Chapter 87: Stranger Temple
"Before your mercenary caught me, I sent word to my allies," the prisoner blurted out, his voice a torrent of desperation. "They're moving tonight. If you don't agree to my conditions, everything you've done will be for nothing." Before Ian could respond, he rushed on, "Just now, when I told you they would act tonight, the system already flagged me as a backstabber! My status in the alliance has changed to 'mole.' That means you can form a personal alliance just with me. Then I will tell you the location of the treasure chest!"
"Is that your condition? You want to form an alliance with me?"
"Of course not," the prisoner shook his head. "We both know that's pointless. I don't trust you, and you could never trust a man who has already backstabbed his allies once. No, after I tell you the location, I leave. Immediately. And you cannot stop me. If you try to imprison me, the system will still register it as you backstabbing an ally! I'm guessing you still have a lot of points you don't want to lose, right?"
"A clever boy," Ian mused, "using the alliance mechanic as a guarantee for your escape. If you're not with me, I can't backstab you." He paused. "But how can I be sure you actually know where the treasure chest is? If this is just a stalling tactic, I won't be able to kill you after we form this little alliance."
"You have to believe me! You have no other choice!"
"But have you considered," Ian said calmly, "that even without your help, all I have to do is keep watching your allies? Eventually, they will lead me right to the treasure."
The prisoner's face went white. He suddenly remembered that this 'Sir Lucion' had just mentioned his allies were on the Street of the Sisters. They had been under surveillance this entire time and never even knew it.
"Tell me the location now, and I will let you go," Ian offered. "I swear on God's name. I am a devout Christian, and I would never make a mockery of my faith." He knew better than to swear by the Seven in front of another player; this would sound far more convincing. "This is your last chance."
"I told you, I don't believe you."
"You have to believe me," Ian said, throwing the man's own words back at him. "You have no other choice."
The prisoner hesitated, his mind racing, before he finally broke. "It's an underground temple."
"You're lying! There is no sept in Flea Bottom!" Ian scoffed. If there were a sept there, did he really think his men wouldn't have found it? After the [Holy] clue appeared, he'd had them sweep Flea Bottom specifically for churches and found nothing.
"The sept was demolished hundreds of years ago! Very few people know about it anymore," the prisoner explained frantically. "It used to be a sept of the Poor Fellows, one of the Faith Militant orders. It was from there that they incited the mobs of Flea Bottom to rebel against the Targaryens. You know what happened next. The weak King Aenys I died, and Maegor the Cruel took the throne. He retook King's Landing and burned the great Sept of Remembrance after his trial by seven. The sept in Flea Bottom was next. Maegor's forces captured it and tore it down."
He took a ragged breath. "They demolished six of the seven shrines inside, but they left the one dedicated to the Stranger. The lord in charge of the demolition was afraid that removing the Stranger's statue would bring him misfortune. So the underground shrine to the Stranger was preserved."
An underground Stranger's Sept in Flea Bottom.
*Son of a bitch!* Ian was suddenly buzzing with excitement. The damn place fit all five of the system's clues perfectly! There was no need for guesswork or convoluted associations.
But…
"Then why didn't my people find it?" Ian demanded, unwilling to let it go. He had sent so many men to investigate. How could they have missed it?
"Because of the Stranger's Curse," the prisoner said. "The few people who know the abandoned temple exists think it's cursed. They believe even mentioning its name brings bad luck. That's what the innkeeper told me, personally."
"Then why did he tell *you*?" Ian asked, finding the story ridiculous.
The prisoner shrugged, as if the answer was obvious. "I told the innkeeper I would give him ten gold dragons for the information."
*Money makes the world go round.* Ian finally understood where he had failed. If he had gone to investigate himself, his first solution upon hitting a wall would have been to offer more coin. But he had sent his men, and he had forgotten to provide them with an 'activity fund.'
"Alright," Ian said slowly. "I believe you didn't lie to me."
"Everything I said is true."
"Of course. I know," Ian nodded. "Especially the part about how anyone who mentions the Stranger's Sept suffers bad luck." As he spoke, he drew his sword in a single, fluid motion. The thrust was perfect, a result of his relentless practice. All that skill was now unleashed on the player before him, the blade piercing cleanly through his chest.
"See?" Ian whispered as he pulled his sword free. "Your bad luck has just arrived."
He turned to Rohr. "Gather everyone in the Dragonpit. Have them armed and ready immediately. We move tonight. Then, send riders to the 'Naughty Jokes' and to Sir Grantham. Tell the 'Naughty Jokes' to find that temple now and have them personally guard its entrance. Warn them that the enemy force inside may be large, and that they are not to act rashly." Ian paused, then added, "As for Grantham, have him move all his men to the area around the Street of the Sisters. Tell him to watch that inn. If those men head for Flea Bottom tonight, he is to find a place and ambush them!"
Rohr took the orders and quickly left the crypt.
Alone for a moment, Ian closed his eyes and accessed the system.
[Successfully killed a player. Gained 4 points. Captured 6 points from target. Gained an additional 3 Agility points.]
[Successfully killed three players. Primary Achievement unlocked: 'Butcher']
[Reward: 3 Skill Points, 5 Points, 1x Basic Skill Scroll of Choice.]
The updated information flashed in his mind.
[Ian: Strength 27, Agility 30, Mental Strength 6
Skills: Basic Etiquette, Basic Common Tongue (Read/Write), Advanced Swordsmanship, Advanced Horsemanship, Intermediate Lance Skill
Attribute Points: 0
Skill Points: 3
Points: 31
Items: 1x Basic Skill Scroll of Choice]
*Damn it! You can unlock achievements for personal kills?*
It should have been a moment of triumph, but Ian felt no joy. He felt only a sharp pang of regret. Out of caution, he had missed countless opportunities for personal kills back at the Crossroads. If he had taken more risks then, he might have already unlocked the intermediate Butcher achievement by now. He had thought the halved reward for killing an initial player was acceptable, but the existence of this achievement proved him wrong.
Ian knew now was not the time to dwell on it. He quickly checked his quest log, confirmed there was no change to the bounty mission, and then strode out of the basement.
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