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***
Darken Rahl.
It's been another two months since I've been in Tolos, and in those months I've already built up my gang and exterminated my main rivals in the lower part of the city.
So I now have at my fingertips all the beggars, thieves, and young prostitutes of the city that bring me income and information. A total of them and a few dozen other guys that are trained in hand-to-hand and sword fighting with my help and the help of an old warrior that I pay about two hundred for. Pretty quickly I subdued them.
Other than that, it wasn't my main income. Few people realise it, but the main value in any world and situation is information, and that's what I trade in the first place. The rest is in addition to gathering rumours and maintaining my network.
In the city, I'm already known as "The Master". No one, of course, except Reece, Ocris and Nissa, knows the true identity of the Master, but everyone knows the way to him. It is done through any beggar, whoever is approached, who conveys to him a desire to meet and arrange something.
In the last week I've had a lot of orders to find information and people in the city and even outside of it. And if in Tolos it is the easiest for me to search for information, but outside of it there are some difficulties, but this is compensated by the spirits, which I call and instil mostly in birds, sometimes in small rodents.
It's an old and labour-intensive trick, but still very effective. After all, people, ordinary people of this world, do not pay any attention to birds or animals that are with them during various important conversations or secret negotiations. For example, Great Lords or Noble Lords like to talk near the enclosures of their animals, or in the beautiful gardens of their mansions. And these are ordinary occasions. Thanks to this ignorance of theirs, I already know a great deal. The political situation in the Slaver's Bay, the economic machinations to come, the conflicts brewing, and the various vaults and hoards of their wealth. In Tolos, I really know all the hiding places and positions of the treasuries of the Tolos Council members. Therefore, it won't be too difficult to rob them. However, I don't need to do that for now. Let the gold lie where it is now, safely guarded, and then, when the time comes, it will serve me well.
As for my plans for the Mord-Sith, Nissa has begun her training to become my Mord-Sith, the First, who will help me train other girls along the way. I have even mapped out a place that will serve as a training ground for future Mord-Sith, but for now it is just a matter of finding the right candidates.
As for my magic, I have mastered it to the point where I can use the Fire Chain Spell without the crutch of an amulet. Oh, and I'm developing a second new direction for me called Augmentation Magic. I also get - with difficulty, of course, but I get - interesting books on history and ancient forbidden arts. I get them mostly from Asshai, and some from closed collections.
Thanks to this knowledge, I've even been able to recover some of the magical artefacts in this world, such as the Agiel, the Book of Blood, magical storages and so on.
It's a work in progress, but I have too much of it. I hope Mathis, the old sailor who came to Tolos on an old boat, will serve me well and finally build the two ships I gave him the blueprints for. There are good ships in this world, but they are far from D'Haran's. Let my little fleet grow, little by little, but it's growing.
With these two new ships, I will sail to a couple of cities that interest me, and then head to the ancient ruins of Valyria to search for knowledge that other people have not had time to plunder, or have not been able to.
This sailor doesn't know he's working for me. He has received an order from a noble of this city who wishes to remain anonymous. So he's working with some of my guys and local fishermen that I paid to build these ships. He should be able to do it quickly, because he's got plenty of men, and the old man's got a lot of hard work. As it turns out, he's been wanting to build his own ship for a long time. So I gave him the chance, and if he does well, I'll make him my chief shipbuilder to build new ships for me.
Now I was sorting out the fresh reports my spies and "birds" had brought me. I was sitting in the cellar of a rich widow of this city, who now has our dear Okris in her care, though he is now Okris Vaysserion, the adopted son of this lady, who has not the most "maternal" feelings for him. And that's thanks to my potions that I put in her food from time to time. Pretty soon I won't need to do that. The effect will take hold soon enough, so Okris has served me well. He wasn't even particularly resistant to such a role for himself. The widow is relatively young and childless, only thirty, good-looking, and quite fond of children. This cellar was well protected by magic, and only Okris, Rhys, and Nyssa were allowed to enter besides me.
