25th day of the 8th moon, 269 B.C.
The Hour of the Hound (2 P.M)
Ser Alaric Mormont, outskirts of Lannisport
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Enhance Ability
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, you can target one additional creature for each slot level above 2nd.
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This is the secret behind our future victory in the Mock Battle and the main factor for our endurance in the Melee.
I have seven spell slots above level 2, with six being occupied by Enhance Ability, but two level 3 slots already needed to be used on Luton during the duel since two standard Enhance spells had already been used on Murch, leaving only one, forcing me to use the two level 3 slots to reach three.
This left me with only four Enhance Ability spells, one level 3 slot capable of enchanting two people, and three level 4 slots capable of enchanting three people each. My only level 5 spell slot was not used for Enhance Ability.
Just like with one of the level 1 slots, I reserved it for a spell in case of a possible accident.
Since I can only maintain three concentration spells and have three people competing in the Melee, the only possible way to make this work is to use the three level 4 Enhance Ability spells, allowing all three of them to be under the effect of three Enhance Ability spells.
With the nature of the Melee favoring people with high endurance and stamina, two Enhance Ability spells were used to increase the constitution of Luton, Hullen, and Cregan. The remaining third spell was used to increase dexterity, since Luton's and Cregan's dexterity is low to a problematic level, even if the event does not require much of it.
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Name: Luton Flint (31)
HP: 78 / 78
Sex: Male
Race: Man of the First Men
Class: Barbarian
Primal Path: Path of the Berserker
Level: 7
Exp: 30,210 / 34,000
Ability Score
Strength: 17
Dexterity: 6 (+2 = 8)
Constitution: 17 (+4 = 21)
Intelligence: 9
Wisdom: 8
Charisma: 10
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Name: Cregan Stark (27)
HP: 75 / 75
Sex: Male
Race: Man of the First Men
Class: Barbarian
Primal Path: None
Level: 7
Exp: 25,210 / 34,000
Ability Score
Strength: 15
Dexterity: 8 (+2 = 10)
Constitution: 14 (+4 = 18)
Intelligence: 9
Wisdom: 9
Charisma: 12
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Name: Hullen Wull (33)
HP: 72 / 72
Sex: Male
Race: Man of the First Men
Class: Fighter (Fighting Style: Defense)
Archetype: Champion
Level: 9
Exp: 49,850 / 64,000
Ability Score
Strength: 14
Dexterity: 12 (+2 = 14)
Constitution: 13 (+4 = 17)
Intelligence: 11
Wisdom: 12
Charisma: 10
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Quite a group. If the Melee were actually a real Melee and not a disguised Mock Battle, they would win without much trouble.
Thirty-four competitors. All scattered across the field. Even before the fight started, disorder and shouting were already heavily felt. But paying a little more attention, it is easy to notice that this disorder is somewhat controlled, with people gathering in groups and communicating only among themselves.
These were the groups that Andrey had revealed to us, and now he watched the scene with a mocking smile.
"This is going to be interesting."
Only for him. The situation was worse than I thought. There are five groups.
The North, with only three people, is the smallest of them.
Steffon, who was also competing, had three people around him, making it the second smallest, tied with the Vale's group, which was led by Jon Arryn himself.
Brynden, surrounded by five men, was the third largest group.
Luthor, surrounded by seven men, leads the second-largest group.
And the largest group, the one that concentrated most of the people, was the Lannisters', led by Kevan Lannister, who amassed the EIGHT remaining competitors.
Because of our deal with Hoster Tully and Jon Arryn, ten of them will not be a problem until the end. But the remaining twenty-four will be a heavy challenge during the first few minutes.
"Do not initiate contact. Wait for them to come to you. Pass the message along," I say telepathically to Luton.
I sent my message just at the right moment, because the trumpet sounds two seconds later.
Toot Toot!
Swords, shields, axes, spears, maces, halberds. All weapons were raised, and stances were assumed. With tension skin-deep, everyone begins to look at each other, waiting to see who will make the first move.
It would have been a very tense scene if the entire audience weren't screaming for blood as if they were the ones fighting. Andrey being one of them.
"Finally, it begins! No offense or jinx intended, but this time I bet my golden dragons on the Lannisters."
I ignore his comment, but Jorah doesn't.
"This isn't the Mock Battle; a team doesn't win."
There was disdain in his voice. Jorah did not like Andrey. Andrey, for his part, once again showed disinterest.
"Not normally. But the betting house isn't stupid. They realized what was happening and gave the option to bet on kingdoms, not just the individual. I was even thinking of betting on Kevan Lannister, since I doubt his men will fight seriously against him at the end, but as the conclusion of the previous event showed me, you never know. One unlucky strike to the head and he could fall at any moment. I'll play it safe. Two hundred dragons that the West will win."
"That's safe?!" Jorah was perplexed.
Two hundred golden dragons. The equivalent of what the smallfolk would take two lifetimes to accumulate. But nothing compared to what the southern Lords rake in from taxes in a week. The financial inequality in Westeros is so absurd it borders on comical.
But it's not like I can judge Andrey for putting two hundred golden dragons on the line. Knowing now what the other kingdoms did, I didn't bet what I originally intended to. But if I had, the amount wouldn't be less than two hundred.
Back on the field, no one has attacked yet. And it makes sense, in a way.
Since the goal is to make your kingdom have the best performance, waiting for the other kingdoms to tear each other apart and saving your men until the end, until there is no choice but to battle among yourselves, is a way to demonstrate that your kingdom is more strategic than the others.
