It was the hour of the owl, an hour past midnight. The town was silent, not even a single bark of a dog. The townsfolk had been moved to the port side, where they were assigned work to expand the docks.
Using Earthending, Wylis left the castle, hiding from the eyes of his men. He'd picked that night because it was misty, and it would provide plenty of cover for his activities. As for explaining how it appeared, he didn't care about that.
The smallfolk would term it a miracle or something else, no matter what. Anything that didn't point fingers at him would work.
He started from the northern part of the castle. Currently, there was nothing in the north but lush forests. Same for the western parts. But the western side was visible from the moat wall, and the northern side was better hidden due to heavy mist.
He planned to construct his city in three rings. His castle was the center, surrounded by the moat. The second ring was divided into two sections, one of which would be the northern part, which would house Ramsgate's own Godswood, or better called a private, massive garden with decorated pathways, flowerbeds, and a large grassy training field.
It would only be accessible from within the castle and be private grounds for Wylis and his family. The other section stretched from the western side to the south and all the way to the port. It was going to be the administrative district.
The final ring was also divided into two parts with walls. The northern side was to be entirely industrial, and the western and southern sides would house everything else.
That night, he planned to work on the second ring's wall. He didn't know if he could finish it, but he wanted to finish a major chunk of it, at least.
Using Earthbending, he guided himself through the mist and the thick forestation. It was also rather cold at night. But he was covered from head to toe in a dark cloak, and he wore a black mask with holes for eyes.
Seems right.
He had the plans in his head; all he needed to do was build the walls and the wall towers at the right place.
It's cold.
He removed his boots and felt a direct connection with the dirt under him. He took deep breaths and calmed his thoughts, removing any unneeded ideas from his head. He focused entirely on what he wanted to build.
His fingers twitched to move, but he didn't do it just yet. He felt the ground, he felt its pulse. It was just an idea, but he felt the earth responding to his will. He could sense the rocks hidden underneath. He could feel the cavities left there.
How is this different from sand bending?
He pondered as he felt what he could do. Under his feet was mostly dirt, uneven. But he wouldn't call it rocks. Yet, he could move it, compress it, turn it into hard things.
"Ha!"
At last, he started making hand movements, waving his arms as if summoning a storm from under his feet. He crouched low, bringing himself closer to the ground. He felt it rumble, the tree leaves around shake, and the drizzle of water on the leaves.
Grrr!
He was entirely focused, however. He summoned a whole wall tower first, one of the harder structures to build. He had to create it brick by brick, but he didn't have the time to actually do that. He had to assemble it as it rose from the ground. Firm, and just as he had planned it.
There was also the matter of texture that needed to match the moat wall.
Grrrr!
It took him ten breaths to do it. Earthbending wasn't a jack of all trades for construction. One needed a deeper knowledge of civil engineering to actually build solid, strong structures. And he had just done it.
What Wylis was building weren't just walls. They were curtain walls, meant to be high and strong. The ones Wylis had planned were a bit overboard, but with Earthbending, not making them didn't make sense.
The wall tower he raised was twenty meters high, providing storage and cover for battles. The wall he had planned would be fifteen meters high, a significant height. The walls would also be five meters wide, enough to move an entire carriage on them.
This would've bankrupted great houses if not for Earthbending.
Wylis believed such a structure couldn't be built in Westeros in the current age. Only in Essos was it possible, even with the help of countless slaves.
Grrrrr!
It wasn't perfect. He raised the first wall tower and then razed it as well. He then raised it again with modifications. He kept doing it until he got the hang of it and understood exactly how to build it, where to put more focus.
Unlike simple earthbending, this took a lot of focus. That was the tiring part, not the use of the ability itself.
Grrrrr!
This time, he took great care; he raised the entire twenty-meter-tall tower. From the battlements to the roofs, rooms inside the tower, the staircase, the entries, and the exit. Everything was built to perfection.
With child-like excitement, he ran into the tower through its ground entrance and climbed the stairs up to the top. The taller trees helped hide the tower's existence, but he could see above the treeline in most directions.
A bit of clearing and the view will be magical.
Ting!
Huh? New quest?
[Hidden Quest Completed - Brandon The Builder Reborn!
Description - A Tyrant may hide his hand, but must never fear using it. By raising a permanent structure, the mysterious legend is born.
Goal - Initiate the Ramsgate's above-ground construction using earthbending.
Reward - 20% Earthbending boost when used in Civil Engineering!]
