Sun and Moon - part 3
I'm well aware that the Gamer ability being utterly broken given enough time and proper use of it was common knowledge.
I had already gotten used to mentally summoning various sorts of command prompts, especially after my fight with that first Bandit Leader who didn't give me time to retrieve my Valyrian Gladius from my INVENTORY.
Depending on whether it was the books or Tv Series version, I had between a decade or two before the Long Night started.
That's if it will start at all, since winter comes and goes every year now.
Having said that, my presence alone meant that nothing that I remembered could be completely trusted.
Regardless, there was no way I was letting everything freeze to death.
I had plenty of time to make my plans until then.
At the age of one I began speaking and showing hints for writing and reading, given the bizarre coincidence of the Common Tongue being pretty much English, so I obviously didn't really need to learn it from the beginning like everyone else.
Thank God, or Gods, I was able to avoid frightening anyone with how quickly I learned or grew up.
Well, surprise would be a more appropriate description of what happened, leaving a few servants and guards a little shocked, but none of my parents were ever scared of me.
Perhaps just a little creeped out by my constantly stoic expressions.
Which was the bare minimum of what I needed, since their influence was very significant to my future plans.
It kept me alive until I had the capacity to fend for myself and fight a group of Bandits without breaking a sweat.
Thankfully, everyone decided I was healthy and also a genius rather than cursed or possessed. Being as backwards as this society is, it was actually a real worry for me.
Babies and children were popularly known, back in my previous life, to have an insane learning capacity, and I made sure to use that excuse as much as I was able to.
I sought to learn everything.
Being already fluent in several other languages and many fields of study, the Linguist perk alongside a bunch of other buffs made sure that I could speak fluently in basically every language I had come to study.
I expanded upon my studies as well as I mastered finance, geography, and medicine.
Everything I was allowed was pretty much fair game, and even what wasn't didn't stop me from pursuing it in secret, as I tried to fill as much of my time with learning as I could.
Which had massively expanded after I bought the 'Sleep is for the Dead' perk and forfeit most, if not all, of my sleep towards that goal.
And now that I am considered to be old enough, I expanded my lessons into cooking as well.
Part of it was just from homesickness and the variety of dishes there, not to mention taking full advantage of the freedom I had thanks to neither of my parents really caring about me up to this point.
The cooks loved me, just like most of the servants in the castle did, and said that I had a natural talent for cooking.
From the snatches of conversations I overheard, I had gained some considerable amount of fame as well with most of the servants in the Red Keep.
Thankfully, tutors had also been easier to arrange and my lessons had become even more fruitful.
But still, I made sure to avoid being a nuisance by only questioning what was really necessary to those I knew I couldn't trust or wouldn't appreciate my enthusiasm in learning.
In the end, as time went on, I've also made pretty great progress with my powers, finally enabling me to start experimenting with them in a more bold fashion.
Proof of that was my recent use of the Party mechanics, which effectively turned my companions into a lesser version of Player's Body.
Also, I have now stored a number of items into my Hotbar.
They were a set of slots that allowed me to instantly summon items directly into my hands without having to physically retrieve them from my INVENTORY, so I was always prepared for surprise and hostile encounters.
Thanks to my Party System allowing me to share Perks with my Companions, Rhaenys and Alysse had that limited version as their INVENTORY.
Not a bad tarde, considering they weren't capable of seeing and manipulating their INVENTORY window to suit their needs.
Same thing for Prodigy, which gave them a more selective boost to their XP gaining.
Mental Map worked less as an echolocation and more as a handy map that warned them of some points of interest.
And Player's Mind that gave them more of the cosmetic benefits instead of immunity to mental disorder.
Disappointingly, Sleep is for the Dead only gave them one week of sleep deprivation before they became tired and felt the need to sleep.
Metamagic genius was useless to someone who hadn't unlocked their magic potential, being blood of the Dragon or not.
Both benefited from Physician and Chemist, with Alysse excelling in healing others while Rhaenys cared only for her own negative status, and the theoretical study of chemistry fascinated more Alysse than its practical use in combat did for Rhaenys.
Similar case for Empathic, which aided a certain synergy for Alysse with the Diplomat perk and helped Rhaenys with the Actor perk.
I'm sure there were more perks they could benefit from, since I already knew there were several differences in how my powers worked and how game mechanics functioned.
The inclusion of real world physics and my powers was a bit odd at first, since for the most part I was the only one 'living as a video game character'.
But I needed every advantage I could get, and so would they, which led me to spend the ever so rare periods of free time I had still testing it.
My INVENTORY and Hotbar were made of, what looked to me, an infinite amount of slots.
Same as most games I enjoyed playing did, instead of punishing my character with encumbrance debuffs penalties.
And that all leads me into a beautiful combination of perks I had just recently unlocked for purchase, thanks to my improved stats, skills and titles.
{DUAL WIELD DUELIST} (COST 3 POINTS)
*You master fighting with two weapons, gaining the following benefits: You gain an extra 50% bonus to the stack value that your weapons provide to your Power stat while you are wielding a separate melee weapon in each hand. You can use two-weapon fighting even when the one handed melee weapons you are wielding aren't light. You can instantly draw or stow two one-handed weapons when you would normally be able to draw or stow only one. When you are wielding one weapon in each hand and another creature hits you with a melee attack, you can instantly react by either blocking or parrying with one weapon, potentially causing the attack to miss you entirely while also leaving your attacker wide open for a critical counter attack with your other weapon.
One interesting gimmick I've found that really paid off was that, since I've practiced with both hands to maximize my early grinding, I no longer had a dominant hand.
It seemed like such a small change, but it made a huge difference, especially when dual wielding.
Hadn't really thought about it much before since I was right handed in my previous life and still used it most of the time.
During my night raids as "The Stranger", I've come up with a special style of combat that would be very effective, even without using my Valyrian Gladius.
It basically consisted of me twisting and summoning my weapons at the last second and as soon as I struck I stored them again.
I couldn't summon it inside someone, but with Valyrian Steel blades, that wasn't necessary.
My leap attacks were so much more powerful, with a twist while jumping, summoning two weapons then storing them before I landed and then repeating it all over again.
A quick flurry of attacks with weapons that flickered in and out of existence killed anyone as easily as it made me look like a badass.
None of the opponents that I faced in Flea Bottom could survive that strategy, much less come close to challenge me again.
Just imagine the badassery of making use of being ambidextrous even in combat.
{ALERT} (COST 3 POINTS)
*With a natural survival instinct, you are always on the lookout for danger and bloodthirsty foes, gaining the following benefits: You won't be surprised by an attack while you are conscious. You gain initiative in all of your encounters, unless your opponent is physically twice as fast as you. +1 STEALTH stat point.
Really useful during both combat and stealth situations.
Not to mention its synergy with my 'Sleep is for the Dead' perk, which allows me to rest properly without ever having to get unconscious.
{SENTINEL} (COST 3 POINTS)
*You have mastered techniques to take advantage of every drop in any enemy's guard, gaining the following benefits: When you hit a creature with an opportunistic attack, the creature's speed becomes 0 for five seconds. Creatures get exposed to opportunistic attacks from you even if they choose to disengage before leaving your reach. When a creature within 2 meters of you makes an attack against a target other than you, you can immediately react with a melee weapon attack against the attacking creature. +1 STEALTH stat.
Another excellent pick.
It will become even better once I'm tall enough to make use of long range weapons like spears, greatswords and warhammers.
Perhaps I should even consider Polearm weapons to stack it up with other perks I had available to buy.
{CROSSBOW EXPERT} (COST 3 POINTS)
*Thanks to extensive practice with the crossbow, you gain the following benefits: You ignore the loading quality of crossbows. Being within 2 meters of a hostile foe doesn't impose disadvantage on your ranged attacks. When you attack with a one handed weapon, you can skillfully attack with a hand crossbow you are holding on the other hand. +1 MOBILITY stat.
