AN: First off, apologies for the delay. I am definitely looking to get into a more regular update cycle but it seems that life doesn't agree with that plan. I updated all the previous chapters which was super time consuming in conjunction with creating and updating a spreadsheet to keep track of all of the various stats. A special thank you very much to everyone who has reviewed, favorited and followed; if not for you, this story probably would have been abandoned despite my enthusiasm for the concept. A reminder, I do not own GoT, ASoIaF or Skyrim and give all credit to the creators of those exceptional works where it is due. That being said, enjoy the new chapter and leave me a review with your thoughts to help motivate me to continue. :-)
The morning had passed in much the same way as the previous two weeks for Jon. He had committed himself to grinding his skills and leveling since his encounter with the boar. That encounter had illustrated very clearly that he was not yet ready for the challenges that he would be facing since his life had been so drastically altered by the simple act of putting a ring on his finger.
Jon rolled his shoulders to relieve some of the tension that had built up throughout the course of the morning's drills after he had successfully goaded his opponent into making a mistake and managed to obtain victory. Since finishing the Learning with Luwin quest, Jon had noticed that his ability to taunt his opponents had become significantly more effective. By expanding his knowledge, Jon had realized that different personalities and different situations could manipulated in certain ways which resulted in him succeeding in his taunts much more frequently than he had in the past.
"Alright, that's all for the day from you. Get some rest and be ready to sweat tomorrow morning," Ser Rodrik said approvingly. "Jon, I expect you to be in top form for tomorrow's training. You won't always be able to rely on pretty words to get you out of tricky situations."
"Right," Jon acknowledged as he made to leave the training grounds. Maester Luwin was so much more laid back in regards to my training before I started wearing the Winterfell Captain's Jerkin, Jon mused while his head bent down to inspect his attire.
Between the Winterfell Captain's Jerkin with the Direwolf sigil of House Stark proudly emblazoned on the chest, that he was rewarded after successfully capturing and defending the Broken Tower during a drill with Maester Luwin and the new recruits, and the Bearskin Leather Pauldrons, Bearskin Leather Greaves and Bearskin Leather Cuisse that Drayson had made in exchange for Jon's services at the tannery, he looked formidable.
Looks don't matter, when it comes down to a fight, Jon thought to himself how please he was with how his attire had come together. I can't deny, if I encountered someone attired in such a way, I would definitely not want to get on his bad side.
Jon smirked with content at the thought. I don't want to have to explain how I came to have the Blackflame Cape of Wanton Destruction but I will be sure to equip it before going into any dungeons in the future. Eventually it won't matter what I wear but it would raise questions that I would prefer to avoid for the time being.
Jon followed the path that had become very familiar to him since acquiring the Stargaryan Ring and made his way to Maester Luwin's chambers. After finishing the Lessons with Luwin quest, the Maester had told Jon that he should take a few days off from his book studies so that he would be ready for the next step of his studies.
While Jon had followed the Maester's instruction, he couldn't help but feel a kind of nervous anticipation at the direction that his instruction would take now that he had proven his dedication to the pursuit of knowledge. So far, Jon had learned much of Westerosi history and customs in addition to exploring various subjects that could be incorporated to surviving in the world outside of Winterfell.
He had learned how to determine the best place to make camp for a night on the road, how to set up a tent, how to build a fire, various methods for tracking and capturing prey in addition to identifying various plants that could be eaten for sustenance. On top of all of that he learned how to prepare a wagon, how to fix a broken axel, how to gauge the best horses to full the wagon and how to care for those horses to make the best time on his travels.
With the breadth of his current education, Jon felt very confident that he would be able to survive when the world pulled him from the safety of Winterfell's walls. However, the confidence that he had in his new found skills made him all the more wary about what the Maester had to teach him that would require him to take time off from his studies.
It was with a sigh of apprehension that Jon knocked on the door before letting himself into the Maester's chambers.
"Ah, it's you, Jon! Welcome, welcome," the Maester greeted. "Do come in. There is much for you to learn but the amount of instruction that I can provide is woefully limited."
"I'm sure that is not the case," Jon said in an attempt to reassure the older man, unsure of why the learned Maester was discounting his ability to provide instruction.
