These streets will make you feel brand new

At first, Eldritch Blast felt and looked like purple lightning to me.

But my previous knowledge about RPG games, plus the clear description of the cantrip, enlightened me that it was pure magical force.

One that monsters did not frequently have resistance or immunity to.

With a range of at least thirty five meters, and some hints that leveling it up would bring much more than added damage, especially if I managed to Transmute it with a metamagic in order to match enemies' vulnerabilities, I knew this could become one of my most OP spells.

That and Distant Spell would give me more ranged magical attacks.

And if my time playing D&D served me right, Eldritch Blast would also add other adjacent beams to my disposal, allowing me to decide between hitting multiple targets, or focusing on someone in specific.

Usually, one was required to be a Warlock to be able to cast this Cantrip.

You know, making a pact with an extraplanar entity and all.

But since that wasn't the case for me, probably because I am a lucky Bard, I might not get some invocations for it though.

Fingers crossed that it won't be the case.

I would really like to avoid friendly fire with my Evocation spells by the way.

'MINOR CONJURATION.' I mentally chanted before summoning a large paint to cover the hole in my wall for the next hour, in order to give me a reliable way of grinding this Cantrip.

Best of all, cantrips didn't actually consume my reserves of mana, so I could literally do this all day long.

Sure, some had a few annoying material requirements, like a handful of Lodestone, Fleece or Copper Wire, but that could easily be circumvented since my INVENTORY didn't seem to have a limit.

But at least none seemed to consume it during each use, so no biggie, I wasn't planning on hoarding things yet.

My current plan with Conjuration spells was to reserve it on me and teleport to somewhere.

Following that, I then mentally pictured someone in particular and pointed my index finger towards the ground.

'MINOR ILLUSION.' I mentally chanted.

Immediately, the clear image of my dear mother appeared sitting in front of me.

She seemed sentient, but didn't make any sound.

An illusionary Cersei in front of me manifested from a subtle puff of smoke, and as I inspected her features, I noticed she was exactly as I imagined her to be.

With some unnecessary sexy appeal.

Soon enough, after attempting to alter it after already casted or having it move around and failing, I concluded that I didn't have full control over my illusions however I saw fit.

At least for now, there was still plenty I could learn from experiencing with the School of Illusion.

At the bare minimum, the visions were exactly as I envisioned them to be, not like drawing worked for regular people attempting to reproduce something they sighted or imagined.

Proof of this was that the next time I casted Minor Illusion, it showed the Queen of Madness in more revealing clothes that were a little too modern for this time and age.

Oh, how scandalous!

Heh.

It was excellent in regards to the creative potential that I could use this spell, but the bad side was that without reaching higher levels of it, I was stuck with a single illusion that produced no other sensory effect nor could produce light without an already existing source to alter.

Though to make up for that, its illusionary sounds and smells options will become more useful once I get the hang of stacking them on top of visual hallucinations too.

After a minute, the illusion disappeared and I proceeded to clean the mess I've left from my previous demonstration.

When I aimed my Eldritch Blast at a wall of solid stone, it left a small hole behind, alongside some debris that had fallen into the ground.

Picking all the pieces of stone and pressing them against one another, I mentally chanted my cantrip. 'THAUMATURGY.'

After focusing my mana for a moment, the mineral transmuted into its original form, leaving no trace of its previous damage safe for it not being attached to the wall.

I stored it inside my Inventory until I was no longer able to constantly summon something to cover the hole on the wall.

It was deceptively useful to combine my spells together, especially since it didn't cost me anything at all, but also that by multitasking their grinding I could continue to benefit from their use.

I could simply open my shop and make a fortune repairing gear, clothes and even weapons.

With luck, I might even be capable of closing wounds on living creatures or repairing magical items.

To proceed with my magical test drive, I approached the large mirror on the wall while raising my magical defense of Dragon scales.

After a brief moment to activate my Minor Illusion again, and blinked.

Immediately after opening my eyes, I noticed I now had eyes with lizard-like color and appearance, followed by a change to my hair leaving me bald.

'I knew something was missing… besides the wings and horns… and tail… and plenty more, but whatever…'

My eyes then changed into the color green, similar to my half-siblings, and my hair was now golden with curly long locks as I deactivated my Dragon scales.

'Hum... just another Lannister.' I thought while caressing my hair locks.

Blue stormy eyes and straight raven hair.

'Classic Baratheon.' I thought while flexing my arms.

Magical purple eyes and long silver-golden hair.

'My father's worst nightmare.' I smirked before summoning a crown that just looked like Valyrian Steel.

If I find a decent way to change my body, stealth would come even more naturally to me than it did to Arya Stark as a faceless man.

Arcane Ward was perhaps the easiest to grind without drawing suspicion, since I wasn't expecting to be stabbed out of nowhere, not to mention the extra Health points made more at ease.

For now, I was searching for a way of making it a passive power that would be there before I rage or activated my scales.

As for Mind Sliver, it actually made me worry about botching it somehow and leaving an innocent person on vegetative state.

A couple of times causing headaches on soldiers I knew were corrupt was as far as I was willing to go, forget about either suggesting or ordering things that my targets could remember I gave them once the effect wore off.

But the prospect of magically enthralling others was beginning to grow on me.

Sighing as I lowered my focus, wanting to test the limit and capabilities of my spells, I confirmed none of them were dependent on me to concentrate after they were casted.

A win for these cantrips, I guess.

They were all magical in nature, so of course I wanted to use them more.

Thankfully Subtle Spell got rid of the vocal and somatic component since it would've been tricky to deal with.

Especially if I wanted to avoid the attention of magic-haters like Varys.

However, before I could consider the matter further, my Mental Map warned me that any more strange sound would finally draw unwanted attention from the guards patrolling the halls.

After all, I had decided to cast my first Evocation spell once I memorized the change of shifts and patrols on my front door.

I only had the opportunity to properly test Thaumaturgy's communication link on Shadow, as she now followed my orders even from afar or through walls.

But that's enough assessment of my progress with Magic.

For now, I just unequipped my clothes since I didn't need to throw them away to be cleaned.

Thaumaturgy was indeed a Swiss knife, and I'm sure Jayne and the other servants of the Red Keep would appreciate having less work to do.

Now naked as the day I was born, I decided to take a bath and slowly slipped inside the bathtub.

The bubbling warm water battered against my tired muscles and helped me release the stress of my mind.

Casting Thaumaturgy again, I made the water even hotter, as the heat smoothed my crunched up muscles, relaxing them.

And as usual, I had been up all night either training in some fighting styles or reading about foreign cultures.

Now I had magic study to add to that already large list of commitments.

'Hey, I'm not complaining.'

Leaning back on the bathtub's rim and opening my INVENTORY, I pulled out one of my legendary swords.

The white one to be more specific.

Since acquiring them, I hadn't come up with a decent name.

Truth be told I was terrible with names.

Proud of my loot, I raised it up in the air, its Valyrian Steel edge shining even in the shadow, mostly due to its magical nature.

I can still remember when I first tested its sharpness.

That time I had almost mimicked Wolverine's actions in the bathroom during his terrible origin movie.

The Tv series did no justice, they were crazy sharp.

When I first attempted to slightly scratch my iron dagger against its edge, I was stunned when I first noticed how easily the Valyrian Steel edge sliced through it as if the iron was butter.

For all of his talent and experience, Ser Barristan might beat an untrained adversary wielding a Valyrian Steel weapon, but I doubt he would think lightly of fighting against an average combatant armed with it.

Even worse would be his chances against someone that could pull it out of thin air.

I know, it was in no way fair.

But life wasn't fair.

After inspecting the short sword and comparing it with its darker twin, I pondered about where I could learn more about its magical inscriptions.

