Hunter And Prey

If Angus was going to neglect to join them in arms and strike against the Langlots, the Dionisio Gang members decided they were very well in the right to indulge in the spoils of their first raid. 

The wad of cash was over 40,000 Verlans and was shared fairly equally among the seven Gang members present at the Langlot Gang base. Henry received 6000 Verlans and promptly stashed it away in his Inventory. The rings and bracelets were divided as well but Henry tossed them into his Inventory with lesser scrutiny or care. 

Other items that were looted at the base were mostly alcohol and Ammo that the Dionisio gang made away with. They unsaddled the horses the enemy gang had hitched and loosened their reins so they could go free into the wild. There was a possibility the freed horses would get hunted by animals of the wild but they also looked strong and speedy so it was also possible they could manage to get away. 

Speaking of the wild animals in the woods; They had been scared away by the sounds of the gunfight but would surely soon be drawn over by the smell of blood and rotting flesh. 

The thought of the bodies being fed on by the wild animals was the last Henry had of the base as he gathered Nyx's reins and followed the lead of Charles and Tony to ride off the base and head to the next target of their retaliation. 

The second base, according to the direction Charles and Tony led the gang in, was a little a-ways from the first but instead of being surrounded by a thicket of trees, it was far more open and gave off the visage of a den of banditry far more than the previous base. 

There were no shabbily-made cabins. Just Tents pegged to the ground as well as hitching posts to hold the horses. The space was a rocky valley and far larger than the previous base with Langlot Gang members being more out and about. 

Henry got out of Nyx's saddle and lay on the ground on top of soft grasses with his eyes looking through his Sniper rifle's scope. 

He fired and his bullet struck his target to an instant death. 

[Kill-Reward: 7 Exp]

[You have gained Skill Exp]

[You have received a bonus of 50 Exp]

Just as he he had done at the previous base, Henry shot at the lookouts first but the entire camp was so in the open that the death of one of their own immediately alerted them. 

"Shit! We're under attack!" A Langlot boy yelled out. 

The entire camp was immediately spurred into action as they raised their rifles, repeaters, and revolvers with their eyes scanning all over the high grounds to immediately spot a beautiful black mare and a shooter lying on the grassy ground by her side. 

Muzzles were pointed toward Henry and as shots were fired, he winced slightly as the bullets struck surfaces close to him but remained focused enough to still fire five shots. 

Three of Henry's shots either went astray or hit non-vital body parts but two managed to end two more Gang members just as the sounds of his charging comrades sounded and the Camp got truly raided. 

[Kill-Reward: 7 Exp]

[You have gained Skill Exp]

[Kill-Reward: 7 Exp]

[You have gained Skill Exp]

[You have received a bonus of 100 Exp]

"Ah!" Henry yelled out suddenly. Driven entirely by instinct, he had managed to lean his head to the side but his shoulder still got clipped by a fired shot from enemies down below. 

[You have lost 2 Hit Points]

[Hit Points: 58/60]

More shots followed and another passed so close to his head, that Henry felt the bullet's heat graze his cheek. 

Nyx reared on her hind legs at the shots being fired. No doubt, she had felt herself so close to getting shot. 

Henry got off the ground and mounted her saddle. He gripped her reins and galloped out of sight of the shooters as he switched his Sniper Rifle for his Repeater instead. 

Henry directed Nyx down the ridge and as she galloped, he raised the repeater, closed an eye, and fired shot after shot. 

Shooting shoulders, necks, and heads of his victims. His aim was not too true because of being jostled by Nyx's gallop but the System's notifications told Henry he had succeeded in making one kill, at the very least. 

[Kill-Reward: 7 Exp]

[You have gained Skill Exp]

[You have received a bonus of 50 Exp]

[Level Up!]

[You are now Level 7]

[Hit Point Maximum increased to 70]

[Hit Points: 68/70]

[Mana Point Maximum increased to 80]

[You have 6 unallocated Stat Points]

In a single fluid action, Henry leaped off Nyx's saddle and the moment his feet hit the ground, he found himself a cover behind a rock to avoid making it easier for his target to gun him down. Nyx was certainly fast enough to blitz through the entire camp but her speed made it far too difficult for him to shoot because his senses could not keep up with her. 

And if he did not shoot and make his own kills, Henry was not sure he would get the bonus Exp the Hunting Quest promised. 

The rest of the gang had gotten off their horses as well and had all taken cover. Only getting up from behind the covers to fire shots at their enemies. Especially during times when said enemies had to pause to reload. 

"Dionisio!" A voice called out from the very end of the camp encirclement. Beyond the punctured tents and behind a boulder peppered with bullet holes that had failed to puncture further than an inch,

"You made a terrible mistake coming here. Your timing is horrible!"

"Oh, no, I don't think we did, Terrence!" Charles said in a loud booming voice, "It's about time we got rid of dreg like you."

The two yelled out at each other sounds of gunfire with familiarity. Henry understood that it was the same as how Triss and Colm recognized each other back in New Freudein. This Terrence fellow was likely of similar standing as Colm within the gang and had been granted command over this base.

Henry was mostly indifferent toward the Langlot gang but he had to respect the organization they had. Their leader, Doran had separated them into bases to operate separately but ultimately report to him and he retained a strong hold on the bases by heading them with those he trusted. 

There must have been one such person at the previous base. Either it was someone no one in the Dionisio gang recognized or they had just not been too bothered to engage in a banter of words like was happening now. 

Speaking of which, 

Terrence laughed,

"You are mad to think you'll make it out of here alive," He said,

"Haven't you noticed how thinned out we are? A bunch of us went out for a job. They're likely on their way back now. Fortunate too and I think I should hurry them up."

'This is thinned out?' Henry asked as he got up from behind his cover and made two more kills. The base already had so many Langlot gang members and there was more?!

[Kill-Reward: 7 Exp]

[You have gained Skill Exp]

[Kill-Reward: 7 Exp]

[You have gained Skill Exp]

[You have received a bonus of 100 Exp]

Terrence's face twisted in anger as two more fell no more than three feet from him but he recovered quickly as he raised a flare gun towards the sky and fired. 

The Dionisio Gang watched as the fiery red-fired shot sailed up into the sky and shattered into a firework show that was undoubtedly to alert forces beyond. 

"Shit!" Charles cussed. 

A minute after the flare gun was fired, the away members of this Langlot Gang base arrived on horseback with faces screwed up for combat and their guns pointed down into the rocky valley. 

Covers were useless against that height and angle and the second they fired, it was bound to be over for the Dionisio gang members. 

The Hunters had become the Prey.