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6.35% A Gunslinger’s System in a World of Magic / Chapter 15: A Pompous Ass

Capítulo 15: A Pompous Ass

*Bam!*

[You have lost 5 Hit Points]

[Hit Points: 25/30]

Henry's back slammed into the wall with a force that caused him to arch while his internal organs shuddered at the impact. He slid to the ground but had no time to catch his breath or grimace at his pain because the Automaton's fist came at his face next. 

Henry dived to the side but he had barely got away. The Automaton's fist struck the wall and the wind from the impactful contact brushing against his face caused Henry's eyes to widen at the danger he was in. 

'Damn it!' Henry swore and then brought to mind the Stat Points he had received minutes ago. 

Unlike the last time, he now understood how to use them and knew just what he needed in this fight.

'I'll put 3 into Agility and 3 into strength!'

[Strength: 11 ——> 14]

[Agility: 7 ——> 10]

Henry's muscles gained even more strength and his body felt lighter which was fortunate because the Automaton came at him again with its eyes glinting with an even deeper red. Like it was annoyed that it had not yet accomplished its task. It became even more intense and relentless in its attacks. 

Henry believed that the Automaton didn't have thoughts or emotions of its own and whatever it was showing was just an extension of its creator. Sure enough, when he chanced a glance at Elminster's face, he found the old man glaring with his arms folded impatiently. 

The next time a blow came at Henry, he sidestepped instead of dodging completely and when the Automaton's forearm stretched in front of him, he grabbed it and pulled hard. 

The strength increase he had just gained from his Stats proved very useful as Henry succeeded in his pull and then jumped to sink a knee into the Automaton's metal jaw. Rocking the creature and causing it to stagger a few steps. 

Henry followed up, clenching his fist, he put in every bit of the strength in his body into a massive punch that launched the Automaton into the wall with an impactful *Bam!*. 

Henry started to grin but that slipped off his face when he saw the Automaton stand to its feet almost immediately with a readiness to attack again. It was not human and felt no pain so unless it was completely damaged, it would continue to attack until it accomplished its task. 

Henry's frowned but decided not to wait for the Automaton to try again. He dashed forward and bashed the Automaton with his shoulder but instead of staggering, the Automaton stood its ground and in a move of mechanical precision, it clocked Henry in the side of the head with a punch. 

[You have lost 3 Hit Points]

[Hit Points: 22/30]

Henry's eyes rolled up but he kept his consciousness and by locking in his knees, he also did not allow himself to be sent flying. The relentless Automaton struck at him again and this time, Henry was able to dodge and retaliated with a massive upper-cut. 

*Bam!*

His blow struck his mechanical opponent's mechanical jaw and rocked it with such force that its head was knocked back, revealing a delicate groove right where the head met the structure meant to act as the Automaton's neck. 

Pulling back his fist, Henry clenched and in a move whose speed was guided by his increased agility, he delivered his blow against that delicate groove before the Automaton could drop its head back in place. 

*Bam!*

*Creak!*

Henry's fist broke through the groove and sunk inside the creature's neck, detaching that spot from it's head and as he pulled out his hand, he saw the light in the Automaton's eyes dim as its body lost power. With multiple creaks, it fell to his knees before slumping to the side in a metallic crunching *thud*.

[Kill-Reward: 10 Exp]

"Tsk," Elminster let out, "That's my fault for making the power source so easy to reach."

Henry's eyes flashed in annoyance. 

"Easy?"

Elminster ignored him. 

"Well, I have more Automatons. Each one stronger than the last."

Elminster prepared to snap his fingers and Henry knew he couldn't allow that. 

"Wait!" He yelled. 

Henry considered drawing out his gun, the normal revolver, and firing a shot but knew there would be dire consequences if he failed to make the kill and he was not confident that he could. 

If Elminster could summon an Automaton with the snap of his fingers and could threaten to summon even more, then surely he could protect himself against a bullet. More so since he was apparently someone who made a weapon as Magical and deadly as 'The Hydra's Sting'.

Elminster raised a brow at Henry's outburst,

"Oh? Have you finally come to your senses? Will you surrender what is mine?"

Henry glanced at his inventory interface with 'The Hydra's Sting' locked away until the completion of this Quest, and smiled wryly,

"I wish I could. But I can't."

"Well, then, let's continue. Your corpse will be far more cooperative, I'm sure."

Elminster readied to snap his finger again and Henry threw his arms forward,

"Wait!" Henry cried out, "At least tell me why you're doing this?"

Elminster frowned,

"I already told you."

"Yes, yes. You said you want 'The Hydra's Sting' back but you haven't said why. Was it stolen from you? Is that why you're so… upset?"

Henry was going to say 'crazy' but decided to hold off on that. 

Elminster's fingers pulled apart and he stroked his white beard,

"No, it wasn't stolen," he said gruffly, "But it might as well have been?"

Henry let out a sigh of relief that the old man was at least speaking instead of summoning and he took a small step forward,

"How so?" He asked. 

