Willfred
At a steady pace, Willfred walked down the hallway that led from his room. The heavy armour slightly hindered his movement, but … morethere was no way he'd leave the castle without it. And there was no way he wouldn't leave the castle. Willfred had thought about it closely, as he had carefully put on each piece of his armour, from the quilted gambeson to the leather and finally the heavy plate.
The city was in danger. More than that, Willfred wasn't even sure if the guardsmen could hold it on their own. The Stormlander princess had realized that and Willfred had to admit that she was right. Of course she hadn't asked for his help, but Willfred wouldn't just stay behind, leaving all of the glory to her and her soldiers.
“Fuck...”, someone mumbled, walking through the open doorway to his right and stumbling into Willfred, who was paying attention too late. He remained standing, but the man who bumped into him staggered backwards. Wi… [view original content]
Willfred
At a steady pace, Willfred walked down the hallway that led from his room. The heavy armour slightly hindered his movement, but … morethere was no way he'd leave the castle without it. And there was no way he wouldn't leave the castle. Willfred had thought about it closely, as he had carefully put on each piece of his armour, from the quilted gambeson to the leather and finally the heavy plate.
The city was in danger. More than that, Willfred wasn't even sure if the guardsmen could hold it on their own. The Stormlander princess had realized that and Willfred had to admit that she was right. Of course she hadn't asked for his help, but Willfred wouldn't just stay behind, leaving all of the glory to her and her soldiers.
“Fuck...”, someone mumbled, walking through the open doorway to his right and stumbling into Willfred, who was paying attention too late. He remained standing, but the man who bumped into him staggered backwards. Wi… [view original content]
Willfred
At a steady pace, Willfred walked down the hallway that led from his room. The heavy armour slightly hindered his movement, but … morethere was no way he'd leave the castle without it. And there was no way he wouldn't leave the castle. Willfred had thought about it closely, as he had carefully put on each piece of his armour, from the quilted gambeson to the leather and finally the heavy plate.
The city was in danger. More than that, Willfred wasn't even sure if the guardsmen could hold it on their own. The Stormlander princess had realized that and Willfred had to admit that she was right. Of course she hadn't asked for his help, but Willfred wouldn't just stay behind, leaving all of the glory to her and her soldiers.
“Fuck...”, someone mumbled, walking through the open doorway to his right and stumbling into Willfred, who was paying attention too late. He remained standing, but the man who bumped into him staggered backwards. Wi… [view original content]
Willfred
At a steady pace, Willfred walked down the hallway that led from his room. The heavy armour slightly hindered his movement, but … morethere was no way he'd leave the castle without it. And there was no way he wouldn't leave the castle. Willfred had thought about it closely, as he had carefully put on each piece of his armour, from the quilted gambeson to the leather and finally the heavy plate.
The city was in danger. More than that, Willfred wasn't even sure if the guardsmen could hold it on their own. The Stormlander princess had realized that and Willfred had to admit that she was right. Of course she hadn't asked for his help, but Willfred wouldn't just stay behind, leaving all of the glory to her and her soldiers.
“Fuck...”, someone mumbled, walking through the open doorway to his right and stumbling into Willfred, who was paying attention too late. He remained standing, but the man who bumped into him staggered backwards. Wi… [view original content]
If they don't bring the soldiers then there's no point in going at all. The only reason to help would be to make a difference in the fight and two men won't make that much of a difference.
You certainly got a point there. That said, Willfred and Roger are both knights and therefore far better than the average soldier. Willfred himself is a prodigy swordsman and Roger is a renowned archer, so together they wouldn't exactly be useless. They would certainly be able to achieve more with their men though.
Man, screw Edward! This is insane and Edward's proven that he has no concern for the lives of those around him. I see no good reason to stay.
Understandable, very understandable. Edward really doesn't care for the lives of the Ironborn in the slightest. However, he has shown at least a bit of concern for Alys' life in the past, though it is at the very least questionable if he is concerned for her in this situation, so close to success.
[Take the soldiers with you] If they don't bring the soldiers then there's no point in going at all. The only reason to help would be to mak… moree a difference in the fight and two men won't make that much of a difference.
[Leave with Wilbur] Man, screw Edward! This is insane and Edward's proven that he has no concern for the lives of those around him. I see no good reason to stay.
Yes,about that.. what if there is some problem with the gates? If we lose the castle we can only lose the war
You mean if someone was dastardly enough to sabotage the gates? I don't know, in that case there would be quite the problem. People would die. It's a bit of a question where you'd like the soldiers from the Rock to be. Keep in mind, they are only about a dozen.
Why I have a good feeling that the manticore will be crucial for the death of a certain character?
Well, it certainly will play a role in the future. I originally wanted to give this subplot more screentime in this chapter, but I ended up not having enough room for it, since Willfred is the last PoV in the castle and there are more urgent matters at hand. Let's just say, it will be crucial for something and I'm sure you'll see it when it comes up.
Edward want,together with his brother,to use the dragons...but for what reason?And why he said that the book is only another step to reach that goal?
Ah yes, a little glimpse of Edward's plans. He does indeed plan to take control of the Targaryen dragons, mostly because they are among the most powerful beings in the known world. His brother Nain already has taken control over a very small kingdom in the old ruin city of Vaes Khadokh in central Essos, so worldly power is at least his goal. Edward meanwhile is the ambitious one in the family, so his plans go a bit further than Nain's straightforward goals. All that can be said is that obtaining the book he is looking for won't be all he has to do. That would be a bit too easy, wouldn't it?
The walls. The gates. A dozen men can hold this castle against a hundred
Yes,about that.. what if there is some problem with the gat… morees? If we lose the castle we can only lose the war
[Leave the soldiers at the castle]
About the other choice I think that I can like each of the two outcomes so I will refrain to give a choice
RT:
* Why I have a good feeling that the manticore will be crucial for the death of a certain character?
* Edward want,together with his brother,to use the dragons...but for what reason?And why he said that the book is only another step to reach that goal?
Eh, yeah. Yeah sure. Not sure if the gate can be fixed.
Problem is, they haven't even realized it at this point. They had no need to lower the gates so far, so they are completely clueless about the danger they are in. Though even if they would realize it right now, fixing a gate is something that takes quite a bit of time.
Hm. I bet Sherryl took Taros for her bow.
A good theory. She had the opportunity to take him and a motive, so it is likely. This detail will play an important role in the near future, so keep an eye out for it!
[Leave the soldiers at the castle]
Eh, yeah. Yeah sure. Not sure if the gate can be fixed.
[Leave with Wilbur] No more blood for him.
Hm. I bet Sherryl took Taros for her bow.
[Leave the soldiers at the castle] The gate is sabotaged, which means the castle is fucked if we leave no one to defend it. I don't particularly like Tallian, but I have to agree with him on this - with or without the soldiers Willfred is just a small help in the city, whereas in the castle every man will be needed once it'll be attacked.
[Stay with Edward] Safe option? Nope. Interesting option? Hell yes! Besides, Edward's talk about trying to control the dragons makes me even more interested in what exactly is he searching from the archive. Man, Anturion is seriously giving some Euron vibes with his plans
Willfred
At a steady pace, Willfred walked down the hallway that led from his room. The heavy armour slightly hindered his movement, but … morethere was no way he'd leave the castle without it. And there was no way he wouldn't leave the castle. Willfred had thought about it closely, as he had carefully put on each piece of his armour, from the quilted gambeson to the leather and finally the heavy plate.
The city was in danger. More than that, Willfred wasn't even sure if the guardsmen could hold it on their own. The Stormlander princess had realized that and Willfred had to admit that she was right. Of course she hadn't asked for his help, but Willfred wouldn't just stay behind, leaving all of the glory to her and her soldiers.
“Fuck...”, someone mumbled, walking through the open doorway to his right and stumbling into Willfred, who was paying attention too late. He remained standing, but the man who bumped into him staggered backwards. Wi… [view original content]
[Leave the soldiers at the castle] Okay, I knew this moment would come. We gotta leave the troops behind or else the castle will fall. Without the castle, the citizens have no where to go. So even if we save citizens in the city, they'll still have nowhere to go. Plus, we don't want to make Tallian any more angry at us, because being on bad terms with one of your generals is never a good idea.
[Stay with Edward] Dang it! I really want to stay to see what's down there, but Edward just announce he is anti Team Targaryen. He seems like a very strong enemy, seeing how his brother rules an entire kingdom. If he got this book, it would only mean bad news for Team Targ. But I'm pretty sure leaving isn't going to work, because Edward wouldn't let his source of blood get away from him. So at least this way Alys stays in his good graces and either Carvin or Alisa don't get hurt by trying to stop Wilbur from taking Alys. But as soon as a viable chance for escape appears I'm taking it.
Willfred
At a steady pace, Willfred walked down the hallway that led from his room. The heavy armour slightly hindered his movement, but … morethere was no way he'd leave the castle without it. And there was no way he wouldn't leave the castle. Willfred had thought about it closely, as he had carefully put on each piece of his armour, from the quilted gambeson to the leather and finally the heavy plate.
The city was in danger. More than that, Willfred wasn't even sure if the guardsmen could hold it on their own. The Stormlander princess had realized that and Willfred had to admit that she was right. Of course she hadn't asked for his help, but Willfred wouldn't just stay behind, leaving all of the glory to her and her soldiers.
“Fuck...”, someone mumbled, walking through the open doorway to his right and stumbling into Willfred, who was paying attention too late. He remained standing, but the man who bumped into him staggered backwards. Wi… [view original content]
[Stay with Edward] I just want to see what's there so badly.
Okay, yesterday I attempted to start translating your fanfic. What can I say? I did enjoy the proccess but I became extremely disappointed when I realised that it took me an hour to translate only two pages. Dang. The prologue is 7 pages and some chapters are even bigger and I can only translate it with a speed of a turtle. The problem is that I can't spend a lot of time on the computer because of my bad eyesight. The only solution would be finding a team of people who'd be willing to help me but I'm not sure if ayone would give a shit. Plus, it needs administrating and I already ahve so many plans... I'm afraid that if I take up so many stuff, I won't finish any of this. I'm sorry.
[Leave the soldiers at the castle] I agree with the others, if the gates are destroyed we need to keep some men there.
[Stay with Edward] Not gonna lie, this choice really intrigues the hell outta me. And because it seems like this choice is going to win either way and I have no problem with it winning, I'll choose it
Willfred
At a steady pace, Willfred walked down the hallway that led from his room. The heavy armour slightly hindered his movement, but … morethere was no way he'd leave the castle without it. And there was no way he wouldn't leave the castle. Willfred had thought about it closely, as he had carefully put on each piece of his armour, from the quilted gambeson to the leather and finally the heavy plate.
The city was in danger. More than that, Willfred wasn't even sure if the guardsmen could hold it on their own. The Stormlander princess had realized that and Willfred had to admit that she was right. Of course she hadn't asked for his help, but Willfred wouldn't just stay behind, leaving all of the glory to her and her soldiers.