"Thank you for the faith you put in this old man. As much as I wish it was not the case, in the direction that your studies seems destined to take, I am as much a novice as you, yourself. Upon forging the final link of the Maester's chain, each Maester is gifted a copy of the same book. The book is completely illegible to all but those with the clearest of vision and a certain aptitude that one must be born with. Since that aptitude cannot be learned through conventional means, the content of those books is mostly kept hidden from the world. However, each Maester is given liberty to share the book with those he feels may possess the needed aptitude to understand."
"I don't know what to say, Maester Luwin."
"You don't need to say anything Jon. I would have you look upon that book to see if I am correct in my thinking that you may possess the aptitude needed to understand. If I am correct, it is imperative that you keep the content of that book secret from any who would wish to learn the secrets held within. If I am wrong then you will not be able to obtain any information from the book which would keep its secrets protected. Though, I would ask that you not discuss the fact that I have such a book in my possession."
"I wouldn't dream of spreading such information after all you have done for me over the last few weeks. What is the name of the book?"
"That, I cannot tell you. It is a secret that only reveals itself to those with the aptitude to understand. Unfortunately, I do not possess such an aptitude to learn its secrets."
The Maester pulled a key from within his robes and stood from his seat. He moved to a section of the wall that was unremarkable in its appearance. He inserted the key into a lock that could have been easily overlooked due to the rugged contour of the wall. With a turn, the key stuck fast and the Maester used the rung as a handle to pull a drawer from the wall and remove a dusty, leather bound book from its interior.
"This is one of my most valuable possessions. You are the first that I have ever shared it with outside of the other Maester's from the citadel. While I hope that I am right about your potential, know that possessing the needed aptitude to learn from its pages is exceptionally rare. Even if you are unable to learn from its pages, we will still continue your studies, if you would still like to do so."
"Thank you for putting your faith in me. Even though it is unlikely that a bastard like me would have such a rare talent, I would very much like the chance to learn. Whether it is from that book or other lessons that you see fit to teach me, I have every intention of continuing my studies."
"You have grown much since first stepping into these chambers all of those weeks ago. Now take this book and see if you can succeed where so many have failed before you."
The Maester handed Jon the book and gestured for the boy to take his customary seat facing the fireplace. Jon settled into his seat. He got comfortable for a long reading session. He opened the book and he was thoroughly underwhelmed.
All he saw was a series of unintelligible scribbles that seemed to shift and distort even more as he tried to focus on them. He let out a sigh and made to close the book when a familiar message appeared.
The Black Arts on Trial
Absorb the content of this book or Experience the content of the book?
Jon tried to be subtle as he chanced a glance at the Maester who had seemed to become suddenly engrossed in a task involving a set of vials on one of his desks. If this book is as valuable as the Maester has made it seem, then I definitely need to get everything out of it. It's no question, this is a book to experience rather than absorb.
12-12-12-12-12
The Black Arts On Trial
Jon walked with a tall man with dressed in dark green robes with a bald scalp and a flowing white beard named Garth Greenhand among the many Weirwood trees present on the Isle of faces. The two of them were to on what many considered to be a haunted Isle to meet with one of the leaders of the Children of the Forest. They hoped that together they could come to a pact on the practice of teaching knowledge of the Dark Arts.
"I can't seem to find any other course of action," Garth said fervor. "Knowledge of the Black Arts should be spelled in such a way to prevent the information from falling into the hands of those that would seek to make use of such practices to disseminate evils upon the realms of man. Any who wish to learn of such things should have to be judged worthy to learn such secrets from the Mage Maesters of their time. Before delving into such secrets, they must know that know that all actions have consequences ant that the most evil of actions often are most often met with dire consequences visited upon he who dares to take such an action."
Jon nodded in agreement with Garth's assessment. "Though I have my doubts about teaching the Black Arts to prospective scholars, isn't it our prerogative to teach the next generation? Isn't it our mission to pass our knowledge to them so they are prepared for the obstacles that they may encounter in their journeys?"
The two continued to walk until they came across what appeared to be a young girl with greenish skin, a high forehead, earthy colored hair and yellow eyes clothed in vines.
"Hello, I am Brandon Stark," the words came out of Jon's mouth seemingly of their own volition. "This here is Garth Greenhand. Who might you be?"
"You may call me Leaf," the being declared with a certainty that belied her stature. "You are the representatives from the world of man who wished to treat upon matters of the Black Arts?"