You know me, I love crossbows.
Especially after I got Tobho Mott to teach me how to properly craft a Crossbow out of the Dragon Bone piece I had bought from my Nexus Market.
And let me tell you, for a hand crossbow, it was glorious.
It is an improvement on the Goldenheart shortbow in that it provides brutal penetrative power but in balance, thanks to this perk it now takes no effort at all to reload.
The Draconic Crossbow uses short steel bolts instead of arrows, since regular wood wouldn't withstand being rammed against castle forged plates of steel, and was aimed differently than a bow.
It uses a pliable Dragon bone bow mounted to a dragon bone stock, as well as metal wire, to provide forceful penetration and flight speed to the steel bolt.
This also gives the personalized steel bolts excellent penetrative power against armour of all types, especially magical defenses with the special selections with Dragonglass pointed quarrels.
It compared to aiming an actual sniper rifle, as it had the stock that added extra precision for absurdly long distance shots, without the detriments of gunpowder explosive noise, but with the bonus of a semi automatic weapon.
Thanks to Dragon bone's natural superiority over Goldenheart wood, which was by itself superior to regular wood, this beauty struck with the power of a freaking Scorpion, the artillery weapon responsible for bringing down dragons.
So it was safe to say that it was a worthy rival to my Eldritch Blast for ranged attack, as my Valyrian Steel Gladius more than covered the close quarter combat.
{SHARPSHOOTER} (COST 3 POINTS)
*You have mastered ranged attacks and can make shots that others find impossible. You gain the following benefits: Attacking at long range doesn't impose disadvantage on your ranged attacks. Your ranged attacks ignore up to three-quarters of cover for any target. Before you make a ranged attack with a ranged weapon, you can choose to take a 50% penalty to your accuracy. If you do so and the attack hits, it deals double the damage. 75% penalty for thrice the damage, 90% the damage for five times the damage, and 99% penalty for ten times the damage. +1 MOBILITY stat.
Had to make this my next pick, otherwise bows would become too useless for me to keep grinding it.
The best part was that my Dragon bone Crossbow could now hit with the power of an actual explosive missile without the incendiary blast, even if it would be a lucky shot in one hundred, which made it really risky because of friendly fire.
But with my rapid fire, I could pretty confidently lay waste to armies without even aiming, OP as fu*k if you ask me.
Not to mention the prospect of spellcasting my Eldritch Blast like a sniper and with similar output of power expected to come with leveling it up.
{SUPERIOR TECHNIQUE} (COST 4 POINTS)
*Your martial training has helped you master several styles of fighting, which now allows you to perform special combat maneuvers. Many maneuvers enhance an attack in some way or your defense. The sharp instincts of a hardcore fighter, capable of finding a way to beat any enemy, allows you to determine your enemy's weaknesses, characteristics, and plan of attack.
+1 POWER, ENDURANCE and MOBILITY stat.
This one might not seem like much, but it was what aí unlocked after gaining the 'Battle Master' trait, so obviously the prospect of having actual super moves in battle would prove to be invaluable to dominate the battlefield.
With my better understanding of fighting styles like Archery, Defensive, Dueling, Throwable Weapons, Unarmed Combat and Close Quarter Shooter.
Though I was still working on my Blind Fighting style using my Mental Map to translate into blindsight.
Worse was that both Great Weapons and Two Handed ones were still hard for me to find ways of learning and practicing properly, that is besides summoning a Great Sword in mid air to have its momentum do all the job for me.
Now, while my Spells channeled my Mana into some pretty awesome effects, these maneuvers got me some awesome options like the one my Ki got me.
Trip Attack… a classic, when attacking a target, I could attempt to knock them down.
Keep in mind that, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Besides, size doesn't matter if we are knocked prone.
The Iron Dance of Westeros mixed with the Water Dance of Braavos could be quite deceptive sometimes, especially after grinding my Dirty Fighting skill.
A great maneuver for feeling as though I was dancing around my opponents, out-matching them with pure skill and training.
Hitting a downed opponent might seem unethical, but a Fighter needs to do everything to protect their allies.
And you got to admire a move that allowed me to knock Syrio Forell prone during one of our sparring duels.
His face couldn't be more of a mixture of both shock and pride for my progress.
Riposte… when an opponent misses me with a melee attack, I react by swiftly delivering a melee attack back against the opponent.
It gave me an awful lot of opportunities to use my Dual Wielding counterattack to decapitate a few annoying enemies.
Isn't it nice to punish an opponent that misses?
Precision Attack…after attacking a target, I commit all my strength and dexterity to deliver a critical blow more confidently.
Invaluable as an awesome finishing move, even if it doesn't massively boost my damage, since it is a great way to raise my chances of landing an all-important killing blow, and mitigate the penalty I might impose on myself through Sharpshooter.
Maneuvering Attack…after attacking a target, my following action would be to maneuver one of my comrades into a more advantageous position.
Best part of it that I discovered myself, it also works with animals, as they draw the attention of my target, making them more vulnerable to my strike, or being attacked by my companion themselves while I distracted it.
A great way of getting another party member out of trouble in a hurry, similar to how I did when Rhaenys almost got shot by those Assassins brothers.
Plus, it's a fun way to make a dicey situation less dangerous for any ally.
This would help me get a certain ally out of a pinch, or perhaps even into one, if they are tough enough to handle the pressure.
Wouldn't risk Rhaenys or Shadow's life though.
Menacing Attack… a fantastic battlefield control that's going to impose a Frightened effect on enemies, and means they won't be able to get closer to me while trembling and shiting themselves.
A great maneuver to pair with ranged attacks to keep dangerous enemies at bay while eliminating them like flies.
Disarming Strike… when hitting an armed target, I attempt to disarm the target, forcing it to drop one item of my choice that it's holding, landing at its feet.
Basically the badass way to finish an encounter.
Interestingly enough, it also works with ranged weapons, coming really in hand when combined with both my Crossbow Expert and Sharpshooter perks.
Not only do I tack on some extra damage, but I can force enemies to drop annoying weapons and shields.
Or force some big boss to drop the all-important macguffin I might be trying to get my hands on, like a magical focus, especially if I use it during a chase.
Pushing Attack… when hitting a target, I attempt to drive the target back, pushing it up to 5 meters away from me, which is another dirty trick that can be really useful against a skilled opponent.
And it lets me push an enemy much bigger than me a full five meters away, meaning this maneuver is perfect for instant kills when I'm fighting near a high ledge.
Or just for some extra control.
All in all these Maneuvers were a great combination for my Rage, Ki fueled moves, Action Surge and Sneak Attack.
Unfortunately, after attempting to personally raise my stats with the large quantity of Points I had earned, I was met with the sad reality of them costing extra after the 20th milestone.
More precisely 2 points per level.
Bringing all my stats up to 30 led me to spend twice as much with them, my Power stat went from 26 to 30 at a cost of 8 points, Endurance rose from 28 to 30 for 4 points and Stealth asked for more 6 points to reach that stage..
Totaling 18 points to reach the 30th milestone, which now made each stat level to cost me 3 points each.
An exorbitant price, but I suppose it was meant to balance the game for a XP grinder and multiclass player like me.
My best alternative now was to seek the perks that gave me extra stat points as part of the deal.
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ROOFTOPS OF FLEA BOTTOM
A couple of months after…on a rainy and stormy night.
"So you were having nightmares?" I questioned.
Throwing at her another one of my special meals wrapped, as she caught it on the other rooftop from the other side of the street, I awaited her answer.
"I wouldn't call it a nightmare. It wasn't frightening nor unpleasant, just… intense." Rhaenys told me while staring down at her hands. "At first, my hands shook at the mere thought of taking a life. Almost as if I was murdering my own mother."
I nodded in understanding, scratching Shadow's head as she purred under my cloak before handing to her a small piece of fresh fish I had stored for her to eat.
