(???, ???)
He had to admit that the series hadn't given this gigantic structure the justice it deserved.
Stretching for god knows how long, was a freakishly tall wall made of solid ice, stone, and earth. Even looking at its sides, he could swear that he'd have caught a glimpse of it from miles away. Looking as blue as the sky that blanketed it, the Builder's greatest work was worthy of admiration.
The fact that it was as straight as a seven-hundred-feet-tall structure could be was the cherry on top. To think this was only one of the wonders this world had to offer.
[Host. I would not recommend staying around this area for too long. There is far too much magical output than should be the case in a world whose magic is supposedly declining…]
"Don't be such a worrywart, Sys. It's probably just the upgrades I requested from the ROB. Can't have this world be too boring, you know. No one likes straight-up powerwanks, that's just lazy writing."
He couldn't start acting all paranoid now, at any time. It was the lands beyond the wall; there shouldn't be anything too dangerous, especially this early.
[Host is contradicting earlier statements. Historical data would suggest otherwise.]
"Nah, you're just being a tsundere now. You're still mad I'm aiming for that hot blonde chick and that redhead girl? You know, it's not cucking if Jon is a girl in this timeline."
Like any self-respecting dimension hopper, he'd taken the time to genderbend everything's favorite broody 'not' targaryen bastard. Lord knows he'd smash that goth girl.
Both Lyanna and Rhaeger were on a league of their own, surely their daughter could only be better? Hmm, did this world even have goths? Maybe Asshai had them.
There was also muscle-girl Visenya, crazy Dany, seductive Arianna, and all those hotties he was going to savor once he was in a good position.
Right now, he was strong enough to survive beyond the wall, but that depended on the Night King still being stuck. So he was quite confident in his path.
Otherwise, why else would he let so many waifus survive their actual death scenes? It would be utterly foolish to let them all go. After all, he just wanted to provide them all a big home!
As a gentleman, it was his duty.
[I dare not instruct my host on what actions they can and cannot take. I'm merely here to serve you to the best of my abilities. Though you may not be their type as you are at the moment.]
Rolling his eyes at the fact that his system wasn't even trying to keep up the robotic act, the young traveler glanced eagerly towards his surroundings.
When he turned to look at his hands, he was left dumbstruck by what he'd seen. "Sys, why the fuck are my hands so girly?"
[I don't understand. Host is still male in all the ways that matter.]
For a supposedly emotionless system, that was far too much sass.
"What's the fucking point of having a cock if I look female enough? I'm in the lands beyond the wall. I'm both fucked literally and metaphorically!!!"
Hell, he wasn't sure this body could even lift weights, this was not what he signed up for!
[Calm down, Host. At the moment, the savages are the least of your worries. I'm sensing a dangerous amount of magical energy heading towards us.]
Pause. He took a step back to let that sink in.
"WHAT!" He was genuinely panicked right now. Setting his looks aside, he was in no way, shape, or form to start taking on any of this world's powerhouses.
Why the fuck didn't you say anything? Where and how? Didn't the ROB say he had some time before the Night King would strike, or was he twisting his words and meaning a few seconds?
Fuck. He should have spent less time stroking his dragon to the mother of dragons and more time on actually planning this shit.
[Host. This is not the time to be thinking of your…]
"Shut up, Sys." He snapped. This wasn't the time for this shit, right now he had bigger things to deal with than talk about his precious little brother.
…
Unbeknownst to the two, who were supposed to be panicking at the moment, but were getting far too distracted by the sound of their own voices. Close by stood none other than a victorious protagonist.
A being dangerous in its own right.
His sage green eyes were staring dryly at one of the most dangerous invaders a world could play host to.
A transmigrator in their natural habitat. One who was equipped with the legendary system that many fellow travelers both wished for and dreaded. As the Chinese like to say, it was a goldfinger that was one of a kind.
Either you risk being smote to kingdom's come, lose more inches than you had, or be dropped in the infamous lands of Boku no pico.
Of course if you got the real good shit, then you'd have the chance of becoming the most ridiculously overpowered character in the setting you were placed in. Unfortunately, to be eligible for that good shit one would have to be the goofiest little shit, the edigiest cunt or the most horny motherfucker that world has seen.
How else was the bloody author supposed to force plot down the readers throats if he didn't give his already dumbass of a character a visible weakness that can be ruthlessly exploited just so he can live out his power wank.
Oops, he'd gone on a rant.
Cough, definitely just him and not the annoyed author-san who'd just read about one of the most disgusting MCs to ever grace this platform. Cough.
Reaching out towards the dimension traveller with his aura. Erlend was surprised by just how weak the system felt. Erlend had purposefully left some of his divine power on Jinhua, having it move menacingly closer and distract the two parasites.
Hell, she wasn't even being aggressive, just casually inching closer every few seconds.