"Aye, we are the same," Garth interjected while looking at Leaf critically. "Those Black Arts bring much more trouble than they bring good to the world. We ought to protect the world by prohibited such practices."
"Now Garth, you are a learned man," Jon reasoned with the leader of the First Men. "You certainly know that necromancy, or the Black Arts, has a history that dates back before recorded time. Even though it was not enough to stop the practice entirely, virtually all the earliest laws of the land make mention of it as expressly forbidden on pain of death."
Garth responded with a gruff nod that Jon took as a sign to continue. "In fact, the ancient mages, expressly forbade its use, not only because it was dangerous, but due to their belief in the continued journey of the soul after death made it heretical. The practice and the teaching of Necromancy were officially denounced by one of the foremost mages of antiquity as he declared practitioners to be enemies of life. Again, despite this, we hear tale after tale of magical adepts who ignored this edict to continue upon the dark path."
Leaf seemed to grow agitated when Jon asserted that the practice of Black Arts was heretical but let him continue his preamble.
"Many years have passed since that decree was made public and spread throughout the known world. Almost all archmages since the edict have stood by the decision to banish the infernal practice. However, in the most whispered conversations on the darkest of nights there are still those who continue make inquiries into the practices of Necromancy. The edict has never been lifted but, as the threat of evil necromancers has become more myth than fact, attitudes towards the practice has shifted back and forth over the years. Some archmages have been inclined to ignore it entirely while a growing number has fought very actively against it. Worse still, a number of the archmages that supported the Black Arts have been rumored to be Necromancers themselves."
Both Garth and Leaf shifted uncomfortably at the mention of continued Necromancy after it had been denounced as the Black Arts and a sin crime against humanity. Jon stared purposefully into the eyes of his companions before continuing.
"As the preeminent archmage or the modern age, it is my duty to set policy on this matter. Though I have my own opinions on the Black Arts, I have sought counsel with two of the most learned mages in the known world so we may debate the merits and detriments of the practice of Necromancy, the Black Arts."
Leaf was quicker to compose herself after Jon finished speaking. "Necromancy is poorly understood. If the years after the edict against the Black Arts have taught us anything, we will not make the practice disappear by ignoring it. As an intellectuals dedicated to the study of the magickal arts and sciences, we have obligations to the truth. Censoring ourselves and others in our scholarship, while claiming a better understanding of the forbidden material, is antithetical to the goal of neutrality and objectivity."
Garth's eyes grew huge as Leaf presented her first point and when she finished speaking he was ready with a counter argument. "It is known that mages must balance their quest for knowledge, power and understanding with responsible caution and a dedication to an ethical high ground. We cannot confuse the practice of 'censoring' a student's course of study with urging him to proceed cautiously and with purity of purpose in his scholastic endeavors. Students are provided with great opportunities for growth under the tutelage of one who is older and wiser with confidence that their teacher will help them grow to heights that they would not likely reach without such guidance."
Leaf scoffed at Garth's words but allowed him to continue. "Necromancy is a disease that has been unleashed upon the civilized world. To embrace such a long vilified magick publicly would cause the Mages to inspire fear and hostility within the smallfolk. The order of Mage Masters was neither founded with intention or purpose of standing above the opinions of those who rely upon us for guidance. To take such a stance by supporting such studies would be both elitist and separatist which would surely lead to the alienation of our order in those places where sentiment against Necromancy is very strong. We ignore public opinion at our own risk."
Towards the end of Garth's argument, Leaf clearly had a rebuttal. When he stopped speaking, she took advantage of the opportunity. "Yes, we are all in agreement that our actions should be sensitive to the concerns of the community at large but they should not, and must not, dictate our scholarship. We should educate the populace as the vast majority believes the term 'Necromancer' to simply refer to an evil mage. It is madness to limit our work because of prejudices and half-formed understanding. It is an affront to the purpose of objective study to turn our back on a subject merely because of public opinion."
Leaf tilted her head to look down upon the taller Garth, who had scoffed at her words, before continuing. "Necromancers are well known to be the scourge of the known world. Whether operating independently or in concert among each other, they are responsible for many horrors, animated zombies and skeletons and other forms of the undead. To best combat this potential menace, we must understand the powers of the Necromancer, and we cannot do that by restricting our study of the Black Arts."