“Fuck...”, someone mumbled, walking through the open doorway to his right and stumbling into Willfred, who was paying attention too late. He remained standing, but the man who bumped into him staggered backwards. Wi… [view original content]
There's no need to be sorry, I completely understand the problem! I am not sure how long the story is exactly, but my guess would be somewhere north of 1500 pages. Translating a work of that length is something that consumes a massive amount of time and of course I understand that this is simply too much. I would have loved the idea of a translation, but in the end, if you don't have the time for it, then there's nothing that can be done about it. In any way, thank you very much for trying it
[Take the soldiers with you]
[Stay with Edward] I just want to see what's there so badly.
Okay, yesterday I attempted to start transla… moreting your fanfic. What can I say? I did enjoy the proccess but I became extremely disappointed when I realised that it took me an hour to translate only two pages. Dang. The prologue is 7 pages and some chapters are even bigger and I can only translate it with a speed of a turtle. The problem is that I can't spend a lot of time on the computer because of my bad eyesight. The only solution would be finding a team of people who'd be willing to help me but I'm not sure if ayone would give a shit. Plus, it needs administrating and I already ahve so many plans... I'm afraid that if I take up so many stuff, I won't finish any of this. I'm sorry.
Man, Anturion is seriously giving some Euron vibes with his plans
The funny thing is, Euron was a big inspiration for me while writing Anturion, even back before I realized what kind of a plan I was going to give him. Then I gave him his plan about the dragons and only then did I realize that it would make him even more like Euron. At least that aspect was a complete conincidence
[Leave the soldiers at the castle] The gate is sabotaged, which means the castle is fucked if we leave no one to defend it. I don't particul… morearly like Tallian, but I have to agree with him on this - with or without the soldiers Willfred is just a small help in the city, whereas in the castle every man will be needed once it'll be attacked.
[Stay with Edward] Safe option? Nope. Interesting option? Hell yes! Besides, Edward's talk about trying to control the dragons makes me even more interested in what exactly is he searching from the archive. Man, Anturion is seriously giving some Euron vibes with his plans
Man, Anturion is seriously giving some Euron vibes with his plans
The funny thing is, Euron was a big inspiration for me while writ… moreing Anturion, even back before I realized what kind of a plan I was going to give him. Then I gave him his plan about the dragons and only then did I realize that it would make him even more like Euron. At least that aspect was a complete conincidence
Willfred is going to leave the soldiers at the castle
Alys is going to stay with Edward
You know, I was kind of surprised by the choices, especially the second one. I was willing to bet that you'd take the chance to get out of there as quick as possible, though I can understand that you are curious. And since I have already planned the things that would happen there, I definitely approve of this choice. Ah well, both will have pretty heavy consequences and we're going to get to see them soon, since both characters will have one more part in this chapter.
I have started to write the next part and hope to finish it today. I unfortunately wasn't able to finish it yesterday as promised, because I have caught a pretty heavy cold that's still affecting me. However, I will finish it today. I have currently written a PoV for Samantha, but I am not sure if it will be the entire part. If there's still going to be room for it, the next part will introduce the new PoV for this chapter. If not, then this new PoV will be featured in the part after the next one. This will also mean that the next part won't feature a vote, because I don't think I'll be able to find one for Samantha now. The last time we've seen her, she was at the tavern, together with I'lian, Lenrianda, Nymeria and a heavily wounded Sasha. This was also the part where Davith got reunited with her, only to inform her that the Ironborn are rumoured to advance to the town centre, where the tavern is located. To remain as safe as possible, Samantha decided to barricade the upper floor, where they are located, since it is easier to defend against a larger force. It remains to be seen if this was a wise choice.
Before that, there might also be a new set of drawings that is actually thematically related to this part, so I hope you enjoy that one as well
It's amazing how you always manage to give each character their own distinctive look. I know I have praised the detail and everything before, but I'm not sure if I have ever praised just how unique each drawing looks. This is especially true for characters who don't have a particularly distinctive physical feature, but you still manage to give them something to set them apart, even after having drawn so many of the characters. One thing that stays always the same though is how much I enjoy these drawings. I was looking forward for this set a lot, especially as almost all of them, save for Jaro, will appear in the part I'm currently writing, though it was a bit of a coincidence that it fit so neatly together.
Anyways, I am not even sure which one I consider my favourite here. Before seeing all of them, I was pretty sure that it would be I'lian, because of how colourful he is. In fact, he is one of my favourites here, I'm especially loving that cape. But at the same time, Nymeria is awesome. I consider her to be one of the most visually unique characters in the story and your drawing of her certainly delivers on this. It is one of my favourite drawings, not only from this set. Another surprising favourite of mine is Jaro. I mean, compared to the flashy and extroverted I'lian, h's always been kinda the normal and unassuming guy, but there is something about his drawing that makes me appreciate him as a character far more. It also makes me really happy for the stuff I have planned for him. Lenrianda and Davith are great drawings as well of course and this is especially surprising to me because I had problems with getting an image of them in my head so far. Lenrianda's description from her submission is very basic, so basic that I struggled to even expand on it in the description I ultimately sent to you. Davith meanwhile has an odd problem, because he's the complete opposite, his description is among the most detailed I have received, so much that I have to force myself to focus on a couple of distinctive features to get a good mental image of him. Because of that, I was not sure what kind of drawing I could expect of them, but your version is so great that I surely won't have any problem with imagening them ever again. Thank you very much for them
“We need more chairs up there”, Nymeria said, pointing at the pile of furniture they had moved to the upper end of the stairs, effectively blocking anyone from entering the upper entrance. It almost piled up to the ceiling by now.. Samantha nodded grimly, though with a heavy heart. It had been her decision to fortify the upper floor, but Nymeria had taken it a step further, even more than Samantha was comfortable in doing.
“If any of the folks down there try to get up here...”, she started and Nymeria shrugged. “Well, that's unfortunate for them”, she replied dryly. “They don't matter to me” Samantha sighed. “So I've noticed”, she said. “Is there anybody in this building that matters to you, aside from Len?” Nymeria gave her a curious look. “You stood up for us when that swine wanted to kill us”, she said and the hint of a smile formed on her face. “I'd say you matter as well, you and your friends. We owe you”
“We do”, the voice of Lenrianda sounded from the doorway to their right. She was watching them through it, still a bit dizzy, but looking better again already. “And trust me, we'll repay our debts. Whatever it is, just say it and our blades will be yours”
She grinned, as Nymeria frowned at her. “And you were supposed to rest”, she said sternly and Lenrianda playfully rolled her eyes. “Will do, mother”, she chuckled, before she turned back to her room. “At least get me somebody to talk to aside from I'lian. That cocky grin starts getting on my nerves”
“You know I can hear you”, I'lian protested from inside the room. Lenrianda's smile grew wider. “I am well aware of that, hun”, she chirped, as she walked into the room again, leaving the door open behind her. She sat down on her bed, as I'lian flashed her a grin. “Nope”, she said. “Still getting on my nerves”
Nymeria rolled her eyes, as she turned to the makeshift barricade again. It was a small wonder that no one had tried to stop them, but Samantha knew, the people downstairs had more important things on their mind. She felt the same after all.
“So, you and Lenrianda”, she started and Nymeria looked up. “How far does that one go back?” Nymeria narrowed her eyes for a second. “She saved my life”, she answered. “In more than one way actually” Her hand moved to her belly. “You can't see it, but I've got a pretty nasty scar there. Got run through with a spear. Left to die. And I would have, if Len wouldn't have found me”, she chuckled. “It's nothing I like to speak about, but she saved my life on that day. And she gave me a reason to carry on”
“Which one?”, Samantha asked and Nymeria sighed. “I owe her. It's a debt I have to repay one day”, she answered. “I know, a crappy reason, but better than nothing. And on that day, it meant the world for me. She meant the world for me and she still does”
In this moment, Davith came out of a room, carrying a chair. “Where can I put that one?”, he asked and Nymeria raised an eyebrow as she stopped her tale. “Over here”, she ordered. “Honestly, I don't know how long this can hold, but as long as it helps a bit, it'll be worth it”
As Davith walked over to the barricade, Nymeria glanced at Samantha. She moved to the door that led to the others. “Say, why don't you check up on these two?”, she suggested. “I'm afraid if we leave them alone for longer, they're going to kill each other. Or worse, they could end up fucking”
Samantha smirked. “Alright. I'll leave you two alone for a bit”, she said, as she opened the door and entered the room. I'lian looked up from his bed, while Lenrianda rolled her eyes. “Thank the gods, someone else to talk to”, she groaned. “And not a moment too late”
I'lian shrugged, grinning as always, as Samantha shot him a questioning glare. “Hey, I just mentioned that we have a lot in common, she and me”, he said, to which Lenrianda sighed. “Absolutely nothing”, she replied. “For starters, I'm the good looking one” I'lian raised an eyebrow. “You called me handsome before”, he stated.
“I was joking”, Lenrianda laughed. She grinned at Samantha. “Glad you're here. Feels good talking to someone that doesn't try to get in my pants for a change” She sighed, though she gave I'lian a wink as she lay back on her bed. “So, how's Nym doing?”, she asked and for the first time, there was serious concern in her voice. “She says I should be resting, but after the beating she took...”
“She seems fine”, Samantha assured her. “Though she's really worried for you” Lenrianda gave her a nod. “Yeah, I know”, she said glumly. “It's actually kind of sweet, but still... she's doing too much. Wanting to repay that damn debt she thinks she owes me” She shook her head. “Running with the Sons has been my idea. She went with it and it nearly got her killed”
“Both of you”, I'lian interjected and she rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you're right”, she moaned. “Perhaps I should thank that egghead for not breaking my skull” For a second, genuine gratitude flashed through her eyes. “And I should certainly thank you, for Rodrik” Her smile was wolfish, but gentle. “It's rare to meet someone who'd do that for you. Even more baffling since we barely know each other”
Samantha reciprocated the smile. “What can I say, I'm pretty much the best”, she said in a cocky tone. “But hey, the way I see it, we might have years getting to know each other. Don't know your plans, but you're always welcome to stay with us” Lenrianda nodded slightly. “Yeah”, she agreed. “Yeah, I think I'd like that. Nym too, probably”
The two of them held gaze for a moment, until I'lian coughed audibly. “Are you going to make out now?”, he asked. “Cause I wouldn't mind” Awkward silence followed. Samantha raised an eyebrow. And into the silence, Lenrianda started to laugh. It was a bright, joyful laughter, the kind that caused Samantha to smile widely, while I'lian chuckled.
Their light-hearted moment got interrupted when the door got kicked open. Davith rushed in. “Sam!”, he barked. “Sam, they're coming! They're storming the tavern!” Instantly, Lenrianda's laughter stopped and Samantha's smile was gone as well, as she rose from her chair.
“The tavern people?”, she asked. Davith shrugged. “I think the staff is hiding in the cellar. A few men defend the ground floor, but they are chanceless” With a sigh, Samantha reached for her weapon. Behind her, I'lian grabbed his sword with his good hand, while Lenrianda reached for hers.