And like I said, I was just sorting out the usual reports, nothing special. But the last one made me kind of happy. On the neighbouring continent west across the Narrow Sea from Essos, a major rebellion has broken out against the mad King Aerys the Second. Several major Lord Protectors of the Seven Kingdoms have risen up against him, all because of the antics of his son Rhaegar, who stole a noble lady promised as a bride to one of those Lords. The conflict will be a long one. And this is a good opportunity to make money, connections, information and maybe even influence. The key is to manage the information properly and get it to the right ears.
Looks like I'll have to create a dozen more spirit birds to send out there.
It will be a costly endeavour, but useful and profitable. It would be a good idea to look at hopeful warriors or mercenary units. From them I would be able to choose loyal knights for my guard, though I'm still in doubt as to what to call it, as there were options to adopt the name of the First Cohort or the Dragon Corps. Although this is a matter for future days.
More important is another matter. Someone is trying to spy on me. And that someone is either in Westeros or Pentos. I have a very interesting adversary with brains and imagination, so I will need to make an effort to find him and then eliminate him. For I'm sick and tired of killing his little bastards that have been trying to sniff out things about me and my actions here. At least, I've been getting tired of it lately. And it distracts me a bit from the really important things.
Besides Valyria, I still want to visit Mantaris, the city of freaks, the nearest city, Aelyria, where one of the best sailors in the Gulf is rumoured to live, and the three richest cities in the Gulf of Traders: Yunkai, Astapor, and Meereen. Each of these cities specialises in specific types of slaves: Astapor specialises in fighting slaves, known as flawless slaves; Yunkai specialises in pleasure slaves and chore slaves; and Meereen is famous for its fighting slaves and Fighting Pits.
Equally interesting to me is Qarth, the oldest and richest port city in eastern Essos. Qarth is strategically located on the shores of the Jade Gate Strait, between the Summer Sea and the Jade Sea, at the crossroads of the most important trade routes. According to what I heard from merchants, it is the gateway between north and south, the bridge between east and west. A city of great wealth and luxury, its architecture is considered a wonder of the world, though in the past this city was much more powerful. It also has its own mages, called sorcerers from the House of the Immortals.
And the glorious Asshai, the land of shadows, as they say. There you can practice all manner of dark arts and forbidden deeds, and there are mountains to the northeast of it where wild Dragons are rumoured to still dwell. That is what attracts me most to those lands. I want the dragons to serve me.
When I was young, I fell victim to Zeddicus's vile fire, his magical fire scorched me. And I hated fire, but for some reason now I'm drawn to all things fiery, I guess it's my mother's legacy that's imprinted in my blood.
I wonder if she's still alive. And my father? Basically, I can do the ritual a little later and the truth about my current parents should be revealed to me.
But it doesn't matter right now.
***
Another three months have passed, both of my ships are ready to sail, but I am not yet ready to travel to Valyria.
After starting the construction of these two ships, I haven't given up the option of using the other ships for travelling and scouting the area. And that's why I sent Rhys and some other loyalists to scout out the ruins of Slaver's Bay a month ago. The ancient cities of the Giskar Empire and the Republic of Valyria were still not completely destroyed, and they were sure to still hold something of value. That's why I created and distributed to them various search artefacts, each of which was responsible for searching for something specific: gold, silver, Valyrian steel, traces of magic and finding secret rooms and catacombs.
Thanks to this, in the ruins of Cedar Island in the two old cities of Gozaia and Velos, they had obtained as many as three Valyrian daggers, one set of cutlery for ten people, one chest of gold, and several ancient manuscripts with individual facts of Valyrian history in them. And in Bhorash, the Valyrian city that was destroyed already after the famous Rock of Valyria, a skull that was infused with magical energy was found. Luckily, the guys were smart enough not to touch it, and they just told them where to find it, and left the entrance to the cave where it was sealed.
Other than that, Tolos was now mine and my giblets. The entire Council that ran the city is now under my thumb, the Widow Vayserion is under the gentle influence of Okris, who is loyal to me, some of the Council members are simply bought, a few more I'm blackmailing. And some had to be killed because they wouldn't go along with my wishes, even trying to find good trackers and assassins to find and kill me. True, I was proactive, and now they themselves are dead. And I am still in the shadows, though those who need to know know know that this city is truly run by the "Master".