"Then, I got eager to improve, having bad dreams about failing to defend her. Only thinking about killing the Mountain whenever I get the chance." Rhaenys continued, her eyes now gleaming with seriousness.
"Planning on taking his life as soon as he comes to King's Landing?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at her.
Rhaenys shook her head. "Only if you command me to."
"And what about my father? Don't you think he should pay for rebelling against your family?" I tested the boundaries of her loyalty.
To be fair, this time she made an honest pause, to better assess her feelings towards the man that killed her own father and would've been fine had her life been by the Amory Lorch.
"Like with the Mountain, Robert Baratheon isn't on my list of favorite people." She admitted. "But contrary to that monster, as far as I'm aware, he was mostly reacting to the kidnapping of his betrothal. I… my fath… the late Prince Rhaegar didn't have the right to abduct… Lady Stark. And my grandfather was nothing short of mad to even declare war against four kingdoms, without either the full support of the other great lords or dragons at his disposal."
Her struggle with the words wasn't due to deception, more like the pain of digging up some hurtful memories.
From my recent constant interaction with her, I got to learn that her feelings towards her father and grandfather had morphed from affection to rejection, most likely because hating them was easier than grieving over their deaths.
Although in her heart, her mother and brother were still innocents caught up in this disastrous war, sometimes she wondered if her mother had been stronger things might've happened differently.
Looking at her, I noticed Rhaenys seemed somewhat uncomfortable with something.
Staring at her for long enough, I signaled that I wanted to know if something was wrong.
"You see… before knowing you, I had so many stupid ideas for my future. Worst part was that, somewhere deep inside me, I knew they were stupid, even if I did not admitted. Can you understand? Not having a dream… not being needed by anyone that did not really care for you?… the pain of merely being alive."
"Can't say that I have." I answered honestly.
"At first I thought that my little brother might need me, and that Varys would lead me to him." She inspected the knife Varys gave to her and recalled all the lessons she had taken from the eunuch alongside all the killing I've put her through. "But even if that boy being raised in Essos was really him, I can't be sure that he would remember me, much less actually care for me."
I remained silent, giving her room to voice all her thoughts while giving some brief nods.
"You, Durrandon… you are someone precious to me now. I don't know why, but I want to make your dreams come true. And for that I will become as strong as you need me to be." Rhaenys told me, her face clearly showing how serious she was.
'Oh no! She's pulling the Haku card on me.' I mentally face palmed, recalling the androgynous shinobi.
I jumped towards the rooftop where she was standing, and opened my arms for a hug. "Oh my sweet, Rhaenys. You're not merely a tool to me. I care about your dreams as well."
My words to her were so effective that tears began falling from her eyes as she rushed to hug me.
After a brief moment of empathy, I changed subjects.
"Come to think of it…" I suddenly realized something different about her. "Your hair… is it more silver than before?"
"You think?" Rhaenys suddenly blushed in wonder before wiping her tears and inspecting her long hair.
Funnily enough, this kind of moment wasn't meaningless nor out of place for us amidst the constant bloodbaths we found ourselves in.
Proof of that was the following massacres we accomplished throughout Flea Bottom.
For a city with half a million citizens, we might actually run out of criminals to kill before reaching the time of the books.
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CROWN PRINCE'S BEDCHAMBER
"So you've become an Alchemist?" Alysse asked with a mirthful smile, inspecting the scroll I had handed to her. "I mean, of course you did."
"You know me, my mind needs a challenge as a sword needs a wheatstone." I replied while casually poking at my forehead.
"I've heard that before, but just as with Valyrian Steel, it's not like your mind actually needs to be any sharper." She contemplated before inspecting another scroll. "So you've really managed to translate a code that had been forgotten long before the Conquest?"
"Indeed." I nodded, taking the scroll she had just read with my Mage Hand. "Though unfortunately not everything was salvageable. The previous Great Masters didn't consider that their fireproof scrolls could be threatened by mere rats."
"Have you sent your rats to look for the missing pieces?" She questioned with a thoughtful expression. "Even with their aid, I'm afraid it would be like finding a needle in a maze of haystacks. That's if these missing pieces can still be salvageable."
"Agreed, that's why I have tasked Rhaenys to lead them every once in a while during the nights." I replied before approaching her.
"You know, I still can't believe you know magic." Alysse remarked with wide eyes at seeing my hair and eyes changing colors. "Nowadays most people consider it a mere superstition of the past. I mean, just the prospect of bending reality to your will is… hard to imagine."
Shrugging my shoulders, I told her. "Wasn't that hard, I was born with it after all."
"If I recall correctly, it's due to your Valyrian bloodline, isn't it?" She asked.
"Most likely." I bowed in a charming manner. "The first Sorcerer in the family, at your service."
She chuckled before thinking. "Is there a chance for Rhaenys to learn it too?"
"With luck." I pondered. "She needs to somehow awaken her font of magic for me to teach her my cantrips. Her progress with channeling Ki is very encouraging, so I still have my hopes for her." Trailing my thoughts for a moment, I added. "Fortunately manipulating mana with spells isn't the only way to use magic."
Alysse nodded, recalling the reason why we were here. "These… inscriptions…infusions are another way. Just like those books you've shown me."
"Indeed." I replied picking up the scrolls I managed to translate. "Alchemist infusions are extraordinary processes that rapidly turn a mundane object into a magical item. The Alchemist Guild must have been a mighty institution back in its prime."
"I see." She replied, understanding my intentions. "You want to teach me? To become a wizard, or a… what was it again, Artificer?"
"I do. Whichever suits you better." I said with a nod. "Heard your family has a history with similar forms of magic."
"The Arryns? No, the Royces! Their seat is named Runestone after all." She quickly recalled. "You were referring to the ancient runes? Are they really magical?"
"Precisely, Runes were once used by the First Men as a writing system, engraving them on stones and other objects, found all over Westeros." I explained to her. "To this day, the Lords of Runestone wear the bronze armor of their forebears, etched with runes that are said to ward the wearer from harm."
"But many members of House Royce have been defeated or died whilst wearing such runic armor." Alysse recalled.
"True, but I never said the magic in runes lasts forever, much less assumed they were properly carved to begin with." I told her. "One thing they were right, bronze is really susceptible to magic, similar to Obsidian and Valyrian Steel. Just more resilient and less expensive to make use of. And after reading through several tomes and scrolls from the Guild, I noticed how much it mentions bronze smithery to work."
"Since I've managed to comprehend your summary to basic Alchemy and Rune Smithery…" Alysse's eyes began gleaming with a glint of interest. "Would you mind showing me what you got?"
"Not at all." I smiled before casting Minor Illusion to display several intrinsic inscription arrays, giving her a sort of classroom projector slideshow.
Deciding to begin with her heritage, I displayed what a proper Runic bronze armor would look like.
It was in all honesty, a lesser version of my set of runed bronze armor, but it still compared well enough with a masterfully crafted castle forged steel plate armor, with the added bonus of a small margin of magic damage resistance.
That made me wonder about how much knowledge had been lost since the Age of Heroes.
Just recently I've gained, alongside my experimental elixirs, a new trait of 'Armorer Specialist' and a feature called Arcane Armor.
Its description says that my metallurgical pursuits have led to me making armor a conduit for my magic.
Meaning I could turn a suit of armor I was either wearing or working on into Arcane Armor, provided I had smith's tools in hand.
Which rewarded me with benefits while wearing this armor such as… making it a spell casting focus and enabling its wearer to quickly equip or unequip it without requiring help.
In any case…
"The armor can't be removed against the wearer's will, as it bonds to their body." I began explaining what I've learned after gaining proficiency with Smith's tools in order to craft anything. "If the wearer is missing any limbs, the armor replaces those limbs - hands, arms, feet, legs, or similar appendages. The replacements function identically to the body parts they replace. That is, safe for the benefits of living flesh like refined touch, alongside a more gentle and warm texture."