“You two stay”, Samantha growled. “We can't have you getting in our way out there” Surprisingly neither of them argued with her, though they clearly readied themselves for a fight. The thought that this might be necessary was worrying to her.
She stepped into the narrow hallway and gave Davith a look. He nodded. “I'll stay with them”, he offered, to which she smiled thankfully. “I'm glad you're back”, she said. He did not answer and with a last smile, he closed the door behind him, as he entered the room of I'lian and Lenrianda again.
Nymeria stood in front of their makeshift barricade, a grim look on her face. Not gonna lie, this will be bad”, she said and raised her shield, glaring at the barricade. From below, the sound of fighting reached Samantha's ears. Nymeria gulped. “Real bad”
Whatever fight was going on below, it was over very soon. There were people dying, though the barricade made it impossible to see how many and on which side of the conflict. One thing Samantha was able to hear was that the attackers outnumbered the defenders by quite a noticeable degree.
“You two, get down the cellar! Let's see where they hide the sweets”, a hoarsy voice ordered and Nymeria's eyes widened. “This can't be...”, she gasped. “But he's...!” Samantha recognized the voice just then. “And what the shit is that supposed to be up there?”, Rodrik Stone growled. “Hack it to pieces, go on!”
Samantha took a deep breath, as the sound of axes clashing against their wooden barricade filled the room. “Faster!”, Rodrik shouted and faster they worked. Through the tiny holes in the barricade, Samantha was able to see two men, she wasn't able to see if they were Ironborn or Second Sons. Th barricade creaked and cracked under the blows of their axes.
Finally, the barricade gave in. Piles of wood and broken furniture poured down, nearly taking the men with it, though they remained standing. Behind them, Samantha saw the familiar bald head of Rodrik Stone. The sellsword leader was still looking battered and bruised, but the anger in his eyes was sharp and frightening. A cruel smile formed on his face. “Hello, Blondie”, he greeted her, as he pointed his sword at her. “At them!”
His men started to charge. The two that had destroyed the barricades were the first to attack, though they had to climb over the broken remains of the wood. Nymeria used this to attack. She jumped forwards, embedding her axe in the skull of the first man that reached the upper floor, before he was ready to defend himself.
As much as their opponents were outnumbering them, the upper floor brought an advantage. It was narrow, only allowing for two men at once to cross it and therefore making it defendable even against a superior force, at least in theory.
In practice, things went less stellar. Nymeria's second opponent was a tall, broad-shouldered man, wielding a bastard sword, while Samantha fought against a younger man with an axe. Behind him, Rodrik reached the upper floor, while more of his men poured up to it.
Nymeria's opponent parried and immediately charged into her, pressing her shield against her body and his sword against her shield, slowly pressing her backwards, down the hallway. Meanwhile, Samantha's opponent made a grievous mistake, as he tried to attack her instead of parrying her strike. She blocked his attack with the hilt of her hatched, while embedding the other one in his stomach. Gasping, the man fell to the ground, pressing both hands onto his bleeding belly.
The next man that faced her was Rodrik Stone. Next to him, one man charged past her, to further help with overcoming Nymeria, while Rodrik just grinned. “You should have killed me, Blondie”, he warned her. “The bastard should have killed me” Then he attacked.
His weapon wasn't the one made from valyrian steel, or else the fight would have probably been over already. Instead, she managed to parry his strike, though the force behind it was driven by anger and it came hard enough to make her stagger. Growling deeply, Rodrik pursued her further, by attacking again. This time, his strike came from Samantha's right and she had to turn towards it to catch the entire blow with both of her hatchets. Still, she staggered backwards and against the door that led to the room her friends were in.
Before she regained her balance, she noticed the triumphant smirk on Rodrik's face. A second later, the bastard knight gave her a kick that caused her to stumble against the half-open door and into the room behind, where she fell onto the ground.
“Sammy!”, I'lian yelled, as he, Davith and Lenrianda raised their weapons towards Rodrik, who entered the room, as Samantha crawled away from him and towards her friends, where she dragged herself back to her feet. Rodrik faced the four people in front of him with an anticipating grin. “Four!”, he gasped. “And here I was thinking I'd only get to kill Blondie”
He grinned at Lenrianda, who stared him down with a dark glare. “Hello, Len”, he greeted her. “I have expected you to get your traitor ass out of the city already. Yet here you are” She nodded. “Here I am”, she snarled. “And we got you outnumbered” Rodrik's grin turned outright cruel at this comment. “And I got you outmatched” He raised his sword, staring down all four opponents, before he attacked.
His first target was Davith, who stood to his left. However, his strike was merely a feint, forcing Davith's parry to miss, as he rather used the weapon to block the attacks from Lenriana and I'lian, while the inferior rage of Samantha's hatchets forced her to take another step towards him, which took up valuable time.
Rodrik wasted none of the time he gained, as he parried Lenrianda's fierce second attack. At the same time, he moved closer towards Davith and yanked his forearm upwards, parrying the man's attack with his limb, high enough to take away almost all of the force and barely wounding himself. A swift cut forced I'lian back and then, Rodrik had finally managed to place his sword between himself and Davith.
“NO!”, Samantha yelled, as Rodrik sliced across her friends' side. Davith bellowed in pain and just a second later, he got pushed into Samantha's direction, who had to stop to catch him. This gave Rodrik a moment to turn towards Lenrianda and I'lian. He quickly blocked Lenrianda's strike, before moving in on I'lian, whose strikes were decidedly weaker, as a result of his wounds.
Using both hands, he did a horizontal strike against I'lian, though he pointed the tip at Lenrianda. The sellsword parried, putting slightly too much pressure onto his wounded leg. A groan of pain came out of his throat, a sign of weakness. Rodrik's grin got wider as Lenrianda raised her sword to attack him.
Gently letting the heavily wounded Davith sliding to the ground, Samantha charged at the false knight, just as she noticed the mistake Lenrianda had made. Perhaps it was motivated out of a desire to save I'lian, perhaps it was just plain recklessness, but she had left herself open, in a situation where Rodrik's sword was pointed right at her.
With a metallic howl, the blade of Rodrik's sword sliced across I'lian's, causing the sellsword to stumble even more. The tip poked through Lenrianda's chest and the force was enough to make the rest of it follow, as he impaled her to the hilt. The young woman's eyes widened, as she wheezed in pain. Slowly, she slid off the blade, leaving it covered in her blood.
The glare in Rodrik's eyes, as he mustered a shocked Samantha and a visibly distraught I'lian was almost amused. “Two down”, he said and went into the offensive again. His strike came low, something that I'lian visibly struggled with due to his wounds. The shorter Samantha had no problems with parrying, but Rodrik quickly spotted I'lian's weakness.
His next attack went against Samantha, though at the same time, he kicked I'lian against the lower leg, which applied additional pressure onto his wound. The sellsword went onto one knee, as Rodrik raised the sword again. Samantha knew what he was trying to do and she went to parry his attack for I'lian.
Her hatchets met his sword, but Rodrik had anticipated her move. He pushed her weapons upwards, above I'lian's head, before slamming his weapon down onto the helpless sellsword. His strike came with such a force that it cleanly severed most of the man's head at the upper neck. Then, he jumped back to avoid Samantha's attack a moment later.
The sight of the nearly decapitated I'lian, of the dead Lenrianda, of the dying Davith, it caused Samantha to freeze with fury. There was no plan, no other thought but killing this man, this monster that had just slaughtered her friends in a heartbeat. With a scream of hatred, she charged at him. Too late did she notice his triumphant smirk.
Rodrik had grabbed his sword with one hand. The other one was free, as he moved to the side, letting her attack only hit the air where he stood before. Now, his free hand grabbed the back of her head, clawing into the hair, as he moved his strength and her force to slam her forwards and against the doorframe.
The impact was enough to instantly knock the weapons from her hands, as she struggled to just stay conscious. She gave in as Rodrik forced her to kneel. He was right in front of her, though she barely saw him, dark spots clouding her vision. She heard his voice, muffled, though she could make out some of the words as he raised the sword.
“No”, he said. “This would be too easy. After you humiliated me in front of my men! You will regret it, oh yes, you will” He paused, before he started to walk to the door, dragging Samantha with him. She was still stunned, barely conscious, though it was getting slightly better with each passing second. “Let's see where that friend of yours is. The one whose throat I cut. She lived, did she not?”
Despite her stunned state of mind, Samantha's eyes widened. “No...”, she mumbled. She was helpless as Rodrik dragged her with him, her eyes focussed on the corpses of I'lian and Lenrianda and Davith, who was slowly bleeding out.
As they reached the hallway, she had regained enough strength to turn her head. At the other end of the corridor, Nymeria was fighting against two men. Two others lay dead in the room. Once the dornish woman saw them, she knew what had happened. A terrified, pained scream came out of her throat, as she tried to slice through her opponents, to no avail.
“I wonder where she is”, Rodrik said, as he moved to the next door. “It must be something very close. You would keep her close, wouldn't you?” He pushed it open and his grin got wider. “Got you” With these words, he almost threw Samantha into Sasha's room.
She landed on the hard ground, face first, as Rodrik walked past her and towards the bed. Sasha was not conscious, the crossbow next to her loaded but unused. “Sash...”, Samantha gasped weakly. “Sasha...” Rodrik looked over his shoulder, as he raised the sword, putting it right onto Sasha's patched up neck. “Sasha”, he said and she opened her eyes.
Despite the condition she was in right now, Sasha realized what was happening quickly. Her eyes widened, though she instantly glanced at the crossbow. Rodrik chuckled, as he raised his sword. “Say goodbye, Blondie”, he growled.
Just in this moment, the door got pushed open, causing Rodrik and Samantha to turn towards it. Davith stumbled into the room, one hand clenched onto his bleeding side, the other one wrapped around his sword. “Hey!”, he gasped, before he collapsed on all fours. It was a momentary distraction, but Sasha only needed a moment to reach for her weapon. Rodrik spun around, too late to stop her. “Goodbye”, she said as she pulled the trigger.
The bolt entered the side of Rodrik's chest and from such a close distance, it impaled him completely, even leaving his body through the back again for half an inch. Rodrik gasped, as he stumbled against the wall, where he collapsed weakly.
In shock, Samantha and Sasha exchanged a look, as her friend lowered the crossbow, before both shifted their attention back at Rodrik. He was not dead. Mortally wounded, but not dead. From the way he bled and from the weak, wheezing breaths he took, the crossbow had hit his lung. In a minute or two, it would be over for him. He was dying and until then, he was left in pain and unable to even stand up.
Samantha was able to stand up though. Weakly, but she was, as she reached for his sword. His eyes were widened, as he gasped desperately, just now realizing what had happened, realizing that he had lost and that he would die here.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the door getting pushed open. Nymeria stood there, covered in the blood of her enemies, her red eyes opened widely and with an almost uncharacteristic fear. “No...”, she whimpered, as she turned around, rushing towards Lenrianda's room. “NO!”, she screamed as she had reached it.
