Alaric didn't waste the time. He found windows of opportunity—three or four midnight meetings—to deepen the Sovereign Bond with Sansa, harvesting a steady stream of Monarch Points.
By the time the air lost its northern bite and grew thick with the cloying, salty stench of the Blackwater, Sansa had recovered. She walked with a regal, measured grace that felt less like a performance and more like a suit of armor.
Finally, the massive walls of King's Landing loomed. The pale red stone of the keep glowed in the afternoon sun like a fresh wound. Alaric rode tall beside the window of Sansa's carriage, Shadow at his stirrup, amber eyes fixed on the city gates. As the heavy wheels crunched onto the stone road, a pulse thrummed in Alaric's mind—a signal from his scout. They had arrived, but the real battle was only just beginning.
A translucent blue interface flared to life in his peripheral vision, shimmering with a cold, triumphant light.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[Location: King's Landing]
[Current Monarch Balance: 2,945 MP]
Alaric stared at the pulsing number. For weeks, he had hoarded every point earned from his defiance at the Trident and his secret encounters with Sansa. In the Red Keep, steel alone wouldn't be enough; he needed more power to survive these snakes.
His eyes sweeping over the gold-cloaked City Watch and the teeming crowds of the Mud Gate. The Red Keep loomed above, a jagged silhouette of Lannister influence. He needed somewhere private.
As the Stark retinue was guided toward the Tower of the Hand, Alaric maintained his mask of professional indifference. He helped Sansa from her carriage, his hand lingering just long enough for her to feel his presence before he stepped back into the role of her silent, lethal shield.
Once the girls were safely settled under the watchful eye of his Blood Scout, Alaric retreated to his assigned quarters in the lower barracks. He waited until the heavy oak door clicked shut and the chaotic roar of King's Landing faded into a distant, muffled thrum. Shadow settled at his feet, the wolf's amber eyes the only light in the dim, cramped room.
"System," Alaric whispered, his voice barely a breath. "Open the Attribute and Summoning menus. Let's see what this hoarding was for."
The blue interface flared to life, filling his vision with cold, glowing data.
[Current Balance: 2,945 MP]
He looked at the total—a fortune earned through calculated risks, narrow escapes, and his growing bond with Sansa. It had been worth the danger. Now, he scanned the primary attributes:
Vigor: Baseline energy and daily vitality. It determines how active you stay and how quickly you recover from stress, work, or illness.
Endurance: Sustained physical stamina. It measures how long you can perform labor or aerobic exercise (like running) without needing rest.
Dexterity: Coordination and fine motor skills. It covers hand-eye control and precision for tasks like typing, drawing, or using tools.
Strength: Raw physical power. The capacity of your muscles to lift, push, pull, or carry heavy weight.
He weighed his options carefully. In King's Landing, poison was as common as wine; the resistance granted by Vigor was a requirement for survival. Yet he could not neglect Strength. He needed the power to end a fight before it truly began.
He chose caution, holding back a portion of his points for abilities that might unlock with his next Sovereign Bond.
"Increase Endurance by four and Strength by six," he commanded.
[Endurance +4 (1 Year of Training Equivalent) = 400 MP]
[Strength +6 (1.5 Years of Training Equivalent) = 600 MP]
[Confirm Transaction?]
"Confirm."
[Transaction Complete]
[Deduction: 1,000 MP | Current Balance: 1,945 MP]
[Initiating Physical Restructuring…]
The air in the room grew heavy, as if the weight of the Red Keep itself had pressed down on him. Alaric's breath caught as heat flared deep in his bones. This was not natural growth. It was eighteen months of relentless training forced into a single moment.
His lungs expanded first. Breath came easier, deeper. Fatigue pulled back like a retreating tide. His body learned how to endure—to fight longer, march farther, and stay upright when others would collapse.
Then the strain shifted. Muscle fibers tore and fused again, tighter and stronger. Power settled into his shoulders, back, and legs. Not bulk, but purpose. Each movement felt cleaner. Each step carried weight.
With the increase to Strength, every strike now carried more force. Blows that once staggered would now break guards. A single clean hit could end a fight before it turned chaotic.
Endurance followed beneath it all, steady and unforgiving. He could last longer in armor, recover faster between clashes, and keep fighting when pain set in.
Combined with the +20% boost from his Winter's Skin passive, the change was impossible to ignore. He was no longer just a trained guard with good instincts.
He was becoming a soldier built for prolonged violence.
Alaric wiped the sweat from his brow. His hand closed around the sword hilt, the balance feeling natural—solid.
He was ready.
When the light of the interface finally dimmed, Alaric stood. The straw pallet beneath him groaned under his increased density. He looked at his hands; they were steadier, heavier. He felt as though he could run from the gates of King's Landing back to the Wall without ever stopping for air.
With his Winter's Skin providing that permanent +20% force multiplier.. he should be already at kingsguard level.
His gaze fell to Shadow. The jet-black wolf lay at his feet. While Sanguine Compression allowed the beast to shrink to the size of a standard hunting hound, it was still a physical target—something that could be tracked, poisoned, or barred from certain rooms in the Red Keep.
System, Alaric thought, is there an extension for Shadow? I need him to be more discreet.
The blue interface flared to life, text scrolling with its usual clinical efficiency.
[SYSTEM QUERY: UNIT EXTENSION - ANCIENT DIRE-WOLF]
[EXTENSION: UMBRAL INDWELLING]
[Cost: 400 Monarch Points (MP)]
[Description: Through the manipulation of the Monarch's Sanguine Essence, the beast's physical form is tethered to the Host's literal shadow.]
Effect: Allows Shadow to "merge" into Alaric's shadow, becoming entirely two-dimensional and undetectable by sight or scent.
Utility: The beast can emerge instantly from the shadow to strike, maintaining 100% power upon manifestation.
Secondary Effect: Grants a passive 'Vigilance' boost; the beast can sense threats from all angles and relay them through the mental link.
Alaric stared at the prompt, a dark, satisfied grin spreading across his face. In a city where "little birds" watched from every crevice, having a silent apex predator living in his very shadow was the ultimate insurance policy.
"Confirm purchase," he muttered.
[Deduction: 400 MP | Current Balance: 1,545 MP]