NOVEL FROG Chapter 30: First Tale – The Lioness of Casterly Rock! (1)
Standing in the shadow of the wall, Kai made a finger gun towards the distant stable house.
Purple-black blots of Mana gathered at the tip of his finger, becoming a tiny, round ball, pulsating furiously.
Shadow Ball!
…
[
Activating Skill Shadow Ball
Time Limit: 30 Seconds
…
Skill: Shadow Ball
Grade: E+
Specification: A damage-dealing Ghost-type move
Requirement:
- Correspondence >5
- Perception >10
Attributes:
- Minimum Base Damage: 25 | MP Consumed: 50 | Accuracy: 100 meters
- Maximum Base Damage: 100 | MP Consumed: 200 | Accuracy: 10 meters
Effect:
- Forms a purple-black ball of energy by consuming Mana
- Base Damage increases with MP Consumption
- Accuracy decreases with the increase in Base Damage
]
…
It’s a kind of a combination of both types of the Triggered Skills, Kai concluded, 50 MP vanishing off his Stats instantaneously. If I were to pour more Mana into it, it would behave like a Charged Triggered Skill, instead.
The energy bullet hummed at the tip of his finger as Kai took aim, narrowing his eyes at the stable standing tall on the grounds some hundred meters away.
Kai took a deep breath, stabilized his footing, and then fired the tiny Shadow Ball with almost no sound.
The ball of energy screeched and hissed as it tore the air open like a bullet.
The force behind the energy ball was so much that Kai almost stumbled back, falling over the spikes.
Boom!
In the silence of the night, the boom echoed far and wide as the Shadow Ball pulverized everything that came in its path and then landed on the wall.
Kai heard the loud shouts of the guards, and saw the patrolling guards above the walls also rushing to look what was the commotion was about.
Now!
With a single, powerful dash, Kai rushed to the Holdfast’s wall.
His red eyes had become hazel, but they didn’t stay round, becoming reptilian slits. On his right arm, a tattoo of snake appeared, its mouth biting his elbow and its tail ending on the nail of his middle finger.
Blood Essene - Blue-tailed Boa Constrictor!
There was a Cooldown of 5 minutes between using Skills granted by the Blood Essences. However, switching Blood Essences itself had not Cooldown.
Kai lunged at the wall and then began slithering up, jumping from crack to crack as if he could feel what was the fastest way to reach to the top.
Elementary Snake Instinct!
Before the first guard thought that the explosion could be a diversion and then looked back to check for intruder, Kai had already crossed the wall.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he dashed toward the shadow of a distant tower.
Phew! Kai put his back against the stones and slumped, letting his MP Regeneration kick in. 50 MP was still over 60% of his MP, enough to make his dizzy. I need to up my Correspondence game.
Kai’s fighting style was heavily centered around Strength, Stamina, Agility, and Perception. Even almost all his Abilities rolled around these Attributes. However, Kai also realized there would be no surviving the missions without having ample Mana to use Skills.
When he was done recovering, Kai recalled the window of the king's chamber and walked towards it.
Is she awake? Kai asked himself, seeing the flickering light coming out from the shutters.
Kai's body was still pale red, steam puffing out of his pores, blurring him head to toe. His slitted eyes narrowed and then he began climbing the tower, making sure there was no guard who could see him.
After a few minutes, Kai reached out, grabbed the windowsill, and canceled both his Skill and transformation.
He pulled himself up. Just a peek.
The noise hit him first.
"He abandoned you!" said a sweet voice sharply. "You should be putting heads on spikes, not turning the entire city upside down."
"Shut your mouth!" boomed a powerful voice. "Otherwise, it will be your head on a spike, woman. The guards at the city gates saw no one leaving. Both are here, I am telling you. Both Jon and that bloody bastard."
"That's what you do," whispered the sweet voice bitterly. "You drink, and you tell. But you do nothing. A mere boy kidnapped that old man under your very nose, they say. And here you are, as drunk as any whoremonger. There's something amiss here. Can't you see?"
"You…" bristled the manly voice. "Don't you dare take Lysa Arryn's name again? Are all you Lannister women so pitiful that you see petty schemes in everything? She is his bloody wife. Seven hells! You really think she has a hand in it?!"
