I stood there motionless, my eyelids refusing to close.
"Indescribable." That was the only word I could utter.
They had fought non-stop for six days, then a bell had rung who knows where and as if nothing had happened, the two angels had exchanged a handshake.
I could be sure of one thing: if the best choreographers and special effects specialists on earth had worked together with unlimited funds to reproduce such a fight scene... they would have failed dramatically.
I had watched every second as if mesmerized, and incapable of looking away.
'The fucking coolest fight ever!'
Each time death struck, they had been resurrected within moments and continued to fight.
I'd managed to keep track: Seraphinus had been defeated five hundred and seventy-six times and Metatron fifty-three. It must be said, however, that every single time Seraphinus returned to fight, he did so with the exact same fervor and intensity.
Metatron had remained imperturbable during the first ten defeats, but little by little I was able to sense his frustration: by the fortieth defeat, his calm had begun to crack.
Seraphinus, meanwhile, had gained a good margin of victory.
Surprisingly, during the course of the week, I also realized that I had not suffered from thirst, hunger or sleep at all. At the same time, I only needed to crave anything to make it appear in the blink of an eye and satisfy my palate.
Salted caramel popcorn, Extra Fizzy Cherry-Coke, a comfy cloud chair with a vibrating massage option and a heavenly sight in front of me? This ladies and gentlemen is heaven.
The conflict, in the end, was won by Metraton.
Seraphinus joined me with a distressed look on his face, a parchment in his hand.
"This is what you angels mean by negotiations?" I asked instinctively.
"Yes," he replied. "Big Brother Gabriel's idea when he discovered that angels could communicate through blows." He cleared his throat, uncomfortably, and added: Mr. Matthew... I have failed you. I promised you that I would get the best and I was sincerely confident that I could get more. Big Brother Metatron was completely unreasonable, though, you know? It's like he took it personally. I also wonder why he invoked Big Brother Raphael's name for such a skirmish.
He didn't explain what he meant by that "Why didn't I agree to the shift change with Raphael! WHY?!?!"*
I haven't seen him this upset since the Great Flood, and it has to be said that Noah wasn't exactly the nicest guy, but still.... "
"Don't say that Seraphinus," I interrupted him. "You gave it your all, I saw that. The fight was a unique, legendary event that will forever be engraved in my heart. I am happy and proud to have been served by an angel like you!"
"You are kind, Mr. Matthew, but I would like you to read the conclusion first," he said, and then handed me the scroll.
--- Soul Compensation Conditions No. 2,331,870,463,575,483 ---
* The soul will be reborn in the world “A Song of Ice and Fire”:
- Westeros; Northern Kingdom; Torrhen's Square.
- Year of birth 278 A.C.
- Tallhart family; Son by birth to Lady Varra Tallhart (Free Folk, a living descendant of the legendary King Beyond The Wall Joramun) and father unknown. Legitimate son of Helman Tallhart Master of Torrhen's Square.
- Name: Duncan Tallhart.
- Appearance: Strong resemblance to Actor Charlie Hunnam, steel white hair and green/silver colored eyes.
* The soul will be able to preserve memories of the previous life, the period of momentary stay in heaven and additional knowledge such as:
- Civil and Naval Engineering (level: Master).
- Agricultural, Forestry and Botanical Science (level: Master).
- Geological Sciences (level: Advanced).
- Architectural Science (level: Intermediate).
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
- Special: Knowledge of the Ancient Art of Damascus Steel.
- Special: Knowledge of the Ancient Art of Castile Soap.
- The soul will be equipped with a modified limited system to be able to acquire powers of a D&D 5e game class created and altered by the Archangel Metatron in collaboration with the angel Seraphinus:
- Paladin class; Oath of the Ancient subclass.
- Acquisition #1 choice Cantrip Druid class (from level 0).
Conditions and guidance:
- The system will only show the guest their stats one time following each level increase.
- Each level can be gained only when the guest will acquire a sufficient amount of training and direct experience (level 1 included): it will not be communicated through a numerical system but can be perceived. In order to advance to the next level, after acquiring the requirements, the soul will have to forcibly meditate for at least one hour in direct contact with a sacred Heart-Tree.
- Attribute statistics such as Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Willpower, Perception, and Charisma, can only be increased through hard work, personal improvement, and magical means in the world itself and not through a Level Up.
- Intelligence and Willpower statistics will be adjusted according to the current amount possessed by the soul before signing the contract.
- The soul will be able to recover the divine magic spent with eight hours of normal rest, four hours of rest within three hundred feet of a sacred Heart-Tree, or one hour of meditation within three feet of it.
