A Gunslinger’s System in a World of Magic

"Dungeons?" Devon asked and he and the others shared looks of confusion,

"What's that?"

"Are those like jails found in the basements of large castles?" Triss asked.

"I think those are brigs," Stefan said.

"Brigs are on ships not under Castles," Dana said, "Dungeons ARE jails."

"So what? The Vykers that should be serving Maude Aleric are fighting each other in basement prisons?" Henry asked and cracked a smile at how ludicrous that sounded.

No one had actual answers so all eyes went to Angus. The only one who didn't look confused.

He felt the eyes on him and explained,

"Dungeons are many things. Battlegrounds, Hunting grounds, treasure troves, fields of explorations— But they are almost always teeming with all sorts of danger.

The atmosphere within Dungeons is different from our own. It's aggressive and embracing all at once and it is believed and long-tested that surviving the ordeals within Dungeons makes special people —Born or made— stronger."

"Ah," Devon said with a hand on his jaw. It was the first he had ever heard of this and the same was the case for the others.

"You've been inside one before?" Charles asked with a pointed stare at Angus who nodded,

"Once or twice."

With that matter settled, all scrutinizing attention returned to the Vyker Captain who still had the lifeless look in his dull purple eyes.

"Just how many are battling away in Dungeons?"

"Thirty… Maybe Forty."

"But not a hundred?" Angus asked pointedly.

"No," the Vyker Captain said, "Not a hundred."

"See?" Angus said as he glanced at the others, "I told you."

Charles frowned at that but said nothing.

Angus straightened with a hand stroking his jaw,

"With a week to prepare and having heard my name, as well as the name of the Gang, spread in notoriety, Maude Aleric sent as many Vykers as he could afford to send while still keeping a small number with himself. The terrain within Dungeons can be very mysterious so he probably has no idea when his Vykers would be back.

The question now is should we wait and let my —our— good name continue to do its work and call more enemies here for Yelena to take care of for us or should we take the chance to strike?"

Henry raised his head to look at Angus at the mention of Yelena but he said nothing and let the Gang leader's mental gears continue to grind.

"We should wait," Devon said and when eyes went to him, he cleared his throat and continued,

"Forty— Fifty— Seventy… It doesn't matter how many Maude Aleric sends. We've all seen what Yelena is capable of. She can end them all."

"Agreed," Dana said, "We continue what we're doing and let the enemy come to us."

'Of course, you'd want to take the easy way,' Henry thought with a mental scoff.

In all honesty, he didn't blame Devon or Dana. If he didn't know what he knew about Yelena, he might have suggested the same but today was an example of what could happen when a large group of enemies arrive and strike the Mansion from a distance.

The Gang might survive the wrecking of the Mansion, but Yelena won't.

He looked at Angus and saw Angus was looking at him too. He could tell by the look in the Gang Leader's purple eyes that Angus was having a similar thought.

Angus knew of Yelena's bond to the Mansion and he knew what would happen if twenty or thirty Vykers were intent on seeing it destroyed. She might not even get the chance to fight back against all of them before it all came crashing down.

Without Yelena, Angus knew he'd have to face that horde, and the thought didn't give him warm and fuzzy thoughts.

"I don't think we should wait," Henry said suddenly and pulled attention to himself.

"Why not?" Triss asked. She had not given an input but she was in silent agreement with Devon and Dana.

"Because we have no idea if any more will be sent after us," Henry said with a shrug,

"We've killed more than twenty Vykers already. We no longer have the element of surprise. I don't think Maude Aleric underestimates us anymore.

How long do you think it'd take before he realizes it would be best to keep his men closer rather than spread them far and wide?"

Henry looked at Angus as he said it and he saw the Gang Leader tilt his head toward him in agreement. It was what he would have said to turn the minds of the others away from the idea of staying.

"I agree with Henry," Stefan said with a nod, "If a Lord like Maude were at all smart, he'd already have taken notes."

"He lost more than twenty Vykers!" Triss pointed out, "I think he'd at least want revenge and keep sending until he gets it."

Angus let out a laugh and despite the smile on his face, the look in his eyes was sad,

"Triss, you assume Vykers are anything more than tools for their creators. They're not. They're slaves only existing to do their Master's bidding with hardly any thought of personal self-preservation.

No. If Maude sends any more Vykers, it won't be because of a bunch of 'wastes' that couldn't do what he asked for. They were lost to him the moment they lost their lives and failed their tasks."

"You talk like you know him," Dana said.

"I know his type," Angus said with a sigh,

"If Maude will send more Vykers, it will be for the same reason he has sent others; It will be for the Vinculum on my chest. However, I fear Henry might be right and he's bound to be more cautious now.

If his full force of Vykers returns from the Dungeons and he decides to keep them close, our crucial advantage will be gone. Any element of surprise will be lost or useless.

I promised you wealth and only from that Manor can we get it."

"So you suggest we attack?" Charles said and his tone made it clear he thought the idea was suicide.

Angus nodded and gestured at the Vyker Captain still tied up in the chair,

"According to him, we only have five Vykers to worry about. If we are smart and avoid crossing paths with Maude Aleric himself, I think we can pull it off."

A moment of silence passed only to be eventually broken by Charles who had his hands pressed against the tabletop with his lips pressed together in distress as he asked,

"When will we be doing this?"

Angus stroked his bearded jaw again before he said,

"In two— Maybe three days."

The Gang let out sounds of protest.

"That soon?" Triss asked.

Angus nodded,

"That soon," he said,

"The longer we wait the more likely the Vykers in the Dungeons will return. We need to rob the Manor when they still only have Five to defend it.

We also have to factor in the journey to the Black Manor itself. We need to get going soon if we want to stand any chances of success."

The Gang looked unsure but slowly, they nodded in agreement.

"Henry?" Angus called out when he noticed Henry hadn't nodded or said a word in agreement.

"What?" Henry asked, confused to be called out.

"Are you with us?" Angus asked.

The eyes of the Gang went to him and they bore through him. Henry looked into those eyes and he saw questions. Questions like;

Of course, Henry was with them. Why wouldn't he be?

Henry cleared his throat and nodded,

"Sure," he said, "Of course, I am."

Angus grinned,

"Excellent," he said, his voice jubilant before he added,

"We'll need a lot of supplies."

"We'll get them," Charles said, "Tony—"

All eyes clouded over as the Gang watched Charles pause after he said the name of his dead friend. Gathering supplies was the kind of job they would have gone for together.

"I'll come with you," Triss said and after Charles looked at her with gratitude, she glanced at Henry,

"You'll come too."

It wasn't a question and Henry didn't think to object.

"Of course," he said.

"Good," Angus said, acting like he hadn't heard the name drop. He turned his attention back to the Vyker Captain and eyed him curiously as he mumbled,

"Hmm, you don't have long. Fortunately, ten minutes is all you need to tell us all you know about the Black Manor.

So start talking."