Garth's usually pallid face had taken on a red hue at Leaf's words. As soon as Leaf had finished speaking he launched right in with a heated response to her claims. "No one is disputing the threat of the Black Arts; in fact, that is the very essence of my argument against the Mage Masters spreading knowledge of the practice by propagating the subject through teaching to our initiates. We can and should know what our enemy is capable of, but we must be extremely diligent that our pursuit of that knowledge does not cause us to make the mistake of looking too deep into his ways, and making those ways our own. We do no one any good if, by studying the evil ways, we end up devoting ourselves to evil."
Garth took a deep breath to steady himself before continuing his conjecture. "Only a fool would argue anything but the fact that Necromancy is inherently dangerous. One cannot 'dabble' in it. The simplest spell requires the spilling of blood, and immediately begins to corrupt the caster's soul. This is not conjecture, but simple fact. It is irresponsible of the Mages to teach and thereby encourage a sort of magickal study which has proven itself, time and time again, to bring nothing but terror and misery on the practitioner and world."
In contrast to Garth's withdraw into himself, Leaf actually laughed at his fervor before responding. "All Schools of magicka are dangerous to the uninitiated. A simple fireball spell from the School of Destruction can cause great harm when cast by a novice, not only to others but to the mage himself. Conjured or Altered foodstuffs could be fed to an unwary soul and incorporated the body causing fatal harm. An Enchanted item could curse an innocent soul robbing them of their youth. Illusion magic could project a bridge over a fast running river and cause a weary travel to meet his demise. The School of Mysticism by its very nature forces the practitioner to divorce his mind from logic, to embrace a temporary sort of insanity, which one might argue is very like corrupting one's soul."
Leaf took Garth's dropped jaw as a signal to continue her lecture. "The teachings of the Mage Masters already graze against some of the furthest edges of the Black Arts. The 'Schools' of magicka are, as we know, artificial constructs, originally formulated by Mages of old to divide and thereby simplify study. They have changed many times throughout the years, but at their heart, every Master knows, they are all linked together. When a student of Conjuration summons a guardian ghost, he is touching on the School of Necromancy. When a student of Enchantment uses a trapped soul, he too may be considered guilty of a Black Art. The School of Mysticism, as I have stated before, has some kinship with Necromancy as well. To state that students may not learn the ways of Necromancy is to stifle common skills in the other, more historically legitimate Schools of the Guild."
All color drained from Garth's face at the mentions of how the most prevalent schools of magic could be used to for ill intentions. He cleared his throat in an attempt to regain his composure before rebutting the yellow-eyed leader of the Children. "Yes, the Schools are intertwined, but the standard spells of each School have passed the proof of time. We know that a student of Mysticism, properly instructed, will not be permanently harmed by his experience. In many ways, it is a question of extremes - how far we would permit our studies to take us. Necromancy by its nature relies on the practitioner going further into the darkness than is wise, virtually guaranteeing his destruction. It has no place in the Mages Guild."
It was then that Jon had heard enough and was ready to give his verdict on the matter of the Black Arts. "The risks of studying Necromancy outweigh its usefulness. The Mage Masters do not wish to censor the study of any potential practitioner of the magickal arts, but they should not tolerate studies in the Black Arts, except in limited form for the purpose of combating its evil adherents. This may only been done by rare individuals who have proven themselves both highly skilled and highly cautious, and then only with my express permission and supervision."
Garth beamed at the proclamation but Leaf looked almost betrayed by the same words. After formal, if strained, farewells the three departed from the Isle of Faces
Jon returned to the North and had a heavy heart when he was forced to acknowledge the truth behind the rumor that Leaf was more than an advocate for study of Necromancy, she was a Necromancer herself.
Upon this revelation, many good men lost their lives when they attempted to apprehend her at her in a pitched battle between the Children and the First Men. Despite the cost in human life, Leaf successfully evaded capture and remained at large to refine her knowledge of the Black Arts. Though there is a tentative peace in the form of a Pact between the new leader of the Children and the First Men, there are still whispers that Leaf is out there building an army to fight off what she considered to be the invading First men.
Though Jon disagreed with her motives, he saw value in the logical reasoning with which she presented the Black Arts enough to include her arguments in the book that he was writing to validate his decision to outlaw the Black Arts henceforth in Westeros, on pain of death. Despite later revelations of her character and practices, he saw no reason to remove them. It was disappointing, however, to see that her interest in 'the truth' was nothing more than a euphemism for her slavery to the Black Arts.
