《Gunslinger's Gambit [System, Progression, LitRPG, Adventure, Action]》
The Mysterious man
The sun was hitting the sand in a scorching bath, turning the golden sand into a hot burning trap for bare feet and skin that got caught when the wind decided to make it fly. Meanwhile, metallic and rusty ruins of old parts of the city that fell generations ago were decorating the landscape, creaking with the strong winds of the hour.
Along those ruins was an 18-year-old girl in a full red dress making her escape. She was a fox demi-human, with fox-like features, making her way through the sandy ruins holding a cloth bag in her hands while keeping her sigh to the front. She had brown fur on her fox-like ears and tail, and her hair was long and golden blond.
"Catch that bitch!" Someone yelled between the ruins.
The woman was making a run through the ruins while holding the bag close to her chest, huffing as her breathing became harder and heavier. She knew she was not managing to get away from her pursuers just by running, they had been following her from the edge of Malton''s City, and her only chance was to lose them.
She found a hiding spot between a random piece of rubble and hid herself between the shadows produced by the big pieces of metal of what used to be a building. She had to crawl, but it did offer the cover she needed. The sand of the dress could be removed later.
"Please... don''t find me" she muttered to herself.
A small crevice gave her enough space to watch outside. Slowly, the yells from her pursuers became lower and the sound of the horses running through the sand became less faint.
The fox-girl crouched when she heard they were getting close, lowering her head so she could not be seen.
Then, two of her pursuers passed by on their horses, fast and raising sand to the air in their way. They did not see her.
She takes a long breath, believing herself safe. The woman reaches for what is inside of the bag, wanting to inspect it, when-
BANG!
THUNK!
A gunshot was fired, and the bullet hit the border of the crevice she was using to look through. A small 0 appeared in the spot where the bullet hit, a reminder of the System that exists in this world and that the bullet did not penetrate. The only reason she was brought to this situation.
"Come with your hands up, Marika!" a man outside. His voice was one she managed to remember.
"Shit!" she complained.
The demi-human woman slowly made her way outside of her hiding spot. Somehow he caught her, and now she had to face her pursuers.
"Well, how is it going, boys?" Marika asks, standing up and holding her hands up, the bag still hanging from her right one.
"You know how, you traitorous bitch!" the man, a burly man holding a rifle in his hand. His horse, white and scrawny, was sitting a couple of meters from him. "This is the last time you cross us!"
"Say that without your hands shaking, Dale," She answered, noticing how he seemed to be aware of her movements. A smirk formed on her face.
Dale grunted and prepared to squeeze the trigger, but he hesitated. Marika knew why, it was not the first time she found herself in a situation like this, and they believed she might have something to pull herself out of this situation like she had in the past. But, this time she had nothing.
The two guys that passed by returned on their horses. One was holding a spear and the other had a gun on his hip, but his hand held a wand. The latter used the gun only in case his magic ran out, that was clear.
Another one came by behind Dale. Scrawny one that always followed him. Marika did not know his name.
4 to 1. The odds were against her. She was not coming out of this one fighting, not with her level. She knew Dale was at level 10, and his companions here were between 5 and 8. She was only 4, only recently having managed to get the class stone to get her class and leveling system working.
"Okay, give us the bag and we''ll finish this quick!" Dale said, keeping his gun aimed at Marika. "Do it and we won''t hurt you!"
"Why don''t we just kill her, boss?!" Asked the one with the wand, "She had been causing trouble since we knew her, it could fix our problems fast!"
"You idiot! It''s not that easy!" Dale answered.
"Kill me and you start a gang war," Marika said with a playful tone of voice, then winked at the man who proposed killing her, smiling with a wide grin.
It was, however, a bluff. She had no big connection with strong gangs in the city, but that is something they did not know.
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"Silence, woman! Hand the bag now!" Dale insisted.
She couldn''t give up on the bag but she was running out of options. A heavy tension surrounded the area and the wind started to pick up as if it understood the situation she was in. But it was the best option to come out of this one alive.
Something had to come out of her head to leave this place with the bag and its prize. If not, her efforts would have been for nothing!
And then, as if summoned by the wind of the desert, heavy steps could be heard on a metallic surface not far away. A gust picks up sand and makes a cloud form around them for a couple of seconds.
Everyone slowly turned towards the sound. And when Marika saw the person, who was walking over a big piece of fallen metal, she smiled as she saw her opportunity.
It was a man, not older than 25 years old, wearing all black despite the hot sun, appearing between the particles of sand that got sent flying like the apparition of a ghost. He had a black leather hat that was covering his face from the scorching hot ball of fire in the sky.
Everyone stood silent as he walked, only to then notice that he was limping, barely dragging his feet through the metallic surface. And then he fell forward onto the floor.
"H-hungry..." he managed to murmur against the hot, metallic surface that was under him.
Who makes an entrance like that and then falls to the ground?!
Everyone looked in confusion at the man thrown into the ground. Marika was planning to pull him into the situation, whether he wanted to or not, but he was no use for her if he was dead already.
