Jaron
“So, you are sure this is the right course of action?”, Jaron asked, looking at Bakr. The large man gave him a decisive nod, follow… moreed by a big grin. “You can trust me. Don't run after some woman and it'll make her run after you instead”, he explained.
“As the legions of women chasing you can confirm”, Martin interjected with sarcasm. “Come on, Jaron. You don't plan on following that oaf's advice, do you?” Bakr narrowed his eyes, which made his brows come even closer, to the point where they touched. “Hey, no need to get rude, boy”, he growled. “Jaron follows a clever advice. First, he does the work. Then he does the pleasure, isn't that right?”
Jaron gave him a slightly overwhelmed nod. “Sure...”, he answered. “I guess” This caused Martin to shook his head. “Well, it's your decision. But keep in mind, he's not the one who is about to charm a whore out of her pants”, he answered with a grin and slightly rubbed Keira's belly. She… [view original content]
I'm not talking in regards of consequences. I'm saying I don't like that Jaron allowed a man to be murdered when he could've stopped it. It's just my opinion though I don't blame anyone for voting to let him die.
That was one of the choices where I am still not sure which outcome I would have liked more. While I loved to write the part in question, sp… morearing him would have been almost as interesting to write. But I wasn't surprised that killing him won, considering that everyone thought that he was the real Butterfly and since I tried my best to make him as despicable as possible. Still, while some obvious positive consequences would have come from sparing him, there would have been some negative consequences coming from that as well. Killing him is not necessarily a completely bad choice, depending on how you view a few elements of the Oldtown storyline.
Well I'm not a big fan of her butchering 'butterfly' that's not why I dislike her though that event did raise my dislike bar a little. I'm not actually sure why I dislike her, I just don't like the way she talks, it might be her vengeful personality, or maybe it's because I'm so anti-Burned Man
While I like her, my opinion is not very representative, since I like most of the characters in the story, However, I have to say that I lik… moree Harpy more than many other characters, from a writer's perspective. She's a lot of fun to write Though, I am wondering, do you dislike her because she killed the fake Butterfly, or is there anything else you dislike? I'm always interested in the reasons people have for liking or disliking characters.
Yes, Mike is badass, but for some reason I disliked him for a very long time, until the final two chapters of the game. After finishing the … moregame, he is still behind Sam, Chris and Emily for me, but I definitely grew to like him. My least favourite was probably Matt, simply because I found him a bit boring and generic, or Ashley, for being incredibly whiny and annoying. Emily on the other hand is very resourceful and for some reason, I just loved her attitude. There was one particular scene with Ashley later in the game that was just comedy gold
“Now that Butterfly died, it was up to me and a few other powerful men in this city to contain the chaos as good as possible, to prevent someone like the Tom to gain power in place of Butterfly. These men are Lord Hightower, the High Septon and Commander Mullendore”
Mullendore is a born follower. Harmless without someone above him
Jaron
“So, you are sure this is the right course of action?”, Jaron asked, looking at Bakr. The large man gave him a decisive nod, follow… moreed by a big grin. “You can trust me. Don't run after some woman and it'll make her run after you instead”, he explained.
“As the legions of women chasing you can confirm”, Martin interjected with sarcasm. “Come on, Jaron. You don't plan on following that oaf's advice, do you?” Bakr narrowed his eyes, which made his brows come even closer, to the point where they touched. “Hey, no need to get rude, boy”, he growled. “Jaron follows a clever advice. First, he does the work. Then he does the pleasure, isn't that right?”
Jaron gave him a slightly overwhelmed nod. “Sure...”, he answered. “I guess” This caused Martin to shook his head. “Well, it's your decision. But keep in mind, he's not the one who is about to charm a whore out of her pants”, he answered with a grin and slightly rubbed Keira's belly. She… [view original content]
[Bring her a blanket and let her sleep]
“Now that Butterfly died, it was up to me and a few other powerful men in this city to contain… more the chaos as good as possible, to prevent someone like the Tom to gain power in place of Butterfly. These men are Lord Hightower, the High Septon and Commander Mullendore”
Mullendore is a born follower. Harmless without someone above him
If only they knew....
Feeling a little silly debating fictional politics, but if you are anti-Burned Man then who do you support in Oldtown? Surely not Mullendore? Lord Hightower or the High Septon? We don't really know anything about them and their motives so I wouldn't at least yet say I support them - for all we know one of them could be allied with Mullendore. Then there is the Citadel of course, but as ambiguous as they might be I doubt they could ever keep the order in Oldtown.
Well I'm not a big fan of her butchering 'butterfly' that's not why I dislike her though that event did raise my dislike bar a little. I'm n… moreot actually sure why I dislike her, I just don't like the way she talks, it might be her vengeful personality, or maybe it's because I'm so anti-Burned Man
Feeling a little silly debating fictional politics, but if you are anti-Burned Man then who do you support in Oldtown? Surely not Mullendore… more? Lord Hightower or the High Septon? We don't really know anything about them and their motives so I wouldn't at least yet say I support them - for all we know one of them could be allied with Mullendore. Then there is the Citadel of course, but as ambiguous as they might be I doubt they could ever keep the order in Oldtown.
Yeah, sure is a mess of a city Personally I'm still in team Burned Man, but then again I am extremely biased in that since Jaron is the first character I submitted into this story way back in the December 2014 when Liquid started this amazing fanfic
Yeah, sure is a mess of a city Personally I'm still in team Burned Man, but then again I am extremely biased in that since Jaron is the first character I submitted into this story way back in the December 2014 when Liquid started this amazing fanfic
Jaron
“So, you are sure this is the right course of action?”, Jaron asked, looking at Bakr. The large man gave him a decisive nod, follow… moreed by a big grin. “You can trust me. Don't run after some woman and it'll make her run after you instead”, he explained.
“As the legions of women chasing you can confirm”, Martin interjected with sarcasm. “Come on, Jaron. You don't plan on following that oaf's advice, do you?” Bakr narrowed his eyes, which made his brows come even closer, to the point where they touched. “Hey, no need to get rude, boy”, he growled. “Jaron follows a clever advice. First, he does the work. Then he does the pleasure, isn't that right?”
Jaron gave him a slightly overwhelmed nod. “Sure...”, he answered. “I guess” This caused Martin to shook his head. “Well, it's your decision. But keep in mind, he's not the one who is about to charm a whore out of her pants”, he answered with a grin and slightly rubbed Keira's belly. She… [view original content]
When will we be seeing some new storylines in places like the North, Dorne, or Essos? Not that these storylines aren't interesting, but I kinda want or Daenarys who shows us what's happening over in the east.
A storyline in the North is planned to start in the next chapter and there will be one PoV who will even travel beyond the wall for some time in Book 2. Sadly, the storylines for Dorne and Essos have to wait until Book 2. However, I am already preparing the main storyline for Essos and have some pretty nice stuff planned, so I hope it will be worth the wait
When will we be seeing some new storylines in places like the North, Dorne, or Essos? Not that these storylines aren't interesting, but I kinda want or Daenarys who shows us what's happening over in the east.
