AN: First and foremost, thank you for all the reviews! I got some wonderful constructive criticism after the last chapter about my character interactions seeming too polished and tried to incorporate the feedback into this chapter. I thoroughly intended to write a new chapter of Just Hold On but, when I started typing, this chapter happened. I intended to keep to the model set by the previous chapter but figured that you folks wouldn't mind having the day split into two parts if it meant that you got new content sooner. Anyway, enjoy! :-)
Jon was slow to open his eyes the next day, contemplating how sore his body would be after exerting himself to such an extent in the training yard and in the Wolfswood. To his immense surprise, his body did not ache from the previous day's efforts.
This ring is amazing. Sleep in a bed I own and no matter what I did the previous day, I wake up feeling as if I could climb the Wall. I am going to have to make the most of this while I can. The Stark words always come true eventually. Winter is coming.
Jon quickly dressed and made his way down to the great hall for breakfast where he helped himself to his standard breakfast of buttered toast and hearty porridge with a double serving of breakfast of berries to help speed his SP recovery for what he expected would be a long day of training.
When Jon arrived at the training ground he was greeted by the twins Aiden and Paxton.
"Ho, Aiden and Paxton," Jon called in greeting as he focused on the boys.
Aiden Woolfield , Winterfell Guard Recruit, The Right Hand
Level: 8 S. 1 P. 2 E. 2 C. 2 I. 2 A. 3 L. 1
Reputation: 15%
Paxton Woolfield , Winterfell Guard Recruit, The Left Hand
Level: 8 S. 1 P. 2 E. 2 C. 2 I. 2 A. 3 L. 1
Reputation: 15%
No surprises there. The twins are absolutely identical even down to their S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats.
"Come to mingle with the common folk again, Snow?" Paxton joked as a greeting. "It warms the heart to know you haven't forgotten about us."
"Or maybe you want to try your luck against us?" Aiden asked while moving to stand next to his brother opposite Jon. "Think you can handle us now that we know how you fight?"
Jon began to respond but was cut off by a loud chuckle. "Thought you learned your lesson about coming to the training grounds early, Jon Snow," Ser Rodrik said while walking away from the weapon rack that he had wheeled out and over to the boys to position himself between them. "You show a fair bit of promise. What, with your ability to handle a blade in both hands. The only problem I see with that is that if each hand has a sword then neither be carrying a shield."
Aiden and Paxton smirked knowingly at each other, seemingly knowing where Ser Rodrik was going with point.
"It seems to me that, if you are going to be waging you battles without a shield, you are going to need to practice dodging swords. You'll be spending this morning with Aiden and Paxton dodging their attacks. If you want to save your energy for what I have in store for you lot later on, well you best not be getting hit."
Quest Activated!
Aiden's assault and Paxton's pursuit: Prove that you are agile enough to avoid the twin blades of Aiden and Paxton.
Reward for completion: 1000 Experience and increased Reputation with Aiden, Paxton and Ser Rodrik Cassel
Penalty for failure: Decreased Reputation with Aiden, Paxton and Ser Rodrik Cassel
Accept?
"Lucky me," Jon muttered and accepted the quest as the twins grabbed training swords from the weapon rack that had been wheeled out to the training ground. "I guess it'll help my swordplay also to spar against these two."
"Aye, it would," Ser Rodrik agreed moving his body in between Jon and the weapon rack. "Unfortunately for you, this is to be an exercise in dodging. It would defeat the purpose of the exercise to arm you with anything that would let you dodge the dodging drill."
Ser Rodrik smirked at what he considered to be fine wordplay and crossed his arms resolutely denying Jon access to the weapons rack.
Jon's mouth gaped for a few seconds before he snapped it shut as a determined expression fixed itself upon his face. He brushed the Stargaryan ring and caused his status to flash in front of him as the twins reset themselves.
Jon Snow Level 9: 55,800/102,200
S. 4 P. 3 E. 5 C. 2 I. 1 A. 3 L. 2
HP: 140/120 (Effect: HP regenerates at a rate of 1 point per minute (x20) outside of combat over the next two hours
SP: 250/210 (Effect: SP regenerates at a rate of 1 point per minute (x20) outside of combat over the next two hours
"No time like the present," Jon said while angling his body to present a smaller target to his opponents. "Let's do this."