A normally powerful system would have been able to tell the difference immediately. Though this one appears to have been taken right off the conveyor belt.
The situation would be extremely amusing if not for the fact that this was the exact reason the Night King was able to invade other worlds. Incompetence could bite everyone's asses after all.
He was curious what this brat did to the ROB that placed him in this situation. Then again, it was none of his business.
'How about I have some fun with these two?'
It's not every day one gets to put a dimension hopper in their place. Sure, Erlend could count as one, but he had never claimed he wasn't a hypocrite.
With everyone already evacuated in anticipation of this event, there was no need to delay any longer. With Erlend making sure to communicate the necessity of staying as far away as possible, Jinhua stopped approaching the pair menacingly and moved further away from the wall.
If one was close to her, they would notice a wind cyclone forming around the large dragon, not unlike Aang during his avatar state. Erlend wasn't taking any chances.
Realizing the scary magical entity was moving away from their direction, the two let out simultaneous sighs of relief, only to freeze in place as they felt a sudden shift.
Of course, that was hardly the only reason.
Appearing right behind the traveller, Erlend calmly grasped the parasite by his shoulders. "Keep your eyes straight, you're in for quite the treat." He suggested helpfully.
The traveller let out an audible whimper as the God-Kings' power washed over him, primal fear taking over his movements and forcing him into a flee or yield stance.
Erlend wouldn't have minded if it were a certain golden-haired traveller from the void. Unfortunately, one can't have everything these days.
Manifesting his divine power plainly for the little shit to feel, Erlend let it spread towards the legendary structure, the very same one that had caught the attention of the traveller upon touchdown.
It started as a whisper. A mild buzz that one could easily ignore. Yet, it felt off, like the calm before the storm.
A sage green hue illuminated the skyline, emitting a warm and comforting glow as he allowed his power to take hold. The tightly held control that kept it at bay finally withered away.
Glancing towards the calamity that appeared in human form, Erlend was disappointed. All that planning, all that worry, and what did he get?
A fucking trap. One who wasn't remotely prepared to face the dangers that he'd forced upon this world. Oh yes, he clearly understood now why this world was buffed to ridiculous margins.
It was because of blind overconfidence, one that likely had this fool enslaved as soon as the Great Other felt his entry.
Truthfully, he had no idea if it was a random ROB playing games, but the weakness in the system was enough to explain the elaborate conspiracy that had been put in place. How else would an entity as abnormal as it, fail to sense his presence?
Even the Great Other would have been able to deal with the system as it was right now, and he was a just world-class threat, hardly something worthy of taking on a system.
Even if he shielded himself, surely an entity like it should have felt something odd.
Oh well, there was no point in continuing this endeavor. A mind as unprotected as this fool's was like a blank sheet to someone like him.
Truly the ultimate generic ASOIAF protagonist, just none of the edginess and strength needed to pull it off. He was certainly lustful enough, and that couldn't be denied. Both their eyes remained on the admittedly breathtaking structure as the ground rumbled.
The brief buzz became a tremor that could be felt throughout the continent. From Sunspear to Winterfell, the continent's inhabitants all felt it.
Crash!
That was all the warning anyone would get as a loud, booming, and crashing sound reverberated throughout the Realm.
Just like that, a structure that had stood for thousands of years had disappeared thanks to the ambitions of a single man.
What followed was a noticeable drop in temperature, accompanied by a change in cloud cover. The circumstantial snowfall was then accompanied by brief flurries that covered the regions closest to the late structure.
Yet, that was neither here nor there. No, for the three abnormalities that had personally witnessed the Wall's collapse, their focus remained on the clear sight in front of them.
Erlend's shields having protected them from harm.
Just looking at the traveller's expression, one could imagine the horrifying sight he'd borne witness to. The fact that Erlend had playfully allowed the aftermath of his actions to reach mere inches away from the fool with the shields only activating at the last minute was irrelevant.
Speaking out once more, Erlend gave the fool a sympathetic glance. "No harsh feelings, kiddo, but you done fucked up. You fucked up so badly that I had to fix the mess you inadvertently created." He explained.
"Not sure what's going to happen to you, but I'm sure you and the ROB that put you in this situation, are going to answer for your fuck-ups. Do keep your hopes up, perhaps they'll be merciful."
In his fit of rage, the ROB had helpfully added to the workload of the old man, and that's not something you want to be responsible for.
He didn't bother explaining who 'they' were. Frankly, he had no clue who 'they' were either, and didn't have the motivation to look for answers that weren't his concern. There's being curious, then there was being stupid.
Erlend preferred that he stay clear of the latter. Even as strong as he'd become, the God-King was well aware of the gap between him and the old man.
