Chapter 96: Taking Stock
After leaving the Dragonpit, Ian sent most of the remaining sellswords, including Bronn, to a house by the waterfront to await orders. He claimed he was going to the Red Keep to reclaim his honor and would then send for them.
Using this as an excuse, Ian successfully dismissed the sellswords, keeping only the obviously loyal Dorian "Black Falcon" and his two most trusted companions.
Ian had originally considered taking a large portion of the Black Falcon sellswords to Pentos, but that was a plan drawn up when "all was well." If it weren't for the City Watch attack, Ian could have found many reasons, along with coin, to convince them to accept his new identity.
But now they were fugitives, and if he lost his identity as "Lucien Lannister," Ian was unsure what would happen.
He didn't even dare keep Bronn.
To care for Roel's injuries, Ian bought a wagon in King's Landing and left through the Lion Gate with his few remaining men.
Dorian had expressed doubts during this time, but after Ian explained his reasoning, he dutifully obeyed.
The group headed north along the Rosby road, the most direct route from King's Landing to Duskendale.
That evening, Ian and his companions finally reached the Rosby family holdfast, barely larger than a village.
Due to the darkness, they decided to rest there for the night.
Ian finally found time to review his time in King's Landing.
After logging into the system, the first thing he saw was a stack of new messages in his inbox.
In chronological order, they were:
[Completed Bounty Quest 2, 'Treasure Hunt' King's Landing]
[Your forces successfully killed a player, earning 2 points, 1 loot point, and 1 bonus Spirit]
[Your forces successfully killed a player, earning 2 points, 2 loot points, and 1 bonus Strength]
Judging from these two messages, around the time the gold cloaks attacked him, Ser Grantham had successfully ambushed the Pentos players, eliminating two of them.
Then there was last night's report:
[Day 28 Report, Current Players Remaining: 56]
King's Landing didn't have that many casualties. Judging by this data, there were undoubtedly player conflicts in several other cities with treasure chests.
The final message came early this morning.
[Successfully killed one player, earning 4 points, 18 loot points, 3 skill points, 1 Basic Skill Scroll of Choice, and 4 bonus Strength points.]
This was clearly the reward for killing the gold-cloaked player. Since Ian had personally thrown the torch that ignited the wildfire in the tunnel and killed him, his gains weren't halved.
Judging by the skill points, Basic Skill Scroll of Choice, and a full 18 loot points,
the gold-cloaked player had apparently also completed the entry-level achievement "Butcher" (personally killing 3 players), and he hadn't spent any points on clues.
In other words, Ian's deductions while cornered in the temple had been largely accurate.
This made Ian wonder: if the gold-cloaked player had been willing to spend the points and buy all four clues, would he have been able to connect the tunnel in the Stranger's Temple with the Dragonpit the moment he saw it?
Coupled with the fact that the books mentioned large caches of wildfire hidden in the Dragonpit, he might not have personally entered the tunnel to pursue them.
Of course, there are no what-ifs in reality, and everyone has their own flaws.
He was greedy, the gold-cloaked man was cheap; each paid the price for their shortcomings.
Shaking his head, he stopped his wandering thoughts and began checking the updated data panel.
Last night, he had purchased a 20-point potion to save Roel, and this morning he had spent another 10 points to expand his inventory.
The final updated data was:
[Ian: Strength 32, Agility 27, Spirit 7.
Skills: Basic Etiquette, Basic Common Tongue Reading and Writing, Advanced Swordsmanship, Advanced Horsemanship, Intermediate Lance.
Attribute Points: 0,
Skill Points: 6,
Points: 26.
Items: 2 Basic Skill Scrolls of Choice.]
Besides the data on the panel, Ian's current wealth included 6,500 gold dragons in his system inventory, some loose change carried by Kes, and a two-handed Valyrian steel greatsword.
His subordinates included two powerful warrior priests, Roel and Kes, the Dornishman Denzel whom he had already recruited before leaving King's Landing, and Dorian the Black Falcon, whom he was about to recruit.
"Dorian, come here. I have something to tell you." After completing his post-battle assessment, Ian waved Dorian over.
Ian was always a good judge of character, and he trusted Dorian's loyalty after he'd avenged his adoptive father.
After leaving the Dragonpit, Rebecca passed a dilapidated watchtower and began descending a winding staircase down Rhaenys's Hill. The buildings north of the Dragonpit were nearly completely abandoned, as if they hadn't been inhabited for a century.
Descending the moss-covered steps, she finally entered the vibrant city proper.
She then walked through two alleys before arriving at a three-story timber building. From the door hung an ornate lamp, shaded with leaded red glass, suspended from a heavy chain.
"Chataya's establishment, Littlefinger's brothel," Rebecca muttered, then stepped inside.
"Janos Slynt," Petyr said, looking at the newcomer with a peculiar smile. "The Commander of the City Watch has arrived."
Upon hearing this, Varys immediately turned to the short, stocky, balding man who had just entered the council chamber. "Do you know why we've summoned you?"
"The bloody mess in Flea Bottom?" Janos said gruffly. Ever since he'd received the report that his entire company of gold cloaks in Flea Bottom had been wiped out, he knew the Small Council would summon him sooner or later.
"Very good, we're getting somewhere," Varys nodded.
"It's not about that?" Janos looked at the bald eunuch in surprise.
"It is about that, but not directly," Petyr interjected and produced an envelope from his pocket. "Here is a letter detailing the proceeds of your corruption and bribery over the years."
"Absurd!" Janos's toad-like face immediately flushed red. "This is slander! Complete slander!"
"It lists in detail your practice of selling positions over the years, as well as your acceptance of bribes from lower-ranking officers. Additionally, it mentions the truth about the mysterious deaths of the two witnesses Lord Arryn found when he accused you before." Petyr ignored Janos's rebuttal and spoke calmly.
"I told you it's slander!" Janos still insisted, but his tone was no longer as confident as a moment ago.
(End of Chapter)
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