Activating my shocking grasp, I watched as the blades snapped emitted audible noises of high-voltage, giving them Lightning properties.

Which wasn't as useful as it might've sounded.

They were basically blades with one atom edge, so stunning targets were literally just overkill.

Similar thing for imbuing it with booming energy, which actually benefited any use of the blunt segments of the weapon to deliver Bludgeoning damage, as the Thunder property would mess someone up pretty badly.

I stored them both away.

Slowly the time passed and I got out of the water.

After getting myself dry with Thaumaturgy, I walked up to the large chest in my room and casted my Transmutation cantrip again to open it up, while needlessly gesturing with my hand.

What can I say, I like to pretend I'm using the Force.

Inside the chest were several of my well crafted and comfortable clothings that I wore on a daily basis and left for the servants to clean so as not to draw unnecessary suspicion.

Quickly putting on a set of small black pants that were made of padded woolen, which was very expensive for the common man but also the only protective gear I could get away with wearing all day, all thanks to the cold season.

I wore a small white shirt over it, put on a set of fine boots and wrapped a fine scarlet and golden belt around my waist.

This set of clothes were given to me as a gift for my fifth nameday.

Gathering all my best clothes and storing them in my Inventory for later use, I've been postponing doing that for a while now.

Quickly leaving my chamber and walking through the corridors, I headed towards my destination while pondering.

From what I was able to uncover, Rhaegar's daughter was secured really tightly.

Almost five years and it was only by coincidence that we were able to meet.

I've talked to Alysse and she admitted that she hadn't talked to Rhaenys either, only hearing some of the rumors regarding her bad temper.

At least with her alive, the Martells won't dare to publicly oppose the crown or the Lannisters, and with luck that might also be the case for Daenerys once she became the mother of dragons.

Reaching the stairs that led to the dining hall I continued making my way at a casual pace.

Speaking of Alysse, Jon Arryn shouldn't have had another child besides the sick and frail "Sweetrobin" with Lyssa Tully.

No doubt, this will change things.

———————————————————

The dining hall of the Red Keep was busy, filled to the brim with servants working to serve the nobles.

I proceeded quietly inside and noticed that the Royal family was already eating their breakfast.

While Robert looked really hungry as he ate without caring for etiquette, which seemed to have a negative impact on the times Stannis clenched his jaw, Cersei behaved like a proper lady, showing no emotion at all while her twin brother kept a confident smirk.

And Lord Hand Jon Arryn looked concerned with something he and Stannis were discussing.

The moment I stepped into the light, the others began to acknowledge my presence.

"By the Gods, lad, were you planning on beginning your day with an empty stomach." Boomed Robert's voice as he spoke to me.

"Apologies for my lateness, father." I replied back with a semblance of respect towards the King before approaching my mother and kissing her on the cheek while saying good morning to everyone else.

Cersei smiled as she kissed me back, her features betraying some lack of sleep, and Jaime patted me on the head.

And from what I could see, my little half-siblings were growing fast, not as unnaturally as I was, but still faster than the average baby.

Although, perhaps not fast enough for my mother to stop losing sleep over them, regardless of how much I aided her.

Please, if there actually is a Game Organizer out there, don't make them self inserts like me, it would be such a bummer and just unnecessary drama!

"Had some trouble sleeping, boy?" Robert's voice boomed from the other side of the table before he began chopping at his bread.

Simply bowing respectfully, I replied. "I was merely busy doing my morning exercises. It's the only way one finds to not suffer from the cold."

"Ah, as good a motive as any, s... er, kid." Robert stated, still not entirely at ease calling me 'son'. "So is it true you want to go visit the city? Amidst this damn winter?"

"Indeed, father. It's actually the perfect time for such endeavors. I understand that because of the season, King's Landing is supposed to be less chaotic than usual." I answered in a polite tone. "I've already talked with Maester Pycelle and Lord Commander Barristan, they concluded the same and even suggested some places for me to visit. For now, I only request your permission."

The King sighed, he had had a discussion with Cersei for the whole night due to my rush to learn how to fight.

Not that Cersei actually worried a lot for my well-being, though she did at least cared a little by now, mother just enjoyed nagging father.

Clearing his throat, Robert spoke. "So be it. You have my permission, I'll arrange some guards to escort you later."

"Are you sure it's a good idea, Robert?!" Cersei spoke as I knew she would. "I mean, our son can wait a few years, he still is too young and the city isn't going anywhere."

I smiled at that. "Please, don't worry mother. I will be well guarded by soldiers, and I promise to stay out of the more troublesome areas."

{LIE ATTEMPT SUCCEED!}

"C'mon sis, we were even younger when father had taken us to visit Lannisport." Jaime vouched for me. "Besides, I will make sure that he will return safe and sound before night comes."

"If you put it like that… very well." The Queen finally conceded.

"Either way, you should first eat something, my Prince. No matter how fast you grow, everyone needs to eat before adventuring into such a vast city as King's Landing, regardless of the season." The Lord Hand spoke up with a smile before returning his attention to his own plate and returning to his concerned expression as he remembered something.

Meanwhile, Lyssa Tully, who strangely enough reminded me of a slightly chubbier Amy Adams, was seated besides Lord Arryn ignoring everything, probably still scheming on how to get Petyr Baelish into the small council.

Alysse was seated as well by Jon's side, and after hearing her father's words, she subtly winked at me.

Which meant she had gained permission from her father as well.

I just nodded back and carefully walked up to the table, after I sat down, a worker came up and started serving me food.

We quietly ate our meals after that as my thoughts slowly slipped back to my adventure into the castle's magical dungeon, and all the rewards I've got from it.

I now had a lair exclusively mine, safe for the high level undeads still trapped inside it.

A place for me to do whatever I wanted, as long as I finished getting rid of the remaining zombies.

Especially that one that threw a freaking fireball at me.

Opening my status window and looking over everything I had acquired, I listed.

I had all my titles' superpower-like features, my awesome high level potions for an emergency case, my dark and pale Valyrian Steel short swords and some spells.

Oh, and gold, lots of it.

20,000 if I'm not mistaken.

Not to mention I still had four hundred Nexus Coins to spend at my market, but I decided to keep them as a last resort, at least until I learned how to farm those coins.

Soon enough, everyone had finished their meal and we went our separate way.

Closing the window and leaving the hall, I confirmed that the gaming system was slowly making me immune to the cold, which was something I knew might eventually save my life given the possibility of the Long Night being still a threat regardless of the season's current duration.

Even northerners and the wildlings didn't have this capability.

Sure, they were used to the cold, and in some particular cases resistant to it, but actually immune?

Unlikely.

Just imagine, by the point I raise this skill high enough, I will be able to roam around the Lands of Always Winter naked.

Nah, that's too simple-minded.

Let's see…

If in the slim chance that there could actually be a female White Walker, perhaps I might be able to fuck her without a problem.

Yeah, that's much better, I'm sure father would be proud.

In any case…

Soon the days started to blur together.

I spent most time training in the yard with Barristan while trying to master a few fighting styles as his Squire.

Archery, defense, dueling, interception, protection, throwing weapons and unarmed fighting.

Or studying with Pycelle everything that could help me earn a few links from the Citadel.

And grinding my cantrips and spending time with my half-siblings.

Not really caring much for the chilling climate, and by doing so my stats had improved vastly.