The twins did not need any more encouragement than that. They started moving around him in the direction of the swords that they were holding. With an unspoken agreement, both twins launched themselves at Jon from opposing sides.
Jon ducked under Aiden's sweeping swing and hopped to the side to avoid Paxton's downward slash. By the time Jon's feet hit the ground, Aiden was upon him again with a quick back and forth slash combo that caused Jon to start backpedaling.
Paxton once again came in with an overhead slash that Jon was able to avoid with the momentum he picked up while dodging Aiden's slashes. Jon noticed that Paxton had continued his pursuit and had redirected his blade to slash diagonally up from the ground towards Jon's head.
Jon was able to slip under the blow and spin away from the lunging thrust that Aiden aimed at his torso. Paxton followed his brother's lead and soon the pair was alternatively thrusting their swords at Jon causing him to dodge for all that he was worth. Aiden, Paxton, Aiden, Paxton, Aiden, Paxton, Aiden, Paxton.
Jon's dodging and their dogged pursuit caused the twin's breathing to become slightly labored. They broke off their pursuit and, again, circled around Jon to surround him. This time there was a nod before the pair launched themselves at Jon.
Unlike before, both twins launched sweeping strikes with Aiden going high and Paxton going low. The twins arrived at Jon's location at the same time and Jon was momentarily at a loss as to how he would dodge the synchronized attacks.
Following his instincts, Jon dove through the small gap in the attack and rolled on the ground in a quick somersault before finding his feet again and dodging another combination attack from the twins. This time the pair adjusted, one would launch a sweeping horizontal attack and the other would attempt to land a vertical strike. Aiden, Paxton, Aiden, Paxton, Aiden, Paxton, Aiden, Paxton.
The pair was now breathing hard but still had yet to land a hit on their opponent. Once again, they attempted to take positions on either side of Jon. However after the close call the last time Jon had the misfortune of falling into their attack in such a manner that he only just managed to escape and he did not care to try his luck again. Jon continued to backpedal to keep the twins in front of him until he found his back against the castle wall and he could back pedal no more.
The twins were sporting identical smirks as they had succeeded in cornering their elusive opponent. With a shout, they launched themselves at Jon with horizontal strikes and Jon successfully managed to dive through the multilayered attack before rolling to his feet and putting himself in position to avoid the twins for a little while longer.
Aiden and Paxton were beginning to run out of steam. They were both breathing heavily and began to pursue him aggressively while swinging their swords for all they were worth. As before, Jon was able to avoid the wild combination of blows. He was able to dive, duck, dip and dodge out of the way of the first nine strikes.
However, when Paxton launched the tenth attack, Jon found that his body was no longer responsive to his mental commands. The attack landed soundly on Jon's chest, causing him to lose his footing in surprise while falling to a seated position on the ground.
Skill Level Up: Evasion + 3600
Skill Level Up: Light Armor +100
"So Jon Snow is mortal like the rest of us, after all," Aiden commented. "I can't believe that he was able to evade us for so long."
"It had to happen eventually," Paxton agreed. "We'll take a break and go again when we've all caught our breath."
After just over ten minutes had passed, Aiden and Paxton resumed their positions on the training ground and beckoned for Jon to take his place. Over the next two hours, the trio repeated the process four times with Jon dodging all of the attacks the twins could launch at him until he ran out of SP and found one of the twins knocking him into the dirt.
Jon was completely wiped as the last round of dodging ended and he no longer had the SP regeneration boost that the berries provided. However, he was pleased to have been able to make use of one of the skill points he gained the previous day to unlock the Light Armor skill Agile Defender.
Skill Level Up: Evasion +20000
Skill Level Up: Light Armor +400
Level Up!
Open Skill menu to Level Up and upgrade (1) S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Perk
S.P.E.C.I.A.L Level Up! Through repeatedly pushing your agility to the limit, Agility has increased.
Quest Completed!
Aiden's assault and Paxton's pursuit: Prove that you are agile enough to avoid the twin blades of Aiden and for completion: 1000 Experience and increased Reputation with Aiden, Paxton and Ser Rodrik Cassel.
