The Greedy Frog
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Hey, I Ruin Stories! Chapter 35
🕑 Added 2024-05-31 20:07:35 +0000 UTCChapter 35: Quieting Qarth (2/2)
[Tower of the Undying]
{Daenerys Targaryen}
"Be not worried, Mother of Dragons."
The man's words held no convincing strength.
"You shall find your answer in the tower, through prophetic visions and knowledge of the lost."
My hatchlings. He promised I would have a vision of their location inside the tower. It gives you visions and answers your worries, he said.
Jorah was out searching for clues throughout the city, while the blood riders remained beside him.
"It's fine." But I wasn't alone either. "You don't have to worry."
Darius assured me, and while I would have preferred to have Ser Jorah beside me, Darius was more versed in magic than anyone else.
"Yet I still insist that you let her walk the tower alone." The warlock, Pyat Pree, was adamant. "Having another walk beside her would plague the dreams, mixing yours with hers, leading to more mystery than answers."
He wasn't wrong. If walking together meant our visions would intertwine, it was better for me to go alone.
"Rest assured." However, Darius was adamant too. "I am a sorcerer who specializes in prophecy as much as elements. If anything, I will guide her to her visions."
The warlock tried his best to persuade, but in front of Darius, it was falling on deaf ears.
"As long as you do not make her stray from the path she is to follow, you may enter."
Finally, after countless tries, he agreed to let us enter together.
"That is something you need not worry about, warlock." Darius looked at me and smiled. "Shall we enter, Khaleesi?"
I was hesitant. It felt a bit worrisome to enter a tower of magic, and for some reason, it felt weirder entering with Darius.
Sadly, it was the only path.
"May Qarth accept you." With that chant, the warlock let us enter the tower, immediately closing the entrance behind us.
"Don't worry." Seeing it go dark and sensing my unease, Darius assured me. "You walk, and I will make sure nothing comes after you."
I didn't understand what he meant. It was quite dark and puzzling in here. And Darius? He simply walked behind me, not saying anything more, just matching my pace and looking around at the old architecture.
"Am I on the right path?"
"So far, there is only one path, Khaleesi."
"Oh."
He was right. We were walking along a single path, but the absolute silence, the chill, and the lack of light had me paranoid.
"Now you can ask about the path to take."
And he was right. After walking silently for so long, we arrived at a junction with two unlit and quiet paths, and I wasn't sure where they led.
"So, which path do we take?"
He looked at the right path, then the left one, and finally, he looked at me.
"No idea."
"What?"
He had a penchant for playing jokes at the most unsuitable times.
Like now.
"I said I have no idea." He crossed his arms and frowned. "Looks like we have to separate."
"Why did you follow me, again?" His job was to be my guide, to help me choose the correct path. Now that we stood at the place where a decision was absolutely necessary, he said he didn't know the way.
"My job is to make sure you are safe and that you end up where you are supposed to."
"Then do that! What is the use of you being around if you cannot even choose the path for me?" It certainly would have been better if Jorah had come with me.
However, he simply sighed. "If you take one path and I take the other, one of us will certainly be on the right path. And if I end up on the wrong one, you won't have to check that path. What I mean is, you won't have to check both paths, which reduces your work by half."
That could have been done by anyone!
"And if you get stuck somewhere, I can always rush to help you. Magic is my specialty, and this place is made of magic."
He...
Nevermind.
“Which path are you taking?”
“Left.” He answered immediately, “You can be the one on the right.”
That made me a little curious about his reasoning. He didn't even take a second to choose.
“Make sure you get out in one piece.”
“I will.” He smiled, “And make sure you call out in case you face something you cannot handle.”
He was annoying, but he was capable.
So, despite him being an annoyance —I agreed.
“Then I will be on the right.”
He nodded, waiting for me to walk towards it —making sure to keep a look out till I was deep inside.
But as I walked deeper, and the silhouette of his dimmed further —I was blind to the eerie smile that he stood with.
…
…
[Same Time — In the Qarth Markets]
{Jorah Mormont}
Two paths: the one of the Khaleesi or the path of Darius.
"Are you sure this is the correct path, sir?"
Following the Khaleesi’s path was my responsibility, listening to every single one of her commands.
"Most certainly it is."
But her path wasn’t.
I had chosen to follow the path directed by Darius.
"The Khaleesi would be furious if she finds out that we did not follow her path, Ser."
She would, but when it came to her safety, I had to go against her orders.
"The warlocks, merchants, and administrators are under our watch."
The council of Thirteen.
That's what they call themselves.
The thirteen most powerful men in Qarth were responsible for dictating the laws, and they were the most corrupt men in the entirety of the place as well.