From them I regularly "borrow" money once a month for my needs. More specifically, to raise my army. From small villages, suburbs and towns, I have started to gather young boys from fourteen to sixteen years old and train them in the art of war. So far only three hundred men have been gathered, but I intend to cast my fishing rod to all the towns and villages along the bay and perhaps to the highlands. I need destitute young men that will soon become the basis for the legions of my army that I will lead into what will become the new D'Hara and I its emperor. But first they will need to be trained and put to the test. Such as looting the right caravans or destroying small groups of mercenaries that are interfering with my plans.
New conflicts have broken out in the Free Cities and the Dothraki, and now mercenaries are needed not only in the Disputed Lands or in Westeros, where the rebellion is already at its peak and drenching the continent in blood, but also here, nearby.
So I have a good opportunity to cash in on this. By prolonging the conflict and wearing down the sides, I can act more freely. And Lord Varys, my opponent on the chessboard, will have a harder time competing with me. Though I've already cut him off pretty badly in this part of the world. And besides, he's not really interested in me right now. But one day I'll meet him in person and we'll have a chat, or my beautiful first Mord-Sith Nyssa will.
Right now, she's standing next to me beside the exhausted girls of ten to eleven years old who are in Mord-Sith training. I'm getting pretty tired. And Nyssa, in the scarlet robe she had made herself at my behest, was ready to make it a little brighter with the blood of her students.
She has been trained, and now wears red within the confines of this cave. Outside of it, however, she wears black. I have chosen to do so because she is not a true Mord-Sith, but only the first version that did not quite make it. And these girls should be the perfect foundation for the future of this caste.
- Lord Rahl? - She looked at me a little worriedly. - Let me take over. You're a little tired. You have so much work to do, you need to rest.
Lord Rahl. After five months, it sounds so nice. It's like I'm back in the People's Palace again.
I looked her over in the torches that were burning and I liked what I saw. Blue eyes, long black hair that was braided into a tight braid that was thrown over her right shoulder, and a figure that had become even more rounded and better during her training. After all, during her training, I had infused her body with magic so that she would still survive everything I had prepared for her. I didn't want to lose her. And after three record-breaking months of Nyssa's withdrawal, she killed an infant in cold blood in front of its mother, and then tortured that mother pretty badly, thus earning her the Breath of Life and being called my Mord-Sith, albeit not the right one.
Still, she now looks much older than she is, and even somehow with her mind she is older....
- Lord Rahl?
- Yes, Nyssa. - I smiled at her. - You're right about something. You will often have the task of training the maidens who are to become your Agiel sisters. Because the wrong touch can sometimes only make things worse. Though still, not all of them will live to take on the red on their own.
Usually about a quarter wouldn't live to see it. Such deaths are normal in Mord-Sith training. Not all humans can endure what they endured. Still, I hope more than nine girls out of this dozen survive.
I sat down on a wide stone in the corner next to the torch and watched Nyssa's efforts. She's quite resourceful and diligent. Sure, she's made mistakes, but that's normal, she wasn't trained by Mord-Sith and I'm a man. There are some differences and challenges, but surprisingly to my surprise not as critical as one might assume.
After an hour of her working on yet another candidate, I silently walked out with thoughts of testing my little theory about Valyrian steel a little later. After all, Mord-Sith can use a wizard's magic against himself, and this steel is made with magic. So there is a possibility that in the future, the noble lords that hold blades made of this steel in their hands could easily be "taken" by my loyal servants to teach good manners and loyalty to me. Though, on the other hand, it would be a semblance of septs in each lord's court, and such obedience would be unnecessary for everyone. Perhaps it would be appropriate to use it on certain elements...
Having transformed into a hawk, I immediately departed for Tholos. And there, I'll probably still prepare to leave for Aelyria. I was originally going to take the next caravan to Mantaris, but I need skilled sailors more than I need to see freaks. I can do that afterwards.
