Megan swallowed and instinctively wanted to turn and run.
Then—
A broad, warm hand took hers.
"Don't be afraid," Luke said softly.
His voice had a reassuring strength.
"Grrr..."
The Red-Eyed Black Hound crouched low, a deep growl rumbling in its throat.
It was both a warning and a signal to attack.
Its powerful legs dug into the ground, launching its massive body forward.
Whoosh!
It shot out like an arrow from a bow.
The distance was only a few yards. In the blink of an eye, the Red-Eyed Black Hound reached Geralt, leaping with its fangs aimed at his throat.
Geralt caught the rank smell of its breath.
At the last possible moment—
He pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The Red-Eyed Black Hound jerked to a halt in midair.
Like a baseball struck by a bat,
It flew backward.
Geralt's expression remained calm.
He worked the lever, ejecting the spent casing, then pulled it back to chamber the next round.
Bang!
He repeated the motion and fired again.
Bang!
Every movement flowed into the next. In his hands, the old lever-action rifle fired with the rhythm of an automatic.
The Red-Eyed Black Hound gave a few whimpers, then went still, dissolving into black mist invisible to the naked eye.
A prompt appeared in his mind: [Demon Hunter level EXP +10]
A bookmark floated in the air.
Another prompt appeared: [Bookmark discovered. Pick it up?]
This time, Geralt did not pick it up at once. He focused on its contents first.
[Item name: Dog's Friendship. Category: Bookmark Effect: Canines' affection +50% for 24 hours. Note: Woof woof woof!]
"Pick it up."
Geralt was used to the bookmarks making no sense.
"Fly King."
Geralt summoned the vacuum cleaner.
It was the first time he had summoned the magical device in