=================================

TITLE: Durrandon Baratheon (Sorcerer-Lv5/ Barbarian-Lv4/ Monk-Lv5/ Bard-Lv3/ Fighter-Lv4/ Wizard-Lv3)

LEVEL: 10 (24%)

HP: 100/100

SP: 200/200

MP: 10/10*

MAGIC CONTROL: 93%

SORCERY POINTS: 10

BARBARIC RAGE: 3

KI POINTS: 10*

BARDIC INSPIRATION: 3

ACTION SURGE: 1

ALLEGIANCE: The Iron Throne

PWR: <17>

END: <18>

MOB: <19>

INT: <22>

STL: <18>

DEF: 10* (Padded Clothes: Piercing and Slashing +45% Damage Resistance/ Bludgeoning +15% Damage Resistance)

POINTS: 34

SKILLS: ~open list~

PERKS: ~open list~

FEATURES: ~open list~

TRAITS: ~open list~

TIME PLAYED: 5 years

MONEY: 20,000 GC/400 NC

($) {MARKET}

=================================

Even though I was being tailed by a couple of soldiers charged to shield me from any harm, plus uncle Jaime, I was allowed to choose my way around the capital city.

I bet, to the annoyance of my assigned defenders, and amusement of Jaime.

But before meeting them at the entrance of the Red Keep, first I made a brief walkthrough the castle, which I was finally able to explore thoroughly.

Speaking of it…

When Aegon the Conqueror and his sisters-wives launched their invasion from Dragonstone, a castle on the island of the same name at the entrance to Blackwater Bay, this whole area was little more than disputed lands and overgrown ruins.

And Aegon saw the potential in it, both as a defensible position and a geopolitically important location, and so he built an earthen and wooden palisade atop the highest hill, that became known as the Aegonfort back then.

The basic motte and bailey was a temporary structure though, since after the conquest was accomplished, Aegon thought it was important that his new capital was located on the mainland, so he authorized the construction of what is now well known as the Red Keep.

Whose red stone walls loom high above the slums and smells of King's Landing, encouraging the expansion of the settlement that had started then.

Such was the scale of the building project, that it wasn't until the reign of Aegon's son, that the Red Keep was completed during the reign of his son Maegor I, well remembered today as Maegor the Cruel.

And his cruelty was perhaps best shown after the completion of the Red Keep, when he ordered the murder of everyone who had been involved in the design and construction of the castle, so that only he new all of its secret tunnels and hidey-holes.

And there were apparently many of them, some well known to most of the servants of the crown, with a few being kept secret by the Spider and his agents.

Though I'm sure there must still be some long forgotten ones.

Quite the useful challenge for my Observe skill, if I was being honest.

Now inspecting the more broad view of the castle that had housed me since birth, made me notice a few extra things.

It was built in a classical style with a high curtain wall and imposing barbican, being in essence a stronghold guarding Maegor's Holdfast within a larger stronghold of the city itself.

If invading enemies got past the city walls, they still needed to face the uphill struggle of Aegon's hill and no doubt a hail of arrows from the walls of the castle, and the defenders would be well placed to withstand an elongated siege if necessary.

Though that didn't stop my Grandfather after his man sacked the city, or Stannis when he decided to take the city during the War of Five Kings.

Inside the curtain wall of the castle were granaries, storehouses, wells and all manner of other essential practical buildings, now operating at full capacity to compensate for the harsher and more frequent winters.

The final place of refuge of this fortification would be Maegor's Holdfast, a stand-alone structure within the castle with a wall twelve feet thick and its own dry moat.

And from what I could say, clean of any secret passageway.

This was where my chamber was located and where a last stand would be taken against any invader that went past all of the lines of defense.

A truly desperate and grim situation to be in.

No doubt, this was a castle, not just a palace.

But it was also a palace.

As well as all that was needed for the harsh realities of siege warfare, there was everything that was needed to create comfort for the King and his court, as well for the management of the realm.

There was a godswood of course, albeit with a magnificent oak instead of a weirwood, where Alysse and I enjoyed spending some time playing around during summer.

A sept for the private use of the high folk, and where I've met the old wealthy man, Gyles Rosby, Lord of Rosby and the head of House Rosby, with no immediate heir despite his two marriages.

A rookery in the Grand Maester's office, where Pycelle oversaw communications across the Seven Kingdoms, and where I managed to get updated with the latest gossip of the Realm.

And a ballroom where the guests were entertained deep into the night, and where I received some dancing classes for etiquette purposes.

The keep itself was the seat of the King's power and the great hall within it.

There lies the Iron Throne itself, forged from the thousand swords of Aegon's vanquished foes in the fury of Balerion the Dread flames.

For real this time, none of that cheap and metaphorical thing portrayed in the Tv show, and as a result, It was uglier, and actually potentially deadly for someone that wasn't careful enough while sitting on it.

It's there where King Robert, or more often, Jon Arryn held court with the Small council, receiving petitions from the people and foreign dignitaries.

It was there where I first met Jalabhar Xho, with his exuberant coat of colorful feathers, skin as smooth and dark as teak, in his early twenties.

(Flashback begins…)

"This one is known as Jalabhar Xho, young prince. But you may just call me Jalabhar." The Summer Islander spoke to me using the Common Tongue with an amber, liquid accent while cordially bowing before me. "This one has heard that despite your age you are already an avid learner. If you wish, I might be of use in better understanding the summer tongue and culture. Or perhaps, you might also be interested in some input during your training sessions with ranged weapons. Since your frame isn't big enough to fully draw a longbow, I suggest you take proficiency with either the sling or the short bow."

"I would be very grateful if you shared with me your experience, Jalabhar." I replied respectfully, already finding uses for this man besides the extra grinding of skills.

Although, beneath his jewels and feathers, mother considered him to be little more than a highborn beggar, father saw him as a way of getting some summer islander servants on his bed.

But I saw potential for so much more.

"You know, my prince, that this one also was a prince once." Jalabhar revealed it to me once we became more acquainted with one another. "As a matter of fact, I'm the exiled Prince of the Red Flower Vale, banished due to losing one of our highly ritualized wars as per the tradition of my homeland."

The Summer Isles, a large archipelago located south of Westeros and Essos, west of Sothoryos and Naath.

"This one has come to King's Landing to request gold and swords from your father, King of the Seven Kingdoms, to help me regain my birthright, the Red Flower Vale." He added, believing that he was being subtle with his intentions. "At first your father seemed interested in the notion of helping me take back my position as prince, but had unfortunately continuously told me that he would put it off until the next year."

"Really?" I faked my surprise.

"Not that I'm being ungrateful for your sire hospitality. Quite the contrary, you see." Noticing how his words could've been misinterpreted, Jalabhar quickly added. "I'm well aware that the harsher and more frequent winters are more of a problem up here on the Westerossi continent."

"But you must miss your home." I guessed where he was going with all that justification.

"Precisely." He nodded, hopeful that I would be able to one day fulfill what he originally sought before coming to Westeros.

Although the King always put off Jalabhar's request for help, he never firmly declined him, constantly telling him "Next year" instead of "No".

While Jalabhar continued to occasionally petition for the Iron Throne to help him win back his seat, he had become a noted courtier at King's Landing.

Having no other place to seek refuge, the exiled Prince of the Red Flower Vale was one of the most colorful figures at court I've met, alongside Thoros of Myr.

(Flashback transition…)

"Hahaha! You've always got the best tales, my prince!" The Red Priest reacted to one of the stories I recalled from my previous life.

Man, that Red Priest was really euphoric and friendly towards anyone.

A tall, fat man in his early twenties that constantly wore flapping red robes, shaved his head like a monk and had a smooth face as well.

"I was born in the Free City of Myr, being the youngest of eight children, and given to a Red temple of R'hllor at a young age." He casually shared a piece of his past. "Like most, I earned my priesthood… but I'm not overly pious due to my tastes for fighting, drinking, and women."

"Not very priestly of you, isn't it?" I asked in a friendly manner.

"Heheh. I guess that depends on your definition of priestly." He smiled. "Would you believe me that I once outdrink your father?"

That explained why Robert liked him that much.