Shit! And here I was hoping he could save my butt! Now what can I do?!. Marika thought.
"Who the hell is this guy?" Asked the one behind Dale.
"Who gives a shit?! We deal with him later, worry about-" Dale answered, but was interrupted.
"Hold on," the mysterious man said.
With a lot of effort, the man sits on the metallic object and starts to look through a small bag he is carrying, "Just give me a couple of seconds," His tone of voice is low and oddly soothing. Strong but securing.
Marika looked dumbfounded when the man pulled out a metallic canteen, a piece of beef jerky, and a cereal bar. Who was this guy? Wait, he had food, why was he dying of hunger?!
"Fruit juice for sugar and hydration," the man said before taking a long gulp of the drink, and Marika thought that was alcohol. "And beef jerky for protein with a granola bar for energy and other nutrients," he continued and quickly ate them.
Why is he even explaining his food?!
Everyone was confused about what they were watching. The man was eating. In the middle of such a situation.
Is he seriously having some snacks right in the middle of this situation?! ...hold on, no one is paying attention to me.
Marika, taking a chance thanks to everyone being distracted, decided to attempt an escape. She slowly started to move from her position to get closer to the one gang member with a spear and run past him. She was agile enough to make it but needed to make sure no one was able to get shots at her beforehand.
"Hey!" Yelled the scrawny man close to Dale "Dale, she is trying to run away!"
Dale looked back at Marika and grunted in anger. "Where do you think you are going?" He asked in anger.
"A lady like me has places to be, so if you don''t mind, I am getting out of here," Marika said when she stopped. God dammit, I will kill them both once I am capable.
"Thank you for waiting" suddenly spoke the man with the hat, and he followed with a question "Your name is Dale, right?"
"Who''s asking?" Asked Dale.
"He is!" Answered Marika, hoping that was good enough for him to do something about this situation. "Dale! Right there!" She aimed at him.
"Shut up you stupid vixen!" Dale yelled in anger.
"Oh. Then, please, I would prefer to avoid bloodshed. Drop the gun, tell your men to surrender, and raise your hands," he asked, politely. But, even then, his voice had an authoritative tone.
What the hell?! Marila thought, looking at her in a clear state of alarm. He was a Bounty Hunter after all, but what kind of demand was that?
"What the-?! What is wrong with you?! You are 4 to 1 and you are going to negotiate a surrender without fighting?!" Marika crossed her arms in front of her chest, completely taken aback, "You are either completely stupid or arrogant, or both! Just shoot him, I can see your revolver! The bounty is dead or alive!"
"He.. hahahahaha!" Dale started to laugh "Did you hear this fucking idiot?!"
The rest of Dale''s gang started to follow in his laughter. It was, in fact, stupid of this person to believe that he could beat them in a fight. They did not know what his Level was, but neither did he, and they still had the number advantage.
"Russel! Shoo him away!" Darel ordered.
"Okay, okay" Russel, the man with a wand in hand, acknowledged. He made his horse walk towards the man and aimed his wand. An orange glow started to appear on the tip, signaling a spell was about to be cast, "Now, now, leave or face consequences"
The mysterious and complete stranger man stood there, allowing the man on the horse to approach. Marika felt an odd sensation looking at him, the way his brown eyes continued to be glued on Darel even when a spell was being aimed at him.
He is crazy. He cannot win alone against them.
Marika was still surprised at the display she was seeing. The stranger was attempting to fight. She could see in his eyes the challenge as to how he was not flinching at the threat that got closer, focusing on his target. He was an idiot, that was for sure.
Then again, she was planning on using him from the beginning. If he could be enough of a distraction, she could escape.
"Last warning," he insisted, "I am not leaving without the bounty because I need it. The job says dead or alive, your choice"
"You have no idea who we are, right?" Dale said, "Only outsiders or fools like Marika here are stupid enough to cross us." He lowers his gun with a smug smile on his face. "Last warning, leave now or live with a target mark on your back for the rest of your life!"
The man closes his eyes and sighs.
"I swear I tried," he said to himself.
Marika did not hear it, but she did notice he murmured something. His eyes hesitated for a second as if regret was seeping through. Just who was this man?
And then, with a speed that seemed similar to a clap of thunder, the man pulled out his revolver and aimed at the mage.
BANG!
He was faster than the mage casting his spell and the bullet hit him in the chest.
The number [105] appeared on the point of impact.
Everyone was looking in shock. Surprised at the number. The mage''s body recoiled from the impact.
Then he checked on himself.
That was barely any damage! Marika thought, believing herself dead already.
Surprise for a level 1
The mage looked at him with an incredulous face. It was like everyone was expecting a big damage number from a normal attack. But nope. He only registered the damage and the pain.
The man tips his head to cover his face, but he doesn''t seem embarrassed. "Damn. I forgot I am level 1..."
"How do you forget that?!" Marika asked, clenching her right fist and stretching her arm downward while stomping her foot. She felt scammed by this random guy.