This unfortunate situation merely illustrates how essential it is for Mage Masters to be wary of the lure of Necromancy, and be vigilant to its practitioners' infiltration into the esteemed collection of scholars.
The Illusions that Jon placed on the text were untested but they were designed to both prevent those without a magical affinity from comprehending anytime an adept spends reading its contents and prevent those same people from gaining knowledge of the contents therein. He recognizes that novice mages should be perfectly at liberty to share the information contained within the book at their own discretion if they are trusted with protecting its contents Still, he plead caution and discretion from his contemporaries, as the arguments have implied there are those who would seek out such Dark Arts for personal gains that could result in serious harm to others.
12-12-12-12-12
Magic Unlocked
Illusion Unlocked
Illusion +1000
Conjuration Unlocked
Conjuration +500
Destruction Unlocked
Destruction +500
Alteration Unlocked
Alteration +500
Enchanting Unlocked
Enchanting +500
Restoration Unlocked
Restoration+500
Wow, magic is real. Jon couldn't help but feel incredulous and skeptical. I guess there is some truth to those stories that Old Nan would tell us after all. To think that magic exists in this world but most people can never see it for themselves. If not for the skill notifications, I don't know that I would believe it even after reading that for myself. At least this explains how that boar was able to spit balls of fire at me when I went to find Lady for Sansa.
"Oh, Jon it's nothing to be ashamed of that you were not able to read the book," the Maester incorrectly assumed when he turned to see Jon looking at the cover of the closed book with a grim look on his face. "As I was saying, it was unlikely that you would have been able to read such a book but something about you made me want to give you the opportunity."
Jon tried to speak up but the Maester continued expanding on his thoughts. "No need to feel down. I'll take that from you and we can resume our studies when you are ready."
"Um, alright. Thank you for the opportunity, Maester. I'll be going."
Jon stood and handed the book back to the maester before leaving the Maester's chambers and returning to his own quarters. Maybe I should have told Maester Luwin what I read in the book. Jon mused while approaching the door to his quarters. He has been extremely helpful so far. It seems wrong to keep something like this from him after he was the one who made it possible for me to learn about magic.
Jon entered his quarters and leaned against the door and allowing gravity to pull him to a seated position on the floor. Things seem to be moving so quickly since I first put on the ring. I've been grinding for levels and pushing to develop skills I never would have really thought about before. Now, I find out that not only is magic real but I can use magic. Now I'll have to figure out a way to learn to use the magic that has now entered my world. If Maester Luwin doesn't know that magic exists then he will not be able to help me to develop my magic.
I expect that the section of the Stargaryan Ring menu that was initially hidden was probably for magic. If that is the case, maybe those tomes that I picked up while exploring the cave and after fighting the boar may be able to shed some light on how to use magic.
Jon removed the four tomes that he had acquired from his Inventory and his mouth fell open when he observed them.
Fireball Tome: Destruction magic that allows the user to shoot balls of fire from their hands. Cost: 50 MP. Damage: 40 HP (Strong likelihood of causing burn).
Flames Tome: Destruction magic that allows the user to shoot a torrent of fire from their hands. Cost 8 MP per second. Damage: 5 HP per second (Low likelihood of causing burn).
Frost Tome: Destruction magic that allows the user to shoot frost crystals from their hands in an arc, can hit multiple enemies at the same time. Currently shoots three snowflakes. Cost 10 MP. Damage: 5 HP per snowflake (Low likelihood of freezing opponent).
Sparks Tome: Destruction magic that will call down the power of lightning from the sky that will home in on an opponent within 15 feet of the caster and strike without fail. Cost: 15 MP. Damage: 12 HP.
Would you like to learn these skills?
Jon was practically drooling as he clicked the 'Yes' pane that had appeared before him causing all four of the tomes to disappear in a burst of light.
In his enthusiasm, he almost called out for a fireball but he caught himself when he realized that using magic within the castle could be a bad idea. Jon looked around nervously as if someone could have witnessed his momentary lapse in judgment before pushing himself from the floor and turning to leave the room.
He opened the door and quickly made his way through the halls of the castle, excited at the prospect of trying his new abilities after reading their descriptions. Once he left the castle, it was all Jon could do not to sprint to the Wolfswood. He knew that doing so would draw the attention of anyone who might see him which would be an exceptionally bad idea given he was trying to be discreet about his new power.
