AN1: Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed! Though I don't respond to every review, I read everything that you are kind enough to say after reading my story. It was the support that I got from readers through the reviews that helped me get back to writing after life pulled me away from writing for the last few months, so thanks again to everyone who reviewed, it means more to me than you know! Now that I have a bit of a groove going, I am optimistic that you won't have such a long wait until the next chapter. I hope you enjoy!

AN2: Again, I do not own Game of Thrones, A Song of Ice and Fire, Skyrim or the Gamer. All rights to the owners of those respective properties.

Jon braced himself to deal with an irritated Ygritte before he pulled the door open. Though he knew that her patience had been nearing its limit when she banged on the door, he still involuntarily stepped back at the look of frustration and disapproval on Ygritte's face.

The girl was standing at the entrance to Ysolda's home with her hands on her hips, her lips pursed, her eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed. "It took you long enough, Snow. What, did you decide to take a tumble with that one?" Before Jon could answer, Ygritte's gaze shifted from Jon to Ysolda and back again before she turned sharply on her heel and started to walk away. "You've wasted enough time already. Mance wants to be off."

Jon sighed and shook his head at Ygritte's retreating form before turning back to Ysolda. He gestured toward Ygritte with a wave of his arm before addressing Ysolda, "That could have gone much worse."

Ysolda's eyes followed Jon's gesture toward Ygritte before her attention turned back to the home that she would be leaving. As her face set in determination she said, "Well she was right about one thing, at least. It's time to go."

Jon inclined his head in agreement and made to follow Ygritte with Ysolda at his side. Ygritte continued to make her way to the edge of the village, where Jon knew the rest of the Free Folk were waiting for them. As they reached the edge of the village of Dawnstar, a circle of horses and wagons that Jon recognized as those belonging to the Free Folk came into view.

As the three of them got closer to the Free Folk encampment, Jon could see that Rolf was facing Mance and seemed to be exchanging words with the older man while he was flanked by two large men that were clearly looking to Mance for instruction. Jon picked up the pace so he could exchange words with the only honorable member of the Nights Watch that had accompanied him to Dawnstar.

Upon seeing Jon and the girls, Mance looked away from Rolf suddenly. This action caused Rolf and the two men standing to either side of him to turn their attention in the direction of the new arrivals as well. Mance inclined his head in Jon's direction momentarily, as if to encourage Jon to join in on the conversation that was occurring between him and Rolf.

Rolf's tired eyes seemed to light up with renewed vigor when he was able to confirm for himself that Jon had survived the treachery and seemed to be without major injury. The young man moved from his position to intercept Jon and his face broke into a smile as he threw his arms around the stranger that had wandered into the Shadow Tower what seemed like a lifetime ago. "It's good to see you, Jon." Rolf released Jon and took a step back before looking Jon up and down as if to make sure that his initial assessment was correct.

"It was lucky that they didn't go for the killing blow when they managed to take you out of the fight," Jon tried to deflect the discomfort from the unexpected physical contact while running his fingers through his hair and glancing towards Ysolda. He gestured toward her with a sweeping motion of his hand, "This is Ysolda. She was there when we made our stand against the traitors and would have been taken captive if not for Ygritte." Jon turned his head and nodded in Ygritte's direction.

"Well met, the both of you," Rolf seemed to remember the courtesies that he had learned before going to the Wall and swearing his vows. "Even though Camen has explained how he and his troupe found themselves so far away from the people that would pay for their services, I still find it to be pretty unbelievable that they were able to find you here of all the places that you could have gone."

Jon looked towards Mance with a raised eyebrow. "However it came to be, I'm glad that they managed to find us. I don't want to think of what they would have done to Ysolda if they had been able to take her captive…" Jon trailed off while turning to look at his new female friend. "There is nothing left for her here so she will be coming with us to Winterfell and looking for her brother."

Rolf seemed momentarily shocked by Jon's words. "For a second, I forgot that you were not a man of the Night's Watch what with making the journey south from the Shadow Tower and helping to put down the traitors." Rolf looked over Jon appraisingly again before continuing. "You know, with all of the men out of commission from this mission there would be plenty of opportunity for a lad like you if you were to take the Black."

Jon shook his head before responding. "Nay, there is far too much for me out there to settle down at any place right now. Though, I would ask a favor of you, if you would have it."

Rolf nodded in agreement prompting Jon to continue. "Return to Shadow Tower and report to Ser Denys and the Lord Commander what happened here. We both know the type of men who have had to swear the vows in recent years. It wouldn't do to have more towns preyed upon and made to suffer by the men that are meant to protect them."

Again, Rolf nodded in agreement. "It will be done. I expect that the new recruits will be in for a nasty surprise after the shit this lot pulled." With that, he turned to Mance. "You have my gratitude Camen. I don't expect that our paths will ever cross again but I wish fortune for you and yours. My horse is just outside of town to the north, I'll be leaving to make my report. One thing before I go, Jon."