"Enough, you three. With the rest of us," Ser Rodrick's voiced boomed with command. "I hope that you didn't use all of your energy sparring or you will find yourself on the losing side of the next drill."
"Welcome to the fun, Snow," Robb greeted as he moved to stand next to Jon. "Have fun meeting the dirt while practicing with the twins?"
"I'd like to see how many times you find yourself in the dirt if you were to try and match up against the two of them, with no sword, for that long, Stark."
"I bet you would. Lucky for me, I use a shield when I fight. I doubt Ser Rodrik would make me practice in such a way."
"Each man must find his own way is what father said."
"Consider yourself to be a man grown, do you? I best warn the ladies of Winterfell."
Hearing the jest in Robb's voice, Jon rolled his eyes. "As you will, Stark."
"Jon here makes a good point," Ser Rodrik said while moving behind the heir of Winterfell and putting his head on the boy's shoulder. "Robb made a point earlier that the main purpose of the guard is their ability to guard Winterfell from those who would wish to plunder her secrets. No matter how good you may become with a sword, if you forget the purpose of the guard then all the skill with a blade in the world will not help you accomplish your most basic purpose. The eleven of you will be divided into two groups. One group will be selected to protect an object while the other will do their best to take the object."
Quest Activated!
Take the Tower: Demonstrate your ability to carry out joint missions and to hold a position.
Reward for completion: 1000 Experience for successfully guarding, 1000 experience for successfully claiming the item designated by Ser Rodrik. ? and ? experience if successful in both aspects of the mission. ?. Increased Reputation with Robb, the new recruits and Ser Rodrik Cassel.
Penalty for failure: Decreased Reputation with Robb, the new recruits and Ser Rodrik Cassel.
Accept?
Another mystery reward and bonus experience reward if I can successfully guard and claim whatever object Ser Rodrik sets as the objective. Of course, I'm accepting this quest.
The Master-at-Arms tapped Jon, Toddrick, Aiden, Daryl and Trevin on the shoulder and gestured for them to get out of line and face Robb and the remaining recruits. Robb, Mykhail, Paxton, Jaime, Brendan and Qarl stared down the group that had been assembled against them.
"Jon, since your group has less men, you can pick to either go on defense or offense first."
Jon looked at the recruits that made up his team and made the decision. "We'll go on the offensive first. The other group won't know what happened when we're through with them."
"Let's see if you can back those words, Jon Snow," Ser Rodrik challenged. "Take your group into the Wolfswood, wait five minutes then return to us. The item you seek will be on a stool at the top of the broken tower. You will have to devise a way to get past Robb and his group in order to claim the object and the tower in order to succeed in this mission."
Jon nodded and began walking to the Wolfswood, the other recruits following closely behind him. The group came to a clearing with a stump and Jon called the group to a halt.
"Toddrick, Aiden after training with you yesterday and today I have a much better idea of what you can do. Darryl, Trevin I haven't had a chance to work with you much yet. We'll need a plan if we're going to succeed."
"Just because you beat me at swords doesn't mean you get the command," Darryl protested. "Who says you will do better at it than me, or any of us, for that matter?"
"Jon has the command," Aiden countered simply. "Ser Rodrik clearly wants to see what Jon can do against Robb."
"I'm good with Jon taking the lead," Toddrick agreed. "He clearly has some mind for strategy since he was able to beat all of us in a spar."
"I just want to succeed in our mission," Trevin stated pragmatically. "If Jon gives us the best chance of doing that then I have no problems with him taking command."
"It is decided," Aiden concluded. "How will we do it Jon?"
"If I know anything about Robb, it's that he loves to show how much better he is than his opponents. We can probably get him to leave the tower to confront us directly if we can strike at his pride."
"And how are we going to do that, Lord Snow," Darryl asked sarcastically. "It's basic strategy to keep to the high ground."
"It is basic strategy. That's exactly how we can get him to do it. If we can get it in his mind that staying in the tower is cowardly then he just may give up the advantage to save his honor."
"Alright then, Jon," Toddrick prompted. "How are we going to do that?"
Jon raised his chin at Darryl quickly. "You may like this part. We'll have Darryl call out to Robb and challenge him to one on one combat. If Darryl makes it seem that Robb can't even match his bastard half-brother in swordsmanship and that a commander who won't fight for his men is not fit to command then Robb will be honor bound to meet his challenge. While Robb is occupied with Darryl, the rest of us can sneak in, best the others at swords and claim the tower."
