A Gunslinger’s System in a World of Magic

"Stop feeding it with Mana, boy," he eventually said.

Henry paused his glower to realize he had indeed, subconsciously, kept feeding the weapon with magical energy. The moment he stopped, its weight went back to normal.

It took only a second after that for Henry to realize he had just witnessed all it was that made the Repeater special,

"That\'s it?" He asked, "It just gets heavier?"

"There\'s a reason it\'s called \'Cudgel\' boy. The one who commissioned it wanted it to make a statement. A \'delicate\' looking tool capable of knocking many Fighters unconscious," Elminster said, and then his eyes clouded over,

"She was a delicate little thing. I wonder where she is now. I hope she\'s still alive. Somewhere."

Elminster took a few moments to get lost in reminiscence and Henry said nothing and just let it continue. For the second time today, he was very aware that it was not his place to shove his words in when someone was having a private moment.

It seemed the silence was what pulled Elminster out of his reminiscence the fastest because he looked at Henry soon and cleared his throat,

"Anyway, that\'s what it does. The weight is supposed to be more manageable for the wielder but not by much. It takes some strength to wield it well but if you want to keep hold of it, for now, I think you\'ll manage."

Henry looked from the old craftsman\'s face to the gun in his hands and this time, the System presented him with a screen that described the weapon and its effect;

[\'Cudgel\':

Created by the Great Craftsman Elminster Eltugard.

Crafted with Magical steel and steeped with Enchantment fortifications and capable of firing Mana-infused rounds.

Ranged Attack Power: 150

Melee Attack Power: 250]

\'A gun more useful as a club than it is for firing shots,\' Henry thought and chuckled to himself before gripping \'Cudgel\' even tighter. He liked the weapon and retained his decision to keep it. At the very least, \'Cudgel\'s attack power would surpass the two guns he already had.

He\'d ask for bullets later. He needed bullets and slugs for his other guns as well but Elminster was already slinking away and returning with a folded garment. There was a hat laid on top of the garment.

"Your orders," Elminster said gruffly as he laid the things on the slab.

Henry sent \'Cudgel\' into his Inventory as he reached out to lift the Hat. He pulled it closer and rubbed a hand over the etched designs. The stitches. For someone who had claimed to not be all that accomplished as a Hatmaker, Elminster had done exceeding well.

Henry opened his mouth to speak but was forced to temporarily keep quiet when a screen became projected in front of him with descriptions of the Hat he was holding;

[Hat of Shielding:

Crafted by Elminster Eltugard.

Powered by the Virtutis that was sourced from the Lich\'s Dungeon.

• Cannot be forced off your head through any attacking force below 400. This includes all forces of nature as well as all forms of Human activity including combat.

• Can cover you in a protective shield.

- Shield Strength: 400. I.e The conjured shield will defend against all attacks below the 400 Attack power threshold.

Please Note

: Once the shield is deployed, it will remain activated and defend against attacks for 1 Minute. As long as none of the attacks surpass its Defensive strength, it will hold. However, after the 1-minute activation time is over, the Virtutis will require a few minutes to reset and be capable of redeploying the shield. You could be left Vulnerable during the reset so do take care.

*None of the \'Hat of Shielding\'s\' effects require Mana to activate.]

As Henry read through the description page, he had the front of the Hat turned toward him and was touching the orange circle that was the only visible part of the originally large Virtutis.

"The Hat…" Elminster started to say, clearly ready to get into a description of his creation\'s effect but was stopped when Henry held out a hand,

"No need," he said, "I think I got it."

Elminster raised a brow but Henry had already lifted the Hat to his head and put it on.

"Perfect fit," he mumbled.

Elminster snorted,

"Did you really think I\'d make something and it wouldn\'t fit?" He asked.

"Well, you didn\'t take any measurements," Henry said and smiled a bit because he was only just realizing it now. At the time he hadn\'t even questioned the craftsman\'s process.