Rolf pulled a necklace from beneath his leathers that had a pendant just shorter than the smallest finger on Jon's hand with three ravens with wings spread holding, each clutching a heart in its talons. "You saved my life today. If you ever find yourself in need, take that pendant to Ser Lyn Corbray and tell him how you came to hold it. I will send a raven to him if Ser Denys allows verifying the tale but, if that is not permitted, showing him the pendant and telling him that Actions Give the Heart Wings should suffice."

Jon nodded solemnly before seeming to tuck the pendant into his leathers when, in reality, he was using the distraction to hide the fact that he was storing it in his inventory.

Mance nodded, apparently impressed with the young member of the Nights Watch. "May you find fortune, Crow." Rolf seemed to tense for a second before shaking his head and taking his leave. "You never know where your path might take you."

Mance glanced at the two men who had been flanking Rolf and gave them a nod before turning to address Jon. "It seems that our business here has reached its conclusion. Let's get you back to Winterfell."

Jon took a moment to cast a look at Ysolda and another at Ygritte before nodding. He began to walk with the Free Folk back towards their wagons before he remembered that he was forgetting something. "Wait, my horse was left with Rolf's and the others'. If I am going to be making the trip with you then I don't want to burden you anymore than needed. I'll go fetch my horse and we can go."

The mention of horses seemed to pique Mance's interest. "The men you rode with will have no further use of those horses. Ygritte go with him and bring the other horses back here." Mance instructed with a lopsided grin. "It seems that this trip could have been profitable for us after all."

"I'll go too," Ysolda volunteered. "I'm not the best on a horse but it makes more sense than burdening one of your wagons."

Mance nodded in acceptance as he watched the trio walk off with a wry smile on his lips.

The girls followed in silence as Jon led them to where he and the brothers of the Nights Watch had stopped before their treachery had been revealed. It seemed that Rolf had been so focused on his given task of reporting to Ser Denys and the Lord Commander that he either did not think to take the remaining horses with him. It was that or he did not judge the value of a few horses to make up for the delay that he would experience if he had to lead the rider-less horses back to the Shadow Tower.

Jon found his horse grazing in a field near where it had been left along with the horses that had been ridden by Alyn, Nelsor, Ronas and Warne. Ygritte immediately moved towards the chestnut mare ridden by Warne while Ysolda was more tentative in approaching the spotted grey horse that had been ridden by Ronas. After mounting their respective horses, Jon and Ygritte each grabbed the reins of one of the remaining horses and looked to Ysolda who, after a few failed attempts, successfully managed to mount her own horse.

Ygritte did not attempt to hide her amusement as she laughed impolitely at the failed attempts. Fortunately, the comments that she was muttering were lost on the wind as neither Jon nor Ysolda heard the assuredly critical remarks. When Ysolda had found her seat, Ygritte spoke, "If that's how you mount a man then it looks like I won't have to worry about you stealing my pretty lord. Hopefully you've enough experience on a horse to make the journey. Mance wouldn't be happy if you slowed us down."

"Worry about yourself," Ysolda countered as she fought a tinge of red that threatened to rise to her cheeks at the implications toward Jon and used her reins to direct her horse to stand beside Jon's mount, effectively forcing Ygritte to choose between riding beside her, behind Ysolda, Jon and the horse that he was guiding with the reins in his right hand or putting a horse between her and Jon, thus eliminating the chance for a private conversation between the two. "I know perfectly well how to handle myself."

"From what I saw earlier, you can use all the help you can get." If Ygritte noticed the maneuver, she did not mention as she took her place on the opposite side of Jon. "You're just lucky that we got here when we did."

Jon's head turned sharply to Ygritte. "That's enough. After all she's been through, now's not the time for petty squabbling. Whatever issues you have can wait."

Frowning at the rebuke, Ygritte gave the reins of her horse a shake which prompted the horse to trot forward.

Arya tried to wipe the frown of annoyance from her face when the helm was removed from her head and she pushed bran aside so she could take her position on Sansa's right. She saw no point in the pomp and circumstance that came with being a lady of a great house. I bet Sansa just loves this right now, she thought to herself while casting a sidelong glance at her sister who seemed to be made of wood for how stiffly she was standing. Let the lady have her princes to rescue her like the broads in the tales that she loves so much. Blech, why would she want to be rescued by someone? If I was in one of those stories then I would rescue myself!

Arya was broken from her reverie as the royal procession rode through the gates of Winterfell. Never before had she seen knights like this before. Sure, she had seen her father out with his bannermen but the attire of the north seemed dull in comparison to the gleaming armor of these southern knights. She saw a glum looking blonde boy riding in the midst of the knights and took that to be the prince, though she couldn't help but find him lacking in the kind of nobility that Robb and even Jon had when they rode.