With a firm squeeze of his hands, a sage green aura encompassed the traveller. The sheer power it radiated was enough to break up the structure of the traveller's body, not even the system was spared as it tried to resist the aura.
It was failing, horribly, at that.
For all its snark, the system tried to give as it got, attempting to protect its host from the deity, but it was far too weak. That ROB must have a vendetta against the kid. It was the only logical conclusion Erlend could come up with, seeing the failure in person.
Oh well, no skin of his teeth.
Watching the makeup of both entities collapsing in front of him, Erlend gave the two a second of silence as a respect for their passing.
The energy contained within them was swiftly absorbed into a ready-made Arkenstone. Due to the remarkable compatibility between the two, there was no need to make use of a second Arkenstone.
Of course, he immediately flared his aura throughout the area, even sparing some of the energy that was in the process of destroying what remained of the wall and absorbing the magical energy within it, seeking to find any traces of the two that might have managed to escape.
This wasn't him being paranoid. Practically demanded that no stone be left unturned.
Not to mention, Erlend wasn't feeling a revenge arc. They were just too cliche for his liking. He was sure there were more than enough underdog stories out there. It wasn't necessary to turn this into one.
Observing the calamity still unfolding ahead of him, the young ascendant was unsure what lay ahead, but he was sure that he was going to enjoy the peace, for as long as it lasted anyway.
…
(Malora Hightower, Firmridge)
Scattered visions surrounded her at every angle.
Scenes of what could come, what could have been, and what had already passed, all tried to grab her attention.
It was a draining ability her beloved had gifted her. Though one that offered her so many possibilities, greatly increased the discoveries she would unveil, as well as guide her actions at key moments.
Erlend had warned her not to get too reliant on these visions, useful as they were, they held the risk of limiting her view and forcing her onto a singular path. The irony of that hadn't been lost on them.
It was the same reason Brynden had failed so spectacularly, after all. His inability to adjust and adapt ultimately led to his biggest failure.
Yet, she couldn't ignore one vision.
One vision that stood out to her. Regardless of what path or action was taken, the minute Erlend had dealt with the traveller, one future shone brighter than all others. Eclipsing them in its surety and grandeur.
A globe encased by sage green vines, vines that appeared to be reaching out for the stars themselves…
One would have to be a fool to ignore the obvious implications of this scene. Erlend's descendants would achieve something no dynasty could ever claim to. Not even the Great Empire of the Dawn.
Malora wondered just how far off such a future was, and at what cost?
There was no need to think too much about it. Like her beloved, she had come to realize that for all their plans, there would come a time when their hands could no longer pull the strings.
If humanity were to break free from the stagnant chains that held them back for so long, then the younger generation had to be pushed forward.
Oh sure, she didn't doubt that Erlend had initially just done it to get away from the paperwork, but she could see the pride in his face every time Edmund took charge. It was not the sign of a man unwilling to take a step back.
Something few rulers truly came to terms with. She knew that well enough from observing the actions of their predecessors.
Aegon's guilt, Aenys' softness, Maegor's cruelty, Jaehaerys' rigidness, and Alysanne's naivety.
A dynasty built upon division and single-mindedness from the very start, one that was destined to fail. If it wasn't the Baratheons, then it would have been the Lannisters, Martells, Starks, or the Arryns.
All of them would have been thrown onto the path of rebellion one way or another. Now… She foresaw greatness in them. One built on loyalty and steadfastness.
Kingdoms would turn to continents, continents would turn to stars, and from there, even she was limited in what she could foresee.
That, that was the future of this world and the Crown that would unite it.
As for Erlend and his lovers. Only time would tell what path lay ahead for them. Her lover was a restless being, one who sought discoveries, culture, and history. She was confident he sought far more than this world had to offer.
Especially now that the path he'd paved for his descendants was as clear as daylight.
She was ready to accompany him all the way. No matter the mystery that lay ahead, after all, even with all her new power, she still failed in predicting his future.
======
Note: Wow, that's basically it for now. I'll probably add an epilogue later on, one that leaves room for me to explore any future path Erlend might take and his relationships. Fingers crossed I guess!
Sure, it was kinda outrageous the way I had Erlend deal with the troublemaker, but there was either going overkill or just stabbing the schmuck, bolton style. At least man died with a once in a lifetime view. As for the essence of this fic… This is a power wank, that's basically it once you strip it down layer by layer. Someone once told me that it was the best way to start when you have no idea what you're doing (I still don't tbh) and just starting out. It kinda helped, giving me a better idea of what I want to write going forwards, which is a mixture of weak-to-strong and strong-to-stronger scenarios.
I might stick to the ASOIAF/HOTD universe on my next project as I hinted in my previous chapter, or I'll explore other verses, but with far better thought and research being put into them (pinkie promise and all that rot). It was a decent enough journey I suppose, so cheers to you lot!