Speech +500
"They'll still have the numbers," Toddrick reminded. "It will be five on four."
"We have Jon," Aiden stated simply. "He'll make up the difference."
"Maybe there was something to letting you command," Darryl smiled. "Hopefully there won't be any hard feelings when I leave the heir to House Stark in the dirt."
"Don't count your victories before they come, Darryl," Jon cautioned. "Robb is a capable swordsman."
"Yeah, yeah. As you say, Lord Snow," Darryl smirked. "I see no flaws with the plan."
"They should be ready," Aiden remarked while looking up at the sun. "We should be going back."
The group took Aiden's words to heart and began to make their way back to the training ground. When they got there Darryl strode out to the ground in front of one of the Broken Tower's main entrance and began issuing his challenges to Robb.
Jon and the rest took care to remain as inconspicuous as possible as he led them to the entrance to an eroding section of the tower where they were able to slip inside. Inside there was a circular staircase that wrapped along the outer wall of the tower that would take them to the top.
After 20 stairs, they reached the first landing and Trevin was left to do battle against Jaime.
After another 20 stairs, they reached the second landing and Toddrick was left to cross blades with Mykhail.
Another 20 stairs, left Aiden to face off against Paxton.
Finally, after 20 more stairs, Jon met Brendan and Qarl on the final landing at the top of the tower. The two boys already had their swords drawn but were unwilling to leave the item that they had been set to guarding. Jon approached them slowly while swinging his sword a few times at his side in anticipation of the upcoming engagement.
"If you two prefer, you can just go," Jon offered. "No reason to come to blows."
"You'd like that wouldn't you, Snow," Brendan asked. "You won't be getting past me so easily today."
"Me either," Qarl added while putting himself squarely between Jon and a stool with what looked like one of the jerkin worn by certain members of the Winterfell guard. "I know what to expect this time."
Brendan Stout, Winterfell Guard Recruit
Level: 8 S. 2 P. 2 E. 2 C. 2 I. 1 A. 3 L. 1
Reputation: 10%
Qarl Flint, Winterfell Guard Recruit
Level: 8 S. 1 P. 2 E. 2 C. 1 I. 2 A. 4 L. 1
Reputation: 10%
I have the advantage in strength and endurance over both of them. If I use my advantage in agility over Brendan then I should be able to Take him out then turn this into a one on one match against Qarl which will be to my favor. Jon slipped into the crouched sword stance that he favored when wielding one weapon and launched himself at his opponents.
There was a quick flurry of swords clashing before Jon was able to get behind Brendan and tap his sword on the back of his head. Brendan grudgingly admitted his defeated and dropped his sword before walking out of the room, leaving Jon to face Qarl alone. There was another clash of swords and after several well timed dodges and some impressive swordplay, Jon was able to best his opponent.
Sneak +500
One-Handed +1300
Evasion + 600
Blocking +400
Qarl dropped his sword on the ground before leaving the room in a huff. Jon picked up the discarded weapon and walked over to the Winterfell guard jerkin that had been left on the chair. Taking the item in hand, Jon opened his inventory to get a better idea of why Ser Rodrik would leave something as common as the item that Robb and his group had to guard.
Winterfell Captain's Jerkin
A black leather jerkin lined with a layer of chainmail that has been embroidered with the direwolf sigil of House Stark. It is an upper body armor that provides increased protection to the wearer. +20 Defense
Woah! That is a lot of defense for such a simple garment. No wonder Ser Rodrik set it as the item that we need to guard. It is much more valuable than it first appears to be and it also has the symbol of House Stark which is the main reason for the Winterfell guard in the first place.
"Put it down, Snow. You didn't really think that Darryl would be able to take me down, did you," Robb asked as he stepped onto the landing. "The boy has more strength than sense. Still, there is no denying that your plan was effective. It seems that it's down to the two of us."
"It looks like you get your rematch, after all, Robb," Jon said while putting down the jerkin and picking up Qarl's sword again. "Let's see what you're made of, Stark."