Next to him was a large man with a helm in the shape of a dog. Even though being seated made it hard to tell for certain, it seemed that this was a big brute of a man from the way his helm remained visible no matter who rode in front of him to momentarily block her vision. Even when surrounded by the men who wore the gold helms and white cloaks, that Arya knew to be the kingsguard, the dog's head helm remained visible.

Arya cast a quick glance in Sansa's direction and saw her staring at the blonde boy as if the yellow of his hair was caused by him being made of lemon cakes. It took every ounce of restraint in Arya's body to stop her from rolling her eyes at the sight of Sansa who looked as if she wanted to scream out for the boy to make some kind of grand gesture to win her favor in front of everyone.

Scrunching her nose, as if she had smelled something ripe, Arya turned her attention to what could only be a royal litter. It was like a room on wheels, adorned with banners decorated with the sigil of a lion flying proudly on each corner. Behind the litter was a fat, old man surrounded by several members of the kingsguard. While Arya was tempted to roll her eyes at Sansa's reaction to the boy, she was even more tempted to burst out laughing if that slob turned out to be the king of the seven kingdoms.

From the periphery of her vision, Arya caught sight of her mother and father bending the knee and moved to follow suit while fighting against the laughter that threatened to break free. Arya's mirth only increased when a pair of boys, no older than Bran, rushed forward with large blocks that they placed next to the fat man's horse, allowing him to dismount with some semblance of dignity in front of the assembled peoples.

After dismounting, the man made his way straight towards her father and bid him to rise. The Lord of Winterfell rising was taken as a queue by all to follow his lead. While standing, Arya noticed the small bow of her father's head as he addressed the king, "Your Grace."

Seemingly displeased, the king's eyes scanned her father up and down before he proclaimed, "You got fat."

Though her father did not utter a word, his appraising look to the king's own protruding belly seemed to be exactly the response that the king was looking for as he burst out in a wheezing laugh while pulling her father into a warm embrace. After the men separated, Robert greeted her mother with a hug and proceeded to assess the Stark children.

He approved of the look of determination that he found in Robb's eye, noted how pretty Sansa was, grinned at the wildness that he saw in Arya and commented that Bran would make a fine soldier when he was a man, grown.

While this was happening, Jaime Lannister rode in on his white horse and removed his helm looking much more kingly than the actual king himself. At the same time, a tall blonde woman who looked like she would rather be anywhere else in all of Westeros stepped out of the litter and was treated with the reverence of a queen, and greeted accordingly by Arya's mother and father. The queen, Cersei Baratheon of House Lannister, moved to her husband's side and voiced her desire to sup in the castle after months of riding but the man was having none of it.

Instead he insisted that her father take him to the crypts because he "wanted to pay his respects."

Though clearly wary of the queen's withering gaze, her father would not deny his king such a simple request. He followed after the king and the two men disappeared into Winterfell causing the assembly to break up as her mother nodded to the master of horse signaling him to see the horses moved to the Winterfell stables as all other manner of settling in begun.

Not one for those kinds of affairs, Arya tried to make herself as small and discreet as possible as she moved to follow after her father and the king. Since everyone had assembled in the courtyard to greet the royal party, she did not have to worry about running into anyone on the way to the crypts so she was able to make good time catching up to the two men who were walking in a solemn silence.

Taking care to keep her distance from the men, Arya scampered from nook to cranny to keep herself out of view if either of the men decided to look behind them on the way to their destination. To her surprise, the two ended up in front of the bust of her aunt Lyanna. Since the men had stopped, Arya edged further into the small space between the final resting place of a Stark that had come long before her and the wall before lying down on her stomach and trying to be as still as possible.

"…everywhere I go, I see lion banners, Ned. They have me surrounded in my own castle. With Jon Arryn gone, I need someone that I can trust. I need this now, more than ever. Along the way here we were delayed by something I didn't think possible. The boy can do things, Ned. He can do things that shouldn't be possible…" The king's voice trailed off. "I've seen the skulls. I know that dragons existed but that time is done. The impossible was not possible. At least it wasn't until that gods' forsaken flash that swept through the land."

There was a silence before her father responded. "We saw the flash here too but we didn't know what to make of it. To think that such a thing was seen from here to Kings Landing seems like the musings of a madman."

"Aye, that it does," the king agreed heartily. "Then we found the boy. My first thought was to have him killed. Oh, don't look at me like that, Ned. Imagine if he was to use his abilities for war! He can summon ice and snow like what you would hear in a child's tale. What if he chose to use those powers against the realm? What if he chose to use those powers against me?"

"It was good of you not to have him killed," her father declared solemnly. "If you are truly worried about what his future may hold then you did the right thing in bringing him to your service. If any others begin to show that kind of power, it is better to have them in your ranks than rising up against you if they think that you will kill them for something that they had no control over."

The king laughed heartily at her father's words. "Right, you are! I hadn't even thought of it that way." The king's voice grew very serious. "So you think that there are others that may be able to do it too?"

