He felt somewhat foolish for having forgotten to look at the Ressource Menu, but his shame disappeared shortly after he did open it. It was not what he had expected.

Just about every resource the menu showed was greyed out and had interrogation numbers replacing their values. Only two resources had values and were not all greyed out and inaccessible: Coin and Prestige.

[ Gideon ]

Coin: 160 Silver Stags ( 3 Gold Dragons )

Prestige: 50 Points, 8.0/100 To next rank.

Piety: ???, ?/??? To next rank.

Renown: ???, ?/??? To next rank.

Materials: ???

Workforce: ???

Food Stocks: ???

Military Power: ???

Whilst his eye immediately went to the ‘ Next rank’ he saw beside his current amount of Prestige, he did get briefly confused by the rest of the resources. The first four were sound to him, but the rest? They were all resources that did not pertain directly to his own person. What military power did one man represent? The same with workforce really. They could be applied to him, certainly, but to him, it was clear that something was amiss. He would ask the Gods about the resource menu as soon as he had access to Queries.

Of course, what caught his attention the most was this ‘next rank’ value. Only Prestige, Piety and Renown showed this. It could not be an issue with the other resources being greyed out since Renown itself was not unavailable to him yet, and he could still see it. How strange. It suggested that these values could evolve, but what would that mean in practice? Again, another question for the Gods.

He had to admit he could not quite understand how he had already acquired some Prestige since no quest or achievement had rewarded him with any points. The system had mixed in the coins he already had on his person with those he had gained from the quests, so perhaps this was simply the Prestige he had earned outside of the system?

Contrary to Coin, Prestige did not appear to be something physical, that was to be expected. Whenever he earned coins he sensed that he could make said coins appear. They had not immediately appeared in his pouch as he earned them and he was thankful for it. Who knew what would happen if he gained a large amount of money from a quest, only for it to appear on his person immediately afterwards. That was a good way for the truth to be known, and he had no desire for that to happen.

This did, however, beg a question: How could he make those coins appear?

He tested this when Beryn went to speak with yet another couple of villagers. Thus far their questioning had gone poorly, but at least the man had a basic amount of information that would allow them to locate the Boar Company at one point. Still, the sellsword continued to interrogate the villagers after Gideon had pointed out that the villagers were possibly hiding information. They seemed sufficiently crossed due to the whole situation, it was not hard to imagine they would act mute on the topic. Peasants– he knew this from the time he still lived with his family– would often avoid speaking of discomforting matters, some believed it caused bad luck.

So while Beryn spoke, some distance away from him, Gideon tried to make the coins appear atop his horse. A crackle of lightning filled his eyes, but no sound followed. The beast neighed and tapped a hoof on the soil a few times. A couple of silver stars had appeared in his hand.

It had been both more discreet and yet more visible than he had expected. The light from the act would be a problem, he would have to do it away from prying eyes. But the fact that it made no sound and was instantaneous was an advantage. An idea entered his mind and he smiled giddily.

Could he do the opposite and put the coin he physically had into the system? This time, however, he did not get some instinctual idea of how to do it. No one was whispering the possibility into his ears.

Could he just not do it? He did not believe so. If he could pull it out, he could put it back in at least. Yet he had no idea how to do it. Perhaps this was something to be unlocked later? Evidently, the system still held a lot of surprises for him. It constantly offered him new menus. With time, perhaps he would naturally unlock all the possibilities that it could offer, and using it as a bank could be one.

He would wait. Until then he decided to only use this ability whenever he truly needed the money acquired through the system. He would certainly not lose coins just by pulling them into reality, but he did not feel safe with the idea of carrying his entire wealth around. This was indeed a great boon the system had given him. Only an actual bank would allow one to safe keep their wealth. Well, that and locking it behind your own personal vault if you had one.

“ Gideon! Still no luck, boy. I am starting to think I was right in my assumption. This lot knows nothing of the war.” Beryn came up to him atop his own steed.