While he was walking, he saw Bran off in the distance with Arya and Rickon along with their direwolves. Seeing the direwolves made Jon think of Ghost, who had been included in their games while Jon was busy with his training that morning.
As if the direwolf had heard Jon's thoughts, he butted his head against his master's leg to let him know that he would be accompanying Jon on his journey into the Wolfswood. While Ghost was still small, he was no longer the quite runt that he had been when Jon found the direwolves initially. All of them had grown significantly since coming to Winterfell and, though still slightly smaller than his brothers and sisters, Ghost was rapidly approaching the size of a regular dog.
"It's good to see you. Come on boy," Jon greeted while giving Ghost a quick scratch behind his ears. "We are going to have some fun today."
The pair set off towards the Wolfswood and Jon cast a quick glance back toward the castle to see if anyone had noticed him before entering the Wolfswood.
Warning: You are about to enter the spawn zone, Wolfswood. In the Wolfswood, you will encounter various creatures capable of causing physical damage. The unwary traveler will find himself falling prey to the numerous predators large and small that claim the Wolfswood as their home. It is recommended that characters below level 10 travel in parties to better combat the various enemies that will be encountered.
Jon equipped the Castle Forged Steel Sword from his inventory while keeping his left hand free to cast spells. It seemed that the enemies had respawned as almost immediately Jon and Ghost were set upon by four skeevers. Ghost immediately moved to engage one of the rodents while Jon eyed the other three before raising his left arm and saying, "Frost."
Immediately, three large frost crystals formed in front of his palm before launching towards the attacking skeevers. Each of the attacks successfully laded and caused the skeevers to pause momentarily as if they were stunned.
The momentary delay was all that Jon needed as he fired the attack three more times in quick succession. The snowflakes found their targets and the skeevers dropped to the ground.
Frost +1200
Jon had used almost half of his MP on that series of spells but he had also gained experience with the spell and had his first experience using magic. Using the Frost spell felt like a cold unstoppable determination had coursed through my arm before coming into existence before my hand and shooting at the skeevers. If that is what ice based magic feels like, I can't wait to see how the fire and lighting based magic feels. Using magic really is more than just saying a word, I don't want to think of how the Black Arts must make the user feel.
The sound of jaws snapping brought Jon back to reality in time to see Ghost dispatching the skeever that had dared to challenge him. Jon collected the skeever tails from the skeevers that he had defeated before moving to collect the tail from Ghost's fallen opponent.
"Good job, boy," Jon congratulated with a quick pat for his canine companion. "Let's keep going."
The pair continued walking, sticking to their route religiously, as if they were being pulled by a mysterious force. After a few minutes of walking they heard a rustling sound from the brush and a trio of wolves jumped into the path with fangs bared.
Ghost's hackles rose as he glared defiantly at the new enemies. Having learned from his first encounter, Ghost did not rush the larger challengers. Jon raised his left hand while keeping his sword at the ready in his right hand and said the word 'Fireball.'
The heat raced through his arm and formed a ball of fire approximately one foot in diameter that blasted toward the largest of the wolves at a very high speed. The wolf did not have time to avoid the projectile and crumpled to the ground in a steaming heap.
The other two sprang away from their fallen companion and attempted to take vengeance on the one that downed their comrade. Jon was running low on magic, so he fell into his sword stance before lunging and plunging his sword into one of the wolves' hearts with both hands.
With a yank, he freed his sword from his vanquished opponent and gave it a quick spin to send the blood that had coated the blade flying onto the ground before slashing at the remaining wolf with purpose. The slash opened a gaping wound on the wolf's side and caused it to lose its balance and fall to the ground.
Ghost made the most of the opportunity and took the chance to lodge his fangs into the throat of the downed beast.
Fireball +500
Two-Handed +200
One-Handed +100
After a quick scratch behind the ears from Ghost, Jon collected the Wolf Pelts and Wolf Teeth from his downed opponents before the pair set off again.
Jon and Ghost continued to follow the path and in short time they were standing a mere twenty feet from an area that Jon had never seen in all of the time that he had spent exploring the Wolfswood. As Jon moved closer to the area the scene seems to ripple before fading away to reveal the entrance to a cave. When the cave was revealed, Jon received a notification.