"I have no way of knowing, your grace." Her father seemed to be choosing his words carefully. "I would expect that the answer is yes. Even though such a thing is rare, when I was a boy I heard the tales of people born able to see into the future and control beasts beyond any methods of taming. I hope that I am wrong but I can't help but to feel that maybe, just maybe, that flash was only the beginning."

"It's happening again Ned." The agitation in the king's voice was evident. "Just like when that bastard set the crown of beauty on my betrothed's lap, your sister's lap, this is something that cannot be ignored. Just like then, I need you at my side. You've always been the voice of reason in our friendship, let's make it official. You will be Hand of the King."

The sun fell from the sky then rose and fell again yet still the man dressed all in black continued his flight from the terrors that he had seen with an expression of sheer terror permanently set upon his face. The pursuit had become much easier for Ghost when the man's horse fell to the ground, never to rise again, after being pushed beyond the point of exhaustion. Still he did not reveal himself to the man directly.

After crossing the Wall, the connection to the one who cared expanded in the way that a small stream does when the warmth of summer melts away the cold of winter. Ghost's size was such that none of the lesser predators that claimed the land dared to come between the great hunter and his prey.

Without the man even knowing it, he was being herded in the direction that Ghost felt the connection to the kind one pulling him. As the sun's glow gave way to darkness, Ghost felt a presence in his mind that he had not felt since the battle with the cold ones.

Jon blinked and was momentarily disoriented by how close he was to the ground and how quickly he was moving. I'm with Ghost again, Jon thought with delight as he threw back his head and let out a whoop of joy that came out as a howl that pierced the silence of Brandon's Gift.

The howl must have startled someone as he heard a man's voice curse, "Damn wolves, stay back the lot of you!"

There was the sound of flint being struck and Jon saw a man garbed in the blacks of the Night's Watch clutching a torch in his left hand with a sword brandished in his right. Though it would have been difficult to tell without the additional light, Jon clearly recognized the young ranger who had left his brothers to be slaughtered north of the Wall when those creatures with the glowing blue eyes attacked.

Good work, Ghost, Jon thought in approval of the direwolf's decision to follow the man rather than come back to his side after the battle. We need him alive to figure out if he is merely craven or if he is a traitor like Alyn and those bastards from Eastwatch.

Though Ghost did not respond via thought, in the way that Jon had given the command, Jon felt sure that his companion had already determined to bring the man to him and was in the process of doing so. A menacing growl reverberated from Ghost's throat, causing the man to turn his attention to the impossibly large wolf that had attacked those blue eyed monsters who had slaughtered men of the Night's Watch as if it was child's play.

All hope of resistance in the man's eyes disappeared when he saw the creature that was pursuing him. Ghost's body surged forward in a burst of movement as a sharp bark broke the man from his stupor causing him to turn and run for his life.

I'll see you soon, Ghost, Jon promised as the torch light grew more and more distant. Bring him to me and I'll be sure to find a treat to make it worth your while.

Ghost's tail started wagging as Jon felt himself slipping from the direwolf's skin as the beast pushed forward in pursuit of the member of the Night's Watch who ran.

Jon woke with a start and pushed the furs that were covering him off his body.

Alteration: Warg +5000
Speech +500

Jon cast a quick glance towards Ysolda's sleeping form, wrapped in furs only feet away from him and then to Ygritte who had resolutely taken the spot on his other side upon seeing where Ysolda intended to sleep. After verifying that the dark-haired Darkling and the fire-kissed Free Folk girls were still asleep, Jon pulled up the Stargaryen Ring menu to check on his current quest.

Return to Winterfell
Main Objective: Make it back to Winterfell within two months.
Secondary Objective: Raise Conjuration, Alteration, Illusion and Restoration skills to level 10.
Tertiary Objective: Reach level 25 by the time that you reach Winterfell's gates
Rewards for Main Objective: 1,000,000 Experience. 500 gold. Permission to leave Winterfell and explore the world to your heart's content. Arrive in time to save ?.
Rewards for Secondary Objective: Save ? from a life as a cripple. Unlock ? quest.
Rewards for Tertiary Objective: Physical Evolution will occur earlier than normal, granting you increased likelihood of survival in your trials to come along with many other benefits.

It seems like we are likely to make it back to Winterfell within the two month period allowed by the main objective. It's the other objectives that seem less likely to occur. Let me check my stats to see where I am with my progress since finding myself north of the wall.