I bet Jaime would've loved to have one of these after losing his right hand, come to think of it, after being thrown out of a tower and becoming a cripple even Bran might've wished for one as well.
Alysse watched in silence, absorbing all the new knowledge like a sponge as I showed some infusions.
Sadly I barely had enough materials to make a couple of, much less mass produce them or replenishing the magic from already existing ones.
"While the armor serves as a white canvas, there's a small collection of Infusions I'm capable of adding to them." I explained before moving on. "Propulsion Infusion. Increases the wearer's walking speed. Its handpieces channel magical power for nasty punches, while having the unusual feature of giving them a thrown property." I said by having the illusionary armored man matching a horse's speed and shooting its gauntlets at a target.
While aimed, the gauntlet detached and flew at the wearer's target, then immediately returned to the wearer, reattaching itself to the set of armor.
"Strength Infusion. Increases the wearer's overall strength in carrying and lifting capacity, alongside attack output." I said by having the illusionary armored man carrying a large carriage on its back before punching a grown man across a street.
"Incredible. Both of them" Alysse muttered to herself, paying more attention to the Inscriptions patterns than the actual representation of the effect.
"Tools Infusion…" This one showed infused tools, like the ones for artisans and thieves, being manifested out of the suit of armor's belt.
I liked to imagine this one as a similar utility belt to the one Batman has.
"Winding Path Infusion…" The boots and greaves from an armor, allowed the wearer to teleport up to 5 meters to an unoccupied space within sight. This infusion only requirement was to have occupied that space at some point before and laid a small symbol on the ground.
"Arcane Focus Infusion…" While holding an item with such infusion, be it a rod, staff or wand, the wielder gains various levels of control over their magic, avoiding wasting it during spell casting as a result.
Which at this point was kind of useless to me.
"Enhanced Defense Infusion…" With some levels of complexity, it eventually made the set of armor or shield almost unbreakable against non magical attacks and gave a slightly bigger boost to its magic damage resistance.
I'm still testing how it fared against Valyrian Steel weapons and Dragon Bone ranged weapons, given that they were magical items, so it wasn't officially a complete Hax for now.
But even if it wasn't completely immune, anything beyond what regular defense could give was considered a gain in my books.
Same thing for the next example…
"Enhanced Attack Infusion…" With evolving levels of complexity, it made a weapon's point, edge or blunt piece go past most types of defense with ease.
Practically the same as Magical weapons such as my Valyrian Steel shortswords and Dragon bone crossbow, just not nearly as expensive to make.
But I wasn't sure yet how it fared against magical defenses.
"Awareness Infusion…" Pretty similar to my Alert perk, though instead of making the person possessing it more alert, it functioned like Sting from LOTR or a Witcher's medallion, either lighting up or vibrating whenever a threat was nearby.
"Mind Sharpener Infusion…" The infused item, which would preferably be worn in the head, could send a non-harmful jolt in order to refocus the wearer's mind. Basically waking someone from unconsciousness, be it due to getting sleepy or being knocked out.
However, I still had to test it under magic effects, like my Enchantment cantrip or future spells.
"Radiant Infusion…" While holding it, the wielder could cause it to shed astral bright light in a 10-meter radius and dim light for an additional 10 meters, radiating an angelic sound alongside a pleasant smell.
One of the few infusions I could mass produce, being one of the main arrays to produce The Essence, commonly known as Wildfire.
And it was the first I added to my pale white Valyrian Gladius, quite literally making it just like Lightbringer, the magical sword associated with the heroic warrior most commonly known as Azor Ahai, but without its fiery heat.
Taking the form of a blinding holy light, radiant damage was supposedly a manifestation of divine power and wrath, whether it originates from an actual god, celestial being, or just the indefinable spirit of nature.
It cleanses undead flesh with a white light and overloads cursed spirits with power, as monsters that dwell within darkness tend to be more affected by it than other damage types.
While amidst the darkness, it manifested as silvery moonlight, outside of it appeared as golden sunlight.
This alone finally made me confident to finally go back to the Magical Dungeon underneath the Red Keep.
'But wherever there is light, there is also darkness. And since the two inscription patterns were opposites, it was fairly easy to deconstruct it and reverse its effects.' I thought inwardly as I shifted to another Infusion which I unlocked the power of darkness.
In the endless familiar void, the coldest and deepest darkness was found.
"Necrotic Infusion…the favored damage type for all your undead and unholy needs." While holding it, the wielder could cause it to absorb all bright light in a 10-meter radius and dim light for an additional 10 meters, it radiates an uncanny sound alongside a putrid smell.
Focused on decay and death, It was very much the equivalent of dark energy, the antithesis to radiant damage, or light energy, that drained a non-undead foe of their life force.
It was a suitable match to my dark coal Valyrian Steel Gladius, now I had one weapon for each Damage type.
This breakthrough led me to theorize that there were still more schools of magic that I didn't know about.
Necrotic Damage implies the existence of Necromancy, and so does Radiant Damage for some sort of Divine school of magic.
But that's a matter for another time…
"Repeating Shot Infusion…" The magic weapon enchanted with it was granted the feature of ignoring the loading property if the user normally had the capacity to draw it, and momentarily imbues the ammunition with a small amount of magic in order to bypass magical defenses.
If no ammunition was loaded in the weapon, it produced its own by spending its magical charge, automatically creating one piece of mundane ammunition when making a ranged attack with it, the ammunition created by the weapon vanishes the instant after it hits or misses a target.
Basically another lite version of my perks, this time the Crossbow Master, though it didn't make the wielder a better marksman than they already were.
"Repulsion Infusion…" Meant to be used in shields, giving the wielder the opportunity to cause a reaction immediately after being hit by a melee attack, pushing the attacker up to 5 meters away.
It's on my shopping cart to make my buckler shield useful again, since I would love to grind my skill with it more effectively.
Though it also gave me an idea of how to channel my Ki in new ways.
"Resistance Infusion…" Gives the armor, a magical resistance to one of the following damage types, which relies upon the ingredients infused in the item: acid, cold, fire, force, lightning, necrotic, poison, psychic, radiant, or thunder.
All in all, pretty cool, although not as reliable as the basic Enhanced Defense version.
"Returning Infusion…" Meant to be applied on a simple or martial weapon with the thrown property, making it returns to the wielder's hand immediately after it is used to make a ranged attack.
Same principle with the propulsion gauntlets, but with the great opportunity for role playing as Thor.
I already got the lightning punch and thunder clap, how about getting a massive warhammer to come back?
Better yet, a Polearm!
"Mana-Refueling Infusion…" Basically a cross between a portable battery and a Mana potion as it stores all the wasted Mana and gives it back to the wielder.
Although I now had perfect control of my Magic, I've been wasting my Mana regeneration since my first day in this world.
And even with First Class spells, it wasn't as if I was casting them all the time, so my Mana Regeneration hadn't been doing as much as it could for me.
Suffice to say that this Infusion was definitely on my list.
I've translated two more Infusions listed within the Guild's records, but integral pieces of their recipes were missing.
The first being a way to replicate famous magical items with a list filled with names such as the Cloak of Invisibility and Winged Boots.
And the last one being the very intrinsicate blueprints for building a Homunculus Servant, some sort of mechanical construct, that in some mentions had been named as Mechanical Defender.
Even Tobho Mott had never heard of it, and could barely understand the piece I had with me.
Those damn rats knew what they were doing!
I'm counting on you, Rhaenys! Go and avenge me! Make an example of those traitors rats so every rodent in King's Landing knows better than to go against me.
…
Heh.
Just kidding.
Thankfully the Alchemist Guild had already begun to recover several hidden jars of Wildfire, to which Jaime believed to be responsible for, so there was still hope for me to find the stolen pieces if Rhaenys and rats failed.