"You do such an entrance and do that shitty amount of damage?" The mage said, then he aims his wand once more "Get the fuck out!"
A fireball gets fired from the wand and hits the mysterious man right in the chest. The number [350] appears on the ensuing cloud of sand and fire that replaced him.
At level 1, that attack was lethal.
"Now, you done back there?" Dale asked, returning to aim his rifle at Marika, "I want to go home and eat!"
"Yeah, yeah, done," said the mage, making his horse turn around.
Marika was in a tight spot right now. She was impressed by the way the gunslinger appeared that she thought she was about to see something amazing. But nope, it was a wannabe amateur at level 1. Even she could take him at her level.
"Ugh!" The mage inhaled in pain, calling back the attention to himself. From her perspective, she could not see it, but then the man appeared from the cloud of sand and jumped on top of the butt of the horse.
Before anyone could say anything, the man pulled a knife, that somehow got embedded in his flesh, from the back of the mage. Then aimed his revolver to the back of his head, and pulled the trigger.
BANG! BANG!
Two shots to the head of the mage.
[456 + Weak spot! CRIT!]
[429 + Weak spot! CRIT!]
For the gunslinger, a number that he ignored appeared, indicating he just won 450 points of XP.
"What the fuck?!" Dale yelled when he processed what just happened.
The body of the mage goes limp, dead in the act, and drops to the sand. The smoke of the revolver from the gunslinger was a grim sign of the cold way he just killed him, standing over the horse. Gun in one hand and knife in the other.
Darel, once more, changed his aim towards the gunslinger, but right before he could squeeze the trigger, Marika decided to make her move.
With a move of her wrist, a string hidden under her sleeve pulled a small mechanism that made a small magazine-fed pistol fall on her hand, and she aimed at Darel. The gun was mostly for self-defense, not high in damage, but for someone like her...
"[Disarm]!" she yelled, smiling and with an eye closed as she aimed, using a skill that helped her aim when trying to shoot someone''s weapon from their hand.
She pulls the trigger and the bullet gets shot, hitting directly at the rifle Darel was holding. The gun escapes from his hands, making circles in the air as it flies a few meters from him, landing on the ground.
Darel looked at his hands and then back at Marika.
"You bitch!" He said.
Marika pulled her gun back and pointed it at the sky beside her face, playfully sticking her tongue out towards Darel. That made him angrier.
He just yelled "GET THEM!" while he ran towards his rifle.
By his side, the one holding the spear ordered his horse to charge towards the gunslinger, who was still standing over the animal.
He attacked with the spear, aiming at the legs of the man. However, the man in black was faster and jumped down from the horse, the spear missing his hat by simple centimeters.
He turns towards the path of the spearman, aiming at the spot where the horse is leading him, opens his legs to get into position, and uses a skill.
"[Three of a kind]!" The gunslinger says and holds down the trigger.
The three bullets shoot in an arc without the need to pull back the hammer of the revolver, and the spearman does not manage to stop the horse from making him pass by.
One hits his leg, one on his torso, and the last one on his head. The latter was a Weak Spot, causing more damage than usual.
The three impacts cause the spearman to fall to the ground by the side, still alive but in pain. Both horses get startled and run away from the area.
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Seeing his victim alive still, although not able to stand up, he runs towards it holds his knife up, kneels on his side, and stabs his neck. Giving him the final hit and killing him.
[560 XP]
Marika was impressed. Was being level 1 a lie just to make them drop their guard? He should have died on that hit from the fireball or not shown this level of skill during combat. He is fighting like someone who is experienced in combat, someone who seems to know what they are doing. She was a few levels higher than him, and she could not pull half the movements he was doing.
The gunslinger released the cylinder to the side of the frame of his revolver and made the casings of his spent bullets drop to the ground, making clinking sounds as they bounced against the sand and pieces of rubble. His eyes are stuck on Darel, while he pulls out the knife from the spearman''s neck.
As Darel was managing to grab his gun, the mysterious man reloaded a single bullet on his gun and returned the cylinder to the frame. Only one?! Marika questioned in her head. What was he trying to pull?
"Hah!" she heard then someone yelling at her.
It was the scrawny man who was always following Darel. The one that she cannot remember his name. He had a sword in his hand and tried to attack her with a vertical swing.
"Whoops!" Marika said and dodged to the side by shifting her foot, the sword cut the air from where she was. "Warning your attack is a bad idea," she said, mocking him. She was faster than him.
Then she throws the bag towards him, hitting him on his chest. By mere instinctive reaction, he grabbed the bag with both hands, grunting.
"Thank you for holding my bag" She aims her pistol at his head, uses a skill "[Stun Gun]" and squeezes the trigger.
The man receives [135 + STUN!] damage. The stun effect is enough to drop him to the ground unconscious.
BANG!
The loud sound of a rifle reminded her that there was someone still standing in the group. She turned towards Darel, who had just taken a shot at the gunslinger and was now removing the spent casing and aiming his second shot and immediately squeezed the trigger, shooting once more.