"I was sent to King's Landing in hopes that I could convert the fire-obsessed King Aerys II Targaryen, but I was unsuccessful." Thoros explained how he started to question his own faith, before retrieving his wineskin from a bag and taking a large gulp. "Nowadays I enjoy my time drinking wine. Hehehe. Did you know that one of the reasons why I became a Red Priest was because the robes would help me better hide wine stains. Ha!" He joked.

Thoros was fond of feasts and tourneys my father threw every once in a while during summer, having proved his skill in combat in most of them.

And had a gift for tongues, speaking with Jalabhar in Summer tongue on a few occasions.

Most Myrmen spoke a dialect of bastard Valyrian, and the Common Tongue was spoken with a Myrish accent that sounded sultry to most Westerossi.

"But have you had any success in seeing visions in the flames?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"I saw some things." Thoros shrugged his shoulders.

Though I wasn't convinced yet that those visions weren't some sort of illusion magic, casted by an unknown figure.

Not saying that R'hllor didn't exist, nor that he didn't have the powers that could be mistaken for a god, just that he might not be what most believed.

"But tell me, aren't you more interested in my flaming weapon?" Thoros asked, looking very eager to change subjects. "Wanna know how I do it?"

"Certainly." I nodded mildly interested.

I've been wondering for a while if I could replicate it with my Valyrian swords.

That would be neat.

(Flashback ends…)

Anyway…

Back to my tour around the castle.

Although the great hall itself had remained a constant through the centuries, it hasn't stayed looking the same, with father hiding all the Targaryen dragons's skulls in order to display his hunting trophies.

One constant however, was the Kingsguard, seven noble knights sworn to defend the King.

Their base built in one of the Red Keep's outer walls, overlooking the sea was the White Sword Tower.

That was their barracks, their armory and their spiritual home, home to the famous White Book.

Which was two feet wide, a foot and a half tall, and a thousand pages thick, recording all the deeds of all the members of the Kingsguard since its founding three centuries ago.

Turning away from these lofty ideals to the day-to-day running of the kingdom and gazing up at the Tower of the Hand, I acknowledged that in that imposing tower was where the Hand of the King lived, with his Tully wife and daughter of a previous marriage.

Also, from what I've learned, that tower was where Rhaenys was kept secured as the Crown's Ward.

Well, would you look at that?

An actual princess being kept in the highest room of the highest tower, waiting to be rescued by her Knight in shining armor.

It would be romantic if it wasn't too weird and hilarious that from what I heard she might also be the Dragon.

The days preceding my visit to the capital city, I've been sneaking up at night and exploring the Red Keep, and from what I could gather, that tower was the focal point for the network of tunnels built through the Red Keep.

I wonder how frequently the Spider passed through it, given he probably was the one to make most use of it all.

Changing subjects, I was also getting familiar with the layout of the four levels dungeon that sat below the castle.

Sadly this one wasn't magical like the one I found hidden behind the Iron Throne.

While the top level of the dungeons was for petty criminals, the second for highborn prisoners and the third level known as the Black Cells were a grim prospect that allowed no light or even a buck for waste.

Only the most heinous criminals or politically important ones were meant to be kept there.

The final level being used for interrogation, through painful means if necessary.

But enough about this scarlet structure, King's Landing as a whole was something else.

…

I finally met with uncle Jaime and the two soldiers assigned to guard me, alongside my childhood friend, Alysse Arryn.

"Took you long enough." She told me with a gentle smile from inside of the carriage that would take us.

"The lady is right, my prince." Jaime had his usual smirk. "You kept us waiting on this cold day."

"Apologies…" I said to everyone waiting for me. "… I lost my time preparing a few snacks for us to eat on our brief trip."

Even though that wasn't true, I had with me two medium size bags filled with fresh fruits, white bread and other stuff.

Handing out one of the two, I immediately noticed the expression of the other two soldiers changing to a more friendly one.

Using Observe on them showed that they weren't impressive when compared to uncle Jaime, even though they were both older than him.

{OLLIVER, BARATHEON SOLDIER.}

LV: 26

RACE: ANDAL

PWR: 28

END: 29

MOB: 25

INT: 16

STL: 18

DEF: 40* (Castle-forged steel Plate armor: Piercing/Slashing +100% Damage Resistance/ Bludgeoning +50% Damage Resistance)

{OTTO, LANNISTER SOLDIER.}

LV: 24

RACE: ANDAL

PWR: 26

END: 27

MOB: 27

INT: 19

STL: 20

DEF: 40* (Castle-forged steel Plate armor: Piercing/Slashing +100% Damage Resistance/ Bludgeoning +50% Damage Resistance)

Not even a single 30 showed among those foot soldiers' status, which made me conclude that attributes over 20 were a step above the common rabble, but not good enough to be considered as an elite on the level of Jaime and Barristan.

If that line of thought was correct, perhaps 30-40 was the capstone of this world without the interference of Magic.

Perhaps above that would be where the most renowned in their arts belonged.

Beyond that I can only imagine and speculate.

"So, shall we?" I asked, joining Alysse inside our carriage.

"Of course." Nodded Jaime before signaling for the soldiers to stir the horses, he would be following us whilst mounted on his horse.

As one arrives in King's Landing, be it by any means, road or boat, the first thing that will definitely strike anyone would be the size of it.

"I can't believe we are finally here." Remarked Alysse with a look of wonder as she looked through the window. "All this time I've only watched it from afar. Everything is so much bigger than I thought it was."

"Indeed. It's quite large." I replied, indulging her feeling of awe. "While I read that Essos could boast larger cities, nothing in Westeros could match King's Landing, and it keeps on growing."

"I recall hearing it from you." Alysse acknowledged. "In recent years, the small folk have even expanded out beyond the city's wall itself, building their huts and hovels and trading posts along the dockside and clustered around the various city's gates."

"Correct." I nodded before faking disgust. "However, I wasn't really prepared for the stench."

"Yeah. I mean, is it even possible to get used to it?" She mimicked my gesture before giggling.

'I've leveled up my Poison Resistance, not only due to this world's different comprehension over hygiene, but by actually just breathing this air.' I thought.

"I guess it's no urban myth that the city can be smelled from miles away, carried by the strong sea breeze I believe. Good thing they get rid of most of it back on the Red Keep." I mentioned, after finally noticing the difference that being just a few minutes out of the castle made. "The introduction of sewers, drainage and wells throughout the city two centuries ago, by King Jaehaerys, may have reduced the risk of diseases running rampant through the city, but they seemed to have done little to improve its sole factory appeal."

"Oh, you mean the Conciliator King? Yeah, thanks to him it's not even worse than it is." She remembered one of the lessons I gave her.

I merely nodded in agreement and got her to smile again.

The skyline of the Capital city was dominated by the three hills known as Aegon's hill, Visenya's hill and Rhaenys' hill, clearly named after the three original invading Targaryen, with huge structures sitting atop each of them.

The Red Keep on Aegon's hill, the great sept of Baelor on Visenya's hill (our first destination) and the Dragonpit on Rhaenys' hill.

Not a place I could properly explore with Alysse by my side, especially with this small retinue following around me. At least not without having them spread unwanted suspicion with their gossip, which I'm sure would reach the ears of the Spider.

"Tell me, Alysse, the city walls and gates that barred the passage to the city itself were composed of Seven Gates, a diplomatic move by Aegon the Conqueror to the religion he adopted as his own after the invasion. Do you happen to remember all of them?" I asked her, deciding to make use of our free time for something more than just staring around.

"He adopted the faith of the seven, right?" She asked, already knowing my answer, before pointing at each one on the horizon. "Let's see…Iron gate… Dragon gate, Old gate, gate of the Gods, River, Lion and King's gate."

"Almost." I corrected her. "Remember, the Dragon gate leads north to the kingsroad and the Iron gate leads to the Rosby road."