Jon Snow Level 20: 2,533,349/2,989,006

S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Perks

Strength: 6
Perception: 6
Sixth Sense – The ability to read body language and situations allowing you to predict the most likely future outcome. What you choose to make of the information acquired by this perk is up to you.
Endurance: 6
Charisma: 4
Situational Awareness – Basic understanding of how to compose yourself in a given situation to help obtain your desired results
Intelligence: 10
Deeper Understanding – Get the most out of the books that you read. You can now find more insights in the books that you read.
Read-Absorb –Absorb the content of a book to increase your knowledge of its subject. Time taken for successful absorption is equal to the amount of time it would take to naturally read the book.
Read-Experience – Experience the content of a book. Choosing this method will provide a much more comprehensive of the contents of a book.
Intermediate Mysticism – Allows recovery of MP at a rate double to your current Intelligence level per minute outside of combat.
Agility: 5
Luck: 5

I was able to update my S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Perks after the battle with the traitors from the Night's Watch. I'll have to work on getting the other perks up to the level of Intelligence but I can't help but think I am better off than I would have been if I had not put on the Stargaryen Ring in the first place.

Vitals

HP: 200/200
SP: 350/350
MP: 350/350

Right now, I'm all stamina and magic. I don't know what would be considered as typical health but I'll just have to try my best to avoid taking too much damage.

Skills

Archery 11 (200,300/205,500)
Overdraw 2: Bows do 30% more damage.
Tracking Shot: Anticipate the way your opponent will move and adjust your aim accordingly. Shots to the head do three times more damage than regular shots. Chance for instant kill based on level of opponent relative to level of Archery skill.

Blocking 11 (121,200/205,500)
Fundamental Defense: Blocks prevent 20% more damage

Evasion 14 (509,950/552,550)
Evasive Tactics: 30% more likely to evade enemy attacks

Light Armor 10 (51,950/102,400)
Agile Defender: 20% less damage taken when wearing Light Armor

Heavy Armor

One-handed 16 (767,450/846,036)
Armsman: One-Handed weapons do 20% more damage.
Dual-wield: Use one handed weapons with equal proficiency with either or both hands.

Two-Handed 13 (355,001/425,500)
Barbarian: Two-Handed weapons do 20% more damage.

Jon allowed himself a grin while viewing his combat skills. With the exception of the heavy armor skill, all of my combat skills are at level 10 or higher. At this point, my strength, endurance, agility and stamina have allowed me to face a sea serpent and a solo battle against three experienced members of the Night's Watch. I don't think that many would be able to make such claims… Really, how many people find themselves facing sea serpents throughout their lives and not only living to tell the tale but defeating it, as well?

Lock Picking 7 (10,500/12,800)

Pickpocket

Sneak 8 (16,580/25,600)
Stealth: You are 20% harder to detect when sneaking.

Speech 8 (24,851/25,600)
Taunt: Words have power. With your words you can cause people to act out of character often forcing errors and lapses of judgment. 30% chance of success against those with lower levels; effective reduced by 1% per level for targets with higher levels.
Negotiation: 20% more likely to reach a compromise
Command: The ability to give instruction and the likelihood that those instructions will be followed. The likelihood of a command's success depends upon the level of the one giving and the level of the one receiving the command, reputation and other variables.

Alchemy 8 (16,667/25,600)
Alchemist: Brewed potions and poisons are 20% more effective.
Potioneer's Instinct: Tasting ingredients will unlock their properties for use in poison and potion making.

Smithing 8 (18,000/25,600)
Apprentice Smithing: Craft beginner weapons and armor that are 10% more effective than standard weapons and armor.
Leather Working: Craft and improve leather apparel and armor twice as much

Enchanting 3 (500/800)

Jon furrowed his brow upon reading through the next set of skills. Even though only pickpocketing and enchanting are really low, none of the others have even reached level 10. Even if these skills may not come into play on the battlefield, they could be very important in the future. Alchemy and smithing are probably the least important along with pickpocketing. There are maesters to brew potions and smiths to craft armor and weapons, even if it may be cheaper to develop these skills so I can do so myself.

Being able to speak to others, to move without notice and to pick locks come in very handy in certain situations, as I have read about in the books that Maester Luwin provided for me. Pickpocketing though? The Warden of the North made it clear that he would not tolerate thievery on any level and I like having both of my hands too much to try and develop that skill.

Destruction 11 (128,500/205,000)
Fireball 4 – Intermediate (1,500/1,600): 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 8 – Basic (13,000/25,600): 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 7 – Basic (10,300/12,800): Destruction magic that allows the user to shoot frost crystals from their hands in an arc that can hit multiple enemies at the same time. Currently shoots three snowflakes. Cost 10 MP. Damage: 5 HP per frost crystal (Low likelihood of freezing opponent).
Sparks 6 – Basic (5,000/6,400): 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: 16 MP. Damage: 12 HP.
Magic Manipulation 10 (90,000/102,400): The ability to control the world as you see fit. The application of this skill is only limited by the creativity of the manipulator. If you can dream it, you can do it with Magic Manipulation. Level 10 Bonus: Your increased magical aptitude has increased. Damage from Destruction magic doubled and spells' cost for basic level destruction reduced by half.

