CHAPTER 06: King's Landing Shadows
The city of King's Landing was a living, breathing beast of a place, a chaotic symphony of sights, sounds, and smells. Adam, with his newly minted Beginner-level Haki and a fresh supply of twenty daily uses per type, felt like a hunter in the wilderness. His senses were on high alert, his mind a whirlwind of meta-knowledge and survival instincts. The city was a maze of narrow, winding streets, of sprawling markets and bustling taverns, all under the shadow of the Red Keep. Ned was somewhere in the middle of it all, a man of honor trying to navigate a cesspool of lies and deceit. Adam, a man of modern sensibilities and a cheat code power-up, was here to make sure that the honorable man didn't get his head chopped off.
He spent the first few days just observing, blending in. He was a face in the crowd, a shadow in the streets. He used his Observation Haki sparingly, a constant, low-level hum in the back of his mind. He felt the auras of the people around him, a constant stream of information that his brain was slowly learning to process. He felt the fear of the smallfolk, the greed of the merchants, the arrogance of the Lannister guards. He felt the subtle auras of the Starks, a distant, familial warmth that was like a lighthouse in a storm. He felt Ned's aura, a stoic, sorrowful, and yet honorable light that was a stark contrast to the darkness that surrounded him.
"Okay, so Ned's here. He's doing the whole 'investigating Joffrey's parentage' thing. The plot is on track. I can't just go up to him and say 'Hey, I'm from the future and Littlefinger's a snake.' He'd think I was crazy. I need to get his attention, but in a way that makes me seem like an asset, not a lunatic. I need to be a hero, but a weird one. I need to be a protagonist."
He knew he couldn't just walk up to Ned and offer his help. He had to prove his worth. He had to make a name for himself, a small, local name that would eventually reach the ears of the Starks. He needed to be a legend, a whispered tale in the taverns, a man of impossible skill and strange powers. He needed a stage. And what better stage than a bar fight?
He found a tavern, a low-ceilinged, smoky place filled with a mix of dock workers, sellswords, and a few Gold Cloaks. It was the perfect place for a bit of controlled chaos. He sat in a corner, nursing a cup of cheap ale, and he waited. He used his Observation Haki, a few uses a day, to feel the auras of the people around him. He found his targets, a group of three thugs, all in rusty armor, all with an aura of malice and aggression. They were drunk, they were loud, and they were looking for a fight. They were perfect.
He waited for them to notice him, a young man in a clean, if simple, tunic, sitting alone. He was a target, a potential victim. They started with insults, then with threats, and then, a shove. The biggest of the three, a man with a brutish face and a thick, calloused hand, pushed Adam against the wall.
"What's the matter, boy?" the man sneered, his breath smelling of stale ale and rotten teeth. "You look like you've seen a ghost. Hand over your money, and we might just let you live."
Adam just looked at him, a slow, sarcastic grin spreading across his face. "Funny," he said, his voice calm and steady. "I was just about to tell you the same thing."
The thugs just stared at him, their faces a mask of confusion. This wasn't how this was supposed to go. The victim was supposed to beg, to plead, to offer up his gold. This one was… mocking them.
"What did you say, boy?" the brute said, his voice a low growl.
"I said," Adam said, his grin widening, "Give me your money, or I might just let you live. But I doubt it. You guys look like you've been skipping leg day. I'm guessing you're not a very good loot drop."
The thugs, now filled with a mixture of rage and confusion, charged at him. They were a wave of rusty metal and ragged clothes. They were a blur of motion and sound. They were fodder.
Adam took a deep breath, channeling all his remaining daily uses of Armament Haki into his hands and feet. The system messages were a blur in the corner of his eye. He didn't care. He was in the zone. He was in the fight. He was the hero.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[ARMAMENT: BEGINNER (21/100,000)]
[ARMAMENT USES TODAY: 10/20]
He dodged the first swing of a rusty axe, his body moving with a speed and grace he didn't know he had. He countered with a hard, blackened fist, a single, powerful punch that sent the man flying backwards, his body a broken heap on the ground. He dodged another swing, this time from a sword, and countered with a kick, his foot as hard as iron, that sent the man's weapon flying into the trees. He was a whirlwind of motion, a blur of power and speed. He was the OP king.
The bar fight was over in a matter of seconds. The thugs were a mess of broken bones and shattered teeth, all groaning on the floor. Adam, standing in the middle of it all, his clothes pristine, his face unscarred, just looked at the patrons, a small, triumphant grin on his face. He had won. He had made a name for himself. He had become a legend. A weird, sarcastic, nerd legend, but a legend nonetheless.
He flipped over a nearby table, sending a cloud of sawdust and spilled ale into the air. "Behold the legend!" he boomed, his voice a theatrical bellow that filled the tavern. "Behold the one true king of this place! Bow down before the man with the cheat code! The man who will save your asses from the real bad guys! I'm here to save you, and I'm here to be a pain in your asses while doing it!"
The patrons, all of them now silent, just stared at him, their faces a mask of awe and terror. They had never seen anything like it. They had never seen a man move so fast, hit so hard, and stand so tall. They had never seen a man who was so powerful, and yet so… weird. They had never seen a man who was both a hero and a complete lunatic.
Adam just smiled, a wide, confident grin on his face. He had won. He had made his move. He had become a part of the city, a part of the rumors, a part of the legend. He had become a part of the plot. He had become a part of the game.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[HAKI USE: CONQUEROR'S HAKI (5 USES). ARMAMENT HAKI (10 USES). OBSERVATION HAKI (5 USES). USES REMAINING: 15/20 FOR CONQUEROR'S, 10/20 FOR OBSERVATION. HAKI USE TRACKED.]
He had used up half his daily uses in a single, short fight. He was a Beginner, but he was still a human, with human limitations. He was a man with a cheat code, but the cheat code was still a part of a game with rules. He had to be smart. He had to be strategic. He had to be Stiles.
He made his way through the streets, a silent ghost in the city. He used his Observation Haki, his senses on high alert. He felt the auras of the Starks, a distant, but growing warmth. He felt Ned's honor, a light in the darkness. He was getting closer. The time to meet the hero, the time to become the hero, was now.
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