A storyline in the North is planned to start in the next chapter and there will be one PoV who will even travel beyond the wall for some tim… moree in Book 2. Sadly, the storylines for Dorne and Essos have to wait until Book 2. However, I am already preparing the main storyline for Essos and have some pretty nice stuff planned, so I hope it will be worth the wait
A storyline in the North is planned to start in the next chapter and there will be one PoV who will even travel beyond the wall for some tim… moree in Book 2. Sadly, the storylines for Dorne and Essos have to wait until Book 2. However, I am already preparing the main storyline for Essos and have some pretty nice stuff planned, so I hope it will be worth the wait
A storyline in the North is planned to start in the next chapter and there will be one PoV who will even travel beyond the wall for some tim… moree in Book 2. Sadly, the storylines for Dorne and Essos have to wait until Book 2. However, I am already preparing the main storyline for Essos and have some pretty nice stuff planned, so I hope it will be worth the wait
A storyline in the North is planned to start in the next chapter and there will be one PoV who will even travel beyond the wall for some tim… moree in Book 2. Sadly, the storylines for Dorne and Essos have to wait until Book 2. However, I am already preparing the main storyline for Essos and have some pretty nice stuff planned, so I hope it will be worth the wait
Jaron will bring Harpy a blanket and let her sleep
Not exactly the most major choice I ever gave you. Then again, Jaron's storyline in this chapter wasn't about major choices, but mostly serves the purpose of giving some development to the characters, to balance out Jaron's action-packed Chapter 4 storyline and to prepare the very exciting things to come.
The next part should be out later today, although I don't know how long it will take me. Perhaps it will be done in a few hours or perhaps it will take most of my time today, it's hard to say. It's going to be a part with Ellena and Lucas in it.
It's hard to say. This chapter is nearing its end, although there's still a bit to come and every PoV will get at least one more part. I definitely hope to finish this chapter in this month, so that I hopefully manage to finish Act 2 in this year, but I have learned to be careful with time estimation. The next chapter should start relatively soon, that's all I can say for sure.
LUCAS!? Shit, I don't know if I'm ready for this. I think there's gonna be some eye gouging. But I also think Lucas will be able to trick the Spyhnx at this point.
The Voting is closed!
Jaron will bring Harpy a blanket and let her sleep
Not exactly the most major choice I ever gave you. Then again… more, Jaron's storyline in this chapter wasn't about major choices, but mostly serves the purpose of giving some development to the characters, to balance out Jaron's action-packed Chapter 4 storyline and to prepare the very exciting things to come.
The next part should be out later today, although I don't know how long it will take me. Perhaps it will be done in a few hours or perhaps it will take most of my time today, it's hard to say. It's going to be a part with Ellena and Lucas in it.
When we last saw Lucas, he was pretty screwed. And now that we defied Sphnyx, I believe Lucas is going to lose a foot or two. Perhaps we choose to reveal Dairon he could have tricked them, but I fairly certain he is going to lose some body parts and reveal Dairon's location either way.
LUCAS!? Shit, I don't know if I'm ready for this. I think there's gonna be some eye gouging. But I also think Lucas will be able to trick the Spyhnx at this point.
We've had two chances to lie to the Sphynx and last time we saw him he was starting to get angry, I'm thinking in this session he'll be even more angry and that'll be Lucas' chance to lie to him and trick him into believing him, though I'm a little worried that Lucas will be put out of his misery. I'm beginning to wonder if Lucas' survival is even a realistic possibility, if he does survive I don't think he'll be the same man Leonard remembers.
When we last saw Lucas, he was pretty screwed. And now that we defied Sphnyx, I believe Lucas is going to lose a foot or two. Perhaps we cho… moreose to reveal Dairon he could have tricked them, but I fairly certain he is going to lose some body parts and reveal Dairon's location either way.
Sphnyx was starting to lose his cool , but I don't think Lucas could hold out till then. My bet is that he will crack under the pressure, unless mullendore comes in to save the day with his Oldtown novelty snow globes and I Oldtown T Shirts.
We've had two chances to lie to the Sphynx and last time we saw him he was starting to get angry, I'm thinking in this session he'll be even… more more angry and that'll be Lucas' chance to lie to him and trick him into believing him, though I'm a little worried that Lucas will be put out of his misery. I'm beginning to wonder if Lucas' survival is even a realistic possibility, if he does survive I don't think he'll be the same man Leonard remembers.
LUCAS!? Shit, I don't know if I'm ready for this. I think there's gonna be some eye gouging. But I also think Lucas will be able to trick the Spyhnx at this point.
Some more illustrations, one of them being Sphynx who sure was something different to draw. Well I don't really have much else to say, my personal favorite of these is Edmyn. Enjoy!
inb4 the next part
Some more illustrations, one of them being Sphynx who sure was something different to draw. Well I don't really have much else to say, my personal favorite of these is Edmyn. Enjoy!
Wow, these drawings are great! I have to admit, I always had a bit of trouble imagining the Sphynx while writing, even in the part I am writing right now, especially because of his mask, but now I won't have these problems anymore. Instead, I'm going to have nightmares now, thanks a lot
Jokes aside, my favourite here is probably Lord Tully, although all of them look awesome and it was very hard to choose. But in the end I chose Tully, because I love the emotion in his facial expression. I noticed that in the description I gave you, I forgot to mention that Temari is wearing armour after he was beaten up by Leonard back in Chapter 2, so I am amazed that you remembered to give him quite heavy armour. That was something from the very early days of the story, something I haven't even thought about anymore. And what can I say, Xemnes is right. The Sphynx is epic. Terrifying, but epic
inb4 the next part
Some more illustrations, one of them being Sphynx who sure was something different to draw. Well I don't really have much else to say, my personal favorite of these is Edmyn. Enjoy!
inb4 the next part
Some more illustrations, one of them being Sphynx who sure was something different to draw. Well I don't really have much else to say, my personal favorite of these is Edmyn. Enjoy!
With narrowed eyes, Ellena gave Samuel a short nod. “Give up your weapons and you can enter. Take what you came for and then leave”, she said, through clenched teeth. Samuel let out a sigh, before moving his hand to his belt. Slowly, he removed his sword, carelessly throwing it to the ground, followed by two daggers. Finally, he carefully pulled out a simple dagger. Instead of pulling it to the ground, he handed it to Ellena, who reluctantly grabbed it. “Careful with that one, girl”, Samuel growled. “It's almost as important to me as the ring”
She gave him a short nod. “Understood”, she answered and quickly looked at him, realizing that he had indeed given up all of his weapons. She turned around and saw Jarek and his men looking at her in shock. “With me”, she ordered Harrington. “Stay behind me at all times. Try something funny and these men will kill you”
As Ellena and Samuel walked up to the ship, Jarek slightly shook his head. “Have you lost your mind, little lady?”, he asked. “This man is dangerous!” “I'm unarmed”, Harrington remarked dryly. “How dangerous can I be?” With these words, he stared at Jarek, until the other man had to take a step backwards. “Little lady, this is too dangerous. Allow me to kill him. You'd do the world a favour!”
“No!”, Ellena decided firmly. “I don't want any more bloodshed. I don't think he's our enemy at the moment” Jarek sighed and shook his head again. “He is working for Butterfly”, he growled, which in turn caused Samuel to chuckle without joy. “Butterfly is dead. I'm working for no one”
“Still, you killed a lot of good people, Fang!”, Jarek spat and almost drew his sword, before Ellena was able to put a hand onto his forearm. “I am sure you did the same”, Samuel answered coldly. “It was war, I am a sellsword. I did what I was paid to do”
“Like hitting little girls?”, Jarek spat. Samuel slightly shook his head. “Since when do the Burned Man's henchmen work for little girls?”, he asked. Before Jarek could answer, Ellena silenced him with a handwave. “Careful”, she hissed. “Or this little girl orders your death”
Samuel only sighed. “Lead the way”, he growled. “I can't wait to be off this ship” “And I can't wait to have you gone”, Jarek answered, before he accompanied Ellena and Samuel down the ship. The hostile glares of the sailors did not only hit Samuel, but Ellena realized that they looked at her as well. She brought him here, the man who killed one of their friends, she even protected him from getting his deserved punishment. Still, he came to her not as an enemy and it would have been unwise to provoke him. Enough blood had been shed because of him.