Conjuration 3 (500/800)

Alteration 8 (15,000/25,500)
Warg 8 (15,000/25,500): The ability to enter and take control of another creature. The cost of this ability along with the variety of creatures that you can control is based on your relative levels and the familiarity between yourself and the creature that you wish to control. It will cost more MP to attempt to warg into a creature that is closer to your level and hostile towards you than it would to warg into the same creature if it was lower level and friendly towards you. The first time warging into a creature will have an additional MP cost to establish the warg link. As you warg more frequently with the same creature, the cost of warging into that creature will decrease.

Illusion 8 (13,500/25,600)
Magical Distortion 7 (12,000/12,800): Using magic, blend an object perfectly with other objects in the vicinity to hide it perfectly from the untrained eye. The number of objects that can be placed under a magical distortion vary based on magical reserves and the cost of the magical distortion will vary based on mastery of illusion magic.

Restoration 7 12,000/12,700
Magic Ward 7 12,000/12,700: There are two varieties of the basic Magic Ward. For 5 MP you can create a Magic Ward that will negate any damage from being taken from this spell. For 10 MP you can create a Reflective Magic Ward that will reflect the spell back upon the caster. Depending on your skill levels in other skills, either variety can be applied in a variety of ways which can then be used to negate damage.

Upon reading his magical skills, Jon frowned solemnly. For the second objective of the Return to Winterfell quest, I need to get all of these skills up to level 10 before returning. Even with the three weeks between today and the time that we have to get back, it may not be long enough to get all of these skills to where they need to be.

I'll have to push myself as hard as I ever did with the sword or the bow if I am to succeed in that part of the quest. Jon sighed as he looked around the camp at the sleeping Free Folk, catching sight of their sentry on the camp's perimeter. Even if I was able to convince them to let me go off and train, I doubt I could get away with doing magic so close to them without someone finding out. I'll have to tell Mance about my abilities if I want to have any chance of getting away from the group to train.

Jon closed the menu and pushed himself up from his position on the ground, intent on seeking out the leader of the Free Folk. Though he thought he did a good job of not disturbing the young women sleeping on either side of him, for a moment it seemed that Ysolda becoming restless and was on the verge of waking up before settling back into what appeared to be a peaceful slumber.

As Jon found his footing, again, his head swiveled between the sleeping forms of Ygritte and Ysolda to verify that his stealthy rise was unnoticed. On a whim, Jon called upon his magic and cast a pair of magical distortions in quick succession. The first was on the area where his furs had been set up. If anyone was to look at the spot, they would see exactly what was to be expected at that time of night, Jon Snow fast asleep. The second caused him to turn invisible, as he was able to do during his fight against Alyn and the other traitorous Brothers of the Nightswatch.

Sneak +200
Illusion: Magical Distortion +3000

As soon as Jon felt the rush of the magic leaving his body, Jon noticed Ysolda stirring. Turning his head toward her, he noticed that her eyes were open and seemed to be focused on where he was standing before she looked toward his sleeping shape and shook her head before settling back into her furs and turning her body so she was lying on her side facing the magical distortion that had replaced a sleeping Jon before closing her eyes again.

With as much stealth as his current Sneak level would allow, Jon walked away from the clearing where the Free Folk had stopped to make camp for the night. His path brought him to a body of water. Is this the Last River? Or could we possibly have made it to Long Lake already? Could this be another body of water entirely? Jon thought to himself while putting his hand on his sword, unwilling to be caught off guard in the event that mudcrabs or Mirelurks had already claimed the territory.

As Jon continued walking along the bank he felt his boots sink into the sand, while running his hand along an impossibly smooth rock face that had no imperfections to allow a man to climb to the top, and he noticed a slight feeling of magic in the air and which seemed to call out to him like a siren to a sailor lost at sea. This magical call seemed to increase in volume as he continued on his path. The impossibly smooth stone wall seemed to increase in size with each passing step until it was at least ten times higher than he was tall.

Eventually, the wall of stone started to decrease in size and Jon, after casting a glance toward the water, realized that on the opposite side of the water there was an equally smooth rocky surface that he imagined would fit perfectly against the rocky surface he was following to form a hill. He mused that in the days of the First Men that a giant swung a sword as sharp as cut the sword used by Lord Eddard Stark, Warden of the North when delivering the king's justice to any that would dare forsake the vows they took when swearing in as members of the Nights Watch to split the hill so cleanly.

When the stone rock face, had diminished to an extent that allowed him to step onto the hill, Jon did just that and continued to follow the magic that was calling out to him. On top of the hill was an exceptionally large tree that stood watch over the river surrounded by shrubbery. As he approached the large tree, there was a slight shimmer as it was revealed that there was a hole that seemed just large enough for a person to squeeze through if they so desired.

Though it was unclear where such a passage would take him, Jon remembered the last time such a place revealed itself to him. I have no desire to find myself transported north of the Wall again but who knows when I will have this kind of chance again while traveling with the Free Folk. Here goes nothing, Jon thought as he pushed himself into the opening.