It was simply not possible for the dragons to vanish without at least one of the Thirteen being involved.
It is a plot, as he said, and in this situation, it is best to follow him to get the dragons back.
"Keep a watch on them and track every movement they make, every path they choose."
Now, it was all up to him and whatever plan he had confidence in.
…
…
[Tower of Undying]
“Darius?”
Images formed and contorted.
Illusions were being cast, and my mind was constantly blocking them off.
How tiresome.
I would have even let the illusions play, replay those memories of the past, and allow them to mess with my mind and emotions.
It would have been interesting, seeing the sad memories and trying to figure out if I could stay unaffected by them.
Most would consider it psychopathic, but was I psychopathic?
I wasn't. I just knew that I wouldn't be affected.
So, it doesn't matter even if I go through horrific memories.
Why?
Because I had already resolved them. I had taken revenge for myself and everyone who suffered.
It was a closed story, one that was satisfying to me.
But…
If this is the reason I am unfazed by these illusions and mind tricks—not even considering my mind arts—then what about people who have unresolved feelings? Feelings of pain, anger, vengeance, and betrayal?
The girl, Daenerys, has far too many of such emotions, unresolved and full of pain and trauma.
Both paths lead to the same destination. It was a clever trick, separating us and leading us to two separate spaces to make us see illusions.
It most certainly would have worked if not for me.
This place, Qarth, was rather uninteresting to me. There was absolutely nothing here, just a bunch of greedy rich men and a bunch of cheap magicians.
But there were dragons, old histories of war, and bold magic.
These warlocks might be pathetic, but there are tales of great magic in this world.
So, all in all, this world is rich in magic and history, but I can neither explore it nor experience it if I stay stuck in this place.
And the girl, she has the potential to stir up great chaos. Her family has history; she even has a claim to the throne in a way, but none of it is enough for me to be stuck with them.
She needs more tools, more people, and more ideas. After that, she can be on her own.
But for now? She most certainly needed support, people by her side, and guides to lead her on the path.
So, let’s be that guide for the time being.
And the first step to that was letting her solve this illusion issue on her own.
No point in hoping for anything from her if she cannot escape even simple illusions.
Thus, I left—left the tunnel and stood at the end of it. It was silent, dark, and the force of magic moving around was prominent.
I could feel the desperation, the effort those men put into making us fall for their illusions, trying to make us weak and emotional.
They failed with me. The magic around me broke and had grown weaker since then, allowing me to stand, leaning against the mossy wall, sensing a few certain things.
But those things had no point unless she was successful in escaping the illusions.
It was interesting to me.
She was young, yet she had gone through countless terrifying situations. But that didn't mean her mind was as strong as her will; it was still easily influenced.
The very fact that she was stuck in that place, still fighting those illusions, meant that her mind was still frail.
And still, I made no motion to help her. I stood in the same place, eyes closed, taking in everything that moved around—air, magic, and the countless plots that were being stirred.
And even then, none appeared.
Not Daenerys, and not the men responsible for it all.
They just couldn't move. They thought they had a plan, and they couldn't sacrifice that just for a simple companion of the Khaleesi.
So they waited, and so did I.
Waited for minutes, then for an hour, and then for more.
And during that time, I realized that the next move had to be made now. So, I trapped a mouse running around the tower, turned it into a messenger, and had it go to the blood riders, especially to Jorah.
The next phase would start soon, but for now, I waited.
Until I finally saw movement.
A quaking hand, moving, and a huffing voice.
“You… did you know about it?”
Daenerys Targaryen, the Khaleesi and the Mother of Dragons, had won against the illusions.
She had done what most couldn't.
“I wished, but no.” I did not know they would throw illusions. “I too had to face what I believe you faced.”
She was frowning, she was tired.
And to not waste whatever little energy she had left, she walked towards me without shouting.
“Illusions must be a part of the tower’s defense mechanism.”
She was a little naive.
“You truly think that?”
She seemed confused at my question but still nodded.
“Is something wrong?” She asked.
“We will figure out once we find what we came for.”
She nodded. “Yes, visions.”
I took a step forward and stopped. “Do we really need visions?”
“What do you mea—”
But as she was about to question further, she heard something.
“That…” She was frozen on the spot, her heart beating fast and pupils going wide. “They are here!”
Yes, it was the noise of the dragons. Her hatchlings that she adored.
“They are somewhere around here!”
Gone was the tiredness, replaced by determination, confusion, and some anger.
“Why?” She frowned. “Why do I hear them?”
Because they were here. But this was not the reason she asked the question.
“You are smart enough to figure that out on your own, Khaleesi.”
Her fists clenched as she looked in the direction of the voices.
