Narrow walls of the shop felt like a wooden coffin. Lancel Lannister stood in the doorway, his face pale as milk, while two Lannister guards stepped forward with steel bared. They were seasoned men, not the soft squires usually found in the Red Keep. They moved with the confidence of soldiers who knew their gold was safe.
[Status Alert: Combat Initiated - 2 vs 1]
[Status: Mental Fatigue High]
"Lord Stark," the lead guard growled. "Hand over the ledger and no one needs to bleed in this gutter."
Ned gripped the book to his chest. "This is evidence of high treason. Step aside or you die as traitors."
Guards lunged. Link did not wait for them to reach Ned. He moved with a speed born of a dozen reloaded lives. He stepped inside the reach of the first guard, parrying a heavy downward swing with his short sword. The ring of steel echoed in the small room, rattling jars of foul-smelling liquids.
Link used his shoulder to slam into the man's chest, sending him sprawling into a shelf of glass vials. A cloud of green gas hissed into the air.
"Don't breathe!" Link shouted, covering his mouth with his cloak.
The second guard hesitated at the sight of the gas. Link exploited the pause. He spun, his blackened blade a blur in the dim light, and drove the point through the gap in the man's gorget. The guard let out a wet gasp and collapsed.
Lancel turned to run. Link leaped over the counter, catching the squire by his golden hair and dragging him back into the shop.
"No! Please!" Lancel shrieked. "I only did what she told me! She said it was just to make him sleep!"
"She lied," Link hissed, pressing his blade against Lancel's throat. "She wanted a corpse. And now you are the witness."
Ned approached, his face set in stone. He looked at the dead guard and the green mist settling on the floor. "We have the book and we have the boy. We go to the King now. Before Cersei knows her men have failed."
[Status Alert: Objective Secured - Witness and Evidence]
Link looked out the shattered door. The street was empty, but the sound of the scuffle had surely been heard. "Gold Cloaks will be here soon, My Lord. Janos Slynt is her creature. We cannot use main roads."
"Then we use rooftops," Ned said, surprising Link with his resolve. "I was not always an old man in a silk doublet, Link. I remember how to climb."
They dragged Lancel through the back window and into a dark alleyway. Link led the way, his eyes scanning every shadow. He felt the weight of the "System" humming in his mind. The timeline was shifting. Robert was still alive, Lancel was in custody, and the ledger was in Ned's hand.
But the Mental Fatigue was a heavy anchor. Link's vision blurred for a second. He had pushed the loops too hard. One more mistake, and he might not have the strength to reset.
"Almost there," Link whispered as they reached the base of the Tower of the Hand.
Suddenly, a shadow detached itself from the wall. Sandor Clegane, the Hound, stood there with his arms crossed. He looked at the bleeding Lancel and the frantic Hand of the King.
"Going for a walk, Lord Stark?" the Hound rasped. "The Queen has been looking for her squire. She's quite worried."
Link stepped in front of Ned, his grip tightening on his sword.
[Status Alert: Crisis Event - The Hound Blocks the Path]
[Status: Mental Fatigue Critical]
...
Author Note
Hi guys! Thank you for reading my fanfiction. I'll be realising 4 Chapters a day.
Also I'll be still releasing bonus chapters for Power Stones. Here are the goals:
50 Power Stones: 1 Bonus Chapters
75 Power Stones: 2 Bonus Chapters
100 Power Stones: 2 Bonus Chapters
Thanks for the support!