As the moon shone brightly in the sky, the ship carrying Stannon Baratheon and his little group sailed quietly across Blackwater Bay. The ship wasn't grand, but it was strong enough to withstand the unpredictable waters of Westeros. The group of twelve, including Stannon, Ser Jory, and Ser Barristan Selmy, had been chosen carefully for this journey.
Below deck, Stannon sat in his small room, practicing with a wooden training sword.
Stannon swung the wooden training sword, his arms working steadily as he practiced. The small room he was in smelled of salt and sweat, but he stayed focused, repeating each move over and over. He had been training for nearly an hour when a faint chime sounded in his mind, breaking his concentration.
A notification appeared in his vision, one only he could see:
[Cooldown period is over.]
Stannon sighed with relief, lowering the training sword as he sat on his small cot. He had been waiting for this moment ever since the journey began.
He wiped the sweat from his face and stood up, stretching his arms. Pouring water from a pitcher into a small basin, he splashed the it onto his face and neck, letting it refresh him. Grabbing a clean cloth, he dried himself and changed the sweaty clothes
As he was wearing a new set of clothes, he wondered what he would do once he reached Winterfell. He really liked to shower at least two times a day with cold water. But he was worried that his d*ck would freeze of he tried to do the same in the North.
'Should I just switch to hot water instead?' Stannon thought gravely but after a second he decided to leave the topic for the time when he would reach Winterfell.
When he was ready, he left his room, stepping into the narrow corridor of the lower deck. His boots made soft sounds on the wooden floor as he walked. Outside his door, Jory waited, standing guard against the wall.
"Jory," Stannon said firmly, "take me to where the reptiles are kept."
Jory raised an eyebrow but didn't ask questions. "Yes, my prince," he said, nodding as he led the way down the corridor. "They're in the cargo hold, just like you ordered. Don't worry—they're secured tight. No chance of them getting out."
Stannon followed silently, trusting Jory's as he was quite good in completing whatever job that was assigned to him. These reptiles were critical for him, but their danger couldn't be underestimated. Stannon hadn't told anyone why they were carrying these creatures, not even Ser Barristan Selmy, who kept a close watch on him at all times. Well, he had given them an excuse of studying these creatures, but definitely no one was buying it.
Still, no one said anything because of his status and the fact that the reptiles were perfectly secured.
As they descended into the ship, the air grew cooler and heavier. Jory stopped in front of a heavy, iron-reinforced door secured with a large lock.
"Here we are," Jory said, gesturing at the door. "I'll open it, but watch yourself, my prince. Some of those things are meaner than Dothraki after a bad day."
Stannon allowed himself a small smile at the comment. "I'll handle it," he replied calmly. "Stay outside and make sure no one comes in."
Jory nodded and pulled out a key, unlocking the door with a click. The hinges creaked as the door swung open, revealing a dim room lined with cages. Inside, the reptiles hissed and moved restlessly. Snakes coiled and uncoiled, their sharp tongues unable to come out due to their mouth being closed off by some object. Lizards with venomous spines clung to the cage bars, their bright eyes watching every movement.
Each reptile's mouth was securely bound with intricate metal muzzles that fit perfectly, preventing their poisonous fangs or venomous tongues from being a threat. The equipment had been specially crafted to ensure the creatures could breathe but not harm anyone handling them.
Stannon stepped into the room, and Jory closed the door behind him. In the center of the space stood a small wooden table, empty and waiting for Stannon to work. Though he didn't need it, he still asked for Jory to arrange one to throw these people off making them misunderstand whatever he was doing here.
'I guess I am going to bit busy for a while,' Stannon thought and moved on to the first cage.
---
A few minutes later...
Stannon stood in front of a large cage reinforced with iron. Inside, a black-scaled viper rested completely bound. He wiped sweat from his forehead, his face clearly showing how frustrated he was. None of his attempts to generate abilities and skills had worked on the poisonous creatures here.
He wondered whether the system was fu*king with him. Maybe the system liked watching him being so miserable.
"Alright," he muttered to himself as decided to lose those annoying thoughts and then use the system on the viper.
________________________________________
[Scanning Target...]
[Target: Shadow Viper]
[Generating skills and abilities...]
Skills Generated:
None
Abilities Generated:
None
________________________________________
'Oh, f*ck me,' Stannon sighed in frustration, his eyes narrowing at the result. He had asked Cory to carefully chose all of the exotic creatures to be brought from aboard—animals from distant lands. They were rare, dangerous, and highly sought after for their venom or unique traits. Yet the useless system had found nothing useful in any of them.
He stepped away from the viper's cage, his boots creaking on the wooden floor, and moved to another enclosure. This one held a venomous swamp scorpion, its shiny black shell reflecting the dim lantern light.
'If the creatures here don't work,' Stannon thought, 'I'll need to find a few more poisonous species after reaching Winterfell.'
________________________________________
[Scanning Target...]
[Target: Swamp Scorpion]
[Generating skills and abilities...]
Skills Generated:
None
Abilities Generated:
None
________________________________________
"Motherf*cker" Stannon growled, lightly slamming his fist against the cage.
Stannon forced himself to calm down for a moment, taking a deep breath.
'Patience,' he thought to himself.
The system wasn't perfect, and not every creature could offer something useful. Maybe the ones he'd tested so far just didn't have the right traits.
'Yes, let's think positively. I don't want to have a blood pressure problem at such a young age,' Stannon reasoned with himself.
Now he was left with just one poisonous creature to try his system on.
His eyes landed on the final cage, a larger one with thick steel bars. Inside was an emerald serpent, its green scales glowing faintly in the dim light. It looked more dangerous than any of the others, and its yellow eyes kinda freaked out Stannon.
"Maybe you're the one. No you have to be the one," Stannon said softly, stepping closer. He focused on the serpent, determined to make this work.
________________________________________
[Scanning Target...]
[Target: Emerald Serpent]
[Generating skills and abilities...]
________________________________________
After a moment, the system's notification appeared, and his heart leaped with hope.
________________________________________
Skills Generated:
1. Poison Resistance ★
Basic immunity to weaker poisons, reducing their harmful effects.
2. Coiling Technique ★★
A skill inspired by the serpent's movements, improving grappling and dodging abilities.
3. Predator Instinct ★★★
Heightened awareness and reflexes, making it easier to sense danger nearby.
Abilities Generated:
None
________________________________________
'Hell yeah, my yellow eyed baby,' Stannon almost screamed this out stupidly.
Finally, he had succeeded. Poison Resistance—a one-star skill—might seem small, but in a world like Westeros, where poison was a common weapon, even this basic resistance could save his life.
"Here we go" he muttered, activating the system's copying process.
As the copying process started, Stannon winced as a sharp, burning sensation spread through his veins, but he gritted his teeth and held on. He wouldn't let this chance slip away.
'Why the fu*k there is always a burning feeling?' Stannon cursed out. Lately it seemed like he was cursing ever so often.
Finally, after several more seconds, the system displayed the notification he'd been waiting for:
________________________________________
[Copying Successful!]
[Skill Acquired: Poison Resistance ★]
________________________________________
Stannon's face broke into a wide smile as the notification appeared.
________________________________________________________________________________
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