Below me, I noticed a huge caravan of a hundred wagons and two hundred armed mercenaries walking steadily towards Tolos. I'll have to find out where it's coming from and who it belongs to. I reckon the nearest caravan should be here in two days, and it's not that big.
- Garlosh! - I called out to the old servant who has served me faithfully since I healed his only granddaughter. He considers me the personal mage of the "Master"-Garloche!
- Yes, my master? - A gaunt man with a bald head ran into my room. - Can I do you a favour?
- Yes. Find out what caravan is about to arrive in Tolos, who it belongs to, and where it is going. Also, find out what kind of goods are in it. It's quite large, perhaps I should go there to see the goods for myself.
- I will, my lord," the old man bowed low.
- I shall be in the shipyards inspecting the ships. You'll find me there," I told him and began to change into black and purple clothes with the help of the maids.
Although trousers aren't exactly a favourite here, but I don't care. I'll dress how I want to dress.
And by the way, I'll probably even change the colours of the new D'Hara. Instead of red and black, it'll be violet and black. And I'll change my house symbol, but I don't know which one yet.
The shipyard was pretty big to me. The crescent-shaped docks were a temporary home for ships from all over the world. Among the sails and standards, I noticed the crests of the ships of Qarth, Astapor, Meereen, and Volantis. They were the largest, and were closest to me. A little to the right were the ships that were from Westeros, some of the coats of arms I recognised, they were Manderly and Baratheon, but what they were doing here I don't know yet. There were some simple traders here as well. On the left side I saw a couple of ships from Braavos. All in all, it was curious to see this gathering of sailors and their ships, which were inferior in speed and strength to my recently built dracars.
Low-slung, about forty metres long, with two masts that resembled the local masts of the T-I Empire, purple in colour. They could hold a lot of goods or people. Each was designed for thirty oarsmen, though with magic, the wind would be on our side, and the already considerable speed of the dracars would increase even more.
Mathys was an old man, but he was very cheerful and lively. His beard and moustache were already noticeably grey, and the hair on his head was almost gone and resembled the shape of a grey horseshoe. His body was quite powerful and strong. Kadis, his grandson, was much more frail, though it was hard to call him frail, probably because his grandfather made him look that way. He was only fifteen years old, though, and he had his youth and maturity ahead of him.
Wearing only short trousers and sandals, I met the two of them chatting as they turned their attention to me and bowed.
- Noble Lord Ral," Mathis said, "It is good to see you. Your ships are ready. You can even try them out right now.
- Thank you for your speedy work, honourable Mathis, but alas, there are some things I cannot postpone today, so I will sail with you only in two days.
- Then we will prepare them well for your departure. Only-if I may ask, for the better preparation of the ships-where are we going to go?
- Aelyria," I answered, "That's probably the only way. But perhaps we can still head west along the gulf coast. I might want to admire the views of the land.
- Are your parents coming with us as well?
- No, they won't be. Unless you have any other questions, Mantis, I'll be on my way," and without waiting for his reply I went to meet my servant, who was hurrying towards me in spite of his age.
- Master...ha-ha....
- Take a breath, Garloche. I still need you alive, don't let yourself be driven to such extremes.
- I apologise, my lord, for making you worry about yourself. It's just that you should really look at the goods brought in by the free trader Mahar So Kavoshri. This merchant traverses the great trading cities of Essos, from Braavos all the way to Qarth inclusive. Among his goods are quite a few gold and silver items, leather goods, stone, and bone. As well as many different rare materials and spices.
- Is that all?
- No, sir, he also has slaves for sale, weapons and valuable books and manuscripts.
That could be interesting. Perhaps we should take a look. I nodded to my three guards to be on standby just in case.
We walked to the market square, which was already occupied by a huge part of this very caravan.
Garlosh had not deceived me. The goods are of excellent quality, there are many of them, and anyone, if he has the necessary amount of money, can find the goods he wants here.I was primarily interested in books. Among them, I spotted several rare works by maesters from the Citadel in Staromest: A Brief History of the Southern Kingdoms of Westerosse, Aegon Targaryen's Conquest of Westerosse, and The Last Targaryen Kings. The last two books were the writings of a little-known maester named Nestio Belaruky. I hadn't heard of him yet, but decided to buy them nonetheless. Then I spotted a fine sword, not Valyrian, but still of good steel and forging. I was about to buy one last time, but my eyes locked on two slaves nearby who happened to be under it.
