68 Odd Side Mission

Kai followed the voice.

It belonged to a plump man, with a heavy beard and heavier mustache. He was glaring at Kai as if he wanted nothing but to eat him alive. But the moment Kai's eyes matched his dull brown pupils, the fat man smiled.

'This will be useful,' Kai thought, standing up and walking towards the man. He knew it was his Charisma that was working wonders for him. Kai had changed his appearance, but the characters could still see what he truly looked like. So the fat man was seeing a tall, young man with silky white hair sprawled over his shoulders. Yes, and a pair of hazel pupils imbuing freshness into the smelly inn.

Kai also knew this was a double-edged sword. 'If a Contestant was to know from other characters about my actual appearance, then the fact that I am a Contestant too would be revealed easily,' Kai thought. 'A necessary risk, tch!'

Chink!

A few coins jingled in the left pocket of Kai's pants. But he didn't know their worth yet. "Pardons!" Kai said, smiling amiably. "I was lost in my thoughts."

"Ha!" the fat man laughed or at least tried to, slapping his big belly. "Big Waldo likes you, don't worry. Follow me."

Kai followed Big Waldo to the stable behind the inn. Five boys were already there, sneering at each other, from what Kai could tell. As they saw Big Waldo coming towards them, they lost all will for japery. They looked at Kai too. Kai had been already searching for their weakness.

Three of the boys were like Kai, lightly armored with only a vest. They were of the same age as that of Kai and one of the three had a little stubble, the other two being cleanly shaven. The remaining two were older, but still less than 20. They had breastplates for armor, and their expression didn't betray their battle-hardened nature.

'All have swords,' Kai noticed. 'I should have taken out my saber. It's too late now. I don't have any sheath, either. A naked saber would have brought nothing but trouble. It's not like I have an outstanding value of Luck either.'

"Big Waldo," one of the younger ones said. "Isn't this guy too pretty for a sellsword?"

"He…" Big Waldo tried to explain. But Kai, cutting him off, said, "Pretty? So what?! I am not here to fuck."

Haha!

That brought out laughter from the others. Big Waldo also slapped his belly, the fat undulating like watery dough. "True enough!" he said. "I have called you all for a vital task. The one that can make you rich overnight."

Big Waldo gestured to Kai to stand among the others. The sellsword Kai had mocked was giving him a murderous look, but Kai ignored him and faced Big Waldo as he took his position.

The oldest sellsword took a step forward, then. "I am not here to play, Big Waldo," he said in a hard voice. "Tell me what it is required of me, and how much money we are talking about."

The others nodded in agreement.

Big Waldo lost his cheery expression then. He gave a stern look to the two stable boys, and they scampered off, closing the fence, cutting them off from any interference.

"A big figure needs shit like you to do some honest work for seven days," Big Waldo said, looking at everyone but Kai. "He is coming here to select one of you. You will see dragons by the time you are done, that I can promise."

'Dragons?!' Kai couldn't believe himself. 'The system didn't mention any dragon. What's going on?'

But then Kai saw the greedy expressions of the other five. He had seen this type of look before. And when he remembered the question that was asked by the oldest sellsword, Kai put two and two together. 'Is it some kind of currency?' He asked himself. 'Yes. The system did mention stag and pennies, and that turned out to be money too.'

"So," Big Waldo said, eying everyone menacingly, "if any of you scum wants to back out, this is your time. Once I bring Him here, there's no escape."

The moment Big Waldo proclaimed, a notification appeared in front of Kai.

[

You have triggered a Side Mission.

Main Mission: Thwart the Assassination of Jon Arryn

Side Mission: Get chosen by Jon Arryn for the job

Side Mission Summary: Jon Arryn had ordered his trustworthy man, Big Waldo, to find him a young Sellsword who can effectively save him from assassinations. Big Waldo has gathered six Sellswords, including you, suitable for the task. There is only one way to stand out in Big Waldo's eyes, and that is by killing the rest

Side Mission Objective: Show your potential by defeating the other Sellswords

Side Mission Time Limit: Not Applicable

Side Mission Hint: Life or Death

Do you accept the side-mission?

]

Something's wrong with this Side-Mission, Kai reflected. But no matter how he tossed and turned the notification's meaning, he couldn't put his finger on it. "Yes," he finally said. There was no other choice. It was plain enough that the Main-Mission won't even start before completing this Side-Mission.

[You have accepted the Side-Mission.]

No one moved. The allure of "dragons" was enough for the other Sellswords to be rooted to the earth. 'None of them is a Contestant,' Kai reflected, looking at their eyes. 'They lack the will to complete the mission. It's obvious they are only seeing the money right now, nothing else.'

"Very well," Big Waldo nodded, turning around. "May the Warrior give you courage, then."

Kai realized only he was confused about the last sentence. A tense silence engulfed the six men. Seconds by seconds, the six kept taking steps back, creating a distance between each other. Kai saw their hands reaching out for their swords. 'Haha!' He chuckled. 'Are they trying to take out their competition now?'

Alas, they couldn't act on their thoughts. Big Waldo returned as soon as he had gone. He wasn't alone, though. Kai's eyes squinted as he saw a gray hooded man followed by two well-armored soldiers.

The danger emanating from the soldiers even surpassed the one that had from Simon.

**********

Author's Note: I have posted a command on the announcement channel of the Discord Server. Now, the new readers won't have to frustratingly scroll up to find the respective references. With just copy-paste, you can access all of them. Do check it out, if you are planning to be with the novel for some time. (Credit - a reader's recommendation.)

Following details are available on discord now (You can comment on the chapters and request for the Invite Link. Such a link will remain active for a few hours. So, if you are asking for one, make sure to check for reply.)

1. Kai's appearance (image)

2. A snippet on Jon Arryn

3. Westeros Currency details