"I don\'t need measurements," Elminster said.

"Clearly," Henry agreed and was now shaking his head as hard as he possibly could. He shook so hard that his brain seemed to be rattled within his skull and the Hat never shook once.

When he lifted his hand and touched the Hat\'s rim, it allowed itself to be pulled off his head but the moment he took his hand off, and even though it only sat partially on his head, still no amount of effort knocked it off.

"Incredible," he breathed.

Elminster looked smug but there was a look in his eyes that made it clear he was wondering if this was just standard practice for Henry whenever he got a new Hat or if he knew the Hat would hold and was specifically testing that effect.

Either way, the Old craftsman was pleased with how well his creation held.

Next, Henry decided to test the shield.

Without the requirement of Mana, all he had to do was \'will\' the shield to deploy. This was easier to do since the System presented him with an option he could simply select.

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[Activating <Hat of Shielding>]

The Shield appeared in a blue haze that surrounded Henry in an oval that protected him from all sides.

Elminster observed the shield with pleased nods and then he directed Henry to turn around on the spot which Henry obediently did and by the time he was turned around and facing the Craftsman again, he saw the twinkle of satisfaction had not dwindled.

"I thought a Shielding Enchantment was the best to use the Virtutis to power. Armed with two Magical guns, I didn\'t think you were want of attack power."

"You thought right," Henry said with a few nods of his own, "Thank you."

It made it easier for Henry to decide to surrender the Gold that Elminster had requested for the orders when the Craftsman had delivered even better than he had even thought to ask for.

A shield was so perfect, and paired with his Agility, could prove very vital in what Henry planned to do next. He did wish Louis and Andor had similar options though. Louis especially since Andor did have a shield.

Elminster looked like he appreciated the gratitude.

"Nice to see you take to the Hat so well but you should be warned that the Shield doesn\'t last forever," he said.

As though to punctuate his words, the oval shield around Henry vanished in the same blue haze it had appeared in.

Elminster continued,

"The Vurtutis is not an infinite source of energy so it will have to reset. Also, there\'s only so much power it is capable of so it won\'t defend against more powerful attacks. Well, \'powerful attacks\' in reference to how \'strong\' you currently are, at least."

The way Elminster spoke, it was clear that the \'400 attack power\' threshold meant very little to him in terms of a threat.

Henry glanced at the floor and his lips twitched in a smile that there were probably Automatons the Craftsman had built and were stowed away that were capable of more attack power than that.

"Try this on next," Elminster said and pushed the folded garment a bit off the slab and toward Henry.

Henry eyed the vest dubiously. He could see the ribs on it as a design and he was not as enthusiastic to test it out as he had been to test out the \'Hat of Shielding\'.

Eventually, he raised a tentative hand and touched the fabric hoping the System would present him a description screen that would warn him of a potential curse should he put it on.

[Abominable Vest:

Crafted by the Great Craftsman Elminster Eltugard with an \'Abominable Ribcage\' as a primary crafting material.

•Can resist and recover from most wear and tear but offers very little protection to the wearer.

•Grants you the \'Abominable Curse\' Skill.

- Abominable Curse: Within a 5-meter Range, inflict a Nightmare upon your enemies and torment them mentally for all of 5 Seconds.

This mental attack could lead to a complete mental breakdown in those who possess weak mental strength. It could also be resisted by those who are particularly strong mentally or have erected mental defenses to defend their psyche.

Note: This Skill does not require Mana to activate but you will only have access to it while you have the Abominable Vest equipped.]

By the time Henry was done with the description, he was already gripping the Vest. His reservations were gone and he was only too ready to put it on.

When Elminster asked for Gold he was rightfully deserving, and Henry released it along with what he previously owed.

He also wasted no time asking for bullets to restock his empty stock. Elminster was happy to deliver as long as no potions were requested and as long as payment was forthcoming. And it was.

At least for today, Henry did not leave Elminster store with a debt although he did leave with his Inventory very much lighter.