The first slave, or rather slave, was a woman in her thirties with bright red shoulder-length hair that curled slightly like waves, and in the blazing sun it looked like fire. Her face was pale, her eyes closed, and she wore only a short grey dress. It was the kind often given to slave girls; it was not flashy and, if necessary, showed off all the girl's virtues to the buyer. She looked to be about thirty years old and had had a couple of children, but she still retained a certain beauty. As I got closer to her, I was able to get a better look at her and realise for sure that she was a warrior. Calluses on her hands, a couple of small scars on her face, a well-built body due to training. And her behaviour and reactions couldn't belong to a simple peasant girl.
As soon as I came closer she quickly opened her eyes and shifted her emerald gaze to me, as if evaluating me. I wonder where she's from?
- Where are you from? - I asked her. But she only remained silent and looked at me.
- She's a savage, young lord," said a young boy about five years older than me, "From a wild and fierce tribe that lived further north than the Dothraki Sea. She came to us by chance in an exchange with the Dothraki a few weeks ago. She spoke no common tongue at all, and understood the commands only through a few phrases and words of Dothraki. They were neighbours with them, so she probably understands them.
- What is your native language? - I asked in Dothraki.
I haven't learnt all the languages of this world yet, but Dothraki, Valyrian and Common should be known, especially to someone who wants to conquer the known world and learn its magic.
- You don't know it, child," she replied coldly.
- What if you are wrong? - I asked her, but she only covered her eyes and said nothing.
- A wild and unsubmissive woman, young master," the servant shrugged his shoulders.
Let's see how unsubmissive she is. My intuition almost never fails me, except in the case of my son. Though I must admit that was due to a lack of information about our kinship. Otherwise, I would have treated him very differently. And built our relationship on a different principle. However, now it is not about past mistakes and regrets about them, but about the possible benefit that I foresee.
- I'm buying it. How much is it worth?
- Perhaps the young gentleman should show more....
- A young gentleman should show his humility and good manners! - I interrupted the idiot. I said I want her! How much is she worth?
- 5 gold pieces, - said the fat overseer, - This slave, although not submissive, is very beautiful and hardy. Though she is a little spoilt by her scars
You've overpriced her. But it doesn't matter, money is no problem for me. Besides, they're not mine, they belonged to their "colleagues" recently.
- I'll take it. I'll take it. And this one? - I pointed to the second slave I was interested in.
It was a three-metre tall giant that towered over everyone in the area, he was the first to be seen. His face was covered with a dirty rag with two holes for his eyes, so that he could see the road in front of him. In breadth he was like an overseer, maybe even a little bigger. But he had no fat, just piles of muscle that were clearly visible. He was doing hard labour. His hands, though no, they were not hands, but real bear-like paws, and if he made a fist with them, it would be a sledgehammer of bones, meat and skin.
- This one is worth 45 gold pieces," the fat man said to me again, "He's a wonderful worker. He's a bit dumb, dumb and submissive. He will serve whoever he is sold to. We acquired him from the fighting pits of Meereen a year ago. He's good for ordinary work, but he'll do best in battle. He will serve you well as a porter, a slave, or a bodyguard.
- Let him remove his mask.
Reluctantly, the overseer nodded to the big man. He obeyed. Beneath the cloth was an ugly face covered with scars, burns and cut skin. The head was completely bald, but still dotted with scars. And something tells me this monster has roots in Mantaris.
- He's from Mantaris? - I voiced my thoughts.
- Yes, I believe that's where he was sold to Meereen, young master," the overseer nodded.
- I see. You can wear this mask for now," I nodded to the big man, "I'm buying them both.
- You won't regret it, young master," the fat man smiled his rotten smile, "We have excellent slaves in our caravan. If you wish, we could give you more....
- Thank you, but no need. These two are enough for now," I smiled at him and began to think of different variations of plots that I could pull off with them.
To be continued...