"It's all so wonderful." Alysse finally spoke as I dismissed my Minor Illusions. "You said previously that the main obstacle for it, besides trained manpower, were the costs surrounding the necessary material for production."
"Indeed." I replied. "Since you were capable of learning most of what I taught you about money management, I'm leaving this to you."
"Understood." She nodded confidently before wondering about something in particular. "So…made any progress with your Arcane studies?"
I smirked, still not used to having someone to share my magical discoveries with, besides my newest magical companion.
"You could say so." I replied while retrieving my personal Quill from out of my Inventory. "I crafted something I've named Wizardly Quill. It doesn't require ink, magically making its own in the color I want it to." Displaying the tiny quill I continued to explain its features. "It basically writes by itself, faster than regular people are capable of, and its feather erases anything I've written with it."
"Simple in a way, but immensely practical to use." Alysse assessed it, showing her wisdom despite the young age. "Is there a way for you to make more of it?"
"Unfortunately not, at least for now." I told her. "You see, this one will disappear if I create another."
"A pity, but I'm sure it more than makes up for that." She said gently while inspecting the quill. "Anything else?"
I nodded while retrieving this time my personal Spell Book from out of my Inventory.
Placing my hand over its pages, it began to flip over as if a strong gust of wind was blowing past it whilst glowing with some arcane features until it closed itself.
"I've also Awakened my Spellbook." I said before revealing my newest trusted companion. "For now I'm calling it Grimoire."
"At your disposal, master." The Spell Book said in a sophisticated manner with a feminine voice as an actual eye manifested on its front cover.
"It is alive!?" Alysse noted with wide open eyes.
"In a manner of speaking… yes. You see, while most wizards of old valued spellbooks, some magically awakened an arcane sentience within theirs, turning it into a trusted companion. Using specially prepared inks and ancient incantations passed down by an order that had once merged with the Alchemist Guild, fortunately, I was capable of translating a copy of it."
"It's remarkable!" Alysse pointed out, looking like she wanted to touch it.
"Here, hold it for a moment." I handed it over, noticing my Grimoire cordially greeting her, while losing some of its benefits.
Besides serving as a spellcasting focus, whenever I casted a spell, I can temporarily replace its damage type with a type that appears in another spell in my spellbook, which magically alters the spell's formula for this casting only.
The only requirement being that the latter spell must be of the same Class as the spell I was aiming to cast, which was effectively free use of Transmuted Spell Metamagic.
Turning my Eldridge Blast into a Psychic attack was enough to make someone scream in pain as their heads were about to explode, even the scum of Flea Bottom might not have deserved such an horrifying end.
Not only that, but when I casted a spell as a ritual, which didn't cost Mana Points, could now be casted by the spell's normal casting time, rather than adding extra time to it.
Spells above Cantrip Class free of Mana cost was a major win, though I would need to take a Short rest before using it again.
Last but definitely not least, was that If necessary, I could replace the Awakened book over the course of a short rest by using my Wizardly Quill to write arcane sigils in a blank book or a regular magic spellbook to which I was attuned.
At the end of the rest, my original spellbook's consciousness was summoned into the new book, along with all its spells. And If the previous book still existed somewhere, all the spells vanish from its pages, which made it theft-proof.
"A magical quill and a sentient book, these two will certainly help you progress your understanding of magic to unimaginable levels." Alysse remarked, quickly understanding how their abilities benefited me greatly.
I just smiled again. "They already did."
"Truly? You never cease to amaze me, Don." She cutely complimented me. "Go on, I still have some time before my classes with the Septa."
"Excellent." I nodded before storing both my Quill and Grimoire. "I will summarize my breakthroughs school by school. First… Transmutation."
As with this first batch of experimental elixirs led me to, after mixing a few concepts I had learned from the Transmutation school of magic, become capable of performing through my Thaumaturgy cantrip something I named Minor Alchemy.
This allowed me to temporarily alter the physical properties of one non magical object, changing it from one substance into another, only requiring me to perform a special alchemical procedure on one object composed entirely of something like wood, stone (but not a gemstone), iron, copper, or silver, transforming it into a different one similar to those materials.
For each minute I spend performing the procedure, It seemed that I could transform up to 1 cubic foot of material. After 1 hour, or until I lost my concentration (as if I was concentrating on a spell), the material reverted to its original substance.
Very limited for now, I know, but with time I expect to make it a permanent change, even if the area of effect shrinks down.
Perhaps one day I might even make myself a philosopher's stone.
"Wow!" Was Alysse's contribution to my previous concise recollection.
"Yeah, impressive indeed." I acknowledge before showing some disappointment. "Unfortunately, it seems I've reached a standstill in regards to the study of Illusion magic."
"But I thought it was one of your favorites?" My childhood friend remarked, recalling the previous times I used Minor Illusion to illustrate a few of my tales.
"That's precisely why." I told her, snapping my fingers and having multiple illusionary images surrounding me. "I can still improve my use of the spell, but after learning how to stack different types of sensory effects, with movement and light, my last worthy improvement was making duplicates of me."
"Still impressive, if you ask me." She added with a certain fascination for my power. "But transmutation and illusion aren't the only ones you taught me. What about the others?"
"Well…Abjuration led me to potentially turn my cantrip into a passive. Only thing was that I needed to cast an abjuration spell of 1st Class or higher, in order to simultaneously use a strand of the spell's magic to reinforce the magical ward on myself that lasts for a day or until the ward is depleted by damage. Although it lasts after that, it won't protect me any longer."
There were a few details that wouldn't make sense to her, like the quantity of defense raised by this ward or how each Class of abjuration spell replenished its reserves, but all in all I got a pretty reliable layer of defense even without using armor.
"I'm relieved to hear that you'll be safer now." Alysse told me, with her caring cute expression.
"I can see that." I said with my best smile, prompting her to blush a little.
"I-I… well, you know… it's only natural…" She tried explaining, only to stutter so much that she became silent, probably too embarrassed to say anything.
"I really appreciate your support." I stopped teasing her and got serious, walking towards her I placed my hand over her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. "You, Alysse, inspire me to be better."
She nodded happily, but remained silent.
Taking a moment to go back to our discussion of arcane studies, I brought up what progress I've made with conjuration magic.
*SWOSH!
Alysse blinked once or twice, no longer seeing me where I stood a second before, apparently vanishing in thin air.
"Don?" She called me, but was surprised by a similar sound followed by someone touching her back. "How did you…" She started saying while turning around, but saw no one standing behind her as the familiar sound happened again. "Did you just become invisible?"
"Don't be silly." I finally spoke again, surprising her again by just standing before her as she looked forward, our faces being very close. "I've just teleported."
Alysse was caught aback by our proximity, but before she could properly react to it, I teleported again, this time sitting again on my chair.
"Even though you've guessed wrong, despite already knowing what conjuration is all about, I will let you know that I'm working on making myself invisible through illusion magic." Snapping my fingers I had my appearance become a little blurred as my outline was slightly broken and mixed with my environment. "I know you can still see me, but you get the point of being hard to spot in some situations. As it is neither here nor there, I will tell you about my breakthrough with conjuration magic."
Teleporting once again, this time lying over my bed with both arms crossed behind my head, I canceled my illusionary camouflage.
Such a shame it wasn't exactly subtle, otherwise I would definitely abuse it during stealth, but it at least made me feel like Nightcrawler from the X-men.
"I can teleport up to 10 meters to an unoccupied space that I can see after concentrating for a moment." I told her while staring at the ceiling, right before staring at her. "Alternatively…"
We suddenly switched places, she now lied over my bed while I stood in the middle of my bedchamber.
Picture it as a less powerful version of Sasuke's Amenotejikara, or Substitution Jutsu that any ninja of the Naruto world seemed capable of doing, because it made the power much cooler in my opinion.
"By the seven!" Alysse said, a little disoriented by the strange sensation. "So that's how it feels."
