The Narrow Sea, The Stepstones, Cutthroat Isle
"You... you monster!?"
Jon looked at the half-crazed pirate before him, a wave of weary helplessness washing over him. Only moments ago, he had been at the Wall, haggling with Tyrion Lannister over the spoils of a hidden hoard. He had been on the verge of dropping a few more cryptic hints to nudge the Imp back toward King's Landing when the System had abruptly severed the Skinchanging connection.
The moment his consciousness slammed back into his own body, he had been met with Kapo's axe whistling toward his skull.
Fortunately, the quest at the Wall had fulfilled the requirements to unseal the Dragon Lord class. His previous roles—Knight, Fighter, and Skinchanger—had merged into this singular, dominant path. Yet, the System remained as cold and opaque as ever, leaving Jon to fumble with his new abilities. Had he not watched the original show in his previous life, he doubted he would even know how to utilize his Skinchanger talents.
While the "Dragon Lord" wasn't a class found in the tactical games he remembered, he found clues to its potential within the very blade he now held: Dark Sister.
Weapon: Dark Sister ★
Durability: Infinite
Traits: Magical Artifact (Sealed); +1 Skill, +1 Speed, +1 Defense, +1 Magic.
Jon recalled a particular antagonist from a favorite strategy game who wielded a similar magical artifact—a sorcerous scepter that could transform into a massive greatsword. He had spent countless hours grinding experience just to unlock that character. Now, as a Dragon Lord, his baseline attributes had surged, making Kapo's frantic assault look like slow-motion flailing.
Watching Jon stand there, holding the slender blade with effortless grace, Kapo felt the walls of reality closing in. He realized with a jolt of terror that while he had been focused on Jon, his own men had been systematically whittled down to nothing.
Jon hadn't killed him yet, but only because he was using the reaver to test his new reach. Westerosi swordsmanship was largely a matter of "might over mastery," a brutal exchange of heavy steel. Only the Water Dancers of Braavos in Essos utilized this kind of surgical, precise lethality. Every one of Jon's thrusts was a jagged needle aimed at the gaps Kapo couldn't possibly defend.
As the duel stretched on, Kapo's courage dissolved into a cold, paralyzing dread. The "accidents" and "surprises" of the night had finally broken him. He no longer sought to kill Jon; he only sought a way to stop the nightmare.
Clang... Thud!
Jon delivered a heavy, ringing parry. Seizing the opening, Kapo didn't try to counter. He threw his hand-axe aside and prostrated himself, pressing his forehead into the dirt at Jon's feet.
"Mercy! Mercy, Lord Jon! I know the way—a hidden sea-lane to the ruins of Valyria! You are a man of magic, My Lord... surely, such a secret is worth my wretched life!"
Kapo exhaled a shaky breath as the freezing aura of the Valyrian steel pulled back from his throat. From the moment Jon had manifested that blade from the roots of a Heart Tree, Kapo knew the "Iron Price" would not buy him victory tonight. He understood that in the face of such power, only a secret of equal magnitude could purchase his survival.
"Tell me more," Jon said, his voice cold. "And remember—if I find a single lie in your words, Ghost will be the last thing you see."
Growl...
As if on cue, the white Direwolf padded to Jon's side, letting out a low, vibrating rumble that shook the air in Kapo's lungs.
"I've been there, My Lord! I know how to navigate the mists! Please, spare me! I'll never raise a hand against you again!"
Jon withdrew Dark Sister, sheathing it with a satisfying click. He found himself growing increasingly fond of the blade; while his system-generated iron sword was reliable, this was a masterpiece. In this world, only the legendary artifacts of the System Mall could hope to match it.
"Thank you for your mercy, Lord Jon!" Kapo gasped, his muscles finally unclenching. "Your martial prowess is matched only by your terrifying cunning. I should have known... I should have known a man like you wouldn't just leave himself open. You baited the trap, and Karun and I were foolish enough to walk right into your maw."
"Hahaha! Did you truly think Lord Jon's wisdom could be grasped by the likes of you?" Narsas added, stepping from the shadows with a smug grin.
"Aye," Kapo muttered, looking at Jon with a gaze bordering on fanatical worship. "I suspect the moment I started asking questions about his routine, I was already caught in his web."
Wait... what are these two talking about? Jon thought, his mind going momentarily blank. He kept his expression stoic, thankful for the darkness that masked his look of utter confusion.
"It all makes sense now," Merry chimed in, stepping over to Frodo. "I was wondering why the sentries were so sparse. It was a lure, wasn't it?"
"Exactly!" Kapo cried, sounding like he had found a long-lost brother in Merry. "Lord Jon is so formidable that even his own guards didn't know the full extent of the plan. How could a simple reaver hope to succeed?"
"What are you all going on about?" Frodo asked, looking as bewildered as Jon felt.
"Hahaha! Let me explain it to you, Frodo!" Merry laughed, clearly enjoying the sound of his own voice. "Lord Jon knew there were rats among the converted pirates who wouldn't stay down. But he couldn't just execute them without proof, right?"
"I suppose..."
"So, he gave us those 'physical fitness drills.' Don't you see? It was a stress test! The moment the training got hard, the troublemakers started looking for excuses to slip away."
Merry's eyes lit up as he warmed to his theory. "Then, to draw the snakes out of the grass, Lord Jon came to the Godswood. He made it look like a moment of weakness, and then made sure the news of his 'trance' was leaked after the afternoon session."
"But... what if some of them were just actually lazy?" Frodo asked.
"That's the beauty of it! The lazy ones stayed in their bunks and slept. Only the ones with murder in their hearts would crawl out in the middle of the night to find a Heart Tree. It's a perfect filter!"
Frodo's eyes widened, his admiration for Jon reaching a new, feverish peak.
"And that's not even the half of it," Narsas added, not wanting to be outdone. "Lord Jon stationed me at the fork in the path—the perfect vantage point to watch the Godswood and the outer posts simultaneously. He knew exactly when the mutiny moved."
"So that's why the post was empty!" Kapo realized, slapping his knee. "Karun thought you were being negligent... but you were just leading us into the slaughterhouse."
"And the scouts we sent? You dealt with them personally?" Kapo asked, his voice trembling with a new layer of awe.
"What do you think?" Narsas replied cryptically.
"Jon... Lord Jon," Kapo stammered, throwing himself back into the dirt. "I know the others! I know which ones are only pretending to serve! Give me the men, and I will purge them for you! I will prove my loyalty in blood!"
This...
Jon stood there, paralyzed by the sheer, runaway imagination of his followers. He had literally just been taking a nap at a tree while his soul was in a fat boy at the Wall.
Are these guys serious? Jon thought, a modern slang term from his previous life surfacing in his mind. They've gone full 'Ainz Ooal Gown.' Am I supposed to just go along with this?
He looked down at the shivering, fanatical Kapo and let out a long, slow breath, his silence only serving to reinforce their belief in his terrifying, calculating genius.
"Very well," Jon said, his voice heavy with a gravitas he didn't actually feel. "See that it is done."