The boys sprang at each other, swinging their swords and pressing against one another as their blades locked for a moment, before they jumped apart. Robb and Jon circled around on another in a blur of motion with Robb very effectively countering Jon's dual bladed attack.
However, Robb was more spent than he let on after his confrontation with Darryl and, after the third exchange, Jon was able to disarm him and press the tip of his wooden sword to Robb's chest to indicate his victory.
One-Handed +3000
"Well done, Jon," Robb recognized. "It is almost like you are a different person with a blade in the past few days. You haven't been holding back against me?"
"Of course not," Jon answered. "Ever since we sparred in the yard, it seemed like something just clicked with my swordplay."
"I'll say. I was impressed with how you managed to take down the new recruits but still reckoned that I would get the better of you when we next sparred," Robb admitted while turning to walk down from the top landing. "Don't get too comfortable up here. Me and mine will be kicking you and yours out shortly enough."
"You're welcome to try but don't get your hopes up, Stark," Jon teased as he followed Robb down the stairs to Ser Rodrik who was patiently waiting outside of the tower. "The Broken Tower is mine, Ser Rodrik."
"Well done, Jon Snow," Ser Rodrik congratulated. "Now let's see if you can hold the tower. You have five minutes to get your men into position before young Robb will do all he can to take it from you."
"Aye," Jon agreed. "Though I plan to come out on top, as the victor, in this task."
"That's the right way to think when faced with an invasion, Jon Snow," Ser Rodrik remarked with a proud smile. "Tis one thing to say a words but a whole other thing to successfully push an invasion back. Now get on with you, time is running out."
Jon nodded and walked back into the tower to find Toddrick, Aiden, Daryl and assembled inside the door and waiting on him.
"A good victory, Jon Snow," Aiden congratulated. "Your plan worked."
"Even Darryl here isn't too upset with the results," Toddrick added while bumping Darryl with his elbow. "Are you, now?"
"Alright. Your plan worked Snow. Just make sure that I get the first chance against Stark in our defense."
"Right Darryl," Jon nodded. "Defending the tower is tricky. They could try to gain entrance in a number of ways while we are stuck in one spot. However, ultimately they will have to get in the tower so we know that they will eventually have to make it to the top of the tower. Since they are limited to the wooden practice swords in the same way that we are, I say that all of us take position on the staircase that way they can't get us stuck in one on one encounters on the landings and we can make them fight uphill where their numbers won't make as much of a difference."
Speech +500
"I want to stay in the entrance chamber," Darryl proposed with a haughty expression. "They'll have to get through me in order to get to the rest of you."
"Nay," Trevin disagreed. "If they rush you then we'll lose a man and be even more outnumbered. Jon Snow did right by us on our plan of attack. I believe that his plan for defense is as sound as could be expected."
"Fine," Darryl accepted with a huff. "Don't say I didn't offer, if this plan falls to shambles."
"We're running out of time," Toddrick commented. "We have to move if we want to get in position before they get here."
"Too late," Jon noticed. "They're here."
Sure enough there was a rush of motion as bodies rushed into the entrance chamber of the Broken Tower.
Aiden found himself squaring off against Mykhail.
Trevin was crossing blades with Qarl.
Toddrick had his blade locked with Brendan.
Darryl was trading blows with Jaime.
Jon found himself dodging attacks from Paxton.
Where is Robb, Jon asked himself while dodging a swipe from Paxton's sword. Compared to the dodging drill that Ser Rodrik had set Jon to that morning, against two opponents, the current task was much easier. I don't have time to draw this out. If Robb committed all of his men to attacking us unware then he must be attempting to sneak into the tower.
Jon took the offensive and was able to disarm Paxton with a heavy blow just as he saw Jaime get inside Darryl's guard and signal his victory with his sword point angled up at Darryl's throat. Paxton and Darryl accepted their defeat and Darryl tossed his sword to Jon who caught it and swung it in a quick circle to test its balance before launching himself at Jaime.
Evasion +500
One-Handed + 300
The dual bladed assault did a good job of putting Jaime on the defensive but Jon found Jaime's wooden sword in the path of all of his attacks. From the corner of his eye, Jon saw Trevin taken down and caught the image of Qarl hurtling toward him.
Jon spun in a circle and managed to catch deflect both Jaime's and Qarl's attacks while putting them off balance enough that he was able to leap onto the bottom stair.
