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Robert is a badass who treats killing gods and slaying demons like just another Thursday. Did you know it was inspired by Thairon, the protagonist of my original story, Arrival : Ruptures, long before I began to write it? Comments, likes and reviews are appreciated. Here are the links for : AO3, Spacebattles, Royal Road and Webnovel.
—
Qarth
True to Sandor's words, it did not take long before someone did come looking for him. He had the genius idea of covering himself with robes, and when guards were searching for him, Sandor directed the poor fellows to the other side of the city.
He escorted the butcher's sons to the dragons, keeping a distance to avoid recognition, and once he was near the beasts, no one dared to approach.
There was plenty he had seen in a short time. It had given him ideas to implement in Asgard. Setting up camp, he waited for Sandor and went to sleep.
His next destination would have been Yi-Ti, but two reasons stopped him.
Obviously inspired by ancient Chinese dynasties, it was the oldest, continuous civilization in the known world. They looked down on other civilizations as barbarians and children. That air of entitlement was not something he was willing to deal with.
The other point was the jungles of Yi-Ti. Hot, humid, and dense, all manner of venomous life forms crawled there, ranging from basilisks to bugs and snakes. He would rather not be stung to death, so his route had changed to one of the small islands in the Cinnamon Straits.
—
Cinnamon Straits
While most of the islands were inhabited due to the cinnamon trees, the one he landed on was too small and did not produce anything to be worth the trouble.
It was large enough for the dragons and the camp.
Ships in the distance were watching the dragons, but none dared to approach. He sent them hunting one by one, gazing from a distance as his dragons dove into the water. Both dragons returned with large fishes clutched in their claws.
He didn't know what the fishes were, but they were similar to catfish, if only several sizes larger.
There wasn't any need to keep watch. Any ship that tried to approach would be heard by the dragons and incinerated.
—
He woke up, not to Sandor's prodding, or the pleasant warmth of the dragons, or the salty smell of the sea, but to the hollering of sailors. A ship had anchored, close enough to be heard, but far enough the dragons would not think they were a danger.
Opening the flap of his tent, he looked at the disturbance. Rubbing his eyes with one hand, the other searched for the telescope in his bag.
The ship was familiar from somewhere, but his sleepy mind only remembered when he saw the woman standing on the deck. The red beauty from Moraq.
Putting down the telescope, Robert went back into his tent.
—
"Did he just ignore us?" the brother asked his sister. The dragonlord of Asgard, the Slayer of Monsters and Demons, took one look at them and went inside.
"I told you this would not work," the redheaded woman said.
"We could have had great relations with his city."
"I will not leave my home for anyone's ambition but mine."
"Very well, turn us around."
—
"Who the fuck were they?" Sandor cursed first thing in the morning.
"No one important. Eat up; we are leaving."
Marahai was a volcanic island and was not inhabited. The perfect place to stop before reaching Asshai.
The crescent-shaped island was indeed a paradise. The vegetation and the forest in the islands were lush, owing to the rich soil. If the volcanoes were inactive, he knew this place would make an excellent destination for a retreat.
He shot down a couple of birds and cooked them over slow heat with some salt.
—
Asshai
The Asshai by the Shadow was finally in sight, and he could feel that there was something wrong with these lands.
Deeply.
Above the sea, he could see a clear divide, where after a certain point, the sunlight was dimmed. It was as if the shadows refused to disperse before light and sucked the colors out of everything.
The city itself was unnaturally silent. He could see movement, barely, but the hustle and bustle that should accompany a settlement of that size was absent.
Asshai could pass off as a black-and-white drama movie.
He landed far from the city, ordering the dragons to stay hidden, while he and Sandor walked the rest of the way. This settlement was dangerous; his dragons could be targets of a sorcerer, and he wouldn't even know.
Two men, on the other hand, didn't draw anywhere near as much attention. The size of it was jaw-dropping compared to all the other cities he had seen.
Yet, it couldn't boast half the population of King's Landing.
The people, regardless of gender, wore veils, and as it was rumored, there wasn't a single child in sight. The buildings were made of stone, one that seemed to be covered in unnatural grease soaking up the light.
"Where do we go now?"
"Let's look around first."
Finding a guide was impossible, as was anyone speaking in Westerosi common, but he had learned enough Valyrian to get his point across.