- The soul will be able to use and know all the spells of the Paladin class. It will not need any material or somatic components to cast. In addition, increasing the level of divine energy spent (slots) will be able to proportionally increase the range or duration of said spell.
- Skills and abilities can be acquired and enhanced through practice and study.
- For all other skills and powers follow the line of the rules and guides of 'Player Handbook D&D 5e'.
Special Ability: The soul will be able to sense the level or degree of danger (CR) of any person or creature within thirty feet of it.
Sample classes, Levels and stats adapted to the world of 'A Song of Ice and Fire':
Barristan Selmy and Arthur Dayne = 'Fighter' subclass 'Knight' [Level 10];
Melisandre of Asshai = Class 'Cleric' subclass 'Adepta R'hllor' [Level 5];
Bronn = Class 'Fighter' subclass 'Battle Master' [Level 9];
Azor Ahai = Class 'Paladin' subclass 'The Way of R'hllor' [Level 20];
Drogon = Young Ancestral Dragon Breed [Challenge Rank 13].
Statistics:
Example Average Statistic of Common Person = 9 or 10 (Depending on location and culture)
Strength (Gregor Clegane) = 22
Dexterity (Oberyn Martell) = 19
Constitution (Greatjon Umber) = 20
Intelligence (Qyburn) = 20
Willpower (Grey Worm) = 18
Perception (Anguy the Archer) = 18
Charisma (Rhaegar Targaryen) = 17
Details: [20] it is usually the maximum statistic that a human being from that world can achieve, with a combination of talent, aptitude, and hard work.
The only exceptions to exceed this limit are: Divine Blessings, Magical Rituals, Scientific Experiments, and Natural Genetic Pool Errors (Aberrations-Mutants).
* The soul will get one magic item (Very Rare class) to start with and the possibility to get a second one (Legendary class) if the requirements are met. These items will always be in reference to the Forgottem Realms world adapted to the aforementioned world.
Very Rare class object:
- Bag of Holding (Created by the Archdruid Ancient King of the Children of the Forest).
- Ownership:
- The bag has a magic dimensional space of 3 cubic meters. It can carry a maximum capacity of 4 tons but the actual weight of the bag does not exceed 1.5 kg.
- Any item larger than the bag itself can be momentarily resized to one-third of its original size during the insertion and extraction time.
- Each inserted object will magically place itself in the safest and most optimal arrangement of the occasion and can be recalled by simply placing your hand inside and thinking about the specific object.
- Time inside the bag flows more slowly without the presence of oxygen. The ratio is 1:365.
- No Living Organisms can be placed inside.
- The bag cannot be damaged by non-magical means.
- If the bag is turned upside down, no damage to the contents is expected, but rearrangement and restoration of all items inside is required.
Legendary Class Object: Unknown
Properties: Unknown.
* IMPORTANT: According to the decree n°345.765 proposed by Archangel Michael:
Any interference generated by a foreign power will be counterbalanced in order to maintain equilibrium.
In a brief summary: "The more your supernatural power grows, the more the power of the forces that oppose you will grow."
As soon as the soul signs the document, it will accept all the above conditions and begin transmigration.
Signature:
----------------------------
I was trembling.
I couldn't find the words to describe the excitement that engulfed me. I felt like I was gasping for air. Something inside me had been reborn, I felt like I could grow wings with just the power of a simple thought.
"Se-Seraphinus, this is.... "
"I know! I know!" blurted out my celestial attorney. "Total crap! And I couldn't even get it for six days. I...I don't feel like asking you to pay my fee in full. We can discuss and renegotiate and.... "
"Great!", I shouted, to the point where I almost knocked him out cold.
I forgot that in Heaven everything could be amplified.
"Just awesome!" I repeated. "Oh, I can't wait! I can't wait! You're great, Seraphinus, you're really great!"
But then...
There it was, the sixth sense. Time slowed down.
The memory of my heartbeat began to fill my ears, and after a handful of moments, it felt like my whole body was on alert. It screamed danger from each and every cell.
Danger!
Danger!
And at that moment I realized.
Seraphinus, as a depressed man on the road to an impossible suicide on account of the immortality factor, raised his face and smiled slyly at me. A smile that I didn't like at all, as a matter of fact.
I felt that I was only a few steps away from a precipice.
A dark, endless precipice...
'Oh, no.'
*{Author's Note: Seraphinus is unaware that he is considered an irritating, hyper-logorrheic, and clingy pain in the kingdom of heaven. Almost every angel in the kingdom tries to avoid Seraphinus more than the plague. The Great Father (God) has severely decreed a taboo on the matter. For although he has a 'strong' personality, Seraphinus remains one of the most loyal and good-hearted creatures in heaven.}