Celestial Hymn 28 (Patreon)

Celestial Hymn
Chapter 28

-VB-

I blinked in surprise when, as soon as I arrived in my personal chamber in a manor I outright bought out outside the Red Keep, an omni-tool appeared over my left forearm after a violent connection between the Mundane Technology constellation and my Forge. A huge flurry of exchange happened prior to the omni-tool’s appearance.

I stood there in silence and dumbfounded awe as I stared at the tool that could do everything.

So what did I do?

I fumbled for a full hour as I learned the settings, keys, and all the other works learning an unfamiliar electronic system takes.

“Nooooo….!!!” I realized in horror as I could literally plug in any other database into my newfangled omni-tool to make whatever I wanted, but all of my other database was in the Stormlands and far away from me.

Except for the database that came with the omni-tool.

I pulled up a screen to peruse through all of the tech now available to me, ready to be manufactured and put to use. My eyes glossed over everything from simple watering can to blueprints for entire dreadnoughts.

Dreadnoughts.

Not waterborne British battleships but spacefaring, kilometer-long continent blasters people called a spaceship.

…

Why was I subservient to a king? It would literally take me less than a year, thanks to the omni-tool and the Starbound workbench, to make myself a mass effect frigate.

…

Right. Just because I can make things on par with Tier 2 civilizations does not mean that I can rule over people. “No man rules alone” and all that. Besides, where was I going to get the fuel for Mass Effect frigates, never mind Element Zero? Even if I could conjure up enough fuel to get a frigate-class ship rolling, what would I do with it? Probably lay waste to the Deep North, that’s what.

After that?

Everyone would come after me. It was one thing to have a magic corp at my beck and call but it was another to have a warship. I may have the loyalty of my magic corp but the rest of the world? Every would-be conquerors, power brokers, warmongers, and assassins would come down on my ass, and I would have to enact all sorts of measures and …

It was too much of a hassle. I’ll just fortify my castle, thwart off what little attention I had so far, and then deal with the White Walkers as they came.

“Milord.” I heard a thud.

My bubbles of rumination popped as someone knocked on my door.

“Who is it?” I was unfamiliar with the voice, but he sounded like one of my acolytes.

“I have a message from the Master of Coins.”

Baelish?

I stood up and walked up to the door, feeling uneasy about meeting anyone Baelish might send.

I opened the door and -.

An unfamiliar person shot forward. His right arm lashed out towards my neck and -.

Bounced off.

He screamed as he backpedaled, his hand and arm mangled by my own improvised [Refraction] magic ward woven into my cape. I stood there, shocked as he ran off.

Did… someone just try to assassinate me so soon?

Picking up my staff, I stepped out onto the corridor and lashed out with my staff. The tip glowed blue and an arcane bolt shot out and slammed into the back of the fleeing assassin. The dark garbed man fell face forward with a cut off scream.

Soon, there was a stampede of feet as other guards quickly rushed to the sound of the scream.

I briskly jogged to the fallen assassin, ignoring the two guards supplied by the king who laid dead on the floor in pools of their blood, and quickly flipped him over.

I reared back in shock when the man’s face was not the one I saw only moments prior.

“A Faceless Man…” I muttered in shock, because that was the only explanation for the sudden change of the assassin’s face. I took a deep breath in and looked around. I didn’t touch the knife the assassin dropped. The blade was tinged slightly in purple, and I didn’t want to personally test if the blade was poisoned.

“Milord, are you alright?” one of the guards asked me.

“I am,” I replied absentmindedly.

Why did the Faceless Man specifically say that he had a message from Baelish? Was it a distraction or did the egomaniac wanted me to know who killed him?

I knew that the Faceless Man “gifted” death but nothing in my memories told me of Faceless Man being dramatic about delivering their “gift” (Arya excluded).

Hell, was this person even a real Faceless Man or was it someone imitating them in Baelish’s employ?

Was it Varys? He had reasons to want me dead.

I grimaced.

This was getting complicated and I didn’t have enough clues for my questions.

“I think,” I said out loud to the stunned guards around me. “I need to talk to the Master of Laws and the king. For now, all of you are dismissed and take the bodies with you. I will let my own acolytes guard me.”

This was a lie. I was just going to put up temporary wards around the manor for my brief stay in the capital.

But I did need to see Robert and Renly about this.

I ignored the Forge acted up right then and grasped nothing again.

Okay, but seriously, time to see, at the very least, Renly. After all, as both my liege lord and the Master of Laws charged with the King’s Peace and law in the city and beyond, an assassination attempt on me so soon after I entered the city would mar his reputation.

I was already fairly independent, but just how far can I push for more using this? I might even be able to guilt trip and bribe him at the same time, and once I had more of what I needed, I might be able to … do something.

I’m not sure yet. Already having a magic corps was already pushing things, even if I mitigated the possible fallout by pledging my and my corps’ service to Robert.

I guessed that I will have to find out.