Desperately, Rodrik started to shake his head. “Please...”, he said weakly, wasting his final breaths to beg for mercy. He was a dead man, even if it wouldn't be for the bolt. “Please, no...”, he begged her again and she noticed tears of pain in his eyes. It would have felt like a victory, if he wouldn't have killed two of her friends right now. From the other room, she heard Nymeria sobbing. Her eyes met Rodrik's, before she glared down at the sword in her hand.
Samantha
“We need more chairs up there”, Nymeria said, pointing at the pile of furniture they had moved to the upper end of the stairs, e… moreffectively blocking anyone from entering the upper entrance. It almost piled up to the ceiling by now.. Samantha nodded grimly, though with a heavy heart. It had been her decision to fortify the upper floor, but Nymeria had taken it a step further, even more than Samantha was comfortable in doing.
“If any of the folks down there try to get up here...”, she started and Nymeria shrugged. “Well, that's unfortunate for them”, she replied dryly. “They don't matter to me” Samantha sighed. “So I've noticed”, she said. “Is there anybody in this building that matters to you, aside from Len?” Nymeria gave her a curious look. “You stood up for us when that swine wanted to kill us”, she said and the hint of a smile formed on her face. “I'd say you matter as well, you and your friends. We owe you”
“We do”, the v… [view original content]
Samantha
“We need more chairs up there”, Nymeria said, pointing at the pile of furniture they had moved to the upper end of the stairs, e… moreffectively blocking anyone from entering the upper entrance. It almost piled up to the ceiling by now.. Samantha nodded grimly, though with a heavy heart. It had been her decision to fortify the upper floor, but Nymeria had taken it a step further, even more than Samantha was comfortable in doing.
“If any of the folks down there try to get up here...”, she started and Nymeria shrugged. “Well, that's unfortunate for them”, she replied dryly. “They don't matter to me” Samantha sighed. “So I've noticed”, she said. “Is there anybody in this building that matters to you, aside from Len?” Nymeria gave her a curious look. “You stood up for us when that swine wanted to kill us”, she said and the hint of a smile formed on her face. “I'd say you matter as well, you and your friends. We owe you”
“We do”, the v… [view original content]
Samantha
“We need more chairs up there”, Nymeria said, pointing at the pile of furniture they had moved to the upper end of the stairs, e… moreffectively blocking anyone from entering the upper entrance. It almost piled up to the ceiling by now.. Samantha nodded grimly, though with a heavy heart. It had been her decision to fortify the upper floor, but Nymeria had taken it a step further, even more than Samantha was comfortable in doing.
“If any of the folks down there try to get up here...”, she started and Nymeria shrugged. “Well, that's unfortunate for them”, she replied dryly. “They don't matter to me” Samantha sighed. “So I've noticed”, she said. “Is there anybody in this building that matters to you, aside from Len?” Nymeria gave her a curious look. “You stood up for us when that swine wanted to kill us”, she said and the hint of a smile formed on her face. “I'd say you matter as well, you and your friends. We owe you”
“We do”, the v… [view original content]
[Leave him for Nymeria] Nym deserves this one. Even though, similar "leave him for x" choice has previously ended up being a bad choice... Hm. Well, Rodrik is a piece of shit, so he deserves whatever Nymeria decides to do.
RIP Lenrianda, we hardly knew ya
Edit: Oh, I'lian died too Somehow missed that at first read (thought he was just injured). Damn... Jaro isn't gonna like that.
Samantha
“We need more chairs up there”, Nymeria said, pointing at the pile of furniture they had moved to the upper end of the stairs, e… moreffectively blocking anyone from entering the upper entrance. It almost piled up to the ceiling by now.. Samantha nodded grimly, though with a heavy heart. It had been her decision to fortify the upper floor, but Nymeria had taken it a step further, even more than Samantha was comfortable in doing.
“If any of the folks down there try to get up here...”, she started and Nymeria shrugged. “Well, that's unfortunate for them”, she replied dryly. “They don't matter to me” Samantha sighed. “So I've noticed”, she said. “Is there anybody in this building that matters to you, aside from Len?” Nymeria gave her a curious look. “You stood up for us when that swine wanted to kill us”, she said and the hint of a smile formed on her face. “I'd say you matter as well, you and your friends. We owe you”
“We do”, the v… [view original content]
Samantha
“We need more chairs up there”, Nymeria said, pointing at the pile of furniture they had moved to the upper end of the stairs, e… moreffectively blocking anyone from entering the upper entrance. It almost piled up to the ceiling by now.. Samantha nodded grimly, though with a heavy heart. It had been her decision to fortify the upper floor, but Nymeria had taken it a step further, even more than Samantha was comfortable in doing.
“If any of the folks down there try to get up here...”, she started and Nymeria shrugged. “Well, that's unfortunate for them”, she replied dryly. “They don't matter to me” Samantha sighed. “So I've noticed”, she said. “Is there anybody in this building that matters to you, aside from Len?” Nymeria gave her a curious look. “You stood up for us when that swine wanted to kill us”, she said and the hint of a smile formed on her face. “I'd say you matter as well, you and your friends. We owe you”
“We do”, the v… [view original content]
Yes, oh yes he would. He'd be able to fight Rodrik one on one at the very least, so with him around, Samantha and the others would have had far better chances of survival. But well, he will have another appearance in this chapter relatively soon, so keep an eye out for him
Nym deserves this one. Even though, similar "leave him for x" choice has previously ended up being a bad choice... Hm. Well, Rodrik is a piece of shit, so he deserves whatever Nymeria decides to do.
Well, perhaps here it should be stated that Rodrik doesn't have much time left in either way. He is effectively drowning in his own blood right now and will be dead in a minute or two at most. So, whatever she wishes to do to him, there won't be much time for it.
RIP Lenrianda, we hardly knew ya
Out of all the deaths in this chapter, Lenrianda is probably the one I'm going to feel the worst about, because I could have done more with her. In the end, she did appear in four chapters, but truly, I could have done more. Sadly, her death was inevitable, since I really wanted to show that Rodrik can be a very dangerous enemy indeed.
Edit: Oh, I'lian died too Somehow missed that at first read (thought he was just injured). Damn... Jaro isn't gonna like that.
Yes indeed, he died too. I felt a bit less bad for him than for Lenrianda, mostly because Jaro is still around. But yeah, he got a majority of his head severed, so he was dead pretty quickly. The one that got injured (even though heavily) is Davith.
[Leave him for Nymeria] Nym deserves this one. Even though, similar "leave him for x" choice has previously ended up being a bad choice... H… morem. Well, Rodrik is a piece of shit, so he deserves whatever Nymeria decides to do.
RIP Lenrianda, we hardly knew ya
Edit: Oh, I'lian died too Somehow missed that at first read (thought he was just injured). Damn... Jaro isn't gonna like that.
I liked him as well And he was in the story since Chapter 4. I feel kind of bad for not having done more with him and Jaro, especially as I originally had a vastly different plan for both brothers. Now, at the very least Jaro should become pretty interesting in the future.
Samantha
“We need more chairs up there”, Nymeria said, pointing at the pile of furniture they had moved to the upper end of the stairs, e… moreffectively blocking anyone from entering the upper entrance. It almost piled up to the ceiling by now.. Samantha nodded grimly, though with a heavy heart. It had been her decision to fortify the upper floor, but Nymeria had taken it a step further, even more than Samantha was comfortable in doing.
“If any of the folks down there try to get up here...”, she started and Nymeria shrugged. “Well, that's unfortunate for them”, she replied dryly. “They don't matter to me” Samantha sighed. “So I've noticed”, she said. “Is there anybody in this building that matters to you, aside from Len?” Nymeria gave her a curious look. “You stood up for us when that swine wanted to kill us”, she said and the hint of a smile formed on her face. “I'd say you matter as well, you and your friends. We owe you”
“We do”, the v… [view original content]
This was another very good action centric part where we had the deaths of two characters (even if I must be honest the deaths of this part could have happened at the previous chapter)
About the deaths:I'm sad that I'lian died (since I liked that character) and obviously for Lenrianda too;oh well,at least we still have characters that we will take us remember of their deaths (first of all Jaro and Nymeria)
Now that I think about it I'lian is the first member of the mercenary group led by John killed during the story
Davith is the luckiest man of this story!Not only he survive days escaping from the Alley Cats but he even survive this fight! (However I suppose that he will now have to take some rest and have someone take care of his wounds)
Instead Rodrick is the unluckiest villain of this story!After he was bombarded with Wildfire and owned by Orys (the knight even take his sword) he finally found freedom just to be killed at the same tavern where he complain about the beer!XD
I must admit that I'm sad that we already lose Rodrick,I was curious to learn more about his backstory and the House that he betray
Now that they lost Rodrick the Second Sons are now without a leader (even if maybe Morgrem will be the one to take that role)
Speaking of something completly different:where is Lawsen?And Edefelic Magabaz?
Samantha
“We need more chairs up there”, Nymeria said, pointing at the pile of furniture they had moved to the upper end of the stairs, e… moreffectively blocking anyone from entering the upper entrance. It almost piled up to the ceiling by now.. Samantha nodded grimly, though with a heavy heart. It had been her decision to fortify the upper floor, but Nymeria had taken it a step further, even more than Samantha was comfortable in doing.
“If any of the folks down there try to get up here...”, she started and Nymeria shrugged. “Well, that's unfortunate for them”, she replied dryly. “They don't matter to me” Samantha sighed. “So I've noticed”, she said. “Is there anybody in this building that matters to you, aside from Len?” Nymeria gave her a curious look. “You stood up for us when that swine wanted to kill us”, she said and the hint of a smile formed on her face. “I'd say you matter as well, you and your friends. We owe you”
“We do”, the v… [view original content]
This was another very good action centric part where we had the deaths of two characters (even if I must be honest the deaths of this part could have happened at the previous chapter)
Yes, I kind of agree. It was partially due to the very justified criticism some of you brought up that I decided to somewhat correct my earlier mistake with this part. Thing is, I hesitated to kill off Lenrianda and I'lian back in the last chapter, mostly because I feel this additional chapter of development, even if it has been rather little, was absolutely necssary to make them at least somewhat established characters.
About the deaths:I'm sad that I'lian died (since I liked that character) and obviously for Lenrianda too;oh well,at least we still have characters that we will take us remember of their deaths (first of all Jaro and Nymeria)
It's true, that was another reason why I chose for both to die here. Through Jaro, I'lian is obviously going to remain a part of the story in some capacity and since their backstories are so interwoven, the moment we learn more about Jaro will mark the point where we will learn more about I'lian as well. Actually, one detail about their past is going to be revealed pretty soon. With Lenrianda, there's Nymeria of course, who is going to take the death of her best friend really bad and who will definitely keep her memory alive.