"Oh, I forgot." She lowered her head. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it, the worst mistake someone can make is being afraid of making one." Surprising her with a gentle pat on her shoulder I said. "Mistakes have the power to turn you into something better than you were before. Do you understand?"

"I-er-Yes!" Alysse quickly replied, looking at me with her light blue eyes.

If not for my high perception, I wouldn't have noticed Jaime laughing at us from outside the carriage.

After driving for a while through the half-empty and slightly covered on snow streets, I've arrived at Visenya's hill, tarrying for a moment at the foot of the hill.

There, before reaching the plazas at the top of the hill, I sighted the Alchemists Guild stretching along the Street of the Sisters.

In contrast to the spacious white marble of the Sept, the guild was a warren of black marble.

The soldiers didn't like my choice, but even though I could just order them to do as they were told, I opted for caution and assured them with some persuasion.

Convincing Jaime was a little bit of a challenge, but I eventually managed to get through him by acting like Tyrion.

"But uncle, you do know that the mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge. That's why even the faintest glimpse of knowledge is worth the experience."

"Alright, alright. But let's just make it a brief experience. Trust me, these Pyromancers shouldn't be trusted." Jaime argued with a sigh before teasing me. "And I'm sure you don't wish to spook your friend by being inside their grim cave for long."

I just pretended to not have a clue of what he was talking about.

As we entered the Guildhall, leaning behind the soldiers to guard our carriage, I whispered to Alysse that although the alchemists that were based here may now seem little more than a cultural oddity, they were once the most powerful guild in the land.

Even more so than the Maesters at Oldtown.

Crazy to think of, right?

Alysse certainly thought the same.

Their guild building was not just where they met, but also where they manufactured and stored Wildfire, named by them The Substance.

We were eventually greeted by the Pyromancer Hallyne, the current head of the Alchemists' Guild.

"Welcome, welcome, my prince." He welcomed me quite eagerly before bowing. "The Alchemist guild is entirely at your disposal."

Perhaps he thought he could impress me enough for me to give them my patronage, like some Targaryen Kings and Princes once did.

Perhaps I will.

But not publicly, I was a firm believer of the theory regarding the Maesters' conspiracy against magic.

Having to keep my secrets from Varys had its annoying limits.

Not to mention that it would certainly ruin all the relationship that I've built between me and Jaime.

He undoubtedly had the worst impression of them.

Whatever was the case, nothing prevented me from acting anonymously from the shadows.

After all, I wanted to see if the Alchemists could help me improve my understanding and control over my magic.

Perhaps help me level up my Wizard title.

After all, the books weren't clear if they were actually full of shit or the real deal.

Let's hope for the latter.

Back to my tour, as one would expect, the Guildhall was a gloomy building, not just because of the color of the walls, but because for obvious reasons the use of flames was restricted here.

It was merely one of many safety measures implemented here.

The rooms where the wildfire was prepared had supposedly numerous protective enchantments placed on them.

And the ceiling was in fact a trap door triggered by the presence of fire, which once opened dumped tons of sand into the room, in order to immediately extinguish all fire before it reached any sample of Wildfire.

The alchemists would assure me that this made it impossible for an accidental explosion that could destroy not just the Guildhall, but possibly a large segment of Visenya's hill as well.

Frankly, it was reassuring to think no one would succeed in copying Cersei's plan from the Tv show, but I still needed to find all of the hidden jars spread around the city by the order of the Mad King.

Because I assume Jaime didn't go on a hunt for them after killing the previous head Pyromancer loyal to Aerys.

And by the way Jaime went pale after coming to a realization, I could see he really regretted never doing so.

Half a decade had passed and the reason why he broke his Kingsguard vow could still come to pass.

Jaime suddenly said he needed to speak in private with the Pyromancer, and by his tone, he wasn't requesting.

Taking the opportunity to OBSERVE the jars of Wildfire, a window different from the one I got on the magical dungeon popped up, proving through its enciclopedic explanation how far the skill had progressed.

{ALCHEMIST'S FIRE}

{Wildfire is a murky green liquid. Once set aflame, the wildfire will burn with dark, emerald and jade green flames. Cold will thicken liquid wildfire, but heating it will make the liquid flow. Being considered a treacherous substance since once it ignites, it will burn for a long time, beyond the control of men. Even a thin layer of wildfire will burn for an hour even on water, and seeps into most materials, like cloth, wood, leather, and steel, which will then go up in flames. The pyromancers claim that only dragonflame, the fires beneath the earth, and the summer sun burn hotter than wildfire. Age impacts wildfire as well. While it is implied that new samples can still somewhat be controlled, as claimed by the alchemists, old wildfire is 'fickle'; any flame or spark can set them off. Too much heat, such as being exposed to sunlight for even a short time, could lead to a fire. Once the fire begins, the heat will make the liquid wildfire expand violently. Older jars of wildfire are transported from place to place only by night, in carts filled with sand to lessen jostling at all, and then sealed in wax and placed in rooms pumped full of water.}

DAMAGE TYPE: FIRE AND RADIANT

(?) FIRE DAMAGE

*Fire Damage is a fairly common type alongside Piercing, Slashing and Bludgeoning. And as most people can imagine, it can be caused through creative ways, from being caught in a fire itself to getting hit with a firebomb.

(?) RADIANT DAMAGE

*Pure holy energy. Because of its holy nature, creatures of an undead nature are generally vulnerable to this type of damage causing them to take extra effects from sources of radiant damage.

Wow! It was better than I thought it would be.

Fire was expected, but radiant? That's usually reserved for Paladins and Clerics in Rpg games.

Certainly an excellent way of cleaning that magical Dungeon for good, not only could I safely guard it on my INVENTORY as bombs, but perhaps even lit my Valyrian blades with it.

Damn, that would be even better.

And I'm not forgetting about the looming apocalypse of ice zombies.

I'll be definitely coming back to strike a deal with these Alchemists.

But until then, concluding my brief tour around the guild once Jaime returned with a very distressed Pyromancer, I decided to continue with my exploration of the city for the day.

From what I could see in my childhood friend, instead of being frightened by the grim place we had visited, she seemed genuinely fascinated by all of it.

Though she was at least savvy enough to not make it obvious after Jaime spoke so badly about them.

—————————————————————

HALLYNE'S POV

Dragons conquered the Seven Kingdoms.

But to rule them, the Targaryens needed a less temperamental tool.

When the great King Maegor saw the power of the Alchemists' Guild, he blessed us with his patronage.

In those days, we commonly transmuted metals and other wonders, but the King was most interested in our mastery of the Substance, which those not of our order dub "wild-fire."

A slight misnomer.

To the uninitiated, the Substance indeed seems uncontrollable.

Water will not extinguish it, nor plate of steel, repel it.

Our order alone knows its secrets.

In bare stone cells beneath the Guildhall, our acolytes prepare the Substance with utmost care and ancient magic.

Apprentices then remove the jars to a secure storage.

Overseeing its purity are the Wisdoms such as myself, who are adept in the alchemical mysteries.

Should an acolyte prove unworthy and allow the Substance to ignite, the ceilings are spelled to collapse and fill the room with sand.

For once lit, only smothering or starvation will quench the fire.

Many years did the Alchemists' Guild served the Targaryens faithfully, until we were beset on all sides by the envious.

The Order of Maesters, who dismissed all learning except their own and the charlatans who hawked green paint, and worse, in our names.

After the unfortunate Prince Aerion Targaryen, drunk with wine, boasted that a draft of the Substance would transmute him into a dragon, we lost our royal favor.

Then came the wise King Aerys, Second of His Name.

I was merely an acolyte when he restored our Guild to its former glory.

As had his great forefathers, he appreciated our secret arts, even naming Wisdom Rossart as Hand of the King.

Together, they punished his enemies as befits a true Targaryen.