Besides, winning the tournament will always be the most overwhelming way to show dominance. It doesn't matter how the victory came to pass. Look at Luton, for example. He dominated in all his duel victories, but none of that matters. Kermit won, and even though he struggled in all his fights, everyone sees him as the indisputable champion.
Regardless, the delay for the fights to begin started to irritate the crowd, who began shouting obscenities toward the field.
Perhaps influenced by the shouts, Steffon advances toward the forces of the Vale, which had the same numbers. This started a chain reaction that caused almost all the other groups to enter their own fight.
With the Tyrell force advancing against that of the Riverlands, taking advantage of their numerical superiority of eight to six, the Lannisters begin to advance against our men, prompting Rickard to say the agreed-upon word.
"Now."
Command given, I initiate the mental link with Luton.
"Don't fight. Circle around the field until you put the other groups between you. If necessary, join up with the Tully men against those of the Reach. Increase the numbers they'll have to fight against."
Luton hesitates. The reason is easy to guess.
"You'll be able to fight after their numbers dwindle. This is a strategic retreat, not fleeing."
With that small reassurance, Luton follows my orders. Passing my orders along, they begin to encircle the field along the edge, as if looking for opponents instead of running from them.
Eventually, they follow my advice to join another group, but not the one from the Riverlands. Rounding the field clockwise, they moved away from the clash between Tully and Tyrell and approached the one between Baratheon and Arryn.
Catching the Baratheon men, who were in single combat, from behind, Luton, Cregan, and Hullen quickly managed to bring down Steffon and his men.
With men brought down in what could be considered record time, a tense atmosphere of uncertainty arises between the Northmen and Valemen. Both sides seemed to wonder if the other would attack.
This uncertainty didn't last long. The Lannisters arrived before either of them could make a decision.
Already too close to flee, Luton and the others had no choice but to fight. Three against nine. Each was approached by two. But just as the North came to the aid of the Vale, the Vale came to the aid of the North.
Joining forces against the Lannisters, three against nine became six against nine, since one of Jon Arryn's men had fallen.
Initially, the only one left without assistance was Cregan, but after Luton shouted something to the man who came to help him with the two Lannister men, the man withdrew to help Cregan, leaving Luton to fight alone against his opponents, who were Kevan Lannister and another man unknown to me.
On the other side of the field, the clash between Tully and Tyrell continued, but was reaching its eventual end. As expected, the side with more people won, and as soon as one fell, the others followed even faster.
But aside from the numerical advantage, the men of the Reach were, on average, better than those of the Riverlands. The excellence of Brynden, who obviously still hasn't recovered from his previous fight against Luton, was not replicated by any of his other men, who failed to even come close.
The men of the Reach, even though they possessed no one as good as Brynden, managed to take the victory and began to march toward the battle that still raged between us, the Vale, and the Lannisters.
Several people had already fallen on both sides. But none of ours. In fact, it was Cregan and Hullen who brought down three of the four defeated Lannisters. And with one of the Riverlands men having fallen, the numbers balanced out at five against five.
But since Luton was still fighting Kevan and the other man at the same time, another Lannister man was forced to fight against two men of the Vale. And unlike Luton, he couldn't hold his ground.
"No, no, no, no!"
With his hands pulling his hair, Andrey watched the disaster about to occur in despair, prompting a comment from Maege.
"The Lannisters can have all the money in the world, they still can't match skill."
Taking into account how they were repeatedly humiliated by a fourteen-year-old boy in the original work, her comment is more than just a jab.
As everyone predicted and Andrey despaired over, the four remaining Lannister men—with the one fighting two from the Vale being defeated seconds before—were completely crushed when the men of the Reach caught them from behind.
"Two hundred golden dragons..." Once again, Andrey had his head between his knees and hands on his head as he lamented.
With the Lannisters out, only we, the Vale, and the Reach were left. Five against seven. The difference was smaller than the previous one against the Lannisters, but this time we were much more tired, and the opponents were better.
The defeat that followed was predictable, but no less frustrating. Obviously, the men of the Vale were the first to fall. When only our men were left to fight against the five from the Reach, when Luton and the others were so tired they could barely defend against the attacks in time, that was when Malora intervened for the first time.
Casting two Dissonant Whispers, she creates the opening necessary for Luton and Hullen to land the strike needed to bring down two men, balancing the combat to three versus three.
And it is this equality that makes the defeat frustrating. In a context just a bit different, where they didn't have to fight against the Stormlands, the West, and the Reach one after the other, they would have had the energy to finish off the remaining three and decide among themselves who would be the winner.
But that was not the reality we lived. They were exhausted. And the Goodberries given by me, which had already been consumed, are not capable of restoring them.
Possessing the lowest constitution and, consequently, less stamina, Hullen, the most skilled, was the first to fall.
The second was Cregan, who was instantly brought down after being attacked by the one who took down Hullen.
Then, having to fight against three people while extremely exhausted, Luton also eventually fell.
So, only Luthor and two of his men were left. But only one can win the Melee.
What followed was a performance worthy of a Golden Raspberry.
Fighting against two of his men at the same time, Luthor Tyrell "snatches" the victory from their hands and is crowned the winner of the event.
"Hmph," Maege comments, sullen about the victory that should have been ours.
But it's not all bad. With a near-victory possessing only three people, our chance of winning with seven in the Mock Battle has increased greatly.
Unless Mycah and Kermit have something secret up their sleeves, the victory is already ours.
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