A Gunslinger’s System in a World of Magic

Chapter 191: Frightening

It was a strange feeling.

Gina was sure her body was still on the surface. She could feel her feet planted albeit shakily on the Arena's concrete floor but none of that mattered. It was as though Triss' eyes were portals into Hell and as it pulled her soul into a hellish and torturous depth, flames were licking at her.

The flames didn't attack her body. They attacked her very being and as the pain continued to rise, she found she was unable to scream. Her soul didn't have a voice and at the moment, only her soul mattered.

She continued to fall for what felt like an eternity and when she finally stopped, she was in the presence of a figure she recognized and yet did not.

It was Triss but she was clad in a black Armor set that was marred with markings that burned with Infernal Heat. Horrible horns protruded from the sides of her head and she had her hands atop the pommel of a large sword, even larger than the one she wielded in life.

'Triss' said nothing but the way she stood and the ominous aura that descended upon the scene made it feel like she was about to pass judgment. Gina's eyes widened as she realized she was the one about to be judged. Again, she tried to make her voice work but this time it was to plead for mercy rather than to let out a scream. Again, her voice failed her.

And then it was over.

She found that she was back in her body. She was now on her knees and as connected as she had been to her body despite the ordeal, she had no idea when that happened. Her eyes were bugged out in horror and sweat had soaked her clothes. Her eyes were averted from Triss' now and she dared not raise them to look again.

Was all that an illusion? Gina wondered and then realized it didn't matter because the experience alone, had it continued, would surely have killed her. She was glad she had survived it although she had no idea how.

Meanwhile, Triss' attention had been forced away from Gina by the man who now stood between them and glared at her while clearly struggling to keep his expression passive.

"I think that's enough," he said in a deadpan tone.

Triss rolled her eyes,

"I wasn't going to kill her."

'Liar!' Gina yelled in her head. Her voice failed her but she wasn't sure she would have been able to be vocal even if her voice had worked.

The newcomer didn't believe her either. He gestured at Chad whose scales were gone now with his head still forced into the crater by Triss who refused to let up.

"This doesn't look like holding back," he said,

"The purpose of these organized spars is to trade secrets and help each other develop. It also helps us to know each other better so we can strategize when we go out on missions. Especially Dungeon Raiding missions.

It's not to beat our opponents to death."

'Like they would have thought twice about doing that to me,' Triss thought, and with a sigh, she took her hand off Chad's head.

Chad's body reacted to the lack of pressure forcing his head into a crater and his neck angled out into normalcy. It was certainly sprained but luckily for him, his durability as a Vyker had kept it from snapping. He didn't move though. It didn't look like he could.

The man raised a brow at that,

"Impressive."

"Thank you," Triss answered because, even though the man was looking at Chad, the praise was clearly meant for her.

The man raised his eyes to look at her,

"It's barely been two weeks," he said in a low voice, "This much improvement in such a short period without Dungeon-Raiding, is incredible."

He sounded awed but he wasn't confused. That was because Triss wasn't really a Vyker. The process had barely started for her when the 'incident' occurred.

Whenever she fought, she channeled Mana but she channeled something else. Something infernal. It backed her development and sped it up. How long that would last was unknown and also didn't matter because it already made her too strong to be considered a rookie.

"How about a spar against someone you won't just steamroll?" The man asked.

"Really, Gerald?" Triss asked.

Having to live with this bunch had made knowing their names necessary and since most of them had not tried to make their feelings about her and Stefan a secret, she had also learned a bit about their personalities.

Gerald had reservations like everyone else. Even more so as he was one of those who had been present when it happened but as one of the strongest Vykers under Maude Aleric's control, he took on the role of commander and tried to be fair. It made him easier to deal with than the others.

"Of course," Gerald said and glanced at Stefan still seated in the Spectator seat, "You can have some help too."

Before Gerald was even done, Stefan was already moving and he was by Triss' side in seconds. Triss didn't object. Against Gerald, she was sure she would need the help.

"Good," Gerald said with a nod now that the two were standing side by side and he took off his shirt to tie it around his waist. The view of his large muscles only lasted a second before it was covered by dark fur that covered up its definition but made him physically larger.

The size increase was strangely only on Gerald's upper body even though the fur of the transformation spared no parts of his body. It created a sort of imbalance. Gerald's back also became hunched and his arms, larger and longer now, seemed so close to dragging across the ground.

His face was now halfway between a human and a bear and when he grinned, large and powerful canines flashed like steel.

Stefan took on a stance and blood began to appear around him. Like they had formed right from nothing and swirled around him, obedient to his commands.

Gerald's wild red eyes narrowed at that.

Stefan was different from Triss in the sense that his Vyker mutation had started and had been well on its way before the 'incident' began. The prepared ingredients had also been used up and yet, there was no way in hell this blood-ability had come from them.

It hadn't.

The combination of infernal energy and the occultic energy that was facilitating the Vyker mutation had mixed to create something not quite one or the other.

The aura around Stefan's body seemed like that of a Vyker —far more than his Sister's—, and yet, there was an infernal connection there that caused it to deviate.

While he didn't develop as fast as his Sister, the bonafide Devil-Worshipper, Stefan's development still put that of the rookie Vykers to shame. Gerald felt that, if Triss was at least doomed eternally with her soul now belonging to a Devil, Stefan could still be salvaged and molded into a worthy tool for his Lord, Maude Aleric.

In the minute or so they spent doing nothing but standing opposite each other, some of the spectating Vykers stepped onto the stage and carried Chad off it lest he get caught up in the battle that was about to begin. They carried Gina away as well as she didn't seem to have regained control of her body since her hellish ordeal.

Triss' eyes twitched and the moment they were gone, she moved. She dashed as fast as she possibly could just so she could take a running leap and come down at Gerald from above. He sidestepped and delivered a punch to the side of her face.

*Bam!*

The fist connected and Triss was sent flying. She managed to recover, allowed herself to be guided by the instincts she had gained upon her transformation, and did a spin before breaking her fall only nursing the wound to the side of her face.

Just as Gerald delivered the blow, his instincts warned him of a projectile and he leaned to the side just in time to avoid a spear formed of blood. Alas, the spear shattered right as it was passing harmlessly in front of him. It turned into smaller daggers that stabbed at him in a barrage he couldn't completely outrun.

"Ngh," He let out almost in surprise when a few stabbed through him and drew blood but his surprise was intensified when a few drops detached from the daggers that had caused his wounds, mixed with his blood, and caused them to congeal into tiny darts that stabbed into his face through his open wounds.

"Ahh!" He yelled and his eyes widened at the horror of such manipulation.

The darts formed from his blood mixed with the blood of Stefan's attacks had been too weak to dig too deep but imagine if they had been stronger.

To be done in by your own blood because you're facing a horrible mutated Blood Mage such as this…

Gerald's black-furred lips twitched at such horror and he mumbled,

"Frightening!" Read new chapters at m_v-l'e|-NovelBin.net