Illusion +500
It seems that knowing that magic exists and that Illusion magic can be used to conceal things from non-magical people will let me find things that would have been hidden from view otherwise. Jon was reluctant to rush into the cave given his recent experiences with the caves surrounding Winterfell and his knowledge of what can be waiting within. Since everything about the cave seems to be directly related to the Stargaryan Ring and the revelation that magic is real, it is almost guaranteed that there will be enemies inside.
Jon noted that his MP had recovered by 35 in the seven minutes since he last used any magic. My MP seems to recover by five points for every minute that I'm not using it, I should wait a few more minutes before going into the cave so that I have all of my magic available to use.
Jon waited until his MP had regenerated completely before slowly edging toward the cave with his sword raised in his right hand and his left hand held ready to launch a spell at the first sight of an enemy. As much as I would like to increase my magical skill, I should probably save it in case there is an enemy that I can't defeat with my sword. Speaking of my sword, I should probably use one of the Ancient Swords of the First Men instead of the Castle Forged Steel Sword. The attack value is lower but it would matter much less if something happened to it while exploring.
Jon stopped to switch out his sword for a moment before continuing to the cave. Due to his previous experience with caves, Jon thoroughly expected a bear to have taken refuge in the entrance to the cave. However, much to his delight, it seemed that the power of the Illusion also worked against wild animals such as bears as there was no furry problem to be dealt with contained within.
With the light that manages to enter the cave from the outside, Jon was able to see a torch on the wall that was currently not lit. Remembering how the torches from the previous cave had been lit and allowed him to make his way through the cave, Jon moved to examine the torch.
Use 50 MP to light the torches?
Jon tapped the 'Yes' pane that had appeared before him causing the torch to light.
Flames +500
The additional light illuminated a path leading deeper into the cave and Jon noticed torches lighting along the walls of the cave moving away from his position and further into the depths of the cave.
Again, Jon elected to wait for his MP to regenerate before following the now illuminated path with Ghost following dutifully behind him at a reserved pace. The two made their way from the entryway to the first cavernous room and they were immediately greeted with a rumbling sound followed by four solid crashes. Jon's head swiveled to find the sound of the disturbance and he found four zombified corpses pulling themselves from standing caskets on the wall with the entrance that Jon and Ghost had just used to enter the room.
Ghost jumped behind Jon as Jon brought his sword to bear.
"Ghost, stay back," Jon commanded. "If I get manage to get them down to the ground then you can finish them off."
Ghost seemed to understand Jon's words as he backed further away to allow Jon to deal with the approaching enemies. Their ghoulish figures had been distorted by time but they still towered over Jon and were carrying swords that reflected the dancing firelight.
Jon had gained much experience with live combat since exploring his fist cave but he was still playing it cautious. Even though he would be healed completely once he slept for the night, it would not be conducive to the continued exploration of the cave to get injured so early in the exploration.
Jon moved toward the right and used his momentum to increase the velocity of his one handed slash that sent the zombiefied head rolling on the floor while causing the body to collapse in a heap like a puppet whose strings have been cut.
Immediately, his head swiveled to the left and he caught the sight of the nearest zombie raising its sword with its right arm. The sword crashed down but Jon was able side step easily before he kicked the back of the zombie's left foot causing it to lose its balance and fall to the ground. Jon stepped over the fallen zombie and stabbed his sword into its chest before launching toward the zombie that was slowly making its way toward him.
This zombie followed the same attack pattern as its brethren and raised its arm for a powerful downward swing. Jon feinted as if he was going to step forward and the zombie launched his attack where Jon would have stepped if his momentum was to be trusted.
However, Jon stopped short and waited for the sword to crash into the ground before lunging towards the Zombie and piercing it with a two-handed thrust. The large warrior fell to a knee as Jon pulled his sword from its in time to swing it in a wide arc that diverted the vertical strike from the fourth warrior,
"Get him, Ghost," Jon directed while pointing to the zombie who had taken a knee then bringing his sword around to slash the remaining opponent from hip to shoulder with a mighty diagonal slash. As the zombie fell to its knee Jon reversed his momentum and launched a backhand swing across his body to remove the head from the downed opponent and make it drop.
At that point, Jon turned back to the opponent that he had sent to its knee and saw that Ghost had managed to clamp his jaws around its neck and bring it to the ground. After several powerful tugs to each side, Ghost was able to rip the zombie's throat out causing it to fall still.