The gunslinger, who was running towards Darel, used his knife to stop the bullet. A CLANG noise and sparks appeared when the projectile made contact.
Right before reaching, and when Darel was preparing his next bullet, the mysterious man made the cylinder of his gun turn with aggression.
"[Russian Roulette]!" He yells while aiming the gun right at his forehead and the cylinder stops rotating "Number 4!"
Without pulling the hammer and only squeezing the trigger, the gun made 3 quick CLICKS as it went through the empty chambers of the gun. Darel only managed to take a step back before the fourth chamber got into position.
BANG!
[2551 + WEAK SPOT + CRIT] appeared over Darel who got thrown back by the force of the bullet that just pierced through his skull.
Darel was now dead on the ground, killed by the mysterious stranger.
Marika was looking at him with fear and admiration. He managed to take out 3 people with little to no effort and managed to resist a hit that would normally have him killed. She was thinking about how to take advantage of the situation.
"So... that was a nice bluff, cowboy," she said with a wide smirk on her face, looking at the stranger up and down "You made everyone believe you were only level 1"
"That was not a bluff," he said while releasing his gun and putting it back in its holster.
"Well, no one can fight like you at that level" she retorted, it was impossible that he was telling the truth "And that fireball should have killed you!"
"Well, I am level 3 after killing all of them" He tips his hat with his eyes closed.
"That cannot be! You are not lower than level 10 at least!" she pointed at him with her index finger, not believing him one bit.
"Look, you can believe me or not" he answered and crouched beside Darel''s body, and started to pat around "I don''t give a crap"
"Ugh, fine," Marika said, defeated and rolling her eyes.
While the stranger was searching in his pockets, Marika turned towards the bag that she threw at the henchman. She quickly picked it up and, with a quick motion, revealed what was inside of it. It was a slab made of gold. She stared at it for a second, stars formed on her pupils for a second as she blushed at its sight, smiling. Then she embraced it against her chest, pressing it against her cleavage, and her tail was wagging like crazy.
"Mine! Is all mine! You are going to make me rich!" she said, smiling like a cat.
She opened her [STATUS SCREEN]
[Class: Thief]
[Level 4]
[HP: 426/458]
[MP: 189/210]
[Strenght: 120]
[Dexterity: 235]
[Intelligence: 189]
[Endurance: 126]
[Luck: 215]
[Mulars: 10]
Soon, those 10 Mulars were going to be higher than ever before! Once she managed to sell this without the gang that Darel was part of finds her trying to sell it, that is.
Then she looked back at the stranger. He was quite strong and capable as a fighter. Maybe she could convince him to help her sell it... or to do something else.
"So, how can I call my new partner in crime, huh?" she asked, putting the slab back in the bag and skipping slowly towards him.
The man found in one of Darel''s pockets a journal. "I am not your partner," he said while looking at the small handbook, quickly inspecting what was inside before putting it in one of his own pockets, "and I am done here. Good luck"
He stands up. Marika looks at him with surprise. He is not even going to loot the rest of the bodies?! All he took was the journal from Darel. Even with the bounty he will get when he arrives at the Bounty Hunter''s Guild, all of them might have some special pieces of gear.
"Hey! Hold on there!" she said and quickly went for him, stepping right into his path so he stopped "You still need to give me my part! You are not getting away from me that easy!"
"Your part?" He questions.
"Yes! My part!" she repeats "I shot Darel''s gun out of his hands before he could take a free shot at you! I helped!" even when she was not sure how substantial that help was. "I deserve a part of their bounty!"
"Look" he was starting to sound annoyed "I don''t partner with people, so you can-ugh!"
His words were cut off by a sudden lack of energy in his body. His stomach grumbled and his last ounce of power went away after that last battle. He felt like starving once more, and his body tumbled forward towards Marika, falling right on top of her.
"A-aaaah!" She yelled as they found each other on the ground with him on top "W-what are you doing, let me go, you pervert!" she raised her hand to slap him, but then she noticed that he was going limp, not moving or making any effort to touch or restrain her. "H-huh? What is happening to you? Are you okay?!"
"H-h-hungry..." he answered, his face burying itself on her cleavage.
"Agh! Get off me!" she yelled and pushed him to the side. Her face was crimson red out of the embarrassment of the situation.
He fell on his back. After taking a good look at him, she believed that he was starving.
The PDTU
Marika rummaged through the stuff of the gunslinger, looking for what he had. He didn''t have anything she could consider stealing, at least, not that she could consider, but found the food he was carrying. Enough ration for a couple of days, but mostly food to make you go further in a journey.
Why was he starving if he had food?
The structure she picked up as refuge from the sun, another ruin made of metal of old age, just like everything in the area. It was enough to keep them a bit cooler and out of the reach of the scorching sun. The sand was slowly devouring the old building.
"Who the hell are you?" She asked him while trying to feed him, starting with a bit of water.
He woke up not much later and took a piece of beef jerky from her hand, starting to devour it like crazy.