Now that I think about it I'lian is the first member of the mercenary group led by John killed during the story
Yes he is! That means that obviously, John and the others will also be affected by his death. None more than Jaro of course, but especially John will take this badly, since he feels personally responsible for his companions. I can also reveal that if you would have left Jaro at the tavern in an earlier choice in this chapter, he would have died instead of I'lian.
Davith is the luckiest man of this story!Not only he survive days escaping from the Alley Cats but he even survive this fight! (However I suppose that he will now have to take some rest and have someone take care of his wounds)
Hehe, you're right. Though, at least his escape from the Alley Cats was more a result of skill than luck. I can reveal that originally, I have planned for him to die instead of Lenrianda, but I had one thought that unfortunately (or fortunately) made it absolutely essential that Davith would survive. It's a rather small detail, but he is the only one who can reveal a very specific piece of information to one PoV character in the semi-near future. This in turn will be absolutely crucial for said character, because without the information, I can't use them in the storyline I have in mind for them in Book 2, which is planned to be among the most important ones. And no matter how much thought I have put into it, it turned out to be impossible to have a different character reveal this information, that would have made no sense. On top of that, it would have felt really lazy to kill him now before he'd get more development with Samantha and Sasha.
Instead Rodrick is the unluckiest villain of this story!After he was bombarded with Wildfire and owned by Orys (the knight even take his sword) he finally found freedom just to be killed at the same tavern where he complain about the beer!XD
That is unfortunately true, yes. I remember a poll in Chapter 4, shortly after he got introduced, where many of you saw him as a legitimately threatening villain. That was before the introduction of characters like Edward or Mullendore and before Wolfius and Clayton revealed how truly dangerous they are. Let's just say, he ended a lot less dangerous than most of you have thought back then. Actually, I felt a bit bad for constantly humiliating him in such a way, so I wanted to give him at least some kind of success before he died. So, while he did not manage to kill Samantha, he nonetheless killed two named characters in a single part, which is something only the Tom managed to do before him. He also took on four characters at once and beat them effortlessly, so that he at least got a chance to show just how dangerous he is.
I must admit that I'm sad that we already lose Rodrick,I was curious to learn more about his backstory and the House that he betray
I have debated about killing off Rodrik here. Perhaps at the end of Book 1, I will give you an overview of what could have been, as I had a storyline in mind in which he would have survived. However, I ultimately felt like it was necessary to give you some sort of triumph, by killing off a villain, considering how many of the good guys this chapter is going to claim. And with the true villains, like Mullendore and Harren, out of reach, all I had left were anti-villains like Harris or Alysanne, whose deaths aren't exactly meant to be cheered for, B-list villains like Cleaver Clint or glorified henchmen like Clayton. Rodrik might not have been the biggest, most intimidating villain in this story, but he was one nonetheless and it would have felt cheap to only kill off good or neutral characters in such a bloody chapter. That said, I also felt like I have revealed a lot about Rodrik's backstory. He used to be a bastard of House Corbray and a war hero against the Mountain Clans, but envy of his trueborn siblings drove him to murder his father and steal the ancestral sword of his house, after which he escaped to the Free Cities, where he joined the Second Sons. That is basically his backstory in a very compressed form. I could have done more with it, but in the end, it felt more important to me to give you a small victory.
Now that they lost Rodrick the Second Sons are now without a leader (even if maybe Morgrem will be the one to take that role)
Indeed, the Second Sons here in the story are without a leader. There's still the bulk of the company under the service of Edward's brother, Nain, but those here in the story are without a leader and heavily decimated. Maybe Morgrem could fill in this role, since he used to be one of Rodrik's sub-leaders. In any way, the Second Sons in Westeros will face problems in the near future.
Speaking of something completly different:where is Lawsen?And Edefelic Magabaz?
Ah, the good Lawsen and Ed. Lawsen originally was supposed to have more of a role in this chapter, but I found no spot to use him in a logical way. He is somewhere in the city and he might get a cameo later in the chapter, but his story is definitely not yet told. Ed meanwhile is going to appear in one of the next parts. We last saw him together with Axell, as they brought Vaasrand to the city. Their goal actually is the tavern, where Vaasrand has a room, and they should arrive pretty soon. In any way, he is going to have a guaranteed appearance in a few parts.
RT:
* This was another very good action centric part where we had the deaths of two characters (even if I must be honest the deaths of… more this part could have happened at the previous chapter)
* About the deaths:I'm sad that I'lian died (since I liked that character) and obviously for Lenrianda too;oh well,at least we still have characters that we will take us remember of their deaths (first of all Jaro and Nymeria)
* Now that I think about it I'lian is the first member of the mercenary group led by John killed during the story
* Davith is the luckiest man of this story!Not only he survive days escaping from the Alley Cats but he even survive this fight! (However I suppose that he will now have to take some rest and have someone take care of his wounds)
* Instead Rodrick is the unluckiest villain of this story!After he was bombarded with Wildfire and owned by Orys (the knight even take his sword) he finally found freedom just to be kil… [view original content]
Samantha
“We need more chairs up there”, Nymeria said, pointing at the pile of furniture they had moved to the upper end of the stairs, e… moreffectively blocking anyone from entering the upper entrance. It almost piled up to the ceiling by now.. Samantha nodded grimly, though with a heavy heart. It had been her decision to fortify the upper floor, but Nymeria had taken it a step further, even more than Samantha was comfortable in doing.
“If any of the folks down there try to get up here...”, she started and Nymeria shrugged. “Well, that's unfortunate for them”, she replied dryly. “They don't matter to me” Samantha sighed. “So I've noticed”, she said. “Is there anybody in this building that matters to you, aside from Len?” Nymeria gave her a curious look. “You stood up for us when that swine wanted to kill us”, she said and the hint of a smile formed on her face. “I'd say you matter as well, you and your friends. We owe you”
“We do”, the v… [view original content]
Samantha
“We need more chairs up there”, Nymeria said, pointing at the pile of furniture they had moved to the upper end of the stairs, e… moreffectively blocking anyone from entering the upper entrance. It almost piled up to the ceiling by now.. Samantha nodded grimly, though with a heavy heart. It had been her decision to fortify the upper floor, but Nymeria had taken it a step further, even more than Samantha was comfortable in doing.
“If any of the folks down there try to get up here...”, she started and Nymeria shrugged. “Well, that's unfortunate for them”, she replied dryly. “They don't matter to me” Samantha sighed. “So I've noticed”, she said. “Is there anybody in this building that matters to you, aside from Len?” Nymeria gave her a curious look. “You stood up for us when that swine wanted to kill us”, she said and the hint of a smile formed on her face. “I'd say you matter as well, you and your friends. We owe you”
“We do”, the v… [view original content]
Well... fuck. RIP Lenrianda and I'lian. They were starting to grow on me more, especially I'lian. I also now realize that we have gotten to the point in the chapter where many characters are going to die. At this point, I am now expecting at least one character to die per part. There's Game of Thrones for ya.
[Kill Rodrik] Fuck him. Just kill him now, I know he's extremely wounded but I don't want to risk anything just in case.
Samantha
“We need more chairs up there”, Nymeria said, pointing at the pile of furniture they had moved to the upper end of the stairs, e… moreffectively blocking anyone from entering the upper entrance. It almost piled up to the ceiling by now.. Samantha nodded grimly, though with a heavy heart. It had been her decision to fortify the upper floor, but Nymeria had taken it a step further, even more than Samantha was comfortable in doing.
“If any of the folks down there try to get up here...”, she started and Nymeria shrugged. “Well, that's unfortunate for them”, she replied dryly. “They don't matter to me” Samantha sighed. “So I've noticed”, she said. “Is there anybody in this building that matters to you, aside from Len?” Nymeria gave her a curious look. “You stood up for us when that swine wanted to kill us”, she said and the hint of a smile formed on her face. “I'd say you matter as well, you and your friends. We owe you”
“We do”, the v… [view original content]
Ah, no worries about that. Sasha shot him in the lung, which means he is dead by all means. In fact, he is so dead that I have already moved him to the deceased list together with Lenrianda and I'lian. Whatever choice happens, even if they would just leave him, he is going to die.
Well I feel bad about I'lian. I liked him and his brother.
Yeah, I liked them too. I feel especially bad that I am unable to give them any more scenes together, something we arguably haven't seen much about so far. But Jaro's reaction is going to be very interesting at the very least.
Man if only Maya didn't do that stupid thing. I assume defending the lower floor would have ended equally as bad so if not worse, a shame.
I can confirm that Rodrik wouldn't have escaped if Orys would have brought him to the castle personally, though this would have had different consequences, which I will specify in the alternative choices. Lenrianda and I'lian would have survived the chapter though. Defending the lower floor would have ended equally bad as well, though it is possible that I would have decided to kill off different characters.
[Kill Rodrik]
Die.
Well I feel bad about I'lian. I liked him and his brother.
Man if only Maya didn't do that stupid thing. I assume defending the lower floor would have ended equally as bad so if not worse, a shame.
I'm sorry, please don't die I wasn't aware that she was one of your favourites. Unfortunately, her death was a result of the choices here and it would have felt totally inconsequential to spare her a second time after she already had such a close call in the last chapter. Though I am pretty sure I won't end up killing all of your favourite characters, that much I can promise. That would be really unlikely.
Well... fuck. RIP Lenrianda and I'lian. They were starting to grow on me more, especially I'lian. I also now realize that we have gotten to the point in the chapter where many characters are going to die. At this point, I am now expecting at least one character to die per part. There's Game of Thrones for ya.
Yes, we're entering the really bloody part of the chapter, the one I've been dreading and looking forward for equally for a long while now. I don't think there will be a character death in every single part now, but these have been far from the last to die in this chapter, I'm afraid. The chapter is nearing its end though, so you'll have some relief soon in knowing that the major part of the bloodbath won't go on for much longer.
Well... fuck. RIP Lenrianda and I'lian. They were starting to grow on me more, especially I'lian. I also now realize that we have gotten to … morethe point in the chapter where many characters are going to die. At this point, I am now expecting at least one character to die per part. There's Game of Thrones for ya.
[Kill Rodrik] Fuck him. Just kill him now, I know he's extremely wounded but I don't want to risk anything just in case.
Comments
[Take the soldiers with you]
[Stay with Edward]
[Take the soldiers with you]
[Stay with Edward]
[Take the soldiers with you]
[Stay with Edward]
Yes,about that.. what if there is some problem with the gates? If we lose the castle we can only lose the war
[Leave the soldiers at the castle]
About the other choice I think that I can like each of the two outcomes so I will refrain to give a choice
RT:
[Leave the soldiers at the castle]
Eh, yeah. Yeah sure. Not sure if the gate can be fixed.
[Leave with Wilbur] No more blood for him.
Hm. I bet Sherryl took Taros for her bow.
You certainly got a point there. That said, Willfred and Roger are both knights and therefore far better than the average soldier. Willfred himself is a prodigy swordsman and Roger is a renowned archer, so together they wouldn't exactly be useless. They would certainly be able to achieve more with their men though.
