"How's my… son?" Jon Arryn asked. "Tell…"
Kai looked at the old man as if he was nothing but a dead weight.
Jon Arryn looked less like a man and more like a skeleton under the black filthy hide for a cover. There was no lack of food, water, and wine here; courtesy of Kai, as he called it.
But sometimes, the very place a man stayed in did something to him that no external factor could counter. A family full of quarrels, cheating wife, unworthy son, and disrespectful daughter all could eat a man from inside.
Something along the same lines had been eating the old man, Kai could tell. Whether it was the thought of his wife riding a younger man's dick or his weak son, only Jon Arryn knew the truth of it. Kai didn't reply, not bothering to repeat the same answer a hundred times. The old man had been asking the same question since yesterday.
Two times Kai had used the Blood Prophecy Act. But all he got were some incoherent scenes and nothing else. The only thing out of the ordinary he could tell was seeing a tall man in a white greatcoat. How he could tell it was white in a world full of blood, Kai couldn't say. It was just an instinct.
It will be over in two days, Kai thought.
But he wasn't happy about it. The reason was simple. Kai clearly remembered in his previous Main Mission, he had attempted many Side Missions at the behest of the Captain of Guard. But after coming to this world, the only Side Mission he had got was the first one from the System itself.
Side Missions didn't reward Attribute Points, as much as Kai had figured out. Yet, the Mission Credits alone were a thing to be sought after, especially when the number of Side Missions would dictate his Main Mission's completion rate.
Kai obviously knew that his choosing to hole himself up in the sewers was a major reason behind the lack of Side Missions. Yet, there must be a way to get them anyway, right?
But how? Kai asked himself. Last time, it was Arlen who assigned Side Missions. There is no Captain of Guard here.
With this line of thought, he couldn't help but give the old man another look.
Perhaps… Kai's thoughts trailed off.
"How are you faring, my lord?" Kai asked, prodding the old man. "You will have nothing to worry about in two days, I promise."
Jon Arryn didn't as much as glance at Kai.
"I went to see young sweetrobin yesterday," Kai lied
. The old man snapped open his eyes and sat up. He gawked at Kai, sending him an expectant look. The torch fluttered by his side, the flame dancing, revealing the bones under his skin.
"You did…" Jon Arryn took a deep breath. "How is he?"
"He is as good as a boy can be," Kai said, almost smiling. "I secretly told him you are OK, and soon you will go back to him."
"That's good… that's good…" the old man mumbled, falling back to his half-slumber.
Oh, not so fast! Kai fumed, his hand grabbing Jon Arryn's shoulder. "My lord," he said, slightly shaking the Hand. "I was wondering if you have some tasks for me."
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"No… no… Let me sleep…" Jon Arryn whispered, and then his eyes landed on Kai's face. It was as if a bad, hidden memory had awakened. The old man looked at Kai, and fury took over him. "You! It's you! Because of you, I have suffered so…"
"I am so sorry that you feel so, my lord," Kai said, holding back an itchy laugh. "You must think of young Robert. Yes, him. Don't look at me like that. I won't harm him. Now, is there anything I can do for you? Any task?"
Jon Arryn looked into Kai's eyes as if he was searching for something humane within them. He failed.
"Two things," the old man begrudgingly replied. As he listed those things, two dull-gray Notifications appeared in front of Kai.
…
[
Congratulations Contestant Kai Stormborn
You have triggered a Side Mission
…
Main Mission: Thwart the Assassination of Jon Arryn
Side Mission: Return the book on Royal lineages to the Hand's solar
…
Do you accept the Side Mission?
…
Congratulations Contestant Kai Stormborn
You have triggered a Side Mission
…
Main Mission: Thwart the Assassination of Jon Arryn
Side Mission: Pass on Jon Arryn's words to the king
Side Mission Summary: Jon Arryn fears a state of intense unrest in the Seven Kingdoms if he were to reveal the secret. But he also knows his duty to his king. Jon Arryn feels he will not live to meet the king personally. So, to not let the wrong person know about the secret, you must pass the coded message to the king.
The message is: "The seed is strong."
Side Mission Objective: Let the king know Jon Arryn's last words
Side Mission Time Limit: Not Applicable
…
Do you accept the Side Mission?
]
…
Exhilarated, Kai patted the old man’s shoulder. “You’ve made a wise decision trusting me with these things, my lord,” he said, making Jon Arryn twist his lips in disgust. “I will see these tasks to completion.”
“… Demon…” The Hand spat.
Kai grinned vilely, hearing the most familiar word of his life. He, of course, couldn't find any reason to not accept both missions. Also, it gave him a good reason.
A reason to approach Robert Baratheon and devour a King’s Tale.
*
*
The water was bone-chilling cold.
Kai dipped his entire body in it like he was a sponge, soaking every pore.
As evening approached, Kai had come to the Tower of Hand again. With both Jon Arryn and Lysa Arryn's absence, and the Hand's post being empty, the tower was nothing but a ghostly ruin.
Only the silence could match the cold of the water.
The drizzle had persisted throughout the day, giving the approaching night a chill. There was water in the bathing chamber, but none had tended to make it hot. And for whom? Ghosts? Kai had hoped to bathe in warm water. But chilled water was still better than nothing.
Huhoo! Kai shivered, pulling his long white hair backward.
His left hand was working fine now, but it still looked pale and ashy white. He stepped out of the bathtub and wore a newly stolen black doublet over black breeches and black leather shoes. From the neck down, Kai looked like a night prince about to ride out on his white moon horse.
His misty hazel eyes betrayed the innocent look on his face, though.
Kai traced back the route he had taken last time for Maegor's Holdfast. No more ambushes today, I hope.
Kai wasn't leaving his fate entirely on Blood Prophecy. But he had already done what he could in case of the possibility of an ambush. An instinct told him nothing would go wrong tonight.
Nothing.
Kai landed on the top of the tower just above the window of the king's chamber. He smiled.
There she was, leaning over the window, waiting for him.