In uncomfortable silence, they walked past the sailors, down the stairs that lead to the captain's quarters. Ellena pressed her lips together as she realized that Talea and her father were still down there. That would not be good...
“Ellena, what are you doing here?”, she heard the familiar voice of the older girl, before she heard Talea audibly gasping for air. “My god, Ellena! Get away from him!” With these words Talea stormed through the hallway and grabbed Ellena at the shoulders, pushing herself between her and Harrington, who stood there calmly. “Talea, he isn't...”, Ellena tried to say, before Harrington cut her off. “Easy, girl”, he growled. “I'm here to reclaim something I lost. I want no bloodshed”
“Tell that to my father!”, Talea yelled at his face. “He nearly lost his hand because of you! Moreo is dead, you fucking bastard!” Samuel's facial expression did not give any emotion away as he closed his eyes for a moment. “Are you done?”, he asked. “Then step aside, I...”
He was cut off by Talea violently hitting him in the face, even if he barely stumbled backwards. Her hit was followed by a second punch. “You bastard have the nerves to come back!”, she yelled and took a step backwards, trembling with anger. Samuel opened his eyes again, glaring at her not less angry. “I have not hit you back, girl”, he growled. “That alone should proof my intentions. But hit me again and I will paint this ship red with your blood”
Ellena heard the sound of Jarek drawing his sword and knew, she had to intervene. “You're going to die before you...”, Jarek shouted, before she cut him off. “Stop it!”, she yelled. “Enough blood has been shed. Talea, he is not here to cause more trouble and we don't need another enemy. Just let him pass, let him get what he came for and we will never see him again” She and Talea looked at each other for a moment, before the older girl sighed. “You are right with one thing”, she said. “Enough blood has been shed” With these words she moved aside, allowing Samuel to pass. As he walked past her, she only looked at the ground.
“My father is sleeping”, she said, which caused Samuel to stop in front of the captain's quarters. “I'll stay silent”, Samuel promised, without looking at her. He entered the room, leaving Ellena, Talea and Jarek behind. Only moments later, he stepped out again, holding a small object in his left hand, a surprisingly peaceful smile on his face as he looked at it. “It's good to have it back”, he said to no one in particular, before looking at Ellena. “Thank you”
His thankfulness caught Ellena off guard and she only managed to give him a nod. “You're welcome”, she said as he walked up to them. Before he passed them, he looked at Talea. “Burn in hell”, she hissed with hatred in her voice before he could say anything. Tears were flowing down her face as she moved past Ellena. Jarek looked from her, to Ellena, to Harrington, before he let out a sigh and followed her.
Without saying a word, Harrington continued to walk back to the stairs, Ellena closely behind him, still holding his dagger. Still, not even once did she contemplate to kill him. His calm behaviour was off-putting, as she had to remember his cold-blooded actions the last time she met him. Her cheek still slightly hurt where he had hit her.
They walked past the sailors and past the Burned Man's guards, down the ship, where Harrington's weapons still lay on the ground. Without saying a word, he grabbed the sword and girded it again, followed by his daggers. Finally, Ellena handed him the knife he had given her without a word. He gave her a short nod. “Well then. I stay true to my word. You will never see me again”, he promised, before turning around.
“Wait!”, Ellena asked, as the curiosity finally got better of her. Harrington stopped, looking over his shoulder. “What is it?”, he asked. “This ring...”, Ellena started, trying to find the right words. “Why is it so important to you?”
For a moment, it did not appear as if Samuel wanted to answer. Then, he let out a sigh. “It belonged to my younger brother”, he revealed. “The only thing I have left of him. He was murdered” Immediately, Harrington noticed the expression on her face, and oddly enough, his stern face softened up slightly. “You've lost family too, is that right, girl?”
She gave him a nod. “My father”, she revealed. “Murdered by... by someone. I don't even know who did it” In a certain way, she realized, this was the worst part. She knew nothing about the man who took her father, about his motivations for doing so and it was unlikely she would ever find out, here in Westeros. Harrington took a step closer again and knelt down, so that he was able to look her in the eyes. “I am sorry to hear that”, he said and he sounded honest. “I hope you find the bastard who did it”
Even if she didn't want to, she gave Samuel the hint of a cold smirk. “I hope the same for you”, she answered. This time, Samuel's distanced look returned. “Unlike you, I already know who killed my brother. The same man who murdered my sister and my parents”, he said and let out a sigh. “It was my older brother, Ryder”
He noticed Ellena's open mouth and shook his head. “Before you ask, no, I don't know why he did it. I intend to ask him, before I kill him”, he answered. “I only know that he's somewhere here in Oldtown” A sudden realization hit Ellena as she looked at him in surprise. “You hope that Butterfly can help you in finding him”, she exclaimed and Samuel gave her a short nod. “I wasn't working for Butterfly because I want his gold or because I am a sadist. I worked for him because he can give me what no one else can”, he answered and his gaze hardened. “Vengeance, on the bastard I once called my brother”
He closed his eyes and for a moment, Ellena saw a hint of sadness in his eyes. “Listen, girl...”, he mumbled. “I know, we have our differences. I can't undo the past, but I am sorry. For hitting you and the other girl, for hurting the captain and for killing your friend” To Ellena's surprise, he extended his hand. “You won't see me again after today, I promise. But I could sleep easier, knowing that, once I have avenged my family, there might still be a chance for me, that I'm not too far gone”, he mumbled softly. “I'd like to ask for your forgiveness, Ellena”
[Shake his hand and forgive him][Refuse to shake his hand and leave him]
Lucas
Even before the knife reached his forearm, Lucas started to shiver. He could see the cold, emotionless look in the Sphynx' eyes, as the torturer moved the knife downwards, slightly touching the flesh of Lucas' arm. “Where is Dairon?”, he asked calmly and waited for a moment. As soon as he noticed that Lucas had no intention to answer, he started to cut. He did not cut deep and it wasn't unbearable pain. But the long cuts that already covered both of his arms burned with pain as the knife moved past them and the culminated pain caused Lucas to scream.
“Where is Dairon?”, the Sphynx asked again, still in a flat, sober tone. He raised the knife, allowing Lucas time to breathe for a moment. The knight looked up, from his wounded arms, right into the torturers merciless eyes. “Fuck you!”, he spat and the Sphynx let out a sigh. “Your bravery is admirable, Lucas”, he complimented him. “Sadly, it is futile. It's not going to be any easier for you”
He and Lucas looked at each other, before the masked man let out a sigh. “I assume I have to take more drastic measures”, he said and let out a stilted chuckle. He and Conor exchanged a quick glance and the boy started to grin widely. “You're not going to like that, bastard”, he said as he gleefully looked at Lucas. “Once the Sphynx starts, you'll tell him everything”
“Which is exactly the problem, Conor”, the Sphynx explained as he pointed at the bag he was carrying. “Hand me the skinner” Conor's grin got even wider as he reached into his bag and pulled a honed, thin blade out of it. Not moving his gaze away from Lucas, who realized that he just got pale in fear, the boy slightly chuckled. “Lupin would have loved this”, he remarked and the Sphynx narrowed his eyes.
“Lupin would have killed him by now. Your brother never had my patience. That makes me a better Sphynx than him”, the torturer said decisively, before his attention returned to Lucas. “You see, I am a very patient man. It does not matter to me how long it takes until you break. Sadly Maron wants results as quickly as possible”
He let out a sigh, as one of his gloves fingers moved across the small knife. “Flaying has never been my favourite method of getting information. Of course, it is a fun way to pass the time, a great opportunity to bond with the captive, but the pain makes any kind of information we get unreliable”, he explained and looked at Lucas. “Have you ever been flayed, Ser Lucas? It is the worst pain you will ever feel in your life. Afterwards, you're going to beg me to get another opportunity at telling me what I want to know. Sadly, you'd probably even tell me a lie to make it stop” For a moment, he looked at the knife, before he shrugged. “But, ah well, desperate times call for desperate measures” His dark eyes moved back to Lucas, who winced as his gaze focussed on the blade. “Last chance, Ser Lucas, or else, I'm going to do something you'll regret. Where. Is. Dairon!”
