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The iron door creaked open.
The man inside raised his hand, shielding his eyes from the sudden glare of the torch. After so long in darkness, even firelight felt blinding.
"Lord Stark," the visitor said softly. "You must be thirsty."
"Varys," Ned replied, squinting as his vision adjusted.
"I assure you, there is no poison," Varys said, pulling the stopper from the flask. "Why does no one ever trust a eunuch?"
He lifted the bottle and took a drink himself.
He never saw the blow coming.
His eyes rolled back as he collapsed face-first onto the stone floor.
Jimmy caught the falling torch.
"God, you stink," Jimmy muttered. "I have been smelling you for half an hour."
The moment he confirmed the prisoner's identity, he stopped wasting time. One clean strike had been enough.
Ned stared in shock.
"Who are you?"
Jimmy ignored the question.
"You are Eddard Stark."
"Yes. I am. But you—"
"Good. Then we are leaving."
Jimmy dropped the torch, extinguishing it, and lifted Ned effortlessly.
"Wait. No. Stop," Ned protested. "I cannot leave. If I flee, it confirms everything they accused me of."
Jimmy sighed.
Then knocked him unconscious.
"That was not a request," he said calmly. "It was an extraction."
He drew his blade.
If anyone tried to interfere, he would not hesitate.
Then a voice echoed through the dungeon.
"So. A mortal dares take one already claimed by my god."
Jimmy did not hesitate.
He struck.
The blade flashed, severing iron bars like dry straw.
Another step forward.
Another strike.
His sword stopped inches from the speaker's throat.
"You talk too much," Jimmy said quietly.
"All men must die."
The head fell before the sentence finished.
Jimmy did not pause.
"Villains die from monologues," he muttered, continuing forward.
---
Silence returned.
Then, slowly, the body moved.
The fallen man sat up, touching his neck with mild annoyance.
"That was unpleasant," he murmured.
He stood.
Reached down.
Picked up his own severed head.
And pressed it back into place.
Flesh sealed.
Bone fused.
He staggered toward Ned Stark's empty cell.
When he stepped into the torchlight, his face had changed.
Now, it was Eddard Stark's face.
---
[System Notification: You have slain a vessel of the Stranger.]
[Reward acquired: Invitation Fragment: The Stranger x1]
[Temporary ability granted: Eye of Observation.]
[You can now identify divine agents, vessels, priests, and incarnations.]
----
Jimmy paused mid-stride.
So that had only been a vessel. Which meant the Stranger had many incarnations, and each incarnation could possess countless hosts. In other words, he had killed the most disposable pawn imaginable.
Still, the system had granted him a fragment of an invitation. That suggested something important.
At least for now, the Stranger did not seem hostile.
---
Some time later, Varys stirred.
He groaned, clutching the back of his head as consciousness returned. Then suddenly, he remembered.
He scrambled upright.
"Lord Stark. Are you there?"
He lit the torch with trembling hands and rushed forward.
Relief flooded his face when he saw the figure still slumped against the wall.
But something was wrong.
Ned Stark leaned against the corner, unmoving. Red wine dribbled from the corner of his mouth. His body burned with fever.
Varys placed a hand against his forehead.
Scalding.
Understanding dawned instantly.
"That damned sorcerer," he whispered.
He quickly gathered the wine bottle and left without another word.
Tonight had never happened.
As he passed the neighboring cell, he hesitated, glancing inside. Something about the dungeon felt off, though he could not explain why.
Then he disappeared into the darkness.
---
Meanwhile, Jimmy had already escaped the Red Keep.
Under the cover of night, he mounted Horus, now fully transformed into his true form. A colossal dragon-scaled eagle.
For the first time since arriving in this world, Jimmy experienced true flight.
Horus soared through the sky in silence, suppressing the urge to cry out in exhilaration.
---
They landed on the secluded island.
Inside the cave, Jimmy laid Ned on the bed, lit the fireplace, and retrieved his medical kit from the Horadric Cube.
He cut away the blood-soaked wrappings and clothing from Ned's injured leg.
The wound was a mess.
Someone had packed it with crude herbal paste. It had not healed anything. It had made everything worse.
The flesh was infected.
Jimmy worked quickly.
Saline wash. Debridement. Antiseptic. Fresh dressing.
Then he took a sample using a probe and began testing it.
As expected, infection alone was not the problem.
Ned Stark had been poisoned.
Not a lethal toxin. A mineral-based compound designed to slowly worsen the wound.
Jimmy smirked slightly.
Mineral toxins were easy.
He prepared a vial of Blood Orchid extract diluted one thousand times. Mixed it into a glucose solution. Set up an IV line and secured it beside the bed.
He watched the unconscious man for a moment.
"You old wolf," Jimmy muttered. "If it were not for me, even escaping would not have saved you."
He turned toward Horus.
"Go watch Robb Stark. The moment he defeats the Lannisters, return and report."
He paused.
"And keep an eye on Arya. If she is ever in real danger, bring her here immediately."
He hesitated again.
"No. Wait."
He frowned.
"I saved him. But I have not collected my payment."
He exhaled.
"This is inconvenient."
He could not leave Ned alone.
"Fine," he said finally. "Horus. Return to King's Landing. Observe everything. Come back in two days."
His eyes hardened.
"Then we collect what we are owed."
Horus nodded and launched into the sky.
Since arriving in this world, he had never felt more alive.
With no satellites watching, no surveillance, nothing to restrict him, he flew freely through the heavens.
And Jimmy felt the same.
Compared to the threats he had faced before, this world's warriors were weak.
Danger existed. But it was manageable.
If not for the existence of immortal gods, Jimmy might have already conquered the entire continent himself.
Too many enemies deserved to die.
Especially those who stood against House Stark.
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