To his surprise, the ground was much less stable than he had initially suspected and Jon found himself sliding downward through a dense layer of cobwebs that must have taken years to accumulate. When he finally came to a stop on level ground, Jon was unsure exactly how far he had gone. He had the feeling that he was much further underground than he had been when he had been running his hand along the outer face of the cave but how far underground was a mystery.

Still following the magical call that had brought him to the cave in the first place, Jon was able to locate an unlit torch on the wall and was not surprised when he was prompted to light the torches.

Use 50 MP to light the torches?

Jon tapped the 'Yes' pane that had appeared before him causing the torch to light followed by another in a passageway that connected the cave where he landed to the mysteries that lay beyond.

Destruction: Flames +500

Jon took a quick look around to make sure that nothing of interest had become visible with the light of the torch. Besides walls that were covered in thick cobwebs from the floor to as high as the light reached, there was nothing else to be seen in the cavern that Jon had somewhat unwittingly entered.

Jon followed the light, disturbing the webbing that seemed to cover every available surface of the cavern. If anyone else had found this place, it must have been ages ago. It would take years for a place like Winterfell to be so overrun. Jon thought with a quick snort. Lady Catelyn would have a fit if the castle fell into such poor keeping.

Jon continued walking until the passage ended in a thick web that spanned from one wall of the passage to the other. After a quick look around to make sure that none of the creepy-crawlies that had left the webbing were in the area, Jon raised his hand and gave it a firm push. Though the web did not stick to his hand, it also did not give to the force of his push.

Keeping his hand raised, Jon summoned a fireball which burned a hole in the center of the webbing before continuing into the next room and exploding on the floor in a shower of flames. Though Jon was captivated in the way that the webbing continued to burn until the entirety of the doorway was revealed in its entirety, his keen hearing picked up a frenetic tapping sound that seemed to be drawing nearer to his location.

Destruction: Fireball +350

Instead of charging into the newly revealed chamber, Jon retreated back through the passage that he had followed since his unexpected arrival in the cave. The strategic retreat provided Jon the opportunity to determine the source of the tapping sound as a large spider that stood as tall as normal dog scuttled past the door before turning to observe the broken webbing on the door.

Jon could see the black hairs along its body glistening in the torchlight but the large, hairy arachnid's body was far less intimidating than the creature's eyes. Unlike the other, smaller spiders that he had encountered throughout his life, this spider had two large eyes set above its dripping fangs that were far more like what he would see on a man. These large eyes were each surrounded by three smaller eyes that Jon supposed gave the spider a much wider range of vision than his own two eyes provided.

This expanded range of vision worked against Jon as the spider seemed to have caught sight of him even as he fell back along the corridor. The spider charged at Jon and shot a ball of webbing from its mouth at Jon as it closed the distance.

Not willing to risk being caught by the sticky substance with the prospect of those daunting fangs loomed, Jon channeled his magic quickly into his hands to create a Magic Ward to stop the projectile in midair before it fell harmlessly to the ground.

Restoration: +500 Magic Ward

Jon drew his sword but was forced to throw up another ward quickly as the spider spat another ball of webbing at him before pouncing and being deflected by the magic ward.

Restoration: +1000 Magic Ward

It only takes 5 MP to create the Magic Ward. Even after casting the fireball and three Magic Wards, I still have 285 MP. Even though I could probably take the spider out pretty quickly, I should probably take advantage of the chance to get experience for the Magic Ward. If it's 500 experience per warded attack, I'll get a ton of experience by letting it attack and then I can take it out when I run out of MP, Jon thought to himself as he cast another ward. I'll just have to be careful when I'm out of MP and attacking later.

Restoration: +500 Magic Ward

And so it went, the spider would attack with charges and blasts of webbing and Jon would defend with a magic ward. 56 attacks and 56 magic wards later, Jon finally ran out of MP.

Restoration: +28,000 Magic Ward

Fortunately, the spider did not seem to be the most intelligent or adaptable of creatures as it pounced forward in another attempt to sink its teeth into Jon's body to deliver the poison that continued to drip from its fangs. In this case, it did not bounce off of a magic ward but it sailed past Jon as he threw his body to the side while bringing his sword to bear with a heavy two-handed blow that cut deep into the spider's abdomen.

Evasion +300
Two-Handed +400

Though wounded, the spider turned quickly upon landing and lunged at Jon again. Jon hopped backward while bringing the sword down in a sweeping arc with both hands to cleave the spider's head in two.

Evasion +300
Two-Handed +400

Once the spider's limbs stopped twitching, Jon retrieved the loot from the spider and added it to his inventory.

Fanged Weaver Venom (2)
Weaver Silk (4)

I could probably collect the silk from the walls but, with as much silk as there is around here, there are probably plenty move of these Fanged Weavers to deal with, Jon considered while appraising the walls of the passageway. Also, I don't know how much more there is to this cave. I don't want to have to explain where I disappeared to Mance if I'm not back before the sun rises.