Lucas glared at him, trying his best not to show his fear, even though he knew that he was shivering. “Go to hell...”, he mumbled weakly and the Sphynx chuckled coldly. In complete silence, he moved the knife downwards, cutting through the soft flesh of Lucas' left pinky finger. Lucas was a fighter, a knight. He was used to physical pain. But nothing ever came close to the pain that was now flashing not only through his hand, but through his whole body. A pained scream forced its way out of his throat, which caused Conor to chuckle in amusement.
“Where is Dairon?”, the Sphynx asked again and in his pain, Lucas was only able to shake his head. The Sphynx let out a sigh, undoubtedly out of relief, as he looked back at Conor. “Hand me the tweezers”, he ordered him. “You know, Ser Lucas, less civilized men would use their bare hands for what I'm going to do now. But I think we can both agree, you deserve certain standards” His assistant handed him a small pair of tweezers and the Sphynx' eyes lit up with joy. “You should thank me, friend” With these words he rammed the tweezers into the freshly cut wound, causing Lucas to groan in pain, before he slowly started to pull the skin away. Lucas raised his head and howled in sheer agony.
“He left the city!”, he screamed. “He already left the city! Stop! Please!” The Sphynx stopped. Painfully slow, he pulled the tweezers out of Lucas' thumping finger and narrowed his eyes. “Dairon left the city. He stays away from the main streets and tries to return to Raylansfair by foot”, Lucas continued, hoping that his desperate lie would work. “Finally”, the Sphynx remarked indifferently. “We're making progress” The torturer looked at Conor, before both shrugged in unison. “But since this is a work of art, we shall continue for a little longer, shall we?”, he said joyfully and rammed the tweezers back into the maimed flesh, again, forcing Lucas to scream.
“Sphynx!”, a new voice sounded and immediately, the torturer turned around, stepping aside in the process and revealing the open door of Lucas' cell. Maron Mullendore slowly stepped inside, glaring at Lucas. “You're flaying him?”, he asked and the Sphynx gave him a nod. “Indeed, Maron. I know, it's not your kind of torture, but before you complain, I just got a result”, he answered triumphantly. “Dairon is no longer in this city. Ser Lucas just told me that the boy tries to walk back to Raylansfair. Without a horse, he can't even be at Honeyholt yet”
Mullendore gave him a impatient nod, before he glared at Lucas, who started to shiver, out of pain and out of fear. He noticed that he started to break out in cold sweat. “I'd like to compliment you on your work, Sphynx”, the false knight growled. “But sadly, this little cunt lied to you. The men at the gates consist entirely of my most trusted men. They know how the boy looks. No one gets out of Oldtown without me allowing it”
He and Lucas looked at each other and before Lucas could do anything, Mullendore had crossed distance between them with two large steps, grabbing his hair and brutally slamming his head onto the table. For a moment, Lucas nearly blacked out, as a dizzy feeling started to overcome him. Then, Mullendore pulled him back up, nearly knocking the chair he was sitting on over.
Despite his pain and fear, Lucas forced himself to glare at Mullendore. “Come on, coward...”, he spat weakly. “Unchain me and we can end this like men” He knew, this had no chance of success. Still, in this moment, all he could see was Lunett's mutilated body and blind fury overcame him. Unexpectedly, Mullendore started to chuckle. “Like men, huh?”, he growled, before reaching into his pocket, pulling out a small key. To Lucas' surprise he indeed opened the shackles that kept Lucas tied to the table. But before he was able to use his newly gained freedom to his advantage, Mullendore slammed a massive fist straight into his face, sending Lucas to the ground.
“I'M FUCKING DONE WITH YOU!”, the knight screamed at the top of his lungs, as he reached down and grabbed Lucas by the throat. “You think the Sphynx is bad? Boy, the Sphynx wanted to keep you alive. I, on the other hand, don't give a shit about what happens to you. If necessary, I cut you into pieces until not even your bastard mother will recognize you!”
With these words, he pushed Lucas onto the table and started to throw punches at him. Despite his age, the false knight had immense strength and Lucas was unsure if he would have been able to take him on in a fair fight, much less in this situation. “You're telling me what I want to know!”, Mullendore shouted as Lucas slowly started to drift into unconsciousness, barely noticing the hard punches that hit his face, his upper body and his shoulders.
“Maron...”, the Sphynx hissed and Lucas was sure that Mullendore wasn't even listening. “Maron, you're killing him... BUTTERFLY!” This time, Mullendore looked up and for a moment, he stopped beating Lucas. “What is it, freak?”, he growled, as Conor looked at Lucas, a strangely horrified expression on his face. “He can't take much more, Maron”, the Sphynx answered. “If you kill him...”
“Then he's dead”, Mullendore answered. “What's one more dead body at this point?” He let out a sigh as he looked at Lucas, who was barely able to recognize his surroundings with his swollen eyes. “Hey, hey... are you loosing consciousness, boy?”, he asked and looked at Conor. “Hand me a hatchet”, he ordered and the boy cringed, before hastily following the order.
“Maron, what are you planning? He's barely conscious!”, the Sphynx asked, but Mullendore wasn't even listening. Lucas felt how he grabbed his left hand and immediately, his dulled senses returned. Pain flashed through his face as he realized how severely Mullendore had beaten him up. As he moved his tongue around, he realized that more than one of his teeth was missing. But, the hatchet...
“No, wait!”, he screamed, but it was too late. Mullendore forced his left arm onto the table, moving the hatchet downwards and cleanly severing Lucas' index, middle and annulary fingers at the second phalange. As Lucas bellowed with agony, Mullendore started to laugh roaringly. “I don't know what you mean, Sphynx!”, he shouted. “He looks pretty damn conscious to me! Isn't it amazing how a little bit of pain can stimulate a body?”
He lifted Lucas into the air, before brutally slamming him onto the table, putting his forearm onto his throat, so that Lucas was barely able to breath. “That was for lying to me”, Mullendore growled, as Lucas looked at the stumps where his fingers used to be just second ago. Helpless agony forced tears into his eyes, which in turn caused Mullendore to laugh mockingly. “Look who's crying now. Your girl cried the same when I hacked off her feet. Like a fucking baby” His hand moved to his belt and as he raised it again, Lucas realized that he had pulled out a small knife. “No, wait!”, he managed to shout, as the knife swiftly came closer, towards his eye.
“Wait?”, Mullendore asked, as he stopped the knife directly above Lucas right eye. The tip of the blade already painfully touched it and Lucas was afraid even to close his eyes at the moment. “Boy, you know what I want. I don't care how much I have to hack off or cut out to get my answers. And if you die from your wounds, nobody will cry for you. Your only chance to live another day is to give me the answer I want” His face moved closer, his green eyes warped with hatred, warped with anger. “And don't you dare lying to me. I would notice. Tell me, where is Dairon...”, he growled, before his voice got louder. “If you don't tell me, this knife is going to be the last thing you're ever going to see in your life!”