Understandable, very understandable. Edward really doesn't care for the lives of the Ironborn in the slightest. However, he has shown at least a bit of concern for Alys' life in the past, though it is at the very least questionable if he is concerned for her in this situation, so close to success.
You mean if someone was dastardly enough to sabotage the gates? I don't know, in that case there would be quite the problem. People would die. It's a bit of a question where you'd like the soldiers from the Rock to be. Keep in mind, they are only about a dozen.
Well, it certainly will play a role in the future. I originally wanted to give this subplot more screentime in this chapter, but I ended up not having enough room for it, since Willfred is the last PoV in the castle and there are more urgent matters at hand. Let's just say, it will be crucial for something and I'm sure you'll see it when it comes up.
Ah yes, a little glimpse of Edward's plans. He does indeed plan to take control of the Targaryen dragons, mostly because they are among the most powerful beings in the known world. His brother Nain already has taken control over a very small kingdom in the old ruin city of Vaes Khadokh in central Essos, so worldly power is at least his goal. Edward meanwhile is the ambitious one in the family, so his plans go a bit further than Nain's straightforward goals. All that can be said is that obtaining the book he is looking for won't be all he has to do. That would be a bit too easy, wouldn't it?
Problem is, they haven't even realized it at this point. They had no need to lower the gates so far, so they are completely clueless about the danger they are in. Though even if they would realize it right now, fixing a gate is something that takes quite a bit of time.
A good theory. She had the opportunity to take him and a motive, so it is likely. This detail will play an important role in the near future, so keep an eye out for it!
[Leave the soldiers at the castle] The gate is sabotaged, which means the castle is fucked if we leave no one to defend it. I don't particularly like Tallian, but I have to agree with him on this - with or without the soldiers Willfred is just a small help in the city, whereas in the castle every man will be needed once it'll be attacked.
[Stay with Edward] Safe option? Nope. Interesting option? Hell yes! Besides, Edward's talk about trying to control the dragons makes me even more interested in what exactly is he searching from the archive. Man, Anturion is seriously giving some Euron vibes with his plans
[Leave the soldiers at the castle] Okay, I knew this moment would come. We gotta leave the troops behind or else the castle will fall. Without the castle, the citizens have no where to go. So even if we save citizens in the city, they'll still have nowhere to go. Plus, we don't want to make Tallian any more angry at us, because being on bad terms with one of your generals is never a good idea.
[Stay with Edward] Dang it! I really want to stay to see what's down there, but Edward just announce he is anti Team Targaryen. He seems like a very strong enemy, seeing how his brother rules an entire kingdom. If he got this book, it would only mean bad news for Team Targ. But I'm pretty sure leaving isn't going to work, because Edward wouldn't let his source of blood get away from him. So at least this way Alys stays in his good graces and either Carvin or Alisa don't get hurt by trying to stop Wilbur from taking Alys. But as soon as a viable chance for escape appears I'm taking it.
[Take the soldiers with you]
[Stay with Edward] I just want to see what's there so badly.
Okay, yesterday I attempted to start translating your fanfic. What can I say? I did enjoy the proccess but I became extremely disappointed when I realised that it took me an hour to translate only two pages. Dang. The prologue is 7 pages and some chapters are even bigger and I can only translate it with a speed of a turtle. The problem is that I can't spend a lot of time on the computer because of my bad eyesight. The only solution would be finding a team of people who'd be willing to help me but I'm not sure if ayone would give a shit. Plus, it needs administrating and I already ahve so many plans... I'm afraid that if I take up so many stuff, I won't finish any of this. I'm sorry.
[Leave the soldiers at the castle] I agree with the others, if the gates are destroyed we need to keep some men there.
[Stay with Edward] Not gonna lie, this choice really intrigues the hell outta me. And because it seems like this choice is going to win either way and I have no problem with it winning, I'll choose it
There's no need to be sorry, I completely understand the problem! I am not sure how long the story is exactly, but my guess would be somewhere north of 1500 pages. Translating a work of that length is something that consumes a massive amount of time and of course I understand that this is simply too much. I would have loved the idea of a translation, but in the end, if you don't have the time for it, then there's nothing that can be done about it. In any way, thank you very much for trying it
The funny thing is, Euron was a big inspiration for me while writing Anturion, even back before I realized what kind of a plan I was going to give him. Then I gave him his plan about the dragons and only then did I realize that it would make him even more like Euron. At least that aspect was a complete conincidence
Well I certainly enjoy the guy, he is one of the most intriguing characters in the story
The Voting is closed!
Willfred is going to leave the soldiers at the castle
Alys is going to stay with Edward
You know, I was kind of surprised by the choices, especially the second one. I was willing to bet that you'd take the chance to get out of there as quick as possible, though I can understand that you are curious. And since I have already planned the things that would happen there, I definitely approve of this choice. Ah well, both will have pretty heavy consequences and we're going to get to see them soon, since both characters will have one more part in this chapter.
I have started to write the next part and hope to finish it today. I unfortunately wasn't able to finish it yesterday as promised, because I have caught a pretty heavy cold that's still affecting me. However, I will finish it today. I have currently written a PoV for Samantha, but I am not sure if it will be the entire part. If there's still going to be room for it, the next part will introduce the new PoV for this chapter. If not, then this new PoV will be featured in the part after the next one. This will also mean that the next part won't feature a vote, because I don't think I'll be able to find one for Samantha now. The last time we've seen her, she was at the tavern, together with I'lian, Lenrianda, Nymeria and a heavily wounded Sasha. This was also the part where Davith got reunited with her, only to inform her that the Ironborn are rumoured to advance to the town centre, where the tavern is located. To remain as safe as possible, Samantha decided to barricade the upper floor, where they are located, since it is easier to defend against a larger force. It remains to be seen if this was a wise choice.
Before that, there might also be a new set of drawings that is actually thematically related to this part, so I hope you enjoy that one as well
As Liquid said, there is a new set of drawings! And the characters are indeed related to Samantha's storyline
Awesome as always! I really like the one of Nymeria.
Huh, I never realized that Jaro and I'lian are black.
It's amazing how you always manage to give each character their own distinctive look. I know I have praised the detail and everything before, but I'm not sure if I have ever praised just how unique each drawing looks. This is especially true for characters who don't have a particularly distinctive physical feature, but you still manage to give them something to set them apart, even after having drawn so many of the characters. One thing that stays always the same though is how much I enjoy these drawings. I was looking forward for this set a lot, especially as almost all of them, save for Jaro, will appear in the part I'm currently writing, though it was a bit of a coincidence that it fit so neatly together.
Anyways, I am not even sure which one I consider my favourite here. Before seeing all of them, I was pretty sure that it would be I'lian, because of how colourful he is. In fact, he is one of my favourites here, I'm especially loving that cape. But at the same time, Nymeria is awesome. I consider her to be one of the most visually unique characters in the story and your drawing of her certainly delivers on this. It is one of my favourite drawings, not only from this set. Another surprising favourite of mine is Jaro. I mean, compared to the flashy and extroverted I'lian, h's always been kinda the normal and unassuming guy, but there is something about his drawing that makes me appreciate him as a character far more. It also makes me really happy for the stuff I have planned for him. Lenrianda and Davith are great drawings as well of course and this is especially surprising to me because I had problems with getting an image of them in my head so far. Lenrianda's description from her submission is very basic, so basic that I struggled to even expand on it in the description I ultimately sent to you. Davith meanwhile has an odd problem, because he's the complete opposite, his description is among the most detailed I have received, so much that I have to force myself to focus on a couple of distinctive features to get a good mental image of him. Because of that, I was not sure what kind of drawing I could expect of them, but your version is so great that I surely won't have any problem with imagening them ever again. Thank you very much for them
Great artworks, I love 'em, good job!
My favorite among them Nymeria, I think you nailed her appearance!
Samantha
“We need more chairs up there”, Nymeria said, pointing at the pile of furniture they had moved to the upper end of the stairs, effectively blocking anyone from entering the upper entrance. It almost piled up to the ceiling by now.. Samantha nodded grimly, though with a heavy heart. It had been her decision to fortify the upper floor, but Nymeria had taken it a step further, even more than Samantha was comfortable in doing.
“If any of the folks down there try to get up here...”, she started and Nymeria shrugged. “Well, that's unfortunate for them”, she replied dryly. “They don't matter to me” Samantha sighed. “So I've noticed”, she said. “Is there anybody in this building that matters to you, aside from Len?” Nymeria gave her a curious look. “You stood up for us when that swine wanted to kill us”, she said and the hint of a smile formed on her face. “I'd say you matter as well, you and your friends. We owe you”
“We do”, the voice of Lenrianda sounded from the doorway to their right. She was watching them through it, still a bit dizzy, but looking better again already. “And trust me, we'll repay our debts. Whatever it is, just say it and our blades will be yours”
She grinned, as Nymeria frowned at her. “And you were supposed to rest”, she said sternly and Lenrianda playfully rolled her eyes. “Will do, mother”, she chuckled, before she turned back to her room. “At least get me somebody to talk to aside from I'lian. That cocky grin starts getting on my nerves”
“You know I can hear you”, I'lian protested from inside the room. Lenrianda's smile grew wider. “I am well aware of that, hun”, she chirped, as she walked into the room again, leaving the door open behind her. She sat down on her bed, as I'lian flashed her a grin. “Nope”, she said. “Still getting on my nerves”
Nymeria rolled her eyes, as she turned to the makeshift barricade again. It was a small wonder that no one had tried to stop them, but Samantha knew, the people downstairs had more important things on their mind. She felt the same after all.
“So, you and Lenrianda”, she started and Nymeria looked up. “How far does that one go back?” Nymeria narrowed her eyes for a second. “She saved my life”, she answered. “In more than one way actually” Her hand moved to her belly. “You can't see it, but I've got a pretty nasty scar there. Got run through with a spear. Left to die. And I would have, if Len wouldn't have found me”, she chuckled. “It's nothing I like to speak about, but she saved my life on that day. And she gave me a reason to carry on”
“Which one?”, Samantha asked and Nymeria sighed. “I owe her. It's a debt I have to repay one day”, she answered. “I know, a crappy reason, but better than nothing. And on that day, it meant the world for me. She meant the world for me and she still does”
In this moment, Davith came out of a room, carrying a chair. “Where can I put that one?”, he asked and Nymeria raised an eyebrow as she stopped her tale. “Over here”, she ordered. “Honestly, I don't know how long this can hold, but as long as it helps a bit, it'll be worth it”
As Davith walked over to the barricade, Nymeria glanced at Samantha. She moved to the door that led to the others. “Say, why don't you check up on these two?”, she suggested. “I'm afraid if we leave them alone for longer, they're going to kill each other. Or worse, they could end up fucking”
Samantha smirked. “Alright. I'll leave you two alone for a bit”, she said, as she opened the door and entered the room. I'lian looked up from his bed, while Lenrianda rolled her eyes. “Thank the gods, someone else to talk to”, she groaned. “And not a moment too late”
I'lian shrugged, grinning as always, as Samantha shot him a questioning glare. “Hey, I just mentioned that we have a lot in common, she and me”, he said, to which Lenrianda sighed. “Absolutely nothing”, she replied. “For starters, I'm the good looking one” I'lian raised an eyebrow. “You called me handsome before”, he stated.