"Blind, yes," the female voice hissed scornfully. "If there's someone blind, then it's you. Send that wretched woman to the dungeon, and the truth will come out before dawn."
No reply.
Kai brought his eyes up and saw the fattest man after coming to this world. He was red, fuming with rage. But there was a distinct kingly aura about him. With all his beard and clothing, he didn't take long to guess who he was.
King Robert Baratheon!
The trembling came suddenly, then.
Kai’s entire body shivered as if he was experiencing a severe bout of cold and hunger.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard was sending bursts of intense vibrations. Kai struggled to not lose his grip when the king roared.
"That's it!" bellowed Robert. "Not a word from you."
"Go then!" snapped Cersei. "Go! Drown yourself in wine. Why not put a sword in my hands on the morrow and send me too for the search?"
The king didn't deign to answer. With long, powerful strides, he walked out of the chambers, slamming the doors shut. The book was still shuddering, hungry, thirsty, but it was enough to let Kai stabilize himself.
A maid walked in as Kai was contemplating whether to go in or not.
"Is my bath ready?" asked Cersei in a queenly tone. "Check it and let the guards know no one is to disturb me after going out."
"Yes, your grace," replied the maid. Kai dangled from the window all the while. He saw the maid going in a small door accessible from within the chamber, and then coming out before finally leaving for good.
Then he saw her.
Curvaceous, blond, and beautiful. Slender and graceful above all. Kai was awestruck. He could only see her one side, and then her back as she entered the bathroom. But it was enough to make him understand what true beauty means.
Kai's throat felt dry, and no amount of dry gulps seemed to make it stop pinching from within.
One quick pull and he found himself in the most luxurious room of the castle.
Candles were burning hot in many candelabras. There was a thin scent of lavish perfumes and oils lingering in the room. The size of the bed was enough for over 10 people to lay side by side, and still have space left. Fruits and wines decorated small golden tables.
Speaking of gold, it was everywhere.
Kai walked toward the bathroom doors. His steps were as noisy as the sigh of a summer breeze, his breathing hushed.
Kai stood outside the doors, smelling the fragrance of roses and dozens more flowers. But he didn't go in.
Many things had brought Kai to Cersei Lannister.
Her beauty? Yes. Her power? Yes, that too.
But the paramount reason was something else. A reason he had just confirmed minutes before.
Kai flicked his hand, taking out a black book.
There was a title engraved in runes over its front cover, and even if he couldn't see it, Kai could feel it convulsing. In sheer pleasure!
Kai held the cover and opened the book casually, and not for the first time. He had already opened the book once in the Primordial Tower, and then near the Hand, Jon Arryn.
Both times he had got the same notifications.
…
[
Story: The Wizard and the Hopping Pot
Story Status: Complete (locked)
Warning:
]
…
Kai flipped the pages until he could make out the beginning of another tale from the bold, runic title over it.
…
[
Story: The Fountain of Fair Fortune
Story Status: Complete (locked)
Warning: To access this story, the Contestant must take the help of a main-storyline Character who can translate the runes
]
…
[
Story: The Warlock's Hairy Heart
Story Status: Complete (locked)
Warning: To access this story, the Contestant must take the help of a main-storyline Character who can translate the runes
]
…
[
Story: Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump
Story Status: Complete (locked)
Warning: To access this story, the Contestant must take the help of a main-storyline Character who can translate the runes
]
…
Then came the final one. He could feel it. Emotions! There were hidden emotions in this tale.
Alas, it also had the same notification hovering over it.
…
[
Story: The Tale of the Three Brothers
Story Status: Complete (locked)
Warning: To access this story, the Contestant must take the help of a main-storyline Character who can translate the runes
]
…
Kai also knew the reason for these tales to be locked. There wasn't some mystery to it.
He knew Mr. Beedle, the old fool, was supposed to decipher the tales. But Kai had stolen the book before the legendary wizard could have done so. He had got one of the mightiest Items from the Magical World of Harry Potter. But like an exacted price, Kai did not know where to go, whom to go to unlock these tales.
One step at a time, a voice echoed within him. Take one step at a time.
It is finally the time, Kai told himself, grinning ear to ear. Time to devour…
… The tale of Cersei Lannister!