[Reveal Dairon's location][Try to lie to him][Stay silent]
Ellena
With narrowed eyes, Ellena gave Samuel a short nod. “Give up your weapons and you can enter. Take what you came for and then leave… more”, she said, through clenched teeth. Samuel let out a sigh, before moving his hand to his belt. Slowly, he removed his sword, carelessly throwing it to the ground, followed by two daggers. Finally, he carefully pulled out a simple dagger. Instead of pulling it to the ground, he handed it to Ellena, who reluctantly grabbed it. “Careful with that one, girl”, Samuel growled. “It's almost as important to me as the ring”
She gave him a short nod. “Understood”, she answered and quickly looked at him, realizing that he had indeed given up all of his weapons. She turned around and saw Jarek and his men looking at her in shock. “With me”, she ordered Harrington. “Stay behind me at all times. Try something funny and these men will kill you”
As Ellena and Samuel walked up to the ship, Jarek slightly shook his … [view original content]
Ellena
With narrowed eyes, Ellena gave Samuel a short nod. “Give up your weapons and you can enter. Take what you came for and then leave… more”, she said, through clenched teeth. Samuel let out a sigh, before moving his hand to his belt. Slowly, he removed his sword, carelessly throwing it to the ground, followed by two daggers. Finally, he carefully pulled out a simple dagger. Instead of pulling it to the ground, he handed it to Ellena, who reluctantly grabbed it. “Careful with that one, girl”, Samuel growled. “It's almost as important to me as the ring”
She gave him a short nod. “Understood”, she answered and quickly looked at him, realizing that he had indeed given up all of his weapons. She turned around and saw Jarek and his men looking at her in shock. “With me”, she ordered Harrington. “Stay behind me at all times. Try something funny and these men will kill you”
As Ellena and Samuel walked up to the ship, Jarek slightly shook his … [view original content]
If Mullendore and the Sphynx would have put him through the same torture they put Lucas through at the moment, he would have died, considering that he lost a lot of blood from the wound he got from Samuel. Since they know that, they would have put him through mental torture instead, which would have proven to be a lot more effective on him. Eventually it would have caused him to break and would have changed him into a much darker character. Though, I think he is a bit stronger than Lucas and would be able to withstand more physical torture in his top condition.
If Mullendore and the Sphynx would have put him through the same torture they put Lucas through at the moment, he would have died, consideri… moreng that he lost a lot of blood from the wound he got from Samuel. Since they know that, they would have put him through mental torture instead, which would have proven to be a lot more effective on him. Eventually it would have caused him to break and would have changed him into a much darker character. Though, I think he is a bit stronger than Lucas and would be able to withstand more physical torture in his top condition.
The Sphynx would have been Leonard's torturer as well, only the location would have changed. Jaylon is many bad things, but he is not a torturer, at least not a very good one. But while Leonard would have survived the torture physically mostly unharmed, he would have gotten some sort of PTSD. As a consequence, he would have barely been able to sleep anymore, would have been a lot more agressive, paranoid and short-tempered, even towards trusted friends and he would have had terrible nightmares for the rest of his lifespan in the story alongside other, even more severe psychological problems, so it really wouldn't have been that much better for him.
Well, I kind of regret letting Lucas go through this. Mental torture certainly sounds better than losing limbs, but you know.
But again, Jaylon would be interrogating at the gate, not sure how well that would have been?
Ellena
With narrowed eyes, Ellena gave Samuel a short nod. “Give up your weapons and you can enter. Take what you came for and then leave… more”, she said, through clenched teeth. Samuel let out a sigh, before moving his hand to his belt. Slowly, he removed his sword, carelessly throwing it to the ground, followed by two daggers. Finally, he carefully pulled out a simple dagger. Instead of pulling it to the ground, he handed it to Ellena, who reluctantly grabbed it. “Careful with that one, girl”, Samuel growled. “It's almost as important to me as the ring”
She gave him a short nod. “Understood”, she answered and quickly looked at him, realizing that he had indeed given up all of his weapons. She turned around and saw Jarek and his men looking at her in shock. “With me”, she ordered Harrington. “Stay behind me at all times. Try something funny and these men will kill you”
As Ellena and Samuel walked up to the ship, Jarek slightly shook his … [view original content]
inb4 the next part
Some more illustrations, one of them being Sphynx who sure was something different to draw. Well I don't really have much else to say, my personal favorite of these is Edmyn. Enjoy!
[Shake his hand and forgive him] Might as well end things as friends, I suddenly really like Samuel, damn it Liquid! You're making me like all the murderers! I'm interested in his little revenge misson.
[Try to lie to him] God I hope this works, this did not go the way I was planning.
Does everyone that works for Butterfly know he still lives or just his inner circle?
Ellena
With narrowed eyes, Ellena gave Samuel a short nod. “Give up your weapons and you can enter. Take what you came for and then leave… more”, she said, through clenched teeth. Samuel let out a sigh, before moving his hand to his belt. Slowly, he removed his sword, carelessly throwing it to the ground, followed by two daggers. Finally, he carefully pulled out a simple dagger. Instead of pulling it to the ground, he handed it to Ellena, who reluctantly grabbed it. “Careful with that one, girl”, Samuel growled. “It's almost as important to me as the ring”
She gave him a short nod. “Understood”, she answered and quickly looked at him, realizing that he had indeed given up all of his weapons. She turned around and saw Jarek and his men looking at her in shock. “With me”, she ordered Harrington. “Stay behind me at all times. Try something funny and these men will kill you”
As Ellena and Samuel walked up to the ship, Jarek slightly shook his … [view original content]
Ellena
With narrowed eyes, Ellena gave Samuel a short nod. “Give up your weapons and you can enter. Take what you came for and then leave… more”, she said, through clenched teeth. Samuel let out a sigh, before moving his hand to his belt. Slowly, he removed his sword, carelessly throwing it to the ground, followed by two daggers. Finally, he carefully pulled out a simple dagger. Instead of pulling it to the ground, he handed it to Ellena, who reluctantly grabbed it. “Careful with that one, girl”, Samuel growled. “It's almost as important to me as the ring”
She gave him a short nod. “Understood”, she answered and quickly looked at him, realizing that he had indeed given up all of his weapons. She turned around and saw Jarek and his men looking at her in shock. “With me”, she ordered Harrington. “Stay behind me at all times. Try something funny and these men will kill you”
As Ellena and Samuel walked up to the ship, Jarek slightly shook his … [view original content]
Comments
[Try to wake her up to get her inside]
I'm not talking in regards of consequences. I'm saying I don't like that Jaron allowed a man to be murdered when he could've stopped it. It's just my opinion though I don't blame anyone for voting to let him die.
Well I'm not a big fan of her butchering 'butterfly' that's not why I dislike her though that event did raise my dislike bar a little. I'm not actually sure why I dislike her, I just don't like the way she talks, it might be her vengeful personality, or maybe it's because I'm so anti-Burned Man
HOLD YOUR HORSES RIGHT THERE
mike is like my favourite character ever
idk why but he is
[Bring her a blanket and let her sleep]
If only they knew....
It will be funny when the Burned Man finds out because he seems to think he knows everything.
Feeling a little silly debating fictional politics, but if you are anti-Burned Man then who do you support in Oldtown? Surely not Mullendore? Lord Hightower or the High Septon? We don't really know anything about them and their motives so I wouldn't at least yet say I support them - for all we know one of them could be allied with Mullendore. Then there is the Citadel of course, but as ambiguous as they might be I doubt they could ever keep the order in Oldtown.
I don't know if there's a single group in Oldtown I support, even the Archmaester is shady.
Yeah, sure is a mess of a city
Personally I'm still in team Burned Man, but then again I am extremely biased in that since Jaron is the first character I submitted into this story way back in the December 2014 when Liquid started this amazing fanfic 
I like Samantha's group they seem to be the only ones who know Butterfly isnt dead, And they're trying to save Lucas.
[Bring her a blanket and let her sleep]
When will we be seeing some new storylines in places like the North, Dorne, or Essos? Not that these storylines aren't interesting, but I kinda want or Daenarys who shows us what's happening over in the east.