“I was joking”, Lenrianda laughed. She grinned at Samantha. “Glad you're here. Feels good talking to someone that doesn't try to get in my pants for a change” She sighed, though she gave I'lian a wink as she lay back on her bed. “So, how's Nym doing?”, she asked and for the first time, there was serious concern in her voice. “She says I should be resting, but after the beating she took...”
“She seems fine”, Samantha assured her. “Though she's really worried for you” Lenrianda gave her a nod. “Yeah, I know”, she said glumly. “It's actually kind of sweet, but still... she's doing too much. Wanting to repay that damn debt she thinks she owes me” She shook her head. “Running with the Sons has been my idea. She went with it and it nearly got her killed”
“Both of you”, I'lian interjected and she rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you're right”, she moaned. “Perhaps I should thank that egghead for not breaking my skull” For a second, genuine gratitude flashed through her eyes. “And I should certainly thank you, for Rodrik” Her smile was wolfish, but gentle. “It's rare to meet someone who'd do that for you. Even more baffling since we barely know each other”
Samantha reciprocated the smile. “What can I say, I'm pretty much the best”, she said in a cocky tone. “But hey, the way I see it, we might have years getting to know each other. Don't know your plans, but you're always welcome to stay with us” Lenrianda nodded slightly. “Yeah”, she agreed. “Yeah, I think I'd like that. Nym too, probably”
The two of them held gaze for a moment, until I'lian coughed audibly. “Are you going to make out now?”, he asked. “Cause I wouldn't mind” Awkward silence followed. Samantha raised an eyebrow. And into the silence, Lenrianda started to laugh. It was a bright, joyful laughter, the kind that caused Samantha to smile widely, while I'lian chuckled.
Their light-hearted moment got interrupted when the door got kicked open. Davith rushed in. “Sam!”, he barked. “Sam, they're coming! They're storming the tavern!” Instantly, Lenrianda's laughter stopped and Samantha's smile was gone as well, as she rose from her chair.
“The tavern people?”, she asked. Davith shrugged. “I think the staff is hiding in the cellar. A few men defend the ground floor, but they are chanceless” With a sigh, Samantha reached for her weapon. Behind her, I'lian grabbed his sword with his good hand, while Lenrianda reached for hers.
“You two stay”, Samantha growled. “We can't have you getting in our way out there” Surprisingly neither of them argued with her, though they clearly readied themselves for a fight. The thought that this might be necessary was worrying to her.
She stepped into the narrow hallway and gave Davith a look. He nodded. “I'll stay with them”, he offered, to which she smiled thankfully. “I'm glad you're back”, she said. He did not answer and with a last smile, he closed the door behind him, as he entered the room of I'lian and Lenrianda again.
Nymeria stood in front of their makeshift barricade, a grim look on her face. Not gonna lie, this will be bad”, she said and raised her shield, glaring at the barricade. From below, the sound of fighting reached Samantha's ears. Nymeria gulped. “Real bad”
Whatever fight was going on below, it was over very soon. There were people dying, though the barricade made it impossible to see how many and on which side of the conflict. One thing Samantha was able to hear was that the attackers outnumbered the defenders by quite a noticeable degree.
“You two, get down the cellar! Let's see where they hide the sweets”, a hoarsy voice ordered and Nymeria's eyes widened. “This can't be...”, she gasped. “But he's...!” Samantha recognized the voice just then. “And what the shit is that supposed to be up there?”, Rodrik Stone growled. “Hack it to pieces, go on!”
Samantha took a deep breath, as the sound of axes clashing against their wooden barricade filled the room. “Faster!”, Rodrik shouted and faster they worked. Through the tiny holes in the barricade, Samantha was able to see two men, she wasn't able to see if they were Ironborn or Second Sons. Th barricade creaked and cracked under the blows of their axes.
Finally, the barricade gave in. Piles of wood and broken furniture poured down, nearly taking the men with it, though they remained standing. Behind them, Samantha saw the familiar bald head of Rodrik Stone. The sellsword leader was still looking battered and bruised, but the anger in his eyes was sharp and frightening. A cruel smile formed on his face. “Hello, Blondie”, he greeted her, as he pointed his sword at her. “At them!”
His men started to charge. The two that had destroyed the barricades were the first to attack, though they had to climb over the broken remains of the wood. Nymeria used this to attack. She jumped forwards, embedding her axe in the skull of the first man that reached the upper floor, before he was ready to defend himself.
As much as their opponents were outnumbering them, the upper floor brought an advantage. It was narrow, only allowing for two men at once to cross it and therefore making it defendable even against a superior force, at least in theory.
In practice, things went less stellar. Nymeria's second opponent was a tall, broad-shouldered man, wielding a bastard sword, while Samantha fought against a younger man with an axe. Behind him, Rodrik reached the upper floor, while more of his men poured up to it.
Nymeria's opponent parried and immediately charged into her, pressing her shield against her body and his sword against her shield, slowly pressing her backwards, down the hallway. Meanwhile, Samantha's opponent made a grievous mistake, as he tried to attack her instead of parrying her strike. She blocked his attack with the hilt of her hatched, while embedding the other one in his stomach. Gasping, the man fell to the ground, pressing both hands onto his bleeding belly.
The next man that faced her was Rodrik Stone. Next to him, one man charged past her, to further help with overcoming Nymeria, while Rodrik just grinned. “You should have killed me, Blondie”, he warned her. “The bastard should have killed me” Then he attacked.
His weapon wasn't the one made from valyrian steel, or else the fight would have probably been over already. Instead, she managed to parry his strike, though the force behind it was driven by anger and it came hard enough to make her stagger. Growling deeply, Rodrik pursued her further, by attacking again. This time, his strike came from Samantha's right and she had to turn towards it to catch the entire blow with both of her hatchets. Still, she staggered backwards and against the door that led to the room her friends were in.
Before she regained her balance, she noticed the triumphant smirk on Rodrik's face. A second later, the bastard knight gave her a kick that caused her to stumble against the half-open door and into the room behind, where she fell onto the ground.
“Sammy!”, I'lian yelled, as he, Davith and Lenrianda raised their weapons towards Rodrik, who entered the room, as Samantha crawled away from him and towards her friends, where she dragged herself back to her feet. Rodrik faced the four people in front of him with an anticipating grin. “Four!”, he gasped. “And here I was thinking I'd only get to kill Blondie”
He grinned at Lenrianda, who stared him down with a dark glare. “Hello, Len”, he greeted her. “I have expected you to get your traitor ass out of the city already. Yet here you are” She nodded. “Here I am”, she snarled. “And we got you outnumbered” Rodrik's grin turned outright cruel at this comment. “And I got you outmatched” He raised his sword, staring down all four opponents, before he attacked.
His first target was Davith, who stood to his left. However, his strike was merely a feint, forcing Davith's parry to miss, as he rather used the weapon to block the attacks from Lenriana and I'lian, while the inferior rage of Samantha's hatchets forced her to take another step towards him, which took up valuable time.
Rodrik wasted none of the time he gained, as he parried Lenrianda's fierce second attack. At the same time, he moved closer towards Davith and yanked his forearm upwards, parrying the man's attack with his limb, high enough to take away almost all of the force and barely wounding himself. A swift cut forced I'lian back and then, Rodrik had finally managed to place his sword between himself and Davith.
“NO!”, Samantha yelled, as Rodrik sliced across her friends' side. Davith bellowed in pain and just a second later, he got pushed into Samantha's direction, who had to stop to catch him. This gave Rodrik a moment to turn towards Lenrianda and I'lian. He quickly blocked Lenrianda's strike, before moving in on I'lian, whose strikes were decidedly weaker, as a result of his wounds.
Using both hands, he did a horizontal strike against I'lian, though he pointed the tip at Lenrianda. The sellsword parried, putting slightly too much pressure onto his wounded leg. A groan of pain came out of his throat, a sign of weakness. Rodrik's grin got wider as Lenrianda raised her sword to attack him.
Gently letting the heavily wounded Davith sliding to the ground, Samantha charged at the false knight, just as she noticed the mistake Lenrianda had made. Perhaps it was motivated out of a desire to save I'lian, perhaps it was just plain recklessness, but she had left herself open, in a situation where Rodrik's sword was pointed right at her.
With a metallic howl, the blade of Rodrik's sword sliced across I'lian's, causing the sellsword to stumble even more. The tip poked through Lenrianda's chest and the force was enough to make the rest of it follow, as he impaled her to the hilt. The young woman's eyes widened, as she wheezed in pain. Slowly, she slid off the blade, leaving it covered in her blood.
The glare in Rodrik's eyes, as he mustered a shocked Samantha and a visibly distraught I'lian was almost amused. “Two down”, he said and went into the offensive again. His strike came low, something that I'lian visibly struggled with due to his wounds. The shorter Samantha had no problems with parrying, but Rodrik quickly spotted I'lian's weakness.
His next attack went against Samantha, though at the same time, he kicked I'lian against the lower leg, which applied additional pressure onto his wound. The sellsword went onto one knee, as Rodrik raised the sword again. Samantha knew what he was trying to do and she went to parry his attack for I'lian.
Her hatchets met his sword, but Rodrik had anticipated her move. He pushed her weapons upwards, above I'lian's head, before slamming his weapon down onto the helpless sellsword. His strike came with such a force that it cleanly severed most of the man's head at the upper neck. Then, he jumped back to avoid Samantha's attack a moment later.
The sight of the nearly decapitated I'lian, of the dead Lenrianda, of the dying Davith, it caused Samantha to freeze with fury. There was no plan, no other thought but killing this man, this monster that had just slaughtered her friends in a heartbeat. With a scream of hatred, she charged at him. Too late did she notice his triumphant smirk.
Rodrik had grabbed his sword with one hand. The other one was free, as he moved to the side, letting her attack only hit the air where he stood before. Now, his free hand grabbed the back of her head, clawing into the hair, as he moved his strength and her force to slam her forwards and against the doorframe.
The impact was enough to instantly knock the weapons from her hands, as she struggled to just stay conscious. She gave in as Rodrik forced her to kneel. He was right in front of her, though she barely saw him, dark spots clouding her vision. She heard his voice, muffled, though she could make out some of the words as he raised the sword.
“No”, he said. “This would be too easy. After you humiliated me in front of my men! You will regret it, oh yes, you will” He paused, before he started to walk to the door, dragging Samantha with him. She was still stunned, barely conscious, though it was getting slightly better with each passing second. “Let's see where that friend of yours is. The one whose throat I cut. She lived, did she not?”
Despite her stunned state of mind, Samantha's eyes widened. “No...”, she mumbled. She was helpless as Rodrik dragged her with him, her eyes focussed on the corpses of I'lian and Lenrianda and Davith, who was slowly bleeding out.