During the War of the Usurper, I heard whispers that King Aerys had engaged our the greatest Wisdoms for an ultimate weapon against his foe.

Now I've learned through the Kingslayer of its ill-planed decision of stacking unguarded quantities of the substance hidden throughout the capital.

Even more unfortunate, during the sacking of King's Landing, many of our Wisdoms disappeared, most likely victims of ignorance and envy as ever, I'd wager.

Yet our order perseveres, we perfect our ancient arts in darkness, forgotten by the world.

We are masters of the fire but live only to serve.

All we need is the right spark.

—————————————————————

DURRANDON'S POV

After finally riding up Visenya's hill… we saw it.

"It's even more beautiful from up close." Alysse gracefully remarked, before attempting to impress me with some piece of knowledge. "The Great Sept was the brainchild of Baelor the Blessed, the ninth Targaryen King, a hundred and thirty or more years ago whose statue stands proudly in front of the Sept, gazing serenely out over the marble plaza and gardens."

I responded with a face of approval.

In truth, if Pycelle's teachings about religion were to be trusted, it wasn't really the first Sept to be built here.

The High Septon in Oldtown ordered one built there once it was obvious that Aegon the First, the Conquering king, would be establishing King's Landing as his new capital.

But whatever that looked like, it wasn't enough for Baelor the Blessed, whose great piety led to what I see today.

Especially after Maegor burned it to the ground when he found himself at war against the faith.

And that promoted the formal shift of the Faith of the Seven from being based in Old Town to its new place in the heart of the political power of the Seven Kingdoms.

Now, the Sept itself was an imposing edifice, a huge marble domed building surrounded by seven crystal towers which blink and shimmer in the summer sunlight.

The soldiers that were riding our carriage couldn't help but to acknowledge the holiness of this sacred place, or whatever they meant by that.

Meanwhile Jaime carried himself with a certain amount of disdain for their comments.

Regardless of superstition, each tower had a bell, when one was rung it was a specific summoning, which would bring the smallfolk running up Visenya's hill to hear an important announcement.

When all the bells were rang, it indicated that something really important was about to happen.

Sometimes this great cacophony would be heard across the city, lasting a day or more.

Lost some night sleep, back when I still required it, thanks to that tradition.

The entrance into the sept itself was through one of several doors, and visitors were expected to go through the right one.

Septons would go through the father's doorway, Septas through the mother's doorway and so on and so forth.

But ironically, and symbolically, they all led to the same place, the Hall of Lamps.

This was a well named hall for one should just look up when entering to marvel at the globes of colored leaded glass that send intricate colorful patterns of light dancing across the walls.

Beyond that, other types of delights awaited the regular visitors as they entered the main sept.

There were seven marble laden aisles, and seven transepts crossing them, with seven altars, obviously one for each of the aspects of the seven who are one.

I quizzed Alysse about them.

The Father represented Judgement, basically Zeus from Greek mythology, King of Gods.

The Mother represented Mercy, perhaps Hera, Zeus' wife and Goddess of Motherhood.

The Warrior represented Combative Might, a more noble depiction of Ares, the Greek God of War.

The Smith represented Creation and Protection, a more respected depiction of Hephaestus, Greek God of Blacksmiths and Craftsmen.

The Maiden represented innocence and fertility, perhaps a more pious version of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love.

The Crone represented Wisdom, I liked to imagine her like the fusion of the Sisters of Fate, Clotho, Lahkesis, and Atropos.

And the Stranger, the outcast embodiment of death.

Not gonna lie, I was a great fan of that Grim Reaper like entity.

Forget about the Many-faced god, demanding servitude from men, the Stranger was regarded in similar fashion to Lord Voldemort.

Most people didn't even dare to speak its name.

And as the Dark Knight himself likes to say, fear is a tool.

But I digress…

The huge windows made of stained glass and the immense dome overhead gleaming with gold glass and crystal made me realize that despite this world being stuck in what appeared to be the Middle Ages, they certainly managed to accomplish greater feats than the modern world, despite the latter possessing advanced technology and understanding of science.

Light abounds in this immense space, worship as in all sects varying according to which aspect being approached.

Wanderers seeking wisdom light a candle before the Crone.

Sailors prayed to the Smith to keep them safe at sea.

Marriages took place between the altars to the Mother and the Father, and the Great Sept has seen its fair share of marriages, for it is where the rulers were wed.

Robert to Cersei.

Rhaegar to Elia.

And even Tywin Lannister, during his time as hand, to Joanna.

All of which represented the public face of the Faith.

But of course, there were some things that even the established religion of the land needed privacy.

For this, there were the vaults beneath the Sept.

Although I didn't enter them, I knew that there one would only find cells for penitence to consider their sins, private chambers for the royal family to bury their dead and as I suspected, rooms filled with the wealth of the religion.

Not in cold currency, mind you, but in ornaments, vestments and jewelry accumulated over the centuries.

These treasures rarely, if ever, saw the light of day.

If it was up to me, they certainly would be put to good use.

The Faith of the Seven was a supportive pillar that brought most of the Seven Kingdoms together, with a semblance of tolerance towards the North's old customs and the Rhonar's traditions.

Even the Ironborn religion to the Drowned God wasn't outright banned nor persecuted, despite its troublesome Old Ways.

I remember once reading stories about how someone in my place would instigate conflict between the religions, declaring war over the heretics like the descendants of the First Man.

But to me that was just so short sighted.

I'm not proposing to make the world an Utopia where all religions would either be completely accepted or disregarded, but making such a narrow minded choice would lead me to waste valuable assets that could benefit the overall structure of my eventual empire.

I would still have the Faith of the Seven rule as dominant, but by accepting certain prospects of the other religions to grow stronger, like the Romans once did with the Greeks and other conquered areas.

So I was confident there was space for the others in the world I was building.

Incidentally, I needed to consolidate the power residing on the Iron Throne, which was actually threatened after the Targaryen dynasty was dethroned.

Since you know, power resides where men believe it resides. Being nothing more than a trick, a shadow on the wall.

For that I was considering some sort of reprise of the Conquest, though not necessarily all at once.

Soon with the Greyjoy rebellion, I would have my first chance. To make the following peace last longer than it originally did, I must make an alliance with another powerful house of the Iron Islands.

I was currently considering the Goodbrothers of Hammerhorn, one of the most powerful houses from Great Wyk, the largest of the islands.

Since their wealth didn't come from the Sunset Sea and their traditional raidings but from their mines, I believe that they will be more open to favor the Golden Price over the Iron one.

And unlike most Great Houses of the Iron Islands, who claimed direct descent from the Grey King, the Goodbrothers claimed descent from the Grey King's eldest brother.

Even with the Ironborn being like the Dothraki people, respecting strength over blood, I'm sure I could find a way to deal with it.

Now, as much as it pained me to consider, the North must still revolt as it did in the books.

The Boltons were an obvious choice to help fracture the relationship of power up there, especially if I managed to prevent Ramsey from becoming a problem down the line.

Perhaps by keeping Roose's trueborn son, Domeric, alive and introducing to him a sense of loyalty towards the Iron Thrones instead of his father or the Kingdom he was born into.

Only then, with the rest of Westeros under one banner, will I seek to accomplish what no Targaryen had, even when their dragons were still a viable asset.

Subjugate Dorne.

And I had in mind the perfect candidate for replacing the Martells, the Yronwoods.

At the present, both houses weren't on best terms, with Oberyn having killed their Lord through poison in a duel for first blood due to the young Martell having fucked his wife.

Now, having had enough of the splendor of the Great Sept, I led my small retinue onto the rest of the city.

Thinking about the identity of the High Sparrow, I noticed that the city gates were all well fortified with a portcullis and a permanent guard.