"Are you going to answer?" she insists.
"About what?" he asked, looking at the ground and eating.
"Who are you? What is your name, where do you come from? For starters" she said, looking at him. The wind was managing to enter the spot, carrying a bit of sand around them.
The stranger makes a long pause, considering his answer. He swallows a piece of the beef jerky and takes another hungry bite. The wind picks up once more, making the stranger''s jacket fly with it.
"Warren" he answered "That is all that matters"
He was insufferable! Not wanting to answer such a simple question. Like he was a mysterious cowboy looking for revenge after years of not working.
"Okay, mystery boy, my name is Marika" she said, sarcastic in tone, "How long since you last ate? You came prepared but you are starving"
Warren lets out a long sigh. Then he starts to count with his fingers. "1, 2, 3..." he reached 10, then continued with the first hand, "11, 12..."
"12 hours? I imagine you feeling fatigued because of that" she answered.
"No, 12 days" Warren answered without looking at her.
There was a small pause between them while Marika managed to process the information he just dropped on her.
"Why are you lying?" she asked. There was no way he survived through the desert without eating for 12 days.
"I am not," he answered.
This is going nowhere Marika thought to herself, knowing that he would not back off from his position. Anyway, why lie? Why act like he was that much of an incredible human that he could survive with nothing to eat for 12 days? Her right ear twitched from the exasperation of having to hear such a lie.
She started rummaging through his stuff once more, mostly to avoid the topic.
Warren then noticed she was still going through his stuff and he turned towards her. "Hey! That''s my bag!" He yelled and yanked it from her hand.
"Wow!" She said, managing to snatch one thing that called her attention.
It was a small ball that had a small button. It had a golden cover with a cafe noir color. It was pretty to look at and it caught Marika''s full attention.
When Warren saw that she was holding it, he quickly tried to snatch it from her hands. But, almost immediately, Marika stands up and takes distance from him.
"You have a PDTU!" She yelled, raising it to the air and looking at it with glee. Her tail started to wag around, showcasing her excitement, "I thought they were not making these anymore! Where did you get it?"
"A what?" Warren asked in confusion at the name. He had never heard anything about that so far "I-It was a gift, now give it back!"
Warren attempted to snatch it once more, but Marike, still with her eyes shining in amazement from her discovery and her tail wagging with happiness, dodges his attempt.
"I always wanted one of these!" She said, then she turned towards Warren, and put both her hands, closing her eyes "Ehem!" she clears her throat and then starts to sing. "Pocket Dimension Transport Unit! We drive you to your dreams!" She makes a peace sign with her hand holding the ball and puts the hand on her forehead. Her other hand rests on her hip, striking a playful pose.
A wind passes by the structure they are under.
"PFFFT!" Warren tried to choke a laugh by looking to the side and pressing his lips, but he was visibly chuckling.
"Hmph!" Marika complained, at least he can show emotions "Laugh all you want! You are the idiot who did not know what this was and walked through the desert for 12 days!"
"Do I take it is a form of transport?" he said.
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"Yes, and I know how it works" She offered him his property back, but as Warren was about to grab it "BUT!" she pulled back her hand "You will give me 20% of your bounty reward!" she said.
Warren rolled his eyes and complained "Ugh... fine! You win, missy" he extended his hand so she could give him back the PDTU.
"We have a deal!" Marika reaches with her other hand and stretches his, signing the deal.
Warren grunted, feeling he was about to get scammed by the fox-girl in front of him.
Marika turned around, giving small skips and humming a playful song with a wide smile on her face. She grabs her bag, holding her prize from the last hit, and continues skipping towards the sun.
Warren fixed his hat and followed her in silence, grunting while playing in his mind all the possibilities of what he just signed up for.
"One of the horses is still around!" Marika aimed at the scrawny one that Darel and his partner came on "Good, that saves us time"
She then walks towards an open space between the debris and the bodies. Warren leans against one of the structures and observes her actions, holding his hat from the wind of the desert.
Marika presses the button of the ball and throws it in a small arc to the ground. Then takes a few steps back. Nothing happens.
"And?" Warren asks.
"Give a couple more seconds!" she said.
They wait, and then the ball starts to jerk around, jumping a bit, and then makes a big jump into the air to the surprise of Warren, whose eyes opened wide when he saw the height it grabbed, and then it fell to the ground.
Once the artifact hits the ground, a big white cloud appears around it a several metallic sounds can be heard coming from inside of it. Warren quickly reached for his revolver and pulled it out.
The clouds dissipated and they revealed a carriage, cafe noir brown color with beautiful golden decorations. There was a door in the back and the front.
"My, you get jumpy," Marika said "Relax, you will live longer!"
Warren felt embarrassed after his display and simply placed his gun back into its holster.
"So is it just a carriage?" He asked, getting closer.
However, calling it like that underplayed the beautiful finish it had. The wood and paint used seemed to be of high quality, and the golden decorations appeared to be genuine and might fetch a high price just by themselves. But, how was a transport of this size inside of the small ball?
