A Gunslinger’s System in a World of Magic

As Henry read the description of the Main Quest, his eyes especially fell on the phrase 'Honor Bound' and found a smile playing at the corner of his lips.

'Am I truly honor bound to follow along with Angus' plans?' He wondered and then looked over at Triss and Charles laughing together as they got on their horses.

'It's not like I was planning not to do it but what happens to them if I walk away?' He asked himself as he got onto Nyx's back.

As Charles led the way out of the Hadron Mansion and set off into a Trott before speeding up into a gallop, Henry found himself looking to the side at Triss. Her cheeks were rosy in the slight morning chill and her red hair flowed behind her.

Triss glanced over at him like she had sensed him watching —Or she had just wanted to watch him too— and she smiled,

"What?" She asked gently.

"What happens to you?" Henry asked.

"What do you mean?" Triss asked, confused.

"After all this, what happens to you?" Henry clarified.

Triss still looked confused,

"I don't get it. You mean after we get the explosives?" She asked.

Henry shook his head,

"No, after we rob the Black Manor. What will you do with your share?"

Triss' eyes went wide and her mouth went into an 'O' shape of understanding,

"Oh," she said and then shrugged,

"I don't know. Stefan and I will leave New Freudein town, I suppose. I think everyone will. Won't you?"

"I will," Henry said readily.

Triss nodded,

"Stefan and I are wanted all over the Dugan State. They won't extend the search to rurals like this but if we try going too far, we could get gunned down." She added a little laugh to the end of that morbid sentence.

"But you said you'd leave," Henry said.

"Of course," Triss told him like she was surprised he had not understood what she was getting at.

When he still looked like he hadn't gotten the gist, she added with a smile and a roll of her eyes,

"We'll have money, Henry."

"Oh." Henry said leaning back a bit in Nyx's saddle, "I see."

Triss nodded,

"The State might be after us but if we grease the palms of a few checkpoint lawmen, and add on some threats with our guns, we should be able to make it out.

Once we're out of the Duvan State, we can find a Port and sail away from Valearen completely. There's a great big world out there where no one knows who we are. Gold probably still works well there though."

"You have it all so well thought out," Henry said with an acknowledging smile.

"Well, we've been thinking of it for a while," Triss said and then looked Henry over,

"What are your plans?"

"I already said. I'll leave," Henry said.

Triss rolled her eyes at him,

"I meant actual plans. Where will you go? What will you do?"

"I'm… Not sure yet," Henry admitted.

In the memories he had inherited, he knew quite a bit of the world beyond New Freudein but it was such a small bit that he wasn't exactly sure where to go. But he expected to find his way somehow.

"Hmm," Triss said, "Well, I think you'll make it either way. You're special. The world is a bit easier for special people."

Henry knew that by 'Special', Triss was talking about Magic which he could not deny he had even if he tried to. He could wield a Magic gun which was something none of them could say they could do besides Devon and Angus.

Plus, Triss had noticed the changes he had gone through recently and the feats he had accomplished… There was no way a normal person could do it.

"But… You could come with Stefan and Me," Triss said and when she realized how that might have sounded, she hastily added,

"I mean the Duvan State, beyond places like New Freudein, is crawling with special people. Having one close to me —us!— will make it safer to travel."

As the last word left her lips, Triss realized she might have overcorrected and now sounded like she wanted him close to brave all the danger like a glorified bodyguard. She made to hastily rephrase but Henry was already responding,

"I don't think that's a bad idea. I'll certainly consider it." He said.

"You will?" Triss asked with wide eyes and a slightly high-pitched tone. She recovered quickly enough, cleared her throat and repeated in a much more controlled tone,

"You will?"

"Yes, I will," Henry said and he meant it enough.

He had no real ties to any part of this new world and his deal with Elminster was technically indefinite so he could push it as far as needed. Besides, who was to say some of the grumpy craftsman's products hadn't made it across the sea?

As for his Grand Quest to make a name for himself, Henry expected that to follow him wherever he went so he didn't think the decision to leave would impact his journey all that hard.

All in all, he saw no reason to dismiss Triss' invitation.

"Alright," Triss said with her expression as controlled as she could keep it. Then she looked ahead at Charles,

"What about you, Charles?" She asked.

Charles had been following the conversation between the two while he continued to navigate their way out of the environs of New Freudein and since he had also put some thought into it, he had his answer ready,

"I'll leave too. But not for adventure. I'd like to find a nice town away from here… Better than here. Find a nice woman, settle down."

"Really?" Triss asked surprised, "I thought you'd want to Gang bang till the end."

Charles laughed,

"Why would you think that?" He asked,

"You want me to just hang around, grow fat and useless, and get drunk while acting like I'm passing down treasured knowledge to the next generation?"

"I think you just described Good ol' Joe," Henry said with a smile.

"Exactly!" Charles said,

"I sure as hell don't want that. No, No. Retirement is the way. Tony wanted it too and look what happened to him because he dragged his feet about it.

If I survive the Black Manor, I'm taking my share and saying goodbye to this life. Leave it to you youngins to carry on the trade."

"If you were paying attention, you'd have heard we're leaving too," Triss said.

"Yeah, I heard. Traveling across the sea to where no one knows ya. And what would you do there?"

"Would we have to do anything?" Triss asked, "We'd have money. We can live quietly."

"Bah! You're young. The young are restless. There's no way you'll do nothing for the rest of your lives."

"True," Henry said and when Triss looked to the side at him, he shrugged.

He had tasted the feeling of getting stronger and did not plan to just let that drive go. He was going to continue whether in this country or across the sea.

Triss looked away and said nothing. She had suspected Henry accepting her invitation to come along was him doing her a courtesy but she now realized that even if he was serious about it, their paths were bound to diverge eventually.

The trio rode in silence for a while and then Triss was slightly more chirper and she remembered a topic that had been gnawing at her for a while so she turned to Henry,

"I wanted to ask you something."

Henry looked to the side at her pretty face and raised his brow slightly but answered in a gentle tone,

"Shoot."

"It's about yesterday."

"What about it?"

"Well, you were very cool going about and blasting your guns but why did you do it?

We all watched. We saw how strong Yelena's magic was. We saw how she couldn't be killed so why were you there?" Triss asked.

"Oh," Henry let out.

Triss pressed,

"Devon said you just wanted to show off but I didn't think he was right so I thought I'd ask.

Why'd you do it?"

Henry let a few seconds pass with his brows furrowed before he answered,

"I did it because Yelena is not like us."