“We should go.” She understood what was going on. She was naive, but not stupid.
And with her determined self, we walked towards the cries of the hatchlings.
Stairs and doors, multiple of them, had to be crossed for the voices to grow louder and clearer.
And after crossing multiple of those, we arrived exactly at the location.
An arched with no door, just an opening, one big enough to see a horrific scene.
“They will pay!” She roared. “They will pay for hurting my babies!”
The dragons were tied, chained with metal that was impossible for those little beasts to break out of. They were scratched everywhere, wings injured, and bodies weak.
She rushed towards them, looking at their injuries and trying to get them off the chains. But it was futile; the chains were too strong for her to break, and the dragons were far too weak to try to break free.
And to add to that list of issues, a certain voice was heard from right behind us.
“This is no good, Khaleesi.”
The voice of a certain ugly bald man.
“You were not supposed to reach here.”
“You!” Daenerys roared, furious at the sight of the man. “You did this!”
Pyat Pree, the bald warlock of Qarth, had trapped the dragons, created the illusions, and tried to have Daenerys lose herself in them.
He most certainly would have succeeded. Even I thought she would break against those illusions and be chained up like the dragons. But she surprised me—she broke free and stood before her dragons.
“You were never meant to walk out of those illusions,” he said, clearly displeased. “And you certainly weren't meant to reach this far.”
I could see how they had grown so powerful and obtained so much wealth.
Trickery, magic, and foul play.
They were skilled.
“YOU—”
“Not so loud, Khaleesi.” Pyat Pree raised his hand, causing Daenerys to freeze mid-step. “I do not like people raising their voices in my presence.”
Her foot was raised as if frozen in midair. He had used his magic to trap her.
“You came to the place of trade, riches, and magic, thinking people would bow to you, follow you, and fulfill your every wish,” he scoffed. “How naive and privileged.”
“Return my dragons,” she gritted out, still unable to move.
“And why would I?” He laughed. “With those dragons, our fortune, defenses, and fame would grow beyond what you see. We would be unstoppable, and I, as the head Warlock, would be deemed the strongest magic wielder with those dragons under my control.”
This made me laugh, finally.
“You really think you can take the dragons, humiliate us, and gain everything with such ease?”
The bald man frowned. “Of course I can. The warlocks of Qarth never fail, and you are a measly sorcerer we spit on every day.”
Proud and foolish.
“So, you think you are stronger than me?”
“Of course!” He wasted no time trying to prove it.
Casting a spell, he made a gust of wind so strong that it pushed everything back by a foot.
But not me.
“Really?” I laughed. “That's it?”
“Then handle this!”
This time he made the place shake, causing the bricks of the room to crack and fall.
“Lower your head to me or die,” he roared, expecting me to be afraid of the quaking tower and falling bricks. “Or you will be buried here, alive.”
Yet, I simply smiled.
“Then bury me.”
His eyes went wide as, instead of falling back and lowering my head as he asked, I walked forward directly toward the falling bricks.
But as one would expect to get hit by such foolish movements, I merely stood there with a smile and no sign of harm.
“Dar—” Daenerys began to worry, but as she saw the first brick falling on me, she went silent.
“Illusions only work when the mind of the opponent is weak, warlock.” Countless bricks fell, and every single one of them passed right through me. “Unfortunately for you, I am immune to your tricks of illusion.”
His feet slipped back. “Why…”
The simple answer would be that his illusions were weak and my mind was stronger.
“No.” He gritted his teeth. “You two will die here! We will have those dragons!”
He roared and slammed his fist on the wall, instantly causing loud footsteps to surround us.
“We will get those dragons!”
In seconds, we were surrounded by warlocks, dozens of them.
“Ruin them!” He roared, and the warlocks moved immediately on his command. “Get the girl first!”
Each of the warlocks swarmed towards us, chanting spells and preparing to harm us.
Finally, it was time for me to do something. Maybe it was time to show them a little of what magic could truly do.
“Then let me, too, show you a little.”
But...
But it just wasn't my day to shine.
Just when I thought I would free my joints a little and use a bit of magic, someone else beat me to it.
Specifically, three dragons—three beasts.
“Ahhhhhhh!”
The moment the warlocks reached Daenerys, they realized their biggest mistake.
The dragons, which could not even fly properly, used their fire—magical fire that burned flesh like butter, melting it and causing the men to scream in pain and horror.
The dragons were forced to learn to burn before they could even fly—all to protect their mother, who unfortunately couldn't even protect them.
Interesting.
But I could not let them steal all of my shine, now could I?
Of course I couldn't!
________________________________________________________________________
[A/N: Small gains add up. You will understand what I mean later.
And the next chapter will be the last in Qarth.]