Warren approached it to inspect it closer. When he reached, he placed his hand on the cold wood for a few moments, as is mesmerizing. Marika looked at him, noticing how his expression changed from plain to a more soft, caring one, like that carriage he did not know existed suddenly was the most precious item in his belongings.
What is the story behind this man?
He then moved towards the back door and opened it. Warren was still doubting about what made it so special to be transported like that.
As he stepped into the first stair to enter and opened the entrance to get in, Marika, playfully, pushed him inside, causing him to fall to the wood floor inside. She followed immediately into the carriage, closing the door behind her.
Warren immediately stood up once she went inside.
"What is wrong with you?!" he screamed, angry and pissed.
"You were taking too long!" she complained. "Besides, look around you"
Warren did as she asked, and he could not believe his eyes.
They were on a platform made of wood in the middle of an infinite dark void. Nothingness surrounded them, total silence when neither of them spoke or made noises while walking. It was hard to process, how could this be inside of the carriage?
Although is doesn''t need to be said, the platform is where most of the stuff inside was. It was big, specially for being inside of the carriage. There was a bed on the right, a desk, and a chest. On another side, to the left, there was what appeared to be a control center, a surface with a big blue ball. At the other end, there was a door.
The rest was empty. An open canvas.
"You had this in your bag this whole time!" she placed her hands on her waist, looking proud of herself "You never tried pressing the button on it?"
"Yes, and it did nothing" Warren answered, still looking around his surroundings "Never imagined I had to throw it to the ground to work"
"Well, if you don''t have the manual is not that obvious" she said.
Warren''s face suddenly shifted to one of realization, closing his lips tight as if wanting to say something, but not letting it out.
"You have the manual, don''t you?" Marika asked, but Warren did not answer. She shakes her head "Well, unless you have a horse or something that can move it, is a stage method and not a transport, and considering you came here walking through the desert"
Warren''s body turned even more tense after she mentioned the horse.
He had a horse... Does this guy lack common sense?! Marika thought, surprised at what lengths he came to travel. If he had a horse, why did he not take it? Several of his choices and actions made no sense!
"Anyway..." she attempted to return to the topic "This PDTU is meant to be a pocket dimension of sorts. How they managed to get it going is behind me, but they are useful as a mobile base... just don''t fall by the edge"
Warren got closer to inspect. He could not see any bottom. The railing was big enough to stop anyone from falling by accident but still seemed like a dangerous part of the pocket dimension.
"Amazing, isn''t it? I wanted one of these long ago! I didn''t know they were still making them!" she said with a happy tone of voice, seeming happy from being inside of the pocket dimension.
"Seems like it is a useful transport" He admitted. Marika seemed annoyed at his lack of excitement. He arrived at the control center and took a look at the big ball in the middle.
A [System] screen appeared, and it showed information about the carriage.
[Level 1 PDTU]
[Upgrades installed: Resting area]
[Movement method installed: None]
A series of options appeared: upgrades to install, to unlock, some furniture, and crafting stations. It was a literal mobile base on level one. He could do whatever he wanted inside of this. But all asked for resources he did not have at the moment. He could even make the platform bigger!
"I am going to inspect this more in detail later" he finally said once he looked enough around. He knew the amount of uses a mobile base could bring him "We need to get this thing moving"
"Yep!" Marika agreed, walking to the door they used to get inside "Let''s get the horse that is walking around us and get back to town," She said.
Warren went out with her to help her. They both left their own bag inside.
The carriage was way smaller outside, disguising the inside with a simple well-decorated shell. It was still too ornamented with gold for his comfort, someone might try to assault him, believing he had resources to spare.
They manage to get the horse. Although Marika had a bit of trouble getting it to trust her, Warren had little issue with it. Petting him slowly, "There, big girl" he mentioned once he noticed it was a mare. The animal slowly eased into him and allowed herself to be guided towards the carriage. Then they set her up and prepared her to carry the transport.
"You are getting us something to eat too!" Marika said, inviting herself to eat something with his money.
Warren only rolled his eyes and made the horse go, following the fox-girl''s directions towards town.
A child called Lucy
Act I
The Gunslinger vs the Snake Twins
The carriage was driven like any other one that worked as usual. The horse, directing the transport, was unbothered by the amount of weight inside the Unit. The way it worked, the inside was made of negative space and allowed the users to put as much as they wanted on their mobile homes without bothering whatever was making it move.
¡°Quite handy, don¡¯t you think?¡± Marika asked, sitting beside Warren.
They both were sitting outside in the front, guiding the horse between the ruins. There was enough space for it to pass.
¡°Seems like it,¡± Warren said, low in energy.
¡°I am not sure if it is your personality or you are just hungry,¡± Marika said, looking at him with squinted eyes.
Not so long after they reached the edge of town. As they were getting closer, Marika stood up and stood besides the door, and made sure to open it like she was ready to get inside.