"Precisely. I can swap places with carriable objects or those with a friendly disposition towards me." I explained what had just happened before making a face of pondering. "Though, besides its disposition requirement, it's a pity that it takes me either an hour of rest or casting a conjuration spell of first Class or higher to use it again."
"Still an amazing power." Alysse pointed out with her adventurous tone, immediately thinking about the possibilities of this ability. "Either for a retreat or a rescue."
"Agreed." I nodded before switching subjects to speak about Enchantment magic. "As for my Enchantment cantrip, the Mind Sliver spell, it is really full of potential. Even if its overall damage isn't great, the haze condition it left my targets in was also very easy to exploit."
Cherry on top was that when casting an enchantment spell of 1st Class or higher, any single target that could either see or hear me was charmed for an entire minute. Their speed would immediately drop to 0 as a result, and the creature in question was incapacitated but less visibly dazed.
Kind of a limited mind control, which allows me merely to make suggestions that must be worded in such a manner as to make the course of action sound reasonable.
Asking my target to stab itself, throw itself onto a spear, immolate itself, or do some other obviously harmful act ends the charmed condition, otherwise it will pursue the course of action I've described to the best of its ability.
I could attempt to maintain this effect, extending its duration for another minute. However, the effect ends immediately if I move more than 2 meters away from the creature, or if the creature can neither see nor hear me for a minute, or if the creature takes damage. Once the effect ends, I can't use this feature on that creature again until finishing a short rest.
Interestingly, I could also specify conditions that will trigger a special activity if I choose to sacrifice the charmed condition.
For example, I might suggest that a knight give his warhorse to the first beggar he meets. However, if the condition isn't met before an hour, the activity isn't performed as the magical suggestion expires.
"Well… that's certainly… formidable." Alysse assessed everything I told her.
Acknowledging her comment, I retrieved my lute from my Inventory and I began to gently strumming some of its chords.
I also gained the ability to use musical notes or words of power to disrupt mind-influencing effects. Like ending Charmed and Frightened conditions.
Starting a performance, either by singing a song or making an inspiring speech, during that time, me and any friendly creatures within 10 meters of me have resistance against being frightened or charmed.
The performance ends early if I become incapacitated or silenced, or if I voluntarily end it.
"Quite the Bard you are." She complimented me with a friendly smile, though she finally noticed her time was about to end. "I'm really sorry, but I will have to take my leave."
"You have nothing to apologize for, my dear." I told her completely understanding the need to keep the appearance of being a regular kid.
"Before I go…" Alysse said, a little shy and embarrassed. "What progress have you made with Evocation magic?"
'This girl…' I mentally chuckled before casually shrugging. "Just a way of not harming my allies, especially with spells that affect a wide area."
Personally I like to call it unabling friendly fire, which allowed me to create pockets of relative safety within the effects of my evocation spells.
Whenever I casted an evocation spell that affected other creatures that I could see, I could choose a number of them, who would automatically succeed in avoiding or resisting against my spell's effects, and take no damage from it.
Neither I had an appropriate Area of Effect evocation spell nor was I willing to test it on her, but thankfully my word was enough to my childhood friend.
"Heh. I swear, nothing seems to impress you." Alysse chuckled before walking away and leaving me slightly confused.
Does Player's Mind make me appear like I wasn't hyped for all the abilities I've earned?' I scratched my head before storing everything back in my Inventory. 'It's just less troublesome keeping it on all the time.'
—————————————————————
MAGICAL DUNGEON
A spell casting undead screeched angrily before taking three crackling beams of Eldritch Blast at point blank.
*BOOOOM!
The undead's head rolled over the ground before the base of a tower shield squashed it, which was wielded by a cute little dark skinned girl with an ominous grin.
"Although it took long enough to empty its mana Bar, guess this one trick pony isn't as tough without its scary fireball. Then again, that's usually the Modus Operandi for spellcasters." I smirked while deactivating the Radiant enchantment on both my weapons. "Don't know how I even managed to survive it before."
Attempting to cast a Fireball only to fail, I noticed that even though I could barely understand its complexity, I just had insufficient reserves of mana to perform it.
Sighing in disappointment I just shrugged it off and made a mental note for the future.
"The monsters were certainly powerful, not only in numbers, but their lack of emotion made them hard to scare and exploit their weaknesses." Rhaenys pointed out, storing away her weapons while pretending to not be tired from the battle.
"Indeed, but they also lacked proper rational tactics to adapt and respond to our advances." I reminded her, wondering why their INTELLIGENCE stats were higher than the average servant in the Red Keep.
"Master, aren't you tired?" She asked me while wiping her sweaty forehead. "I heard that you spent the day studying with Alysse."
"Don't worry. I'm feeling well rested." I smiled with a wink. "Have you collected the poison darts?"
"I have. Can't say I recognize it from Pycelle's books or Varys' collection." She remarked. "Do you recognize any of these Undeads' clothing?"
"Most likely the remnants of the First Man that died or were buried here in this sealed vault." I said, repeating the justification I gave for the existence of Magical Dungeons. "Since we've cleared it, this time for good with Radiant damage, it's probably the safest place in all of Westeros."
"I guess." Rhaenys nodded while approaching me.
"Make good use of it during my absence." I finally said, drawing some reaction from her. "Don't tell me with all the espionage training you've been taking, you weren't aware that I would become a Ward to the Warden of the West."
"That's not it." Rhaenys said with the tough expression she had learned from Varys, but I could tell that she was sad, thanks to my OBSERVE skill. "Can I go with you?"
"You know you can't, not without having to become a faceless man yourself." I patted her head, sometimes forgetting she was still a young girl. "But soon I will have enough power to make the rules. By then, if you wish to never step foot here in the capital ever again, I won't ask you to."
She raised her head to compensate for our difference in height, despite her being three years older than me.
"After I leave, there won't be anyone that can make you stay." I gently brushed the strand of gold-silver hair from her face. "I was being truthful about caring for your dreams. If you wish to not wait and leave, I won't be angry nor will I hunt you down."
"Shut up!" Rhaenys shouted before punching my armored chest with a pout on her face.
*Clank
After a brief moment of silence, she shook her hand, feeling she had just punched a wall.
"Sorry." I then broke the silence, surprising her. "I don't want to lose you, but I don't want to keep you against your will even more."
Just like we did that time during our Night Raids, Rhaenys allowed tears to slide over her cheeks before I moved to hug her.
"Stupid Master." She said as I wiped her tears. "I'm your dagger in the shadows and your trusty Spymaster. You've told me that the past is gone for good. I could keep mourning its departure, seeking revenge, or I could prepare for the future with you."
"Tell you what…" I raised her chin and looked her in the eyes. "You did so well with learning the Water Dance moves, that I think you might benefit from some maneuvers I came up with."
No longer did Rhaenys show contempt after hearing the name of a Kingsguard, although she wasn't ready to thank my uncle for saving her from Amory Lorch.
I had already solidified her understanding with some maneuvers like: Ambush, Distractive Strike, Evasive Footwork, Feinting Attack, Lunging Attack, Tactical Assessment, Bait and Switch.
But knowing it was never enough to be prepared, she immediately nodded, with signs of a faint smile and followed my lead.
"The first one, I call…Menacing Attack." I said, recalling Barristan's chuckle at my name choice. "Contrary to the way I taught you to read your opponent's intentions, this time, you'll have to telegraph how scary you are."
"But…" She corrected herself. "…sorry."
"Go on." I encouraged her.
"I… want to know how I can frighten someone more than I already do?" Rhaenys asked. "I mean, since I'm much smaller… and can't cast illusions like you..."
When she stopped talking I took it as my cue to begin explaining.