A storyline in the North is planned to start in the next chapter and there will be one PoV who will even travel beyond the wall for some time in Book 2. Sadly, the storylines for Dorne and Essos have to wait until Book 2. However, I am already preparing the main storyline for Essos and have some pretty nice stuff planned, so I hope it will be worth the wait
A knight of summer going to the harshness beyond the Wall? Very interesting. Very interesting.
Cool, excited to see what's happening in the Northern neck of the woods.
I can't wait to see the North!
When will the next chapter be?
The Voting is closed!
Jaron will bring Harpy a blanket and let her sleep
Not exactly the most major choice I ever gave you. Then again, Jaron's storyline in this chapter wasn't about major choices, but mostly serves the purpose of giving some development to the characters, to balance out Jaron's action-packed Chapter 4 storyline and to prepare the very exciting things to come.
The next part should be out later today, although I don't know how long it will take me. Perhaps it will be done in a few hours or perhaps it will take most of my time today, it's hard to say. It's going to be a part with Ellena and Lucas in it.
It's hard to say. This chapter is nearing its end, although there's still a bit to come and every PoV will get at least one more part. I definitely hope to finish this chapter in this month, so that I hopefully manage to finish Act 2 in this year, but I have learned to be careful with time estimation. The next chapter should start relatively soon, that's all I can say for sure.
LUCAS!? Shit, I don't know if I'm ready for this. I think there's gonna be some eye gouging. But I also think Lucas will be able to trick the Spyhnx at this point.
When we last saw Lucas, he was pretty screwed. And now that we defied Sphnyx, I believe Lucas is going to lose a foot or two. Perhaps we choose to reveal Dairon he could have tricked them, but I fairly certain he is going to lose some body parts and reveal Dairon's location either way.
We've had two chances to lie to the Sphynx and last time we saw him he was starting to get angry, I'm thinking in this session he'll be even more angry and that'll be Lucas' chance to lie to him and trick him into believing him, though I'm a little worried that Lucas will be put out of his misery. I'm beginning to wonder if Lucas' survival is even a realistic possibility, if he does survive I don't think he'll be the same man Leonard remembers.
Sphnyx was starting to lose his cool , but I don't think Lucas could hold out till then. My bet is that he will crack under the pressure, unless mullendore comes in to save the day with his Oldtown novelty snow globes and I
Oldtown T Shirts.
I'm so glad Leonard was saved over Lucas. And eye gouging. Oh God my eyes. Every time I think of eyes being hurt mine hurt.
Soon, the Sphynx will take anything he gets.
inb4 the next part
Some more illustrations, one of them being Sphynx who sure was something different to draw. Well I don't really have much else to say, my personal favorite of these is Edmyn. Enjoy!
The Sphynx is epic^^
Wow, these drawings are great! I have to admit, I always had a bit of trouble imagining the Sphynx while writing, even in the part I am writing right now, especially because of his mask, but now I won't have these problems anymore. Instead, I'm going to have nightmares now, thanks a lot
Jokes aside, my favourite here is probably Lord Tully, although all of them look awesome and it was very hard to choose. But in the end I chose Tully, because I love the emotion in his facial expression. I noticed that in the description I gave you, I forgot to mention that Temari is wearing armour after he was beaten up by Leonard back in Chapter 2, so I am amazed that you remembered to give him quite heavy armour. That was something from the very early days of the story, something I haven't even thought about anymore. And what can I say, Xemnes is right. The Sphynx is epic. Terrifying, but epic
Is it just me or do the men in Gutten's crew seem to have a missing eye problem.
Ellena
With narrowed eyes, Ellena gave Samuel a short nod. “Give up your weapons and you can enter. Take what you came for and then leave”, she said, through clenched teeth. Samuel let out a sigh, before moving his hand to his belt. Slowly, he removed his sword, carelessly throwing it to the ground, followed by two daggers. Finally, he carefully pulled out a simple dagger. Instead of pulling it to the ground, he handed it to Ellena, who reluctantly grabbed it. “Careful with that one, girl”, Samuel growled. “It's almost as important to me as the ring”
She gave him a short nod. “Understood”, she answered and quickly looked at him, realizing that he had indeed given up all of his weapons. She turned around and saw Jarek and his men looking at her in shock. “With me”, she ordered Harrington. “Stay behind me at all times. Try something funny and these men will kill you”
As Ellena and Samuel walked up to the ship, Jarek slightly shook his head. “Have you lost your mind, little lady?”, he asked. “This man is dangerous!” “I'm unarmed”, Harrington remarked dryly. “How dangerous can I be?” With these words, he stared at Jarek, until the other man had to take a step backwards. “Little lady, this is too dangerous. Allow me to kill him. You'd do the world a favour!”
“No!”, Ellena decided firmly. “I don't want any more bloodshed. I don't think he's our enemy at the moment” Jarek sighed and shook his head again. “He is working for Butterfly”, he growled, which in turn caused Samuel to chuckle without joy. “Butterfly is dead. I'm working for no one”
“Still, you killed a lot of good people, Fang!”, Jarek spat and almost drew his sword, before Ellena was able to put a hand onto his forearm. “I am sure you did the same”, Samuel answered coldly. “It was war, I am a sellsword. I did what I was paid to do”
“Like hitting little girls?”, Jarek spat. Samuel slightly shook his head. “Since when do the Burned Man's henchmen work for little girls?”, he asked. Before Jarek could answer, Ellena silenced him with a handwave. “Careful”, she hissed. “Or this little girl orders your death”
Samuel only sighed. “Lead the way”, he growled. “I can't wait to be off this ship” “And I can't wait to have you gone”, Jarek answered, before he accompanied Ellena and Samuel down the ship. The hostile glares of the sailors did not only hit Samuel, but Ellena realized that they looked at her as well. She brought him here, the man who killed one of their friends, she even protected him from getting his deserved punishment. Still, he came to her not as an enemy and it would have been unwise to provoke him. Enough blood had been shed because of him.
In uncomfortable silence, they walked past the sailors, down the stairs that lead to the captain's quarters. Ellena pressed her lips together as she realized that Talea and her father were still down there. That would not be good...
“Ellena, what are you doing here?”, she heard the familiar voice of the older girl, before she heard Talea audibly gasping for air. “My god, Ellena! Get away from him!” With these words Talea stormed through the hallway and grabbed Ellena at the shoulders, pushing herself between her and Harrington, who stood there calmly. “Talea, he isn't...”, Ellena tried to say, before Harrington cut her off. “Easy, girl”, he growled. “I'm here to reclaim something I lost. I want no bloodshed”
“Tell that to my father!”, Talea yelled at his face. “He nearly lost his hand because of you! Moreo is dead, you fucking bastard!” Samuel's facial expression did not give any emotion away as he closed his eyes for a moment. “Are you done?”, he asked. “Then step aside, I...”
He was cut off by Talea violently hitting him in the face, even if he barely stumbled backwards. Her hit was followed by a second punch. “You bastard have the nerves to come back!”, she yelled and took a step backwards, trembling with anger. Samuel opened his eyes again, glaring at her not less angry. “I have not hit you back, girl”, he growled. “That alone should proof my intentions. But hit me again and I will paint this ship red with your blood”
Ellena heard the sound of Jarek drawing his sword and knew, she had to intervene. “You're going to die before you...”, Jarek shouted, before she cut him off. “Stop it!”, she yelled. “Enough blood has been shed. Talea, he is not here to cause more trouble and we don't need another enemy. Just let him pass, let him get what he came for and we will never see him again” She and Talea looked at each other for a moment, before the older girl sighed. “You are right with one thing”, she said. “Enough blood has been shed” With these words she moved aside, allowing Samuel to pass. As he walked past her, she only looked at the ground.