The two pursued him up the staircase and Jon was able to use his advantage from having the high ground to tire them while spending minimal effort evading and countering their attacks. By the time they reached the first landing, Qarl was breathing heavily and had slowed considerably. Jon was able to take him out of the battle and renewed his assault against Jaime, managing to knock the blonde's sword wide with the sword in his right hand and point the sword in his left hand at Jaime's chest to signal his victory.
Skill Level Up: One-Handed +2600
Evasion +3000
Skill Level Up: Blocking +3500
Instead of returning to the entrance chamber, Jon powered up the stairs and found the top of the tower to be just as he left it. That's a relief. I had worried that Robb would have found a way to sneak past us in all the commotion.
"Just a little further," Jon heard from the window. "Jon will never know what hit him."
Jon moved as quietly as possible took a place at the side of the window and pressed himself as closely to the wall as possible. A minute passed before a hand grabbed the windowsill and a body swung into the room, landing with surprising grace. Before Robb could recollect himself, Jon spun from the wall and crossed his swords at Robb's neck to indicate that he had failed in his attempt.
One-Handed +200
"Darn you, Snow," Robb wheezed. "I climbed the darn tower only to have your swords at my throat as soon as I make it to the top."
"It was a good plan," Jon commended. "If they were able to stall for just a little bit longer downstairs then we would have had a repeat what happened the last time we were up here."
"So you were able to get the best of the recruits again?"
"Paxton, Qarl and Jaime, yeah. I guess Aiden and Toddrick were able to settle out Mykhail and Brendan."
"I'll send them your way if I see them in the entrance chamber, but I think you may have just put an end to it for your team."
"Thanks, Stark."
"You're welcome, brother."
"Thanks again, brother."
Robb left Jon and walked down the stairs. Jon sheathed the sword he carried in his left hand in his bel, and walked back to the jerkin before picking it up. He took a seat on the stool and waited to see if anyone would come up the stairs and challenge him.
After a few minutes had passed, Jon heard footsteps falling heavily on the stairs. He jumped to his feet and brandished the training sword in his right hand while still holding the jerkin in his left.
To Jon's immense surprise, it was Ser Rodrick who stepped onto the top floor landing. "It would seem that you were able to back you words up. Congrats Jon. As a reward for successfully orchestrating the capture and defense of a location, feel free to keep that jerkin that you hold. You still have quite a bit of training to do until you will be able to wear it as part of your regular attire. After all, we can't have anyone who wears the garb of one of Winterfell's captain being bested by one of the recruits in the training grounds."
Quest Completed
Take the Tower
Demonstrate your ability to carry out joint missions and to hold a position.
Reward for completion: 1000 Experience for successfully guarding, 1000 experience for successfully claiming the item designated by Ser Rodrik. All experience gains for skills used within the quest are doubled and 10000 experience if successful in both aspects of the mission. ?. Increased Reputation with Robb, the new recruits and Ser Rodrik Cassel.
Sneak +500
Skill Level Up: One-Handed +1300+3000+300+2600+200
Evasion + 600+500+3000
Blocking +400+3500
Speech +500+500
Jon opened the menu and added another 10 points to SP before adding another point to the Strength perk.
By increasing Strength to 5, you get another 50 HP. By leveling both Strength and Endurance to level 5, SP and HP are increased by 50.
"Thank you, Ser Rodrik," Jon graciously accepted. "I swear that I will bring the guard honor when I wear it."
"See to it that you do," Ser Rodrik warned. "I have already dismissed the other lads for lunch. You better join them before the mutton is gone."
"Aye, I'll do that," Jon agreed while moving with the Master-at-Arms to leave the Broken Tower. "This morning really worked up my appetite."
"Well then, eat your fill, Jon Snow. You deserve it."
AN2: Mostly a training montage but I came up with the capture the flag idea for a drill and the chapter kind of blossomed from that. Please let me know how you feel about the concept of the training drills and the ways that the character interacted. The next chapter will be more focused on character interactions and Jon reading the other potion books that Maester Luwin has in his library to increase his Intelligence. I inadvertently mapped out the story's plot last night and hope that you folks like the direction that this story is going to take. :-)