And if one minded to look up to the top of the city walls, or along any of the main thoroughfares, they would soon see what will become a familiar sight in King's Landing for everyone.

The City's watch, known universally as the Gold Cloaks, after the dyed heavy padded wool cloaks they donned.

Unlike many other cities in Westeros, where the Lord's own troops guarded the walls and kept the peace where necessary, the Gold Cloaks were an independent force bankrolled by the King's own purse and dedicated to the safety and security of the city.

Lannisport and Oldtown might also have city watches paid for by their lords, but the Gold Cloaks serve no one but the crown and the city itself.

But let's not delude ourselves with some rose-tinted idea of the Gold Cloaks from the past.

They were but a shadow of the professionalized loyal forces led by prince Daemon Targaryen two centuries ago, as I could easily confirm after using OBSERVE to see their stats.

The Gold Cloaks were even worse than the foot soldiers riding my carriage around the capital city, with stats barely reaching 23 on their physical stats.

They may have a laudable egalitarian approach to promotion within their ranks, their current Lord Commander (Janos Slynt) being a butcher's son after all, but even if their chainmail and long swords were enough to keep the peace among the smallfolk, one would do well to not pretend that they were even approaching the discipline of regular soldiers.

There were countless rumors of bribes being accepted throughout the city, alongside corruption at the highest levels.

In any case…

As one entered through the gates, they were immediately faced with the splendor as well as the squalor of the city.

I will cover the squalor later as I finally debut on my Night Raids to enter the murky streets of flea-bottom and the abandoned grounds of the Dragonpit, but for now Alysse and I were about to focus on the splendor.

The ways in which this city was noteworthy were almost too many to mention, being the most populous city in all of Westeros, with more than half a million souls within its walls.

It was also the center of its political life due to the presence of the Iron Throne, and the governance of the Hand of the King, the one really in charge of running the Seven Kingdoms.

It was also the center of the main Faith, with the High Septon and the Great Sept as I've just explored.

The Maesters may be based at Old Town, but their Grand Maester was here.

Thankfully, Pycelle was more devoted to the Lannisters than he was to his own order.

And the Alchemists Guild was a noteworthy landmark as well, however lowly their satiation might now be.

King's Landing was where the finest artisans throng, like Tobho Mott, the master blacksmith of Qohor.

Got to meet with him eventually, perhaps even befriend my half-brother, Gendry, once he became of age.

Also here in this city was located the largest port in all of Westeros, with the greatest trade running through it.

I've been working my way to earn the chance of receiving Stannis' teachings about leading armies and naval combat.

But the damn brooding man almost never had time to spare, probably too occupied organizing his efforts to capture Viserys and Daenerys, hoping that this would make my father finally give him the Baratheon castle back.

Knowing my father, I wouldn't count on that if I were him.

And with Renly being still too young to be of any use yet, I gave up on my plans of visiting him on Storm's End and hoped to have better luck with my Lannister uncles.

Whenever Barristan was too occupied with his duties protecting my father and training the other Kingsguard members, Jaime aided me in my swordsmanship sometimes, not having the same experience Barristan had, but still knowing one thing or two that made him such a great combatant.

I must confess, safe for him fucking my mother, the Kingslayer was a very cool guy.

And he actually felt pride in my quick learning skill and was currently helping me to gain a teacher in Bravossi fighting style without telling anyone about it.

Hopefully Syrio will accept the offer of tutoring me just like he did with Arya.

And as for Tyrion.

He still was with Tywin in Casterly Rock, having yet to come visit me, but through his letter it was more than obvious that he's curious about me.

Tyrion had just celebrated his sixteenth name day, instead of being allowed to take a tour of the nine Free Cities, as his uncles Gerion and Tygett had done, Tywin forbade him to go, probably claiming he was too irresponsible because of his marriage to that Tysha girl, and instead gave him charge of all the cisterns and drains at Casterly Rock.

I know, what a degrading task to give a child of Sixteen, but I believe that will lead to the conclusion that Tyrion will have an intricate knowledge of the tunnels beneath the castle all thanks to that.

So man I'm sorry, but Tywin remains a badass in my eyes, regardless of his blind hate for his dwarf son.

That might explain why I favor the House of the Golden Lion so much, and also why I'm currently seeking a Lion on my banner instead of a Dragon, as much sense as I would have given my magical scales and all else.

The Lannisters had three of my most favorite characters.

One of my favorite name day gifts was the Cyvasse board game with all the pieces masterfully crafted in wood that Tyrion sent me.

Though I don't have many people to play with, Alysse certainly finds the challenge of facing me worth her time.

Back on track…

Other cities may be older, but King's Landing was the beating heart of the Seven Kingdoms, with the great Roads of the Seven Kingdoms intercepting here.

The King's road from the North, the Rose road from the Reach and the Golden road from the Westerlands, with them throng the people of this continent.

This was, by Westerosi standards, a new and young city, founded just three hundred years ago.

Let me say It has risen far.

It may not have an ancient castle like Storm's End or the centuries of learning and culture like Oldtown, or even the beauty and flowers of Highgarden.

But it was important, unmissable and central to everything that ever happened in the Seven Kingdoms.

Filled to the brim with interesting places for me and Alysse to visit all day long even during the winter, like historically relevant streets and squares, so I was glad that this was my starting point.

Come to think of it, she mentioned wanting to build a snowknight if the weather allowed it.

Isn't she just so precious?

In any case, suffice to say that I had a pretty busy day exploring the capital city.

———————————————————

I kept the mantra of always pushing myself in order to improve, especially after that experience in the magical dungeon, I realized that I had only survived by cheating.

Granted, there was more dumb luck involved in it allowing me to cheat so shamefully, but I simply couldn't continue to rely on it.

Regardless, I had managed to improve my physical stats by a lot, constantly pushing myself and improving my base knowledge a lot.

I read and taught Alysse for INT while also sharing many interesting conversations with Pycelle, learning a lot from his experience as Grand Maester, and even convinced him to research some topics he himself wasn't comprehending entirely to explain to me.

In doing so, I got something new from my Bard title after earning the trait 'College of Lore'.

[JACK OF ALL TRADES AND MASTER OF ALL]

*The path in search of peerless skill is paved by collecting bits of knowledge from sources as diverse as scholarly tomes, peasant tales and plundered magical knowledge from a wide spectrum of disciplines. From now onwards, each skill and spell you gain proficiency in will become easier for you to seek expertise.

Awesome, right? I always knew bards were skill junkies.

But I hadn't been just pulling some weights and poring over piles of books, I've also been on a streak of quests as well, like telling tales and singing songs.

And I had leveled up a few of my skills too.

{COMMON TONGUE Lv- 20 (55%)}

{HOW MUCH YOU UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE COMMON TONGUE OF WESTEROS}

{HIGH VALYRIAN Lv- 20 (34%)}

{HOW MUCH YOU UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE LANGUAGE OF THE OLD VALYRIAN FREEHOLDS.}

{OLD TONGUE Lv- 20 (11%)}

{HOW MUCH YOU UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE LANGUAGE OF THE FIRST MEN.}

{OLD GHISCARI Lv- 20 (5%)}

{HOW MUCH YOU UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE LANGUAGE OF THE OLD EMPIRE OF GHIS.}

{SUMMER TONGUE Lv- 20 (1%)}

{HOW MUCH YOU UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE LANGUAGE OF THE SUMMER ISLANDS.}

{LAND LAYOUT: KING'S LANDING Lv- 10 (67%)}

{THE LAYOUT OF KING'S LANDING AND THE NEARBY LAND SURROUNDING IT. TOTAL KNOWN LAYOUT: 100%. *Doesn't include hidden landmarks.}

{TEACH Lv-10 (56%)}

{MEDICINE KNOWLEDGE Lv- 20 (06%)}

{OBSERVE Lv - 20 (67%)}

*Identify Person Lv - 15 (10%)

*Evaluate Object Lv - 5 (78%)

*Appraise Creature Lv - 8 (45%)

Recently, I've been focusing mostly on learning everything about King's Landing.