"Well, it's a complex matter. You see, the original use of this maneuver was to merely stupefy one's adversary with a sudden action, not giving them room to think. But fear tactics are more of a long term condition." I began explaining. "As The Stranger, in King's Landing, we got enough exaggerated rumors to make half of the job for us. Just like I taught you how to see the whispers in someone's body language, you need to make your body scream loud enough. Posture, posing, symmetry, stillness, eye contact, voice tone and everything like it. The promise of gruesome violence goes a long way to intimidate people."
Approaching her I gave a small taste of what the System made me capable of accomplishing, my usually stoic expression became much sharper, as I straightened my shoulders and exhaled heavily before fainting a surprise attack.
A side effect of casting Rage was the indirect debuff it caused on enemies' resolve to fight.
[FRIGHTENED ATTEMPT SUCCESSFUL!]
Rhaenys stumbled as she back paddled, her eyes widened in fear as a chill ran down her spine and her heavy breathing became apparent.
"Pay attention to how you are feeling now." I said, stepping forward, prompting her to back paddle again while gulping. "You are now clumsy, slower and more propense to hit with less power and commitment. Vulnerable in multiple ways for any opponent to exploit." Walking forward again, Rhaenys insisted on keeping her distance.
This peculiar side effect of this condition made me wonder if I could one day halt an entire charging Khalasar of Dothraki screamers by shouting at them with Minor Illusion bolstering my voice, fearlessly standing my ground and promising to lay waste on them.
Quite the definition of a One-man army, which would be really epic.
"Snap out of it!" I commanded with a sudden snap of fingers.
Right then, her status window lost its Frightened condition as she succeeded the metaphorical wisdom saving throw.
"Do you get it now?" I asked, hoping I hadn't overused one of my trump cards.
From her shock came a face of relief and a satisfied smile. "Yes!"
"So let's continue."
…
After spending enough time drilling her through the maneuvers I've developed, I recalled I had some appointments in the city.
"Stop, that will be everything for tonight." I said, leading her out of the Magical Dungeon while handing her a small scroll I've made for here. "Here, hopefully you will make good use of it."
She raised an eyebrow at the unexpected gift, but after giving it a quick read, she asked. "An encrypted code?"
Nodding in acknowledgment, I explained its purpose. "It's a cryptolect that I like to call Agents' Cant. It's a secret mix of dialect, jargon, and code that allows those who know it to hide messages in seemingly normal conversation for those that can also comprehend it." I began leading her through the basics of it. "It takes four times longer to convey such a message than it does to speak the same idea plainly." Now showing her some of the symbols used, I added. "In addition, one understands a set of secret signs and symbols used to convey short, simple messages, such as whether an area is dangerous or the territory of a secret organization, whether loot is nearby, or whether the people in an area are easy marks or will provide a safe house for agents on the run."
"But why are you giving it to me?" Rhaenys questioned with genuine curiosity.
"The Master of Whispers had been teaching you about raising your own network of spies." I stated what was common knowledge to both of us. "And since you don't plan to leave in my absence, I will ask you to put those skills to use and start recruiting a few thieves and assassins that aren't working for the Master of Coin, and build an organization that will rule the underworld of this city."
Rhaenys remained still for a moment, clearly doubting her own capabilities, I was basically asking her to subjugate skilled rogues and have them working for her.
"Listen…" I said before halting our movement and placing my hands over her shoulders. "If you are to be my spymaster, I need you to develop a knack for finding the solution to just about any problem, demonstrating a resourcefulness and versatility that is the cornerstone of any successful mission."
Activating my Bardic Inspiration, I kept saying what type of person I needed her to be.
"I've initiated you on the grim art of 'gift of death'. Like some hired killers, spies, bounty hunters, and even specially anointed Knights are trained to exterminate the enemies of their Lords. And a proper rogue should always be capable of relying on skill, stealth, and their foes' vulnerabilities to get the upper hand in any situation."
Retrieving from her own inventory her dagger and poison flasks, I reminded her of how far she had progressed.
"Stealth, poison, and disguise will help you eliminate your targets with deadly efficiency. But your focus should be on people, being completely aware of the influence and secrets they have, just as Varys has taught you." I told her. "Many spies, courtiers, and schemers follow this path, leading lives of intrigue. Like with Alysse, words are your weapons as often as the knives and poisons that I provided you, secrets and favors should be some of your favorite treasures."
Rhaenys kept silent, this time out of deep respect for what I had to say.
"You must excel at rooting out secrets and unraveling mysteries, relying on your sharp eye for detail, but also on your finely honed ability to read the words and deeds of others to determine their true intent. You must excel at defeating opponents that hide among and prey upon ordinary folk, and your mastery of lore leading your sharp eye make you well equipped to expose and end hidden evils."
Made sure to hammer home the importance of resorting to violence if there wasn't any other way that better suited her needs.
"I've trained you on the art of the hidden blade and channeling Ki, relying on speed, elegance, and precision in equal parts. While some warriors are brutes clad in heavy armor, your method of fighting will resemble a performance, making you unmatched in single combat, and capable of fighting with two weapons while safely darting away from an opponent. But don't forget to hone your skills in the larcenous arts, never leaving things up to chance." I opted to finally end my inspirational speech. "Make your own luck and be always armed with cunning cheats.
"Understood." Rhaenys obediently replied, her faint smile seemed to falter for a moment, probably just remembered that I would soon start living somewhere else.
Willing to take my time with her while I still could, I asked. "Are you hungry?"
She nodded with a cute expression that, under all of those skills and bloodied hands, kept reminding me she was still just a young girl.
—————————————————————
Right in front of me was a naked Chataya, placed on all four while my hands slowly trailed along her sides, my mouth leaving small kisses on the ebony skin of her back.
The fact that she was a very tall woman just made me think that there was more of her to lust over.
With a subtle use of my affinity for the storm, my fingertips carried a barely perceptible electric current, as my hands moved to cup both of her firm breasts.
Her back arched against my disguised chest, the one of an athletic young man in his teens, as I began to cover her neck in kisses.
This illusion wasn't appropriate for dealing and receiving damage in combat, but for anything else it was more than enough.
Chataya looking down was able to see my manhood as it had grown big and was pointing out between her own legs.
"Are you ready for me?" I whispered in her ear after stopping kissing her neck, but my hands continued groping her breasts.
"Always for you." She replied and I pulled one hand back from her breasts and guided my cock into her entrance. "Ahm… uh…"
The experienced Summer Islander let out a small moan as I began to fill her up, both her hands were behind her head and bound together behind my neck, giving me complete freedom to touch and do whatever I wanted to with her body.
It was meant to be the best feeling ever for both of us, having her head turned slightly connecting our lips, so I impressed her again with a little use of my tongue.
With one hand I played with her breasts, the other in her hair, slowly thrusting inside Chataya, I heard her moaning again and again, sometimes even shouting in ecstasy with her arousing accent.
"By the Seven! I love being your teacher, Bard!"
Instead of replying with words, I just speed up the pace of my thrusts, making her climax at a record time.
Smirking in satisfaction and a little bit of disbelief that sex with this exotic beauty had become something regular for him, I decided to go for another round just to impress my attractive tutor.
After spending a few hours nailing the gorgeous Chataya, having completely surpassed all of the expectations she had when first accepting to teach about lovemaking and sexual pleasure.
Accepting the break she asked for, I took the opportunity to continue polishing my singing and dancing skills in the common room, doing a performance for the lucky clients.
The brothel had clearly prospered under my patronage, being much more frequented since the conditions were even more refined than before, as my other humble contribution being my services as a popular Bard during some of the nights.
I pretended to be a foreigner from a far far away land, visiting and sharing my art with the rest of the world.
Wealthy men and women from all around the Crownlands danced and sang while listening to my song as I played my lute and other musical instruments.
Even my father, the King, was somewhat of a fan, at least at how I made maidens more open to his advances.
Then again, I guess my disguised appearance reminding the king of a younger version of him was a big part of his friendly disposition towards me.
Recalling another song from my previous life, I began with a fast paced melody.
