth at a personal army summoned just for his demise, Henry took the initiative and blasted shots into the heads of the two right in front of him. Reaping 400 Exp while also clearing a path for him to exploit and escape the encirclement that was tightening and getting more deadly by the second.

He moved and then his Perception warned him of a coming attack that he tried to dodge before getting intercepted by a Stab to his back.

[You have lost 20 Hit Points]

[Hit Points: 62/122]

"Ack!" Henry yelled out and arched his back. He was only just enduring the pain of that stab when a Spear came jabbing at him. He grabbed the Spear and with his brows furrowed with intensity he called on a spell —the only spell he knew so far— that was proving quite trusty.

Shocking Grip!

Lightning crackled around the Spear and the magical metal conducted the electricity in a utility of the spell Henry had only just thought to try out.

He first touched the shaft to the chest of the Mummy wielding the Spear against him and after the electricity struck it with a pulse so powerful that it was sent flying (leaving its Weapon in Henry's grip), Henry did the same to two more Mummies.

At the same time, he shot the two Mana-infused slugs within 'Violent Retort' at two separate victims. Eliminating five Mummies all at once.

[Kill-Reward: 200 Exp]

[Kill-Reward: 200 Exp]

[Kill-Reward: 200 Exp]

[Kill-Reward: 400 Exp] Enjoy stories on m_v lem|p-yr

[Level Up!]

[You are now Level 24]