“My father is sleeping”, she said, which caused Samuel to stop in front of the captain's quarters. “I'll stay silent”, Samuel promised, without looking at her. He entered the room, leaving Ellena, Talea and Jarek behind. Only moments later, he stepped out again, holding a small object in his left hand, a surprisingly peaceful smile on his face as he looked at it. “It's good to have it back”, he said to no one in particular, before looking at Ellena. “Thank you”
His thankfulness caught Ellena off guard and she only managed to give him a nod. “You're welcome”, she said as he walked up to them. Before he passed them, he looked at Talea. “Burn in hell”, she hissed with hatred in her voice before he could say anything. Tears were flowing down her face as she moved past Ellena. Jarek looked from her, to Ellena, to Harrington, before he let out a sigh and followed her.
Without saying a word, Harrington continued to walk back to the stairs, Ellena closely behind him, still holding his dagger. Still, not even once did she contemplate to kill him. His calm behaviour was off-putting, as she had to remember his cold-blooded actions the last time she met him. Her cheek still slightly hurt where he had hit her.
They walked past the sailors and past the Burned Man's guards, down the ship, where Harrington's weapons still lay on the ground. Without saying a word, he grabbed the sword and girded it again, followed by his daggers. Finally, Ellena handed him the knife he had given her without a word. He gave her a short nod. “Well then. I stay true to my word. You will never see me again”, he promised, before turning around.
“Wait!”, Ellena asked, as the curiosity finally got better of her. Harrington stopped, looking over his shoulder. “What is it?”, he asked. “This ring...”, Ellena started, trying to find the right words. “Why is it so important to you?”
For a moment, it did not appear as if Samuel wanted to answer. Then, he let out a sigh. “It belonged to my younger brother”, he revealed. “The only thing I have left of him. He was murdered” Immediately, Harrington noticed the expression on her face, and oddly enough, his stern face softened up slightly. “You've lost family too, is that right, girl?”
She gave him a nod. “My father”, she revealed. “Murdered by... by someone. I don't even know who did it” In a certain way, she realized, this was the worst part. She knew nothing about the man who took her father, about his motivations for doing so and it was unlikely she would ever find out, here in Westeros. Harrington took a step closer again and knelt down, so that he was able to look her in the eyes. “I am sorry to hear that”, he said and he sounded honest. “I hope you find the bastard who did it”
Even if she didn't want to, she gave Samuel the hint of a cold smirk. “I hope the same for you”, she answered. This time, Samuel's distanced look returned. “Unlike you, I already know who killed my brother. The same man who murdered my sister and my parents”, he said and let out a sigh. “It was my older brother, Ryder”
He noticed Ellena's open mouth and shook his head. “Before you ask, no, I don't know why he did it. I intend to ask him, before I kill him”, he answered. “I only know that he's somewhere here in Oldtown” A sudden realization hit Ellena as she looked at him in surprise. “You hope that Butterfly can help you in finding him”, she exclaimed and Samuel gave her a short nod. “I wasn't working for Butterfly because I want his gold or because I am a sadist. I worked for him because he can give me what no one else can”, he answered and his gaze hardened. “Vengeance, on the bastard I once called my brother”
He closed his eyes and for a moment, Ellena saw a hint of sadness in his eyes. “Listen, girl...”, he mumbled. “I know, we have our differences. I can't undo the past, but I am sorry. For hitting you and the other girl, for hurting the captain and for killing your friend” To Ellena's surprise, he extended his hand. “You won't see me again after today, I promise. But I could sleep easier, knowing that, once I have avenged my family, there might still be a chance for me, that I'm not too far gone”, he mumbled softly. “I'd like to ask for your forgiveness, Ellena”
[Shake his hand and forgive him] [Refuse to shake his hand and leave him]
Lucas
Even before the knife reached his forearm, Lucas started to shiver. He could see the cold, emotionless look in the Sphynx' eyes, as the torturer moved the knife downwards, slightly touching the flesh of Lucas' arm. “Where is Dairon?”, he asked calmly and waited for a moment. As soon as he noticed that Lucas had no intention to answer, he started to cut. He did not cut deep and it wasn't unbearable pain. But the long cuts that already covered both of his arms burned with pain as the knife moved past them and the culminated pain caused Lucas to scream.
“Where is Dairon?”, the Sphynx asked again, still in a flat, sober tone. He raised the knife, allowing Lucas time to breathe for a moment. The knight looked up, from his wounded arms, right into the torturers merciless eyes. “Fuck you!”, he spat and the Sphynx let out a sigh. “Your bravery is admirable, Lucas”, he complimented him. “Sadly, it is futile. It's not going to be any easier for you”
He and Lucas looked at each other, before the masked man let out a sigh. “I assume I have to take more drastic measures”, he said and let out a stilted chuckle. He and Conor exchanged a quick glance and the boy started to grin widely. “You're not going to like that, bastard”, he said as he gleefully looked at Lucas. “Once the Sphynx starts, you'll tell him everything”
“Which is exactly the problem, Conor”, the Sphynx explained as he pointed at the bag he was carrying. “Hand me the skinner” Conor's grin got even wider as he reached into his bag and pulled a honed, thin blade out of it. Not moving his gaze away from Lucas, who realized that he just got pale in fear, the boy slightly chuckled. “Lupin would have loved this”, he remarked and the Sphynx narrowed his eyes.
“Lupin would have killed him by now. Your brother never had my patience. That makes me a better Sphynx than him”, the torturer said decisively, before his attention returned to Lucas. “You see, I am a very patient man. It does not matter to me how long it takes until you break. Sadly Maron wants results as quickly as possible”
He let out a sigh, as one of his gloves fingers moved across the small knife. “Flaying has never been my favourite method of getting information. Of course, it is a fun way to pass the time, a great opportunity to bond with the captive, but the pain makes any kind of information we get unreliable”, he explained and looked at Lucas. “Have you ever been flayed, Ser Lucas? It is the worst pain you will ever feel in your life. Afterwards, you're going to beg me to get another opportunity at telling me what I want to know. Sadly, you'd probably even tell me a lie to make it stop” For a moment, he looked at the knife, before he shrugged. “But, ah well, desperate times call for desperate measures” His dark eyes moved back to Lucas, who winced as his gaze focussed on the blade. “Last chance, Ser Lucas, or else, I'm going to do something you'll regret. Where. Is. Dairon!”
Lucas glared at him, trying his best not to show his fear, even though he knew that he was shivering. “Go to hell...”, he mumbled weakly and the Sphynx chuckled coldly. In complete silence, he moved the knife downwards, cutting through the soft flesh of Lucas' left pinky finger. Lucas was a fighter, a knight. He was used to physical pain. But nothing ever came close to the pain that was now flashing not only through his hand, but through his whole body. A pained scream forced its way out of his throat, which caused Conor to chuckle in amusement.
“Where is Dairon?”, the Sphynx asked again and in his pain, Lucas was only able to shake his head. The Sphynx let out a sigh, undoubtedly out of relief, as he looked back at Conor. “Hand me the tweezers”, he ordered him. “You know, Ser Lucas, less civilized men would use their bare hands for what I'm going to do now. But I think we can both agree, you deserve certain standards” His assistant handed him a small pair of tweezers and the Sphynx' eyes lit up with joy. “You should thank me, friend” With these words he rammed the tweezers into the freshly cut wound, causing Lucas to groan in pain, before he slowly started to pull the skin away. Lucas raised his head and howled in sheer agony.