Elminster was silent for a while and then he scoffed,

"They conned me, alright? What's it to you anyway?"

'This old bastard!' Henry thought angrily, 'You just tried to kill me, I have every right to ask questions!'

When he spoke though, he picked a more diplomatic approach,

"Well, if you were to kill me, how could I be able to rest in peace when I don't even understand why I died?"

Elminster eyed him with his piercing blue eyes and then let out a resigned sigh,

"I suppose you're right. A quick history lesson and then we'll get right back to the killing and the taking."

"Sounds good," Henry said immediately just to get him to keep talking. 

He walked forward and watched as Elminster prepared himself to speak. 

Eventually, Elminster took a deep breath,

"I've made many weapons, armor pieces even intricate jewelry pieces to adorn clothing and offer extra layers of protection, but I seek no monetary gain. I only seek to further my artistic pursuit and build upon every creation so the next is better than the last. 

However, like any Craftsman, I couldn't completely forgo wealth. I mean, materials don't come cheap. So I lent —not sold— my weapons to anyone who could match my price. And many did because everyone knows, Elminster Eltugard is the best. You can't see a fine work that isn't either made by me or compared to the ones made by me. 

Of course, all comparisons fail. No one does it better than me."

'What a pompous Ass,' Henry thought. 

"But I've never heard of you," he said instead. 

Elminster snorted,

"And where do you live?"

"New Freudein," Henry said. 

"Bah! Of course you haven't heard of me in such a backwards town. I doubt you lot even see a lot of magic there. In fact, how did you get your hands on 'The Hydra's Sting'?"

"Continue with your story, Old man," Henry said. Some of the annoyance he had kept in his mind so far seeping through. 

"Fine. Not like I care anyway. I just want it back. 

So where was I? Ah, yes. I lent my creation to the worthy ones who could match my price or exceed it in a bidding war but there was an understanding that it was only a lifetime deal. Once the one I lent it to, dies, the Weapon was to return to me. 

But those bastards proved sneaky. 

They devised contracts to make sure I couldn't harass them. Stipulated that I was not to seize any of the weapons outside of my workshop which meant, I had to wait for them to be brought to me.

But I was a step ahead of them. My creations are mine after all. I place failsafes on all them, causing increased strain to their wielder as the years go by. Increased weight, increased mana consumption. Basically anything that will force them to seek me out to have a tune-up."

"That's crafty of you," Henry said. 

"Yes, I thought so too. 

I was sure it would be enough but those bastards found subpar Craftsmen to bypass my failsafes. Not entirely but enough to make them wieldable so years go by and I can never get them back because they will never seek me out. 

So occasionally, I send out Invitations. Hoping to ensnare the foolish ones to seek me out and meet their end or return my property. 

Which brings us to you and to what will surely befall you if you don't Give Me That Gun!"


Capítulo 16: Striking A Deal

[Main Quest: The grumpy Craftsman. 

Elminster is determined to crush you but his malice is not totally without reason. 

Find out what the reason is and use it to negotiate a deal with him.]

The notification floated right at the corner of Henry's eyes like a reminder. 

'Alright, I now know the reason. What deal am I supposed to negotiate?' Henry asked himself as the notification faded away. 

"Well?" Elminster said. 

"Well what?" Henry played dumb to give himself time to think. 

"What do you mean 'what'? Hand it over!" Elminster said. 

"Hold on, this system of yours with the Invitations of death… How successful have they been?" Henry asked. 

"I don't follow," Elminster said with a frown. 

"Well earlier, you said 'Every few centuries' so I assume the Invitations haven't been that successful. And with all that white hair, you must be getting along in your years. I wonder if you'll live long enough to have it all recovered."

"I will," Elminster said with his brows furrowed, "But what are you getting at?"

"Have you ever considered contracting someone to help with the recovery? Someone that is not bound by your contract and can harass the Wielders in your place?" Henry said and with every word, he felt an assurance. 

He felt so rightly that this was the way to go. 

"My Automatons act on my command so they count as me. I cannot employ them for the retrieval."

"Your Automatons are not people so that's not what I was talking about," Henry said. 

"Oh," Elminster said in realisation, "Oh, I see what you mean. Hahahaha, you must think me a fool. My last dealings with people is why I'm in this situation. 

No one will take on such an undertaking without something to gain and I risk entering into another disadvantaged deal."

"I'd assume you're wiser now," Henry said. 

"I would too. But people can be so crafty and I'm not very good at human relations," Elminster admitted. 

"Wow, really?" Henry said in a deadpan tone steeped in sarcasm. 

Elminster snorted in derision but said nothing. 

"I'll do it," Henry said to break the silence.

"You'll do what?" Elminster asked. 

"I'll help you retrieve your weapons…" Henry started. 

"They're not all weapons," Elminster chimed in. 

"… Whatever they are, I'll retrieve them for you and I get to keep 'The Hydra's Sting' in the meantime."

"Bah, why would I agree to that?"