“ So what then? There are still houses we have not knocked on. We could also just leave as you suggested, but honestly, I am not all that confident running around the Riverlands madly searching for the Boars. War breeds bandits of all kinds, does it not?” He asked the older man who tilted his head in agreement.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

“ Quite right, bandits and deserters get fat and happy in Wars, so long as they actually survive that is. But what is the risk you prefer to take, eh? Is it better to risk missing some great battle or a turning point in the war because we took too long, or is it better to risk getting ambushed because we were wandering without information?”

Truthfully speaking, he was not the most careful of man whenever he found himself in such situations. Beryn was dangling the prize before his eyes. But really, would he be mulling over the idea of missing a great battle? A great battle meant looting for the company if it was allowed by the party that had hired them, and a good amount of glory. It also meant death. Certain death in his case.

The uncertainty must have been obvious on his face since Beryn laughed as he slapped his thigh.

“ Boy, you worry over nothing! You are trying to be a sellsword! You are set on the path, ain’t ya?” He asked and Gideon nodded faster than he could think. “ Well, then, it is simple. Rush, and think later if you’re still alive by this point. Great battle or not, you risk death. With every move in a sellsword company you risk death, truth be told. So think only of the rewards. The bad consequences will be the same no matter what anyway.” He finished and flashed him a toothy grin.

It was not reassuring in the slightest, but he was never going to abandon just because of the mere possibility of death. It had to stare him right in the soul for him to potentially abandon; even then, he was not certain he had the mental ability to even think of stopping.

“ Ser Sellsword! Ser Sellsword!”

They both turned around to see a young brown-haired man, another peasant probably given his clothes.

“ Surprised the lad knows I’m a Sellsword. Most in the crownlands were calling me a Freerider. The gall.” Beryn said as he sniffed.

“ Freerider? Isn’t that another term for Sellsword? Same thing isn’t it?” Gideon asked.

“ Pffft” Beryn chuckled as the young man neared them. “ Absolutely fucking not. We are professionals, mostly, and they are rats. Most of them don’t even fight. Usually, they’re scouts or used to patrol areas. They are not that well trained and unlike us, they don’t get a salary. They don’t sign contracts with employers. They just get told they can serve a House and get fed and some plunder whenever there’s actually a fight.”

The young peasant finally reached them. He was out of breath and sweating quite heavily. He looked as though he had run through the whole village to get to them.

“ You…Ah…yer the Sellsword who’s been asking ‘bout the Boars, are ye Ser?” The man asked them.

“ The one and only, in this shitty village at least,” Beryn answered and Gideon fixed him a glare. The villagers already didn’t like them, and this was not helping.

“ Ah, I know where they are Ser! Heard from some of House Vance’s men that the rebels are near Harrenhal. They’re preparing to siege it! They also said House Tully was gathering an army near Acorn Hall, and the Boars would be there, Ser!” The youth who was probably just a nameday or two younger than him, told them.

“ Oh, is that right? Acorn Hall, eh? Means we go left of the God’s Eye. Can’t say I’m unhappy, wasn’t looking forward to Harrenhal.” Beryn told him before turning back to the young man.

“ Well thank ye for the information, lad. But why have you been running like a dog to deliver it to us?” Beryn asked, pointing at the both of them. Gideon saw the young man briefly glance at him before his head turned back in a hurry. He was afraid of him.

“ U-uhm well, I was hoping you could take this letter to me cousin, Berrick. He is fighting for House Buckwell, Ser. He has not been home in a year so no one got to tell him…his Ma’s dead, coughed herself to the grave. She’s the only one he had left ye see.” The young man shifted on his feet. Gideon saw Beryn’s jaw clench.

It was a sobering thought to him. This was once his reality too. The smallfolk suffered without reprieve, and barely a soul felt for them. Not that he had a problem with it. Even his father had told him that this was the way of the world and that only it could truly function. Then again his father had not been all-knowing.

“ Give me the letter. And your name.” Beryn ordered. The youth stammered but quickly fished out the letter and gave it to him.

“ Me name’s Roderyn, Ser.”

Beryn opened the letter and quickly skimmed through it.