Jon collected the four swords that had been dropped by the zombies of the first men in addition to a small number of copper and silver coins.
One-Handed +300
Two-Handed +200
Speech +100
Blocking +100
Although none of the zombies had any additional items besides the swords, Jon had noticed a chest pushed against the wall to the left of the chamber that had brought him and Ghost into the room initially. He walked over to the chest and noticed that it was sealed with a sturdy looking lock.
Though Jon was relatively sure that he would be able to shatter the lock with his increased strength and his level sword skill, his One-Handed combat, he knew that would not always be the case and he wanted to take the opportunity to raise the level of his Lock Picking skill. He got out his one of the lock picks that Ygritte had given him in the last cave and began the process of triggering each of the lock's tumblers. Fortunately, Jon was able to trigger each of the three triggers without incident and was turning the lock within 45 seconds of starting the process.
His luck held and he was able to release the lock without incident. With the lock released, Jon was able to pull it open and slide it from the metal rungs that it had previously locked together. Smiling, he pulled on the lid to open the chest and view the treasure within.
Lock Picking +100
Contained within was something that made Jon smirk with content. Within the trunk, Jon found a steel mace. He pulled the weapon from its container with his left hand and gave it a few experimental swings. He immediately felt the difference that the increased weight at the end of the weapon caused in his swing. Though he was sure that this reduction in speed would be accompanied by additional damage, if he were able to land a blow with the weapon, Jon chose to stow it in his inventory.
When he did so, he saw the weapon's stats and was pleased that his conclusions were correct.
Steel Mace: +14 attack. Though the mace is the slowest of all the one handed weapons, it can also cause much more damage than other similar weapons if you manage to land a blow on your opponent. This weapon most compliments a warrior with great physical strength who can overcome the natural limitation caused by the increased weight of the weapon.
Seeing that there was nothing else in the chest, Jon stared making his way to the other side of the cavernous chamber with a door -sized passage that would, presumably, lead him deeper into the depths of the cave.
Ghost diligently followed his master and the pair left the chamber and the four dispatched enemies behind them. The passage had an earthy smell that Jon had come to associate with the under layers of the world and had many more mushrooms growing than any of the other such passages that he had traveled previously.
After the time that he had spent with Maester Luwin learning about the various alchemical properties of mushrooms, Jon was sure to collect the various fungi that he encountered while exploring. By the time he reached the end of the passage and the next cavernous room, Jon had successfully collected a variety of mushrooms.
Bleeding Mushroom (14)
Creep Cluster (12)
Imp Stool (17)
White Cap (12)
If not for not wanting to have to explain how or where I found these ingredients, I could use them to craft many potions. Jon thought while he scanned the cavern he had entered. Maester Luwin would definitely want to know where I had found such a large amount of the mushrooms if I was to ask him to use his Alchemy Laboratory to get the true value from the ingredients. Thoughts for another time though, this room is different from the others that I have encountered so far.
Indeed, it was different from the other caverns that Jon had encountered in his journeys so far. Though there were no zombified corpses of the First Men breaking free from what should have been their eternal resting places, there were four doors on the opposite wall. The first door was painted with what appeared to be a snowflake with a large crystal nested in the center and did not appear to have any conventional handle. The second was very similar except, where the first had a painted snow flake, it was painted with a ball of fire. The third was identical to its predecessors but for the painting of a bolt of lightning. Unlike the others, the final door was completely devoid of any decoration or but it was similar in the fact that it lacked any form of handle.
Jon stepped forward to get a better look at each of the doors starting at the right and found that his initial observation was correct, there did not appear to be any way to open them. Growing frustrated with the apparent dead end, Jon slammed his hand against the door with the snowflake, causing a dull thud to reverberate throughout the chamber.
That didn't do anything. Jon thought to himself. The only reason that I was able to find this cave is because of magic, I wonder if that may be the answer to this puzzle.
Jon felt the cold resolution flow through his body as he stepped back and raised his left arm at the door.
"Frost!"
AN2: That was it, the newest update. All stats are listed on my profile, if you want to check the out. If you enjoyed, let me know what you liked. I am having trouble transitioning from grinding Jon to plot moving Jon but feel that the elemental rooms will be much easier to write than this chapter with the way that the metaphorical door has been left open with this chapter. Either way, I do intend to keep the updates coming for those of you that stick with me. :-)