If I was really planning to continuously adventure into the capital city of Westeros, I would definitely need such knowledge to make my decisions.

I've also made great advances on Animal Handling and Training, my cat named Shadow was even more obedient as a result.

Thanks to my Thaumaturgy cantrip, we were inseparable and one step away from having some sort of telepathic bond between us.

I was even evolving my Animal Handling and Training skills on the multiple stray cats that plagued the Red Keep, and Shadow helped me gather them.

A small army of well trained cats might sound ridiculous for now, but just wait when I reach the high leagues and somehow get myself an army of Dragons and Giants.

I already had a small group of rats and doves that were returning every day for Training, as I had taught them to.

And of course, I also had leveled up some of my Martial skills as well.

{BLADED WEAPON MASTERY Lv- 14 (12%)}

{ALLOWS YOU TO FREELY HANDLE BLADES. INCREASES YOUR MAXIMUM ATTACK DAMAGE WITH THEM.}

{RANGED WEAPONS MASTERY Lv- 11 (1%)}

{ALLOWS YOU TO FREELY HANDLE PROJECTILE/MISSILE WEAPONS. INCREASES YOUR MAXIMUM ATTACK DAMAGE WITH THEM.}

I knew I wasn't the best swordsman nor marksman in the world, but I was definitely getting better, and could give most foot soldiers a run for their money.

And that's all without considering what I got from my Martial Titles.

My Rage multiplied my Power and Endurance stats by 1.75x for a minute while my Action Surge did the same for my Mobility stat, though by now I had a couple of uses before having to take a short rest.

And I even gained new Ki-fueled actions.

Beyond Flurry of Blows (triple attack), Patient Defense (instant dodge) and Step of the Wind (dash boost), I now had…

Focused Aim, that surprisingly aided me to shoot a moving target with ranged weapons.

Slow Fall, which reduced any falling damage I took by half.

Deflect Missiles, to block or catch small ranged weapon strikes (like throwing daggers and arrows). And if I manage to catch it, I could spend another Ki point to throw it back with the same force I received it.

Being at least as tall and strong as an eight year old kid, without having reached my sixth nameday yet, was probably the result of never skipping a meal and working my ass off to raise my stats all that fast all the while studying non stop.

It wasn't my favorite thing in the world to spend my days on, but was the most effective way of improving my Intelligence stat, the most broken stat by the way.

Which also allowed me to better use Teach on others to share what I knew more efficiently than any Maester could ever dream of.

It was kind of similar to Animal Training, but on humans!

Having an elite private army didn't sound bad to me either.

Quite the contrary, I would say, especially if I could unlock my Titles on others.

Just imagine an army of soldiers Action Surging and Raging mid battle.

Or spies capable of harnessing their Ki and influencing others with their Bardic Inspiration.

However, I was yet unwilling to share Arcane Knowledge and awaken Sorcerer Bloodlines to a large group of people with some trusty insurance.

In any case, even with such amazing tutors and frequent long grinding sections, the skills were becoming more and more difficult to level up again.

I already guessed that the higher a level a skill possessed the more difficult it was to level it up without specific conditions, so while I would still make future progress, it wouldn't be as impressive as it has been up to this point.

At least if things remained the same as they were.

That reminded me about something that I had postponed for long enough.

'Open Status Window!'

As I selected the Available Perk List, and investigated what I gained since my last visit, I filtered everything that could be of use.

{PERKS}

<AVAILABLE PERKS>

{PHYSICIAN} (COST 2 POINTS)

You are an able healer, allowing you to mend wounds quickly to get your allies back in the fight. You gain the following benefits: As an instant action, you can spend one healer's kit to tend to a creature and restore a quarter of its entire health (The creature can't regain health from this instant action again until it finishes a short rest). When you manually use a healer's kit to stabilize a dying creature, that creature regains half of its entire health.

{CHEMIST} (COST 2 POINTS)

You can prepare and deliver deadly poisons and corrosive acids when the need arises. You gain the following benefits: Your poison and acid brews ignore resistance to poison and acid damage. With one hour of work using a poisoner's kit and spending it, you can create a number of doses of either potent poison or acidic brew equal to your level. Once applied to a weapon or piece of ammunition, the poison retains its original potency for 1 minute or until you hit with the weapon or ammunition. When a creature takes damage from the coated weapon or ammunition, that creature becomes poisoned.

{LINGUIST} (COST 2 POINTS)

You have studied languages and codes, gaining the following benefits: Increase your Intelligence stat by 1. You gain expertise in three languages of your choice. You can ably create written ciphers. Others can't decipher a code you create unless you teach them.

{OBSERVANT} (COST 2 POINTS)

Quick to notice details of your environment, you gain the following benefits: Increase your Stealth stat by 1. If you can see a creature's mouth while it is speaking a language you understand, you can interpret what it's saying by reading its lips.

{DIPLOMAT} (COST 2 POINTS)

You master the arts of diplomacy, gaining the following benefits: Increase your Intelligence stat by 1. If you spend 1 minute talking to someone who can understand what you say, you can successfully attempt to persuade them. If it succeeds, the target is charmed by you as long as it remains within 20 meters of you and for 1 minute thereafter. If you or your allies are fighting the creature, your attempt automatically fails.

{EMPATHIC} (COST 2 POINTS)

You possess keen insight into how other people think and feel. You gain the following benefits:

Increase your Stealth by 1. You get uncanny insight about humanoids you can see within 10 meters of you through your Observe skill.

{ACTOR} (COST 2 POINTS)

Skilled at mimicry and dramatics, you gain the following benefits: Increase your Intelligence stat by 1. You have an advantage on Deception and Performance skills while trying to pass yourself off as a different person. You can mimic the speech pattern of another person or the sounds made by other creatures. You must have heard the person speaking, or heard the creature make the sound, for at least 1 minute.

Hum...

Let me see…

I could reliably heal and poison others, better understanding of languages, something like photographic memory and lip reading, followed by political savviness, reading emotions and mimicking others.

Not to mention bringing my Intelligence up to 25 and Stealth up to 20.

Oh, and the expertise in brewing acids might be the key to introducing fertilizers to this middle age world suffering to adapt to the more frequent seasons.

Not bad!

=================================

TITLE: Durrandon Baratheon (Sorcerer-Lv5/ Barbarian-Lv4/ Monk-Lv5/ Bard-Lv3/ Fighter-Lv4/ Wizard-Lv3)

LEVEL: 10 (45%)

HP: 100/100

SP: 200/200

MP: 10/10*

MAGIC CONTROL: 95%

SORCERY POINTS: 10

BARBARIC RAGE: 3

KI POINTS: 10*

BARDIC INSPIRATION: 3

ACTION SURGE: 1

ALLEGIANCE: The Iron Throne

PWR: <18>

END: <19>

MOB: <20>

INT: <25>

STL: <20>

DEF: 10* (Padded Clothes: Piercing and Slashing +45% Damage Resistance/ Bludgeoning +15% Damage Resistance)

POINTS: 36

SKILLS: ~open list~

PERKS: ~open list~

FEATURES: ~open list~

TRAITS: ~open list~

TIME PLAYED: 5 years

MONEY: 20,000 GC/400 NC

($) {MARKET}

=================================

(28/08/2020)

(29/09/2021)

(07/04/2022)

*Apologies for my long absence.

Hope this chapter is of your liking.

Anything you wish to ask, feel free to do so.

Check out my auxiliary chapter if you still haven't.

Thanks as always for your attention and please be safe.

Any problems with my writing, just point them out and I will correct them as soon as possible.