“ Had a maester write it, eh? It’s well written. But tell me, Roderyn. Why haven’t you been called to bear arms? Surely with the war, you should have been serving like Berrick by now. ” He questioned as he pushed the letter inside his leather vest. Gideon narrowed his eyes as he pondered over it. True, Roderyn should have been serving in the infantry by now. Probably under the same House as Berrick.

“ I, uh…” Roderyn retreated onto himself. Beryn sighed and turned his horse around.

“ Take care of whoever is depending on you, young Roderyn. Never be too ashamed of what you are! If you did it for others, you are their Hero. If you did it for yourself, yer just smart.”

Beryn left and Gideon quickly followed after him. He watched Roderyn from the corner of his eyes but the brunette did not move an inch. He then shook his head and ran back to wherever he had come from.

“ I think I’ve missed something here,” Gideon commented.

“ The boy hid from whoever came to round the able-bodied men. I’d wager he is not the only one who’s done so in this village. They don’t strike me as fiercely loyal or all that concerned with the matters of the realm.” Beryn explained. He whistled as they went off the road to ride around the God’s eye. If he remembered his map correctly, it would be a somewhat long trip to Acorn Hall. Hopefully, the Boars would still be there. Gathering an army took an awful amount of time anyway. If the Gods were with him they would still be there….

And obviously, the Gods very much favoured him.

“ It is not a war of invasion. Both attackers and defenders are brethren. I don’t think we can fault him for not feeling particularly brave.” Gideon spoke after a long beat of silence.

Beryn seemed oddly amused but did not chuckle. He smiled but his eyes were creased.

“ Where we are going, and with the war raging on, kid….I think you’ll find this sort of people insufferable. When you are the one fighting for your life. When you are the one stepping over corpses to make a fresh new one or join them yourself….you’ll call the rest of the world cowards, just like that. Just ‘cause you’re bitter.”

“ You did sound like you were supportive of his actions, though. Were you lying to him?” Gideon asked, his eyes narrowed once more. Beryn was careful to meet them as he stared ahead.

“ Not particularly so. “

The two remained in comfortable silence for the better part of the journey, only speaking during the different stops they made to rest. This side of the Riverlands did not seem wartorn as one would have expected. But Beryn did tell him around the fire, that neither side would want to damage their own lands. Only madmen did so….madmen and Tywin Lannister.

Gideon wondered how the man would have handled such a rebellion. Would they have made yet another song, a successor to the Rains of Castamere? If the rumours of the Lannisters’ involvement in this conflict were true, he imagined the Lord Paramount found a certain irony in supporting the rebels.

“ Am I seeing things? Beryn, that’s an army isn’t it?”

They found a large encampment in the plain. The light had disappeared only a few hours prior and they saw the torches in the distance. They were some miles away from Acorn Hall still.

“ Roderyn told us the Tullys and the Boars would be gathering at Acorn Hall. Given where Riverrun is, this can’t be them. They wouldn’t have come from this way. Perhaps it’s the bannermen?” Beryn spoke in a low voice.

“ Could it not be the rebels?” Gideon said. Beryn turned to him with a raised eyebrow, not due to what he had said but how he had said it. He saw those bright pink eyes glinting in the moonlight. He could sense the fear.

“ Last I heard two armies clashed near the Ruby Ford two months ago. The Rebels won but not by much. Can’t say I heard much more than that. They shouldn’t be gathering here if they are already planning to take Harrenhal.” Beryn answered him.

He couldn’t help, he audibly swallowed and cursed softly.

“ No…this is them. This is a fucking rebel army!” The certainty of the words took Beryn by surprise. His demeanour shifted in a second.

“ How would you know that, boy?”

“ I….I know it is. Just call it, a freak’s instinct.” Gideon said as he glanced above his head. Beryn couldn’t follow his eyes in the darkness, and even then he would not have seen the same thing the boy did.

[ The champion has received a Side quest! ]

Quest: Turmoil for the Fish.

Side quest: Battle near Acorn Hall

Objective: Choose a side and participate in the Battle near Acorn Hall.

Reward: +2 Prowess, +1 Martial, +20 prestige. +10 Relation with House Tully OR +10 Relation with the Rebels.

The Champion can earn additional rewards by distinguishing himself during the battle.