“He left the city!”, he screamed. “He already left the city! Stop! Please!” The Sphynx stopped. Painfully slow, he pulled the tweezers out of Lucas' thumping finger and narrowed his eyes. “Dairon left the city. He stays away from the main streets and tries to return to Raylansfair by foot”, Lucas continued, hoping that his desperate lie would work. “Finally”, the Sphynx remarked indifferently. “We're making progress” The torturer looked at Conor, before both shrugged in unison. “But since this is a work of art, we shall continue for a little longer, shall we?”, he said joyfully and rammed the tweezers back into the maimed flesh, again, forcing Lucas to scream.
“Sphynx!”, a new voice sounded and immediately, the torturer turned around, stepping aside in the process and revealing the open door of Lucas' cell. Maron Mullendore slowly stepped inside, glaring at Lucas. “You're flaying him?”, he asked and the Sphynx gave him a nod. “Indeed, Maron. I know, it's not your kind of torture, but before you complain, I just got a result”, he answered triumphantly. “Dairon is no longer in this city. Ser Lucas just told me that the boy tries to walk back to Raylansfair. Without a horse, he can't even be at Honeyholt yet”
Mullendore gave him a impatient nod, before he glared at Lucas, who started to shiver, out of pain and out of fear. He noticed that he started to break out in cold sweat. “I'd like to compliment you on your work, Sphynx”, the false knight growled. “But sadly, this little cunt lied to you. The men at the gates consist entirely of my most trusted men. They know how the boy looks. No one gets out of Oldtown without me allowing it”
He and Lucas looked at each other and before Lucas could do anything, Mullendore had crossed distance between them with two large steps, grabbing his hair and brutally slamming his head onto the table. For a moment, Lucas nearly blacked out, as a dizzy feeling started to overcome him. Then, Mullendore pulled him back up, nearly knocking the chair he was sitting on over.
Despite his pain and fear, Lucas forced himself to glare at Mullendore. “Come on, coward...”, he spat weakly. “Unchain me and we can end this like men” He knew, this had no chance of success. Still, in this moment, all he could see was Lunett's mutilated body and blind fury overcame him. Unexpectedly, Mullendore started to chuckle. “Like men, huh?”, he growled, before reaching into his pocket, pulling out a small key. To Lucas' surprise he indeed opened the shackles that kept Lucas tied to the table. But before he was able to use his newly gained freedom to his advantage, Mullendore slammed a massive fist straight into his face, sending Lucas to the ground.
“I'M FUCKING DONE WITH YOU!”, the knight screamed at the top of his lungs, as he reached down and grabbed Lucas by the throat. “You think the Sphynx is bad? Boy, the Sphynx wanted to keep you alive. I, on the other hand, don't give a shit about what happens to you. If necessary, I cut you into pieces until not even your bastard mother will recognize you!”
With these words, he pushed Lucas onto the table and started to throw punches at him. Despite his age, the false knight had immense strength and Lucas was unsure if he would have been able to take him on in a fair fight, much less in this situation. “You're telling me what I want to know!”, Mullendore shouted as Lucas slowly started to drift into unconsciousness, barely noticing the hard punches that hit his face, his upper body and his shoulders.
“Maron...”, the Sphynx hissed and Lucas was sure that Mullendore wasn't even listening. “Maron, you're killing him... BUTTERFLY!” This time, Mullendore looked up and for a moment, he stopped beating Lucas. “What is it, freak?”, he growled, as Conor looked at Lucas, a strangely horrified expression on his face. “He can't take much more, Maron”, the Sphynx answered. “If you kill him...”
“Then he's dead”, Mullendore answered. “What's one more dead body at this point?” He let out a sigh as he looked at Lucas, who was barely able to recognize his surroundings with his swollen eyes. “Hey, hey... are you loosing consciousness, boy?”, he asked and looked at Conor. “Hand me a hatchet”, he ordered and the boy cringed, before hastily following the order.
“Maron, what are you planning? He's barely conscious!”, the Sphynx asked, but Mullendore wasn't even listening. Lucas felt how he grabbed his left hand and immediately, his dulled senses returned. Pain flashed through his face as he realized how severely Mullendore had beaten him up. As he moved his tongue around, he realized that more than one of his teeth was missing. But, the hatchet...
“No, wait!”, he screamed, but it was too late. Mullendore forced his left arm onto the table, moving the hatchet downwards and cleanly severing Lucas' index, middle and annulary fingers at the second phalange. As Lucas bellowed with agony, Mullendore started to laugh roaringly. “I don't know what you mean, Sphynx!”, he shouted. “He looks pretty damn conscious to me! Isn't it amazing how a little bit of pain can stimulate a body?”
He lifted Lucas into the air, before brutally slamming him onto the table, putting his forearm onto his throat, so that Lucas was barely able to breath. “That was for lying to me”, Mullendore growled, as Lucas looked at the stumps where his fingers used to be just second ago. Helpless agony forced tears into his eyes, which in turn caused Mullendore to laugh mockingly. “Look who's crying now. Your girl cried the same when I hacked off her feet. Like a fucking baby” His hand moved to his belt and as he raised it again, Lucas realized that he had pulled out a small knife. “No, wait!”, he managed to shout, as the knife swiftly came closer, towards his eye.
“Wait?”, Mullendore asked, as he stopped the knife directly above Lucas right eye. The tip of the blade already painfully touched it and Lucas was afraid even to close his eyes at the moment. “Boy, you know what I want. I don't care how much I have to hack off or cut out to get my answers. And if you die from your wounds, nobody will cry for you. Your only chance to live another day is to give me the answer I want” His face moved closer, his green eyes warped with hatred, warped with anger. “And don't you dare lying to me. I would notice. Tell me, where is Dairon...”, he growled, before his voice got louder. “If you don't tell me, this knife is going to be the last thing you're ever going to see in your life!”
[Reveal Dairon's location] [Try to lie to him] [Stay silent]
Any wonder how Leonard would have reacted to this torture?
[Refuse to shake his hand and leave him] No, I will not sympathize with this bastard.
[Stay silent] He'll probably kill us anyway.
OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWwwwwwwwww.
MY EYES WHY IS IT ALWAYS EYE AHHH FUCK
RIP Lucas' fingers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn977W9HjWM
(Shake his hand and forgive him)
(Stay silent)
If Mullendore and the Sphynx would have put him through the same torture they put Lucas through at the moment, he would have died, considering that he lost a lot of blood from the wound he got from Samuel. Since they know that, they would have put him through mental torture instead, which would have proven to be a lot more effective on him. Eventually it would have caused him to break and would have changed him into a much darker character. Though, I think he is a bit stronger than Lucas and would be able to withstand more physical torture in his top condition.
Well, I kind of regret letting Lucas go through this. Mental torture certainly sounds better than losing limbs, but you know.
But again, Jaylon would be interrogating at the gate, not sure how well that would have been?
The Sphynx would have been Leonard's torturer as well, only the location would have changed. Jaylon is many bad things, but he is not a torturer, at least not a very good one. But while Leonard would have survived the torture physically mostly unharmed, he would have gotten some sort of PTSD. As a consequence, he would have barely been able to sleep anymore, would have been a lot more agressive, paranoid and short-tempered, even towards trusted friends and he would have had terrible nightmares for the rest of his lifespan in the story alongside other, even more severe psychological problems, so it really wouldn't have been that much better for him.
[Shake his hand and forgive him]
[Reveal Dairon's location]
Why not just tell him so we can see an epic battle with him and Samantha.
The Sphynx looks awesome!
[Shake his hand and forgive him] Might as well end things as friends, I suddenly really like Samuel, damn it Liquid! You're making me like all the murderers! I'm interested in his little revenge misson.
[Try to lie to him] God I hope this works, this did not go the way I was planning.
Does everyone that works for Butterfly know he still lives or just his inner circle?
[Shake his hand and forgive him] [Try to lie to him]
I have a question about book 2, Will it still focus on Raylansfair or will it focus on something else?