The city was still in a sorry state after the Great War. The ruins surrounding it were a testament to what structures and machines used to exist, and now the town itself is a reminder of the damage caused by the conflict a few generations back. The battle that took place back then was a long-distance echo from the perspective of both, Warren and Marika, who could only see the atrocities that came before them through the now small town that did not recover its glory.
Now it was turned into a poor frontier town that could not develop further. Tourists barely pass because of fear of getting assaulted and resources were hard to come by. The Bounty Hunter¡¯s Guild was still operating, but they were under constant war with the criminal groups that fought for control of the town.
The streets were badly taken care of. Motorized cars were not rare, but clearly, none were using the streets and they were unusable anyway. The carriage was creaking behind the by the disrepair.
¡°Law of the strongest¡± Warren said for the confusion of Marika.
Is true, towns where law barely had any strong arms were usually controlled by the strongest group, whoever was capable of scaring the rest into submission. Why Warren would mention that it was a mystery for her.
Maybe he was referencing the state of the crumbling buildings, or that people were looking at them as they were passing by the first few concrete constructions that were used as houses, storage, or stores. Or maybe were the groups brandishing all types of weapons, guns, and older, signaling that they were going to put up a fight if messed with.
¡°To your right¡± Marika signaled at one point as they were going down the road. Warren follows her directions.
With the System, it was possible to become strong enough to fight them. But who would risk fighting against someone if you don¡¯t know their level or current stats? Marike knew that, so she kept herself away from such conflicts. She needed to be extra careful as she was not part of any gang or group. Going alone meant fighting for yourself without any support in case you ran into danger. Even with her Class Stone, it was hard for her to be a threat to anyone in a group.
¡°I see it,¡± Warren said.
Not so far from them, just half an apple of travel was the sign of the Bounty Hunter¡¯s guild. Hard to miss, a big showcase of status, hanging right from the building, with lights that made it excel over any other. Warren stopped right outside.
The whole travel was mostly silent. Warren barely talked unless Marika did it first like he did want to avoid saying too much, mostly saying what she directly asked for, and that was if he didn¡¯t go around in circles or outright avoided the question.
Besides, when they entered the town, it seemed that she was attempting to keep a low profile, and always on the edge of escaping inside of the carriage.
Inside of the Guild was a simple waiting room. It was small, with a few chairs to one side, and a single potted plant decorating the whole room. A male fox demi-human was serving the reception. A man was asleep in the middle of the rows of waiting chairs, snoring.
¡°G-good afternoon!¡ H-here for business?¡± He asked with an extremely shaky voice. His hands seemed to tremble a lot and his whole demeanor made it appear that he was about to duck for cover in any second.
¡°Yeah, I come to get some bounties¡± Warren answered, unbothered by the receptionist''s reaction.
Marika had seen him before, jumpy, and nervous all the time. Working for a Guild that captured criminals in a town that was basically run by them was not necessarily good for your mental health.
¡°Maybe I should have stayed in the cart¡± she muttered to herself. She was looking around holding a hand against her chest, her ears scanning the surrounding area.
The process was simple. The System recorded the kills made that had a bounty on them, and the Bounty Hunter¡¯s Guild was capable of checking them and then crediting the corresponding Mulars to the Hunter.
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Warren showed the receptionist a list of kills. There were only the three people he killed during the combat on the outskirts of the town, between them Darel. It showed the name, class, level, and bounty amount with the crimes committed.
Darel was level 10 when Warred took him out. This made her doubt even more that the gunslinger was just level 1 when he confronted him. Not especially after having caused him more than 2000 points of damage with just one skill. It was impossible, no one was capable of having that much power at such a low point of their leveling career. And that is not counting the way he fought, moving with precision and capacity, with a spare room to even flaunt and make unnecessary moves.
¡°Ehem!¡± Marika cleared her throat when she saw Warren was finishing the papers. He looked back and she just extended her arms to the sides, signaling that he was forgetting something.
¡°What?¡± He asked.
¡°20%,¡± she said, squinting her eyes at him. It was the deal.
Warren sighs. ¡°Ok, can you give 20% of the bounty to her? She helped me with it¡± He said, although annoyed to share.
[+520 Mullars] appeared on her screen. Darel must have had a fortune of a bounty for his head and she was glad to take a part of it. She could eat for weeks with that and even afford a nice bedroom in the meantime. That is if it was she alone. The food would suffice. And that was not the only prize she was waiting for, anyway.
¡°Thank you!¡± She smiled and wagged her tail, and went to give Warren a hug and a kiss on the cheek, as a playful way to thank him.
Warren only grunted, to which she giggled.
As they were leaving, she felt a suspicious sensation surrounding her. And she was used to it by now. They were being watched, someone was paying attention to them. She stopped but Warren continued to the exit. She looked around. Was it the sleeping man? No, he was out completely, drooling with his mouth open, was it the receptionist? He went to the back to store some papers.
¡°Okay, come out now!¡± Warren said and stopped halfway to the exit.