Now, to find a sorcerer.
Covered by the robes, they did not draw attention, not that the people seemed to be inquisitive types. He could see alchemy being practiced around in the open and approached one of them.
"Do you speak Valyrian?"
"Small."
"Where can I find the greatest sorcerer in this city?" he asked slowly, picking each word carefully to avoid a misunderstanding.
The man tilted his head, the veil covering his face swaying, and held his arm out, pointing to the road.
"Follow to the end."
Robert nodded and kept walking. He could not see the end of the road but had no choice.
The further they went in, the more bizarre everything became. Cultists wearing giant masks of a goat's head, blood magic where a sorcerer was trying to bend some sort of shadowy cat to his will, and pretty sure he had also seen a shapechanger.
The duo walked for hours, eventually finding a quiet corner to rest.
He pulled out some jerky and bread, handing half to Sandor, and munched on it beneath his cowl, alert for any sign of danger.
"Master Robert, what a pleasant surprise to encounter someone of your talents in this dreary city," a suave voice called to him. Sandor dropped his food, hand going for the sword at his belt, but Robert was stunned.
He only moved to stop Sandor because any attack on this entity would end horribly for them.
"Fuck," he muttered under his breath. He glanced at Sandor, letting the man's arm go. His gaze conveyed the severity of the situation, and the sword was sheathed again.
"That was quite the reaction. Dare I say, you almost knew who I am," the being before him said with a faint smile.
Robert didn't know how or why this being was here, since this wasn't his world, but fucking hell. He kept imagining random objects so he wouldn't think of the creature's name.
"Ever looked at something and got goosebumps?" he asked. He glanced at Sandor again but found him frozen in place.
Just like everything else, he could see.
He cursed under his breath again.
"Can't say I have," the entity, the equivalent of the devil, said.
"Neither did I until I saw you."
He was being honest, because Robert certainly didn't want to cross something that could freeze time.
"My, what sharp instincts. As expected of the slayer of Naduin," the entity's nose wrinkled as he mentioned the name of the demon.
"You… . Uh, knew him?" he asked. Good thing they did not seem to be friends.
"Knew of him, more like. Can't say I approved of his destructive tendencies. You have my gratitude for seeing him gone," the entity offered.
Robert wasn't sure if he wanted it. "That's great."
"I heard you are looking for a sorcerer. Perhaps I could be of assistance?" he offered, waiting for the human's response.
He already knew what the man wanted.
"I am looking for a way to cut the connection between R'hllor and his priests," Robert revealed. Chances are, this devil knew what he was after.
"Ambitious," he clapped his hands, "I definitely can help in this instance."
"If you are going to ask for my soul, I'll pass. I am too attached to it," he said with a wry grin. Just because he wanted R'hllor gone did not mean any cost was acceptable.
The entity before him chuckled, "I had a different price in mind. But tell me, what do you know of R'hllor?"
"Nothing much. God of Light, his priests live for a very long time, demands sacrifices of pretty humans," he said what he knew of.
Turns out he didn't know anything of value. According to the creature before him, there existed two kinds of gods. The Seven Who Are One were entities of a higher dimension who fed on the faith of the people and were superior. Then there existed lesser gods, like R'hllor. They were flesh and bone, but with enough time and faith, they could ascend as higher beings.
Or in R'hllor's case, gather enough human souls to take a shortcut.
"Now, by rules divine and not, I can't personally confront R'hllor unless he does something truly egregious," he said. "There is, however, nothing stopping me from giving you the means to do so."
"What is it going to cost me?" He was sure a tool to kill a god wouldn't be given out of gratitude.
The entity gestured to the city, which looked worse than it did before, frozen in time as it was, "Do you know why this city is in such a state?"
"Lore drop, eh? Enlighten me," he said.
This would be fun.
"Long, long ago, I granted three wishes to a necromancer. He wanted power, and I gave it to him; he wanted knowledge, and I gave it to him. Yet, in his hubris, he took more than he could hold, and his body shattered like glass," he said, dropping a mirror that appeared out of nowhere.
It shattered with a deafening sound.
Robert's eyes widened. The shadows were alive, which would explain almost everything.