As they reached the hallway, she had regained enough strength to turn her head. At the other end of the corridor, Nymeria was fighting against two men. Two others lay dead in the room. Once the dornish woman saw them, she knew what had happened. A terrified, pained scream came out of her throat, as she tried to slice through her opponents, to no avail.
“I wonder where she is”, Rodrik said, as he moved to the next door. “It must be something very close. You would keep her close, wouldn't you?” He pushed it open and his grin got wider. “Got you” With these words, he almost threw Samantha into Sasha's room.
She landed on the hard ground, face first, as Rodrik walked past her and towards the bed. Sasha was not conscious, the crossbow next to her loaded but unused. “Sash...”, Samantha gasped weakly. “Sasha...” Rodrik looked over his shoulder, as he raised the sword, putting it right onto Sasha's patched up neck. “Sasha”, he said and she opened her eyes.
Despite the condition she was in right now, Sasha realized what was happening quickly. Her eyes widened, though she instantly glanced at the crossbow. Rodrik chuckled, as he raised his sword. “Say goodbye, Blondie”, he growled.
Just in this moment, the door got pushed open, causing Rodrik and Samantha to turn towards it. Davith stumbled into the room, one hand clenched onto his bleeding side, the other one wrapped around his sword. “Hey!”, he gasped, before he collapsed on all fours. It was a momentary distraction, but Sasha only needed a moment to reach for her weapon. Rodrik spun around, too late to stop her. “Goodbye”, she said as she pulled the trigger.
The bolt entered the side of Rodrik's chest and from such a close distance, it impaled him completely, even leaving his body through the back again for half an inch. Rodrik gasped, as he stumbled against the wall, where he collapsed weakly.
In shock, Samantha and Sasha exchanged a look, as her friend lowered the crossbow, before both shifted their attention back at Rodrik. He was not dead. Mortally wounded, but not dead. From the way he bled and from the weak, wheezing breaths he took, the crossbow had hit his lung. In a minute or two, it would be over for him. He was dying and until then, he was left in pain and unable to even stand up.
Samantha was able to stand up though. Weakly, but she was, as she reached for his sword. His eyes were widened, as he gasped desperately, just now realizing what had happened, realizing that he had lost and that he would die here.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the door getting pushed open. Nymeria stood there, covered in the blood of her enemies, her red eyes opened widely and with an almost uncharacteristic fear. “No...”, she whimpered, as she turned around, rushing towards Lenrianda's room. “NO!”, she screamed as she had reached it.
Desperately, Rodrik started to shake his head. “Please...”, he said weakly, wasting his final breaths to beg for mercy. He was a dead man, even if it wouldn't be for the bolt. “Please, no...”, he begged her again and she noticed tears of pain in his eyes. It would have felt like a victory, if he wouldn't have killed two of her friends right now. From the other room, she heard Nymeria sobbing. Her eyes met Rodrik's, before she glared down at the sword in her hand.
[Kill Rodrik] [Leave him for Nymeria]
[Kill Rodrik] Vaasrand would be useful in a time liks this.
[Leave him for Nymeria]
[Leave him for Nymeria]
[Leave him for Nymeria] Nym deserves this one. Even though, similar "leave him for x" choice has previously ended up being a bad choice... Hm. Well, Rodrik is a piece of shit, so he deserves whatever Nymeria decides to do.
RIP Lenrianda, we hardly knew ya
Edit: Oh, I'lian died too
Somehow missed that at first read (thought he was just injured). Damn... Jaro isn't gonna like that.
[Kill Rodrik] Gotta get that last blood kill points. Dang, poor I'lian. I kinda liked him.
Yes, oh yes he would. He'd be able to fight Rodrik one on one at the very least, so with him around, Samantha and the others would have had far better chances of survival. But well, he will have another appearance in this chapter relatively soon, so keep an eye out for him
Well, perhaps here it should be stated that Rodrik doesn't have much time left in either way. He is effectively drowning in his own blood right now and will be dead in a minute or two at most. So, whatever she wishes to do to him, there won't be much time for it.
Out of all the deaths in this chapter, Lenrianda is probably the one I'm going to feel the worst about, because I could have done more with her. In the end, she did appear in four chapters, but truly, I could have done more. Sadly, her death was inevitable, since I really wanted to show that Rodrik can be a very dangerous enemy indeed.
Yes indeed, he died too. I felt a bit less bad for him than for Lenrianda, mostly because Jaro is still around. But yeah, he got a majority of his head severed, so he was dead pretty quickly. The one that got injured (even though heavily) is Davith.
I liked him as well
And he was in the story since Chapter 4. I feel kind of bad for not having done more with him and Jaro, especially as I originally had a vastly different plan for both brothers. Now, at the very least Jaro should become pretty interesting in the future.
[Leave him for Nymeria]
RT:
About the choice:
[Leave him for Nymeria]
Yes, I kind of agree. It was partially due to the very justified criticism some of you brought up that I decided to somewhat correct my earlier mistake with this part. Thing is, I hesitated to kill off Lenrianda and I'lian back in the last chapter, mostly because I feel this additional chapter of development, even if it has been rather little, was absolutely necssary to make them at least somewhat established characters.
It's true, that was another reason why I chose for both to die here. Through Jaro, I'lian is obviously going to remain a part of the story in some capacity and since their backstories are so interwoven, the moment we learn more about Jaro will mark the point where we will learn more about I'lian as well. Actually, one detail about their past is going to be revealed pretty soon. With Lenrianda, there's Nymeria of course, who is going to take the death of her best friend really bad and who will definitely keep her memory alive.
Yes he is! That means that obviously, John and the others will also be affected by his death. None more than Jaro of course, but especially John will take this badly, since he feels personally responsible for his companions. I can also reveal that if you would have left Jaro at the tavern in an earlier choice in this chapter, he would have died instead of I'lian.
Hehe, you're right. Though, at least his escape from the Alley Cats was more a result of skill than luck. I can reveal that originally, I have planned for him to die instead of Lenrianda, but I had one thought that unfortunately (or fortunately) made it absolutely essential that Davith would survive. It's a rather small detail, but he is the only one who can reveal a very specific piece of information to one PoV character in the semi-near future. This in turn will be absolutely crucial for said character, because without the information, I can't use them in the storyline I have in mind for them in Book 2, which is planned to be among the most important ones. And no matter how much thought I have put into it, it turned out to be impossible to have a different character reveal this information, that would have made no sense. On top of that, it would have felt really lazy to kill him now before he'd get more development with Samantha and Sasha.
That is unfortunately true, yes. I remember a poll in Chapter 4, shortly after he got introduced, where many of you saw him as a legitimately threatening villain. That was before the introduction of characters like Edward or Mullendore and before Wolfius and Clayton revealed how truly dangerous they are. Let's just say, he ended a lot less dangerous than most of you have thought back then. Actually, I felt a bit bad for constantly humiliating him in such a way, so I wanted to give him at least some kind of success before he died. So, while he did not manage to kill Samantha, he nonetheless killed two named characters in a single part, which is something only the Tom managed to do before him. He also took on four characters at once and beat them effortlessly, so that he at least got a chance to show just how dangerous he is.
I have debated about killing off Rodrik here. Perhaps at the end of Book 1, I will give you an overview of what could have been, as I had a storyline in mind in which he would have survived. However, I ultimately felt like it was necessary to give you some sort of triumph, by killing off a villain, considering how many of the good guys this chapter is going to claim. And with the true villains, like Mullendore and Harren, out of reach, all I had left were anti-villains like Harris or Alysanne, whose deaths aren't exactly meant to be cheered for, B-list villains like Cleaver Clint or glorified henchmen like Clayton. Rodrik might not have been the biggest, most intimidating villain in this story, but he was one nonetheless and it would have felt cheap to only kill off good or neutral characters in such a bloody chapter. That said, I also felt like I have revealed a lot about Rodrik's backstory. He used to be a bastard of House Corbray and a war hero against the Mountain Clans, but envy of his trueborn siblings drove him to murder his father and steal the ancestral sword of his house, after which he escaped to the Free Cities, where he joined the Second Sons. That is basically his backstory in a very compressed form. I could have done more with it, but in the end, it felt more important to me to give you a small victory.
Indeed, the Second Sons here in the story are without a leader. There's still the bulk of the company under the service of Edward's brother, Nain, but those here in the story are without a leader and heavily decimated. Maybe Morgrem could fill in this role, since he used to be one of Rodrik's sub-leaders. In any way, the Second Sons in Westeros will face problems in the near future.
Ah, the good Lawsen and Ed. Lawsen originally was supposed to have more of a role in this chapter, but I found no spot to use him in a logical way. He is somewhere in the city and he might get a cameo later in the chapter, but his story is definitely not yet told. Ed meanwhile is going to appear in one of the next parts. We last saw him together with Axell, as they brought Vaasrand to the city. Their goal actually is the tavern, where Vaasrand has a room, and they should arrive pretty soon. In any way, he is going to have a guaranteed appearance in a few parts.
[Kill Rodrik]
Die.
Well I feel bad about I'lian. I liked him and his brother.
Man if only Maya didn't do that stupid thing. I assume defending the lower floor would have ended equally as bad so if not worse, a shame.
Lenrianda too...
You trying to kill me?
[Kill Rodrik] Just put him down and get it over with, I don't have any desire for revenge.
Well... fuck. RIP Lenrianda and I'lian. They were starting to grow on me more, especially I'lian. I also now realize that we have gotten to the point in the chapter where many characters are going to die. At this point, I am now expecting at least one character to die per part. There's Game of Thrones for ya.
[Kill Rodrik] Fuck him. Just kill him now, I know he's extremely wounded but I don't want to risk anything just in case.
Ah, no worries about that. Sasha shot him in the lung, which means he is dead by all means. In fact, he is so dead that I have already moved him to the deceased list together with Lenrianda and I'lian. Whatever choice happens, even if they would just leave him, he is going to die.
Yeah, I liked them too. I feel especially bad that I am unable to give them any more scenes together, something we arguably haven't seen much about so far. But Jaro's reaction is going to be very interesting at the very least.
I can confirm that Rodrik wouldn't have escaped if Orys would have brought him to the castle personally, though this would have had different consequences, which I will specify in the alternative choices. Lenrianda and I'lian would have survived the chapter though. Defending the lower floor would have ended equally bad as well, though it is possible that I would have decided to kill off different characters.
I'm sorry, please don't die
I wasn't aware that she was one of your favourites. Unfortunately, her death was a result of the choices here and it would have felt totally inconsequential to spare her a second time after she already had such a close call in the last chapter. Though I am pretty sure I won't end up killing all of your favourite characters, that much I can promise. That would be really unlikely.
Yes, we're entering the really bloody part of the chapter, the one I've been dreading and looking forward for equally for a long while now. I don't think there will be a character death in every single part now, but these have been far from the last to die in this chapter, I'm afraid. The chapter is nearing its end though, so you'll have some relief soon in knowing that the major part of the bloodbath won't go on for much longer.
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