"Once upon a younger year…" I began. "…When all our shadows disappeared, the animals inside came out to play."
The crowd watching the show were surprised by another song they hadn't heard before, which gave more credit to my claim of being a foreigner.
"Went face to face with all our fears,
learned our lessons through the tears,
made memories we knew would never fade."
Creating a rhythm with the sound of my feet, I incentivized them to follow my lead.
"One day my father told me: 'Son, don't let it slip away.' He took me in his arms, I heard him say: 'When you get older, your wild heart will live for younger days. Think of me if ever you're afraid' … He said: 'One day you'll leave this world behind, so live a life you will remember.' My father told me when I was just a child: 'These are the nights that never die.' My father told me…"
After repeating it again, I made a pause and sure enough the audience took the cue and began singing in my place on the third.
"When thunder clouds start pouring down, light a fire they can't put out, carve your name into those shining stars. He said: 'Go venture far beyond the shores, don't forsake this life of yours. I'll guide you home, no matter where you are.'"
I had them all hooked.
"One day my father told me: 'Son, don't let it slip away.' When I was just a kid, I heard him say: 'When you get older, your wild heart will live for younger days. Think of me if ever you're afraid.'"
Raising my arms I continued singing without my instrument.
"He said: 'One day you'll leave this world behind, so live a life you will remember.' My father told me when I was just a child: 'These are the nights that never die!' My father told me…"
Concluding my performance I signaled for them to end the song.
"These are the nights that never die!" They all shouted with faces filled with joy and happiness.
"BRAVO!" Shouted Robert while raising his mug, almost blowing his cover. "ANOTHER!"
And the rest of the audience followed along, all asking for another song as the interesting new type of drink, named soda, and hamburgers meals were being delivered by some beautiful waitresses.
I changed instruments, opting this time for my specially crafted piano, and continued with a slow melody this time.
"Once I was seven years old, my mama told me: 'Go make yourself some friends or you'll be lonely.' Once I was seven years old."
The effect of my Bardic Inspiration mixed with my better understanding of enchantment magic was just too broken.
"It was a big big world, but we thought we were bigger. Pushing each other to the limits, we were learning quicker. By 11 smoking herbs and drinking burning liquor. Never rich so we were out to make that steady figure."
The songs I shared with them weren't merely for their catchy melody, but also because of the deep meaning behind their lyrics.
"Once I was 11 years old, my daddy told me:
'Go get yourself a wife or you'll be lonely.' Once I was 11 years old…"
Evoking emotions amidst the audience, I played with their heartstrings with my alluring voice.
"I always had that dream like my daddy before me. So I started writing songs, I started writing stories. Something about the glory just always seemed to bore me. 'Cause only those I really love will ever really know me."
Claps and cheers filled the air of this brothel.
"Once I was 20 years old, my story got told before the morning sun, when life was lonely. Once I was 20 years old…I only see my goals, I don't believe in failure. 'Cause I know the smallest voices, they can make it major."
The drink, the food, the young women and boys were just too hard for any noble to resist, especially the hedonistic type like my father.
"I got my boys with me, at least those in favor. And if we don't meet before I leave, I hope I'll see you later. … Once I was 20 years old, my story got told. I was writing about everything I saw before me. Once I was 20 years old. … Soon we'll be 30 years old, our songs have been sold. We've traveled around the world and we're still roaming. Soon we'll be 30 years old."
Bringing the energy down for a moment, I made them contemplate deep concepts like how ephemeral their lives were.
"I'm still learning about life, my woman brought children for me, so I can sing them all my songs, and I can tell them stories. Most of my boys are with me. Some are still out seeking glory. And some I had to leave behind. My brother, I'm still sorry. Soon I'll be 60 years old, my daddy got 61, remember life and then your life becomes a better one."
Soon enough I brought it back up, with a fast paced rhythm and louder volume of voice.
"I made the man so happy when I wrote a letter once. I hope my children come and visit, once or twice a month. Soon I'll be 60 years old, will I think the world is cold? Or will I have a lot of children who can warm me? Soon I'll be 60 years old… Soon I'll be 60 years old, will I think the world is cold? Or will I have a lot of children who can hold me? Soon I'll be 60 years old!"
Now to finish this emotional trip I led them all through.
"Once I was seven years old, my mama told me:
'Go make yourself some friends or you'll be lonely.' Once I was seven years old. …Once I was seven years old. …"
Well, will you look at that? I've managed to make the mighty Robert Baratheon, demon of the trident, shed a few tears because of my song.
Can't be because of his feelings towards his brothers, or me, my siblings and mother.
He's probably reminiscent of his time in the Vale, being raised in the Eyrie with Jon Arryn and Eddard Stark.
Simpler times for him, I suppose.
Hearing the people having a good time, talking, laughing, drinking, eating and some even making out, I went for another song.
One even more calm then the previous one.
At least after a brief explanation of how my homeland named the days of the week, Sunday to Saturday, which might not make much sense for them now, but at least they won't be lost during my song.
"Where there's a will, there's a way, kind of beautiful. And every night has its day, so magical.
And if there's love in this life, there's no obstacle …that can't be…defeated."
Love and hope we're indeed powerful emotions to conjure up amongst an audience.
"For every tyrant, a tear for the vulnerable. In every lost soul, the bones of a miracle. For every dreamer, a dream, we're unstoppable. With something to believe in."
Robert supported my claim with a shout.
"Monday left me broken. Tuesday, I was through with hoping. Wednesday, my empty arms were open. Thursday, waiting for love, waiting for love."
People began to dance and laugh.
"Thank the stars it's Friday! I'm burning like a fire gone wild on Saturday. Guess I won't be coming to church on Sunday. I'll be waiting for love, waiting for love… to come around…"
The pleasant atmosphere was just too contagious.
"We are one of a kind, irreplaceable. How did I get so blind and so cynical? If there's love in this life, we're unstoppable. No, we can't be defeated.
Monday left me broken. Tuesday, I was through with hoping. Wednesday, my empty arms were open. Thursday, waiting for love, waiting for love."
Preparing to end the song, I added some extra energy into my performance.
"Thank the stars it's Friday! I'm burning like a fire gone wild on Saturday. Guess I won't be coming to church on Sunday. I'll be waiting for love, waiting for love… to come around!"
The crowd now begged me for just one more song, reminding me so much of my half-siblings.
Since I didn't want to be a party pooper, I picked another song, this time taking the unconventional harp.
"Feeling my way through the darkness, guided by a beating heart… I can't tell where the journey will end, but I know where to start." I sang with a low voice. "They tell me I'm too young to understand, they say I'm caught up in a dream. Life will pass me by if I don't open up my eyes. Well that's fine by me."
Now raising the feelings of everyone, I continued.
"So wake me up when it's all over! When I'm wiser and I'm older. All this time I was finding myself, and I didn't know I was lost. So wake me up when it's all over. When I'm wiser and I'm older. All this time I was finding myself, and I…didn't know I was lost."
Playing each note with the utmost skill I could currently muster.
"I tried carrying the weight of the world, but I only have two hands. Hope I get the chance to travel the world, but I don't have any plans. Wish that I could stay forever this young. Not afraid to close my eyes. Life's a game made for everyone. And love is a prize."
Let's go!
"So wake me up when it's all over! When I'm wiser and I'm older. All this time I was finding myself, and I didn't know I was lost. So wake me up when it's all over! When I'm wiser and I'm older… All this time I was finding myself, and I… didn't know I was lost! …I didn't know I was lost!"
Being showered by applause as I bowed in gratitude for their praises and offerings, I took the opportunity that my father was getting busy with a fair maiden and went back to Chataya's embrace.
As the saying goes… the night is still young, and I really deserved the break from my constant hard work and diligent studies.
—————————————————————
(05/10/2021)
(07/04/2022)
*Hope this chapter is of your liking.
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