"It's either that or you kill me and then wait another century for another to fall in your trap. I wonder how many more centuries you have left," Henry said. He couldn't give up the Gun even if he wanted to anyway. 

"It's worked well so far," Elminster grunted. 

"Has it really?" Henry asked with his head cocked to the side. 

Elminster stroked his beard with his eyes narrowed and his mind worked furiously before finally he let out a sigh,

"Fine."

Henry let out the breath he had not even realised he was holding as he nodded enthusiastically and took more steps forward until he was only about two feet away from Elminster with the counter being the only real barrier still separating them,

"Good, good. I'm glad you see sense."

Elminster nodded,

"Yes, yes. I'm very open minded, aren't I?"

"So what now? We sign a contract?" Henry asked. 

He noted that the System did not consider the Quest complete which meant the 'deal' had not truly been struck. 

Elminster eyed him and then said,

"A contract will make my employment of your services official and count as you acting like my Proxy which will void my existing contract clause of harassment. 

Let's just shake on it."

Elminster held out a hand and Henry looked from the hand to Elminster's face,

"Really?" He asked. 

"Really," Elminster said with a nod and a smile tugging at the corner of his lips and lifting his stark while moustache.

"Alright then," Henry said as he took the hand with his right. 

For a second, nothing happened. He noted the hard callouses of Elminster's hand as well how strong the grip was. It was so strong that Henry could not pull free. And then a sharp pain struck his palm and turned into a burning that seared his entire hand like the branding of hot iron. In a flash, Henry realised that was exactly what was happening. He was being branded!

"Arrgghhh!!!" He yelped in pain and his knees went weak. 

He looked up into Elminster's face and saw the old man grinning at him with eyes bright with a sadistic joy. 

"Yes, yes… Feel the burn!"

As painful as the branding was, Henry noted that he didn't lose any Hit Points. The System apparently did not count it as an injuring process which he disagreed with as the burning continued to sear through him. 

And then, Elminster released his hand. 

As the pain began to subside, Henry looked at his palm and saw a rune glowing a bright, almost wicked, red. 

[You have received Elminster's Brand]

[Elminster's approval of you has risen]

[You have received 10 Exp]

'Getting branded makes him like me more? What a crazy bastard!' Henry thought as he got back to his feet. 

He looked up and saw Elminster watching him with that sadistic smile on his face while still stroking his beard,

"That brand is a far more elegant approach to our deal. I have not officially asked you to track down my possessions and seize them for me so I have not broken the clause of my contract but if you don't do as our deal dictates, that Brand will bring you here to me to face the death you have only narrowly escaped."

"It's gone." Henry said while holding out his palm to show that the brand was no longer glowing on it. 

"It would be inconvenient and unnecessary for it to glow all the time but it is there still. You will never be rid of it. Not until our deal is over, of course," Elminster explained. 

"So we DO have a deal then?" Henry asked. 

Elminster looked surprised that he would even ask,

"Of course. That burning pain was not enough proof for you?"

'Oh it is. I just wonder if it's enough for…' Henry started to say in his mind when an alert interrupted him;

[Quest Completed]

[You have struck a deal with Elminster]

[You have received 50 Exp]

*[Nyx has received 25 Exp]

*[You are now free to retrieve the magical weapon 'The Hydra's Sting' from within your Inventory.]

"Come on, boy," Elminster said with a gesture at Henry and he turned around as a section of the wall that was littered with unfinished products began to sport lines that met until they formed a door that swung open. 

"So where will I find your creations?" Henry asked as he ducked under the counter and followed Elminster through the door that had just appeared. 

Elminster shrugged. 

"I have no idea."

Henry was about to frown at the unhelpful statement but paused as he gazed upon the room Elminster had just led him into. Unlike the one they came from that was littered with unfinished products, this room seemed only to show off the best of Elminster's creations. 

Brilliants swords, staffs, Spears, Armor pieces and many more adorned the walls but even more were the shelves on which small bottles holding varying colours of liquids were arranged in impeccable order. 

"Wow," he let out. 

"Impressive, isn't it?" Elminster said proudly, "And these aren't the even the best ones."

"They're not?" Henry said, sounding doubtful. He saw a rifle hanging on the wall and rubbed a hand over it. His body tingled with the magical power sealed within the weapon just waiting to be wielded. 

Elminster didn't mind that Henry was touching the rifle. 

"All you see here are prototypes. Foundations for even better creations."

Henry reluctantly pulled away from the rifle and his eyes went to the shelf of bottles with all manner of colored liquids within,

"Those bottles?"

"Potions," Elminster said, "Brewed by yours truly."

"You make potions?" Henry said sounding surprised, "I thought you were a Craftsman."

Elminster shrugged and was stroking his white beard again,

"'Craftsman' is a general term for what I am but, if we're splitting hairs then I'm a Gunsmith, a Blacksmith, a Gold Smith, a Silver Smith, an Artificer… Hell, you'd be hard pressed to find a trade I have not dabbled in. 

And, of course that includes potion making."


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