Varren do not make good mounts, no matter what their size.
"Yeah, this is not working." I said after an hour as I brought the giant Varren to a halt and slid down its side before dismissing it. While it did allow me to travel faster, it's such a bumpy ride that it's simply not worth it. Especially as I don't exactly know where I was going.
Sighing I looked around the forest and along the path. This was stupid, I had no idea where I was going other than 'North'.
I started to walk again. Sooner or later I would get to a village or town or Inn or even castle. They should be able to give directions.
But where? The Stark army was already gathered and was already fighting the Lannisters. It's a ready made army, but getting them to follow me would be difficult. Would be much easier to convince their leader to follow me, or at least assist me. Robb I believe his name was.
But getting him to listen, even after showing him my magic, would not be easy. From what I remembered he was as big of a man about following honor as his father. He might even decide that somebody wanting to stomp out murderers and criminals and deserters might be a better somebody to listen to.
I rubbed my head as I sighed and kept walking. Getting an army would be harder than I thought.
That's not even counting Mary herself. If I could have countered that binding spell of hers, my Varren would have had her.
I frowned. Dispelling generally mean Blue. Which mean I need an Island, lake or sea. I had not bothered picking any Blue up before because quite simply I did not need it. I really did not like the idea of messing around in peoples heads, crushing the mind of that demon was plenty unpleasant and the other main things about blue spells were dispelling magic, something I had not needed yet.
Considering how troublesome claiming a Land was, I tried not to do it unless I felt I needed it.
Sighing I walked along the forest path.
First other Planeswalker I run into and she's hostile, nuts, and quite likely traumatized. All in all, it likely could have gone better.
Her being mono color aligned hardly helped her mental state either. Which makes it even more important to find a blue land somewhere, the one color I am missing... Doubts started to go through my mind.
I didn't think I was crazy, but then again crazy people almost never do.
I was jerked from my thoughts by a arrow flying past me at a arms length, hitting a tree on the other side of the path and I froze.
"Greetings." Somebody said and I turned towards the voice, revealing five men "You need to be more careful." their leader, a large man with a scar across his cheek, wearing some kind of leather armor said.
"I apologize for getting in the way of your target practice" I said, giving them a nod as one of them pulled another arrow, putting in on his bow as I readied white mana in my hand out of sight, ready to shield if needed.
"You look like a man carrying a heavy burden." Their leader said with a grin "How about we help you carry it?
I tilted my head, eying him for a moment before I nodded "That would be quite helpful. Could you please direct me to the closest coast or possibly to...Winterfell I think it is called? The location of the Stark army would be useful as well."
They stared at me for a moment before the big guy, the leader laughed "I think we got a joker, boys." before he pulled a sword from his belt "Give us your stuff, funny man."
"I do not believe you are making a wise decision here. If you tell me what I wish to know, I will pay you." I told him with a slight frown.
A smaller blond man in the back group glanced between me and the rest of the armed group before he very carefully and slowly as if trying to avoid notice from them as much as me, stepped behind a thick tree.
The bandit leader shrugged "Or we kill you and take your stuff. Jurgen, shoot him." he ordered the archer who raised his bow.
I threw up a shield around me with a flick of my wrist, the arrow simply bouncing off it.
"We can still make a deal." I told them, this time pulling on my red mana on my other hand.
"I don't know how you did that, but I don't care. Get him!" The leader yelled and they charged.
Snarling I let lose a bolt of lightening which chained between them with a roar of thunder.
As I dropped the spell, so did they, their clothes smoking slightly.
"Damn it." I cursed. Why did they not simply back the hell of?
Yes, I dislike killing, but I do it if I have to. They were going to try to kill me. They could expect the same in return.
I had no real non lethal spells and if their arrows bouncing off a energy field was not enough to make them think twice about attacking me, I doubted a demonstration would have either.
Turning to look at the tree the last man had hidden behind I called out "You can come out. Just keep your hands where I can see them."
There was silence for a moment before he stepped out again. He was not dressed any better than the others, a mix of peasant cloth and leather armor. He was armed with a long dagger.
"Why did you hide?" I asked him and he swallowed deeply.
"N-no man outnumbered like that is that calm unless he did not think it mattered. I-i did not want to be on the receiving end of what you had planned." he said, looking like he would rather be anywhere else really.
I slowly nodded "Smart. Cowardly, but very smart. Robbing people is not very nice though." I told him, as I glanced at the bodies of his former gang. No doubt they deserved it, but still.
"G-got no choice, My Lord. I got to eat." He stuttered and I frowned before nodding.
"Dishonorable acts do look like a good idea when the option is starvation." I said before I continued "Can you answer the questions I had?"
He quickly nodded "Y-yes. T-there is a large lake by Torrhen's Square to the direct North of here. C-Continue North West from there and you get to Winterfell. I-I do not know where the Stark army is. I swear, My Lord."
I frowned slightly, trying to remember the map from the intro sequence. I never read the books.
That would mean I was around the east side of the small continent.
"I see. What is your name?" I asked him and he swallowed.
"G-Gunnar, My Lord." he said and I walked closer.
"Extend your hand, Gunnar." I told him as I reached into my pack.
He looked like he were going to have a heart attack and die on the spot but he still did as I told him.
I put a couple of pinches of gold dust in his extended hand "Thank you for your answers. I believe this will be enough for you not to need to rob lone wanderers any more? Do something with your life. Get an apprenticeship or something."
His eyes widened and he quickly nodded, his look going from the gold to me ashe quickly nodded
"Y-yes My Lord! I Will! I Will!"
I turned to continue along the path, leaving the former bandit behind. I need non lethal spells.
Yes, they might deserve killing for trying to kill me, yet alone the people they had already killed for their goods, but that did not stop it from feeling like murder. They didn't stand a single chance. I felt so much disgust and shame, at myself and at the situation. As usual.
I glanced back at the bandit still standing there, looking at me in some odd combination of terror and awe. Letting him go might have been a bad idea, but he did seem smarter than the average robber. He might be able to turn his life around.
People don't become criminals for no reason.
If nothing else my Varren will keep him from following me and trying to kill me in my sleep.
AN// Robo Jesus are to be thanked for this section.