"His body might be gone, but the necromancer's spirit and power still live broken, as long as our deal is not concluded. The unnatural shadow covering Asshai, and more importantly, Stygai, is what's left of him, trying to find a new vessel to piece his spirit back," he said, a solidifying black smoke representing the shattered spirit coming together.
"Is that why the people wear veils? To somehow keep the remains of this necromancer away?" Robert asked.
An entire city, and its culture shaped around the failings of a sorcerer. He would definitely write all this down and spread the word.
"Spot on."
"What do you think I can do?" He had an idea of what the devil wanted, but there was no need to make assumptions.
"Killing Naduin and the kraken were not acts an ordinary mortal could do. Your body could hold enough of the necromancer's spirit for him to use his third wish."
"For a body that could hold his power," he exclaimed. He knew what happened to individuals that used all three wishes.
The necromancer would have to wish for a new body or risk being splintered again.
The devil nodded, "It is so refreshing to speak with a man who has sharp wits like yours."
"And in return?" The wording on deals such as these had to be precise. Robert had no intention of getting scammed.
"I will tell you where to find R'hllor, and more importantly, cast an enchantment on your blade to kill him," he said.
Robert put his hand over his mouth, thinking. The idea of killing a god sounded…
Fun.
"I doubt I can go around touching everything to draw enough of the necromancer's spirit. Should I accept, where do you suggest I go?" He knew it had to be the haunted corpse city of Stygai.
"To the heart of Stygai," the entity revealed.
"Sounds dangerous. Can't you just do some magic to send me there?" he asked to be certain. No need to go through all that danger if he could avoid it.
"His spirit covers the entire city like a blanket. If I cut through it, it would be akin to harming him."
"Let me guess, that breaks your deal."
"Indeed."
"Eh, what the hell?" Robert rolled his shoulders. "I don't think you'd approach me if I didn't have good chances to succeed."
"I should warn you, Master Robert, the experience will be painful," the devil said, not out of concern, but just so it was clear.
"I can handle it."
"Then, I shall be watching." With those parting words, the devil was simply gone, and time flowed once again.
Robert exhaled the breath he didn't know he was holding.
"What the—? Wasn't there just someone here?" Sandor looked around wildly.
"Something more like. I know where we need to go. Let's move."
Sandor grumbled under his breath.
—
Stygai
The Stygai was like a nightmarish settlement from the Warhammer 40K universe, only light, though it was still horrible. The walking undead, not only humanoids but also creatures that seemed to be fused, were everywhere. Shadows bloated and popped like gas bubbles; the trees were actually made up of flesh and blood. Moans of agony could be heard with no actual source, and even the very air itself felt dead.
Right inside the massive monolithic building, he could see a red, ominous glow.
All in all, it was nightmare fuel for several lifetimes.
He was fine though.
Landing the dragons there was a horrible idea, but so was walking. His flight suit could land him right outside his destination, but going there alone was riskier than having someone watch his back.
Sandor needed wings too, but there wasn't enough time to construct one from scratch.
Fortunately, there was a possible solution rather close to Stygai. The City of the Winged Men was a settlement whose inhabitants had leather wings allowing them to fly, according to rumors.
He pushed the dragons to leave the Shadow Lands as soon as possible. Jinqi, a city at the edge of the Yi-Ti empire, was their stop for a whole day to rest and plan before the duo would fly to the City of the Winged Men.
If that location failed to produce any results, he would find an artisan to make another flight suit based on his.
The dragons were away from the city, and while there were many curious onlookers, none dared to approach. Soldiers sought the riders on the orders of the lords, but the searches yielded no results.
He didn't even take any time to enjoy the city, explaining the deal and the nature of the entity to Sandor without revealing any names.
Names were objects of power for beings such as the one he had met.
Saddling the dragons with more supplies than before, Robert flew northeast to the farthest location he would ever go.
—
Notes: This chapter is a bit of a crossover, and I am sure those with enough game knowledge already guessed who I am talking about. I intend to make a greater crossover in the future, but there is still time for that.
—
In the next chapter:
The City of the Winged Men wasn't a city by conventional means. Eight settlements have been built around the Mountains of Morn. Traveling between them using gliders was far more efficient for the individual than making the journey through the mountain paths.
Not a city, but a loose gathering of settlements.
He did even see several people gliding around. This was definitely faster than finding a craftsman, having the said craftsman build a glider, and testing it.
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