With his decision in mind, Jon again progressed through the passageway to the door that had been revealed before his encounter with the Fanged Weaver spider.

My Intermediate Mysticism lets me recover twice as much MP per minute as my current intelligence level. It'll take a bit under 20 minutes until my MP is recovered. Maybe I should use my bow to deal with any other spiders that may appear while my MP recovers. Jon acted on his decision as he sheathed his sword and withdrew the Hawksflight Bow from his inventory. This should also give me some Stealth experience if I am able to shoot the spiders before they see me.

Jon nodded to himself while readying the bow ahead of him as he explored the new chamber. Like the chamber that he found himself in initially, there did not seem to be anything in that chamber either. However, when Jon took his second step into the room, four Fanged Weaver spiders lowered themselves to the floor with strings of web extending to the ceiling to challenge the intruder.

Fortunately, the spiders did not seem to have much health. It only took two well placed arrows per spider to cause them to drop to the floor and succumb to the embrace of death.

Archery +3200
Fanged Weaver Venom (8)
Weaver Silk (16)

Though there was no visible exit from the room, there was a section of the wall that seemed to be much more densely covered in webbing than the standard coating on the walls and ceiling of the room. While holding his bow in his left hand, Jon unsheathed his sword with is right hand and struck the dense section of webbing.

One-Handed +100

Like with the fireball, his slash seemed to unravel the rest of the webbing that had concealed the room's exit. Sheathing his sword, Jon put an arrow on the bow's string to ready himself for the coming challenges. With a deep breath, Jon stepped through the exit into the passageway with his eyes constantly searching the walls and ceilings ahead of him for any other spiders that may be interested in turning him into a midnight snack.

This particular passageway winded further downward that the previous one that Jon had walked and it seemed to become narrower the further he walked until he reached and end that was, unsurprisingly, blocked by thick webbing. With a quick swipe of his sword, Jon was able to clear the webbing before stepping back and listening for the telltale tapping that would accompany an approaching spider… or spiders.

After a few moments without a sound, Jon dared to step forward and lean his body into the chamber to get a look around. This was by far the darkest chamber that Jon had encountered so far. There seemed to be only one torch at the far end of the chamber, at least as far away from Jon as the Stark table was from the entrance to the great hall of Winterfell.

Jon took a deep breath to steady himself before stepping forward and entering the room. Based on his previous experiences he drew his sword, expecting an enemy to appear before him. He took one step then another and he kept walking, feeling uneasy as his expectations were unmet by the large chamber that he had entered. Shaking his head, as if to dismiss the feeling of uneasiness that had been present since he entered the chamber, Jon sheathed his sword and continued walking through the chamber towards the source of light on the far side of the room.

After a hundred paces, Jon had just reached the center of the room. Without stopping, his head swiveled as he tried to see into the darkness that obscured his view of everything in the room besides the lone torch and the light from the passage that had brought Jon to his current location.

I have a bad feeling about this, Jon thought to himself. If only I had a way to light this room.

Jon stopped walking as he had a moment of inspiration. He raised his left hand while angling his palm towards the ceiling and pushed magic towards his palm while imagining how the light of the sun pierces through the darkness of night.

Nothing happened. Jon furrowed his brow and focused harder on his thoughts of the sun in the sky while pushing still more magic into his palm. After a long minute, Jon was ready to give up his efforts. Fortunately, just before he stopped channeling his magic there was a bright flash and a brilliant ball of light drifted up from his hand towards the ceiling.

Destruction: Magic Manipulation +5000

Conjuration: Light +5000
Light: Creates a ball of light that will float above you, illuminating your path. This ball of light will follow the caster as they move through the world. With finer control of your magic, you will have the ability to direct the ball of light as you please. 10 MP used per 30 seconds that the ball of light remains in existence.

Jon took a deep breath after he had used the majority of the MP that had recovered to cast Light. Magic Manipulation is my favorite. Though it may not be the best way to discover new magic since that cost much more MP than it should have for a spell that only requires 10 MP per second.

A drip on Jon's shoulder snapped him out of his musings as his head jerked upwards to see his Light spell had done exactly what it was meant to and illuminated a ceiling covered in Fanged Weaver silk. The Light also illuminated a Fanged Weaver spider that dwarfed the spiders that he encountered so far.

As the light reflected off each of the spider's beady eyes, Jon threw himself backward with a mighty leap just as the spider released from the ceiling and landed right where Jon had formerly been standing. Jon's last thought as he drew his sword and readied himself for battle: I should have saved my MP.

AN3: There you have it, chapter 18. I hope you enjoyed and aren't too upset about the cliff hanger! Please review and let me know your thoughts. I have a plan regarding where I see the story going but if you have something that you'd like to see, outside of a harem, let me know and if it can fit without causing the story to diverge too much from the direction that I have planned then I'll try to include it. the whole world is available for us to play with so let's have fun with all of the options that are out there in the world of Westeros.