Earthbending boost?!
Wylis felt nothing in his body. But without waiting, he walked over to the edge of the tower's top and looked down. He tried to raise the wall connected to the tower itself and…
Grrrrrr!
"Fuck! It got easier!"
Focusing on raising the structure felt far easier than before.
"And it looks perfect! Each battlement is even."
Once again, he ran a level down to the wall's level and ran all over it. He jumped around and kicked with his human strength to see if it was solid. He checked the texture to ensure it matched. In fact, the wall looked too damn perfect to be human-made.
Good for me.
Grrrrr!
Wasting no time, he moved ahead and raised another segment of wall, then another, and then another twenty-meter-high wall-tower. He never had to go down again; he built a new structure from the edge of the previous structure.
From wall to wall, towers to walls, and then to towers, he kept going. When he felt tired, he sat in the tower and took power naps. When he felt hungry, he ate the things he'd brought. When he felt thirsty, he drank.
Hours went by. The hour of the wolf passed, and an hour of the nightingale arrived. Wylis went according to the plan, and as the morning approached, the mist got even thicker. It was impossible for an ordinary person to see anything.
So, he went faster and completed the entire northern part, and then the western part, going south. He also erected a grand gateway into the second ring from the outside. It was a large triumphal arch-like structure with three arched gateways, the middle one was the tallest, widest, for horses and carriages, the smaller ones on the left and right were for pedestrians.
From there, he worked on the southern section of the wall. It had stopped feeling difficult to him as the initial need for creativity and focus had vanished, and a boring rinse-and-repeat thought had formed. The shape and structure of each wall and tower was imprinted in his head. The only segment that took inspiration was the gateway.
Soon enough, he reached the eastern shore of Ramsgate. The townfolks were living further south, where the third wall was going to stand. They were also working on the port there. But where Wylis stood, it was going to be a private port for the administrative district. The trick was doing it silently.
"Fuck it!"
In the end, he decided to finish the whole damn thing. He built four towers and created gateways between them, one entry and one exit, in and out of the docks. He sealed the entire administrative district after that by placing the last wall and joining it with the moat's wall.
Going a step further, he fortified the shores with stones and created stone stairways, so reaching the docks became easier. The rest of the dock expansion was for people to do.
At last, done with all of it, the entire second ring finished in a single night, he took a deep breath and looked behind at the vast empty area that would be the administrative district. Of course, he saw nothing because the mist covered it.
"I've done it now."
It couldn't be helped what he felt in his heart. There was excitement but also anxiety. How would the people react to an entire damn wall with dozens of towers appearing out of nowhere in a single night? And it was massive on top of that.
"Should make a few tales and let them spread among the folk. Better I sow the seed than another man," he muttered and at last turned for home. Dawn was taking color in the east. "If I can manage this, why not mend all of Harrenhal? It can't be that hard."
On his way back, he thought of the location of that castle. It sat in the perfect location, close to Riverrun, the Westerlands, and King's Landing. It was the place where many armies gathered in their campaigns. It was also the only castle in that location that could house an entire army. Even in its ruins, it was useful.
Thud!
At last, he climbed the wall of his own home and snuck back into the bedchamber. Lyanna was asleep.
Having it would secure the perfect trade routes for me. Even from a militaristic point of view, it'll serve well.
Removing his cloak and mask, he slid into the bed, under the quilt. Instinctively, he felt Lyanna slide closer to him and cuddle. He did the same, but he was still awake, staring at the walls of his bedchamber.
I already have Maidenpool in my hands. Together, the two can…
Ting!
[New Side Quest - Rising From The Ashes
Description - Dragons felled the greatest castle; now the greatest Tyrant shall raise it again. Even in ruins, it's a castle worthy of the Tyrant's name.
Goal - Take ownership of Harrenhal, directly or indirectly.
Reward - Ghost Banishing Presence.]
Woosh!
Wylis sat up straight on the bed, throwing Lyanna aside, who woke up in shock.
"They're fucking real?"
"W-What? Wylis, what the fu—"
"Ghosts, Lyanna. They're real."
"..."
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Advance chapters on [PATREON] are in long-form format. I have 12 long chapters of this story on P@treon. That's equal to 45-50 Webnovel chapters.
Check out Wylis X Lyanna Stark NSFW Art & Solo Dacey Mormont Art, and advance chapters at [email protected]/MrPlotThickens Or Subscribestar.adult/mrplotthickens
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