南瓜影院

The assault by the unknown men had been going on for quite a while already. After the City Guards outside the Manor stormed the enemy and lost their lives, the Warlocks in their wisdom cautioned the ones within to remain inside while they went outside to deal with the fools that dared strike their Master\'s home.

They did not look to be succeeding.

"I have to let him know," A Man said in a hurried voice as he ran down a spiraling staircase that led down into a deep recess of the Black Manor.

The room was soundproofed to allow its inhabitants the utmost privacy but the sound of a rapt knock against the door could still make it through.

The man waited a few seconds after knocking. He knew he would not be able to hear even if the one inside called to let him in or ordered him to stay outside but there was one surefire way of knowing he had been granted entry.

*Click*

The sound was crisp in the silence of the Manor\'s recess and soon after, the door swung inward.

Behind the door was a large room and in the center was a large Magic circle drawn with materials that shimmered and gave off the faint scent of magic. Within the circle sat a man cross-legged with a scroll open in his lap.

The man who knocked and sought entry hurried into the room as respectfully as he could and gave a low bow,

"My Lord—" he started to say.

"I know," Maude said with a sigh. "One of my Vykers has fallen."

"Um, my Lord," the Man said and shifted from foot to foot,

"I regret to say but one of your Warlocks fell too."

Maude paused,

"How many are the enemies?" He eventually asked.

"Two, My Lord."

"And what about the rest of my— Protégées?" Maude asked and struggled to say the word \'Protégée\' like he didn\'t think the weakling who died deserved that title.

"It\'s— It\'s a strange thing my Lord. From what I observed before hurrying here, they seem to have allied with the enemy," the Man said.

"That\'s impossible," Maude said, shaking his head,

"I picked them myself. Nurtured their talents. They can\'t have—"

And then his eyes widened slightly in realization and he was suddenly on his feet.

"What did you notice about the enemy?" Maude asked.

"One of them has Mr. Grant\'s gun, I think. The other one, older looking man, has strange purple eyes and his chest seems to glow—"

"It\'s him!" Maude interrupted as he turned around and with a swish of his robe, he was walking past the man, heading up the spiraling stairs and out of the Manor\'s recess.

—Outside the Black Manor—

Henry looked away from Angus who drove his Spear through a Vyker\'s heart, killing him, and looked instead at Nyx.

She had her Vyker opponent\'s back on the ground as she began to trample him over and over, cracking multiple of his ribs, causing them to splinter and stab into his organs, filling his insides with blood, and even then, she did not relent.

The Vyker let out a blast of flame that achieved two things;

It flared powerfully at Nyx and caused her to skitter and back away and also pushed him out of the range of her tramples.

Alas, that was such a last-ditch attempt at survival that it sapped whatever bit of Mana the Vyker still had. Plus, while his flames licked at Nyx\'s body, she moved fast enough to avoid the worst of it which meant she was very much still healthy and all the more pissed.

Her next hoof strike was at the Vyker\'s head.

Weak from all the stomps he had suffered already and lacking the energy to attempt a dodge or even raise any body part on defense, Nyx\'s hooves make contact with a hard *Konk* sound.

The Vyker\'s skull was not only dented but was knocked back so hard that it snapped his neck with a sickening *Crack* sound. With his head lolling from side to side on a neck that could no longer hold it up, the Vyker hit the ground with a thud as his breathing finally stopped.

Nyx raised herself on her hind legs and kicked out her front limbs as she let out a peal of gallant whinnies while Henry received notifications that he had a strong feeling the horse could hear too.

[Nyx has made a Kill]

[Nyx has received 150 Exp]

[Nyx has Leveled Up]

[Nyx is now Level 2]

[Nyx\'s Hit Point Maximum increased to 65]

[Nyx\'s Mana is now 75]

[Strength: 35 ———> 40]

[Speed: 60 ———> 70]

[Stamina: 30 ———> 35]

—————

[Name: Nyx]

[Creature: Shadow Mare]

[Breed: Valaeren Night-Mare]

[Level 2 (85/750 Exp)]*

[Hit Points: 65/65]

[Mana: 75]

[Strength: 40]

[Speed: 70]

[Stamina: 35]

[Skills: {Shadow Dash Lv.1}]*

—————

Henry\'s lips twitched. All his level-ups so far and she remained ahead despite leveling up once.

\'Seems like an unfair advantage thing going on there,\' he thought with a smile while Nyx rejoiced in her increased physical Stats and the increased Mana reserves within her Shadow heart.

Henry was allowing himself a brief moment of levity when he heard a cry of pain that caused him to look up just in time to watch a Vyker fall due to a combined effort of the two Warlocks while the remaining two Vykers looked like they had seen far better days.

Things only got worse for the Vykers when Angus joined and started fighting in tandem with the two Warlocks he had subjugated with a uniformity that seemed very unnatural especially since they had known each other a few hours at best.

And then…

*BOOOMMM!!!*

Many meters away from where they were, a massive explosion sounded and blasted an entire section of the Black Manor apart.

Henry\'s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden explosion and then he smiled. He knew what it meant. It was both a signal as well as the first part of the getaway plan that the entire gang had agreed to.

He and Angus had done it. They had pulled attention to themselves long enough for the others to sneak into the Manor and scour around for loot they could get away with.

The mouths of the two Vykers still alive were open in shock at the Explosion. The Warlocks didn\'t care and just continued to fight.

Angus, however, understood just as Henry did and a smile played at the corner of his lips. A look of satisfaction broke through the impassive visage he had maintained so far.

"Angus," Henry called to him, "They did it. WE did it."

Angus looked at him and nodded,

"Yes, we did," he said with an almost blank look in his eyes.

"Well, what are you still standing around for, let\'s go!" Henry said as he grabbed Nyx\'s reins like he was ready to get into her saddle and gallop away.

The Manor job was done. If he got away now, he\'d get his 1500 Exp Quest Completion reward. Plus, a share of the loot awaited him and would prove vital for the journey to come.

[You have received a Sub Quest]

[Survive the Wrath of the Lord of the Black Manor.

Reward: 500 Exp]

Henry knew, that for that notification to have arrived, the subject of the Sub Quest was on its way.

"Angus!" He called in a loud voice, "We need to leave. Now!"

Angus remained in place with a smile on his face,

"He\'s coming," he said in a low voice, and then in a louder, booming voice, he called out,

"How hard have you tried to get it back? Come and take it if you can!"

A powerful force of Mana blew out of the Manor\'s open doors. It blew so violently that the doors shook on their hinges.

A figure stepped out, coated thickly in an aura that stung Henry\'s skin like needles stabbing him and leaving him in a constant state of discomfort,

"The galls to call out to me," Maude Aleric, Lord of the Black Manor, said slowly,

"Angus Dionisio, was it? You will not be leaving here alive, I assure you!"