Who? He noticed someone. She was ready to pull out her gun to defend herself and make a run for the cart. Inside was safe, as only owners and trusted people could go in, and were hard to destroy.
Then Warren looked towards the only potted plant in the room. She followed his sight.
¡°Eh?¡± she muttered when she saw, right behind the potted plant, a little girl, not older than 8 years old, crouching behind it, spying on them. She was looking at them with an angry expression and then hid herself back.
¡°I can see you, Lucy,¡± Warren said.
¡°Y-you know that girl?¡± Asked Marika.
¡°No you don¡¯t!¡± said the girl.
¡°Come out here now!¡± he ordered, his voice more authoritative this time, surprising Marika. It was like a father scolding his daughter ¡°Do it now or I will tell Mama Linnie to not bake you any more cookies!¡±
That is cruel Marika thought to herself.
In the end, the little girl came out. Marika found her adorable, cute pink hair in twin pigtails on the sides. She had a pink dress and gloves, boots even, dressed like a proper little lady. And she had a belt with a few tools, like a wrench and screwdrivers¡ why did she have those? She was holding her arms over her skirt, looking at the ground and pouting.
¡°I don¡¯t want her to not bake me cookies¡±
¡°Out, now,¡± He ordered. The little girl grunted and followed him with the same expression and demeanor.
Was this girl his daughter or something?
¡°Okay, explain to me why are you here, Lucy?¡± Warren asked, crossing his arms and looking at Lucy with the anger of a father who was about to lecture his daughter.
She murmured something low, impossible to hear. ¡°Louder,¡± he said.
She scowled and frowned at him, ¡°I came looking for you, you dummy!¡± she said out loud, angry and pouting, eyes closed and her fist clenched by her sides. ¡°You left without saying a thing and all I had to find you was your stupid diary!¡±
¡°He is a deadbeat dad!¡± Marika said in surprise, her mouth gaping at the choking revelation.
¡°S-she is not my daughter!¡± Warren responded, with his face red as he just now noticed what was happening.
¡°He is not recognizing her?!¡± She took a step back.
¡°Ugh! No, dummy!¡± Lucy answered, ¡°He is my big brother!¡±
That is when Lucy took a good look at Marika. Her tiny face seemed genuinely surprised at her. Her big brown eyes were inspecting her from top to bottom.
Marika was confused at what was happening, why was this girl inspecting her like that?
¡°Big bro¡¡± Lucy then looked at Warren angrily ¡°You already got a prepaid woman?!¡±
¡°I AM NOT ONE OF THOSE!¡± Marika said, covering herself at the accusation, her face extremely red and her tail erect like a baseball bat. What kind of accusation was that?!
¡°Where did you learn that term?!¡± Warren scolded her. His face was also red.
¡°She is too pretty and I find you going around with her on a carriage I have never seen you before!¡± she said.
Marika could take being called pretty, but ¡°What kind of reason is that to accuse me of being a¡ THAT?!¡± she asked, confused and embarrased, not wanting to say the actual word, especially since she was a child.
¡°I heard some of the people here say it when speaking to some pretty ladies that then followed them,¡± she said, with a most innocent expression on her face.
Warren rubbed his hand on his face, frustrated. Marika felt like she wanted to get buried somewhere so no one would see her so embarrassed.
¡°Okay, you are not allowed to say that anymore, you hear me?¡± Warren said, ¡°And you still haven¡¯t told me why and how did you get here¡±
¡°I came here to go with you!¡± Lucy answered, ¡°You cannot do this alone! And Lhana is also my-!¡±
¡°She doesn¡¯t need to know about it, Lucy¡± Warren cuts her right off. ¡°And no, is too dangerous, you ran a high risk just by coming here by yourself. You should have stayed home with grandma where is safe¡±
Who is Lhana? Marika questioned inside of her.
¡°Is true, Lucy. This town is no safe place for a little lady like you¡± Marika said, trying to support Warren. ¡°Where is her house?¡±
¡°I am not a little lady!¡± Lucy said, huffing and placing her hands on her hips ¡°I am going to become 10 in 3 more months!¡± Then she pointed at her ¡°AND, my house is in Minari Town!¡±
You are too young!
¡°Wait, Minari town is a week in horse,¡± Marika said.
¡°And twelve days on foot¡± Warren added. Of course that is the distance he traveled on foot.
¡°How did you get here?¡± Marika added, wanting to know the answer.
¡°Simple, I flew here!¡± She joined her hands on her back, smiling proud of herself.
¡°Of course you did¡± Warren tipped his hat with his fingers, closing his eyes.
¡°H-how?¡± Marika was questioning it, not sure how could a small child manage to fly.
¡°If you go to the outskirts, you will see my plane crashed¡± Lucy answered, like it was the most normal thing.
What kind of family did Warren have?
Snake Twins
I suppose that is that. Marika thought, surrendering. I guess I should still give the good news to Max and Cinthia.
Let¡¯s check any changes from today. She thought, and summoned the system menus with her mind. First, skills.