Bam!
Wylis smacked the iron rod on Nage's head.
"Why did he send you? And who is this 'we' you keep naming? Tell me. Who's taken Roose's hand?"
Still, Nage remained silent. But Wylis didn't waste time on the others, as they had just learned about their mission now. The only one with answers was Nage.
"Fine. If it's the hard road you're set on, I'll walk it." Wylis rose, stepping back a pace, his hand cutting through the air toward them. "You wanted to know how those walls were raised? This is how."
Grrrrr~!
The earth started shaking. Wylis used a single hand, keeping it flat, and then raised it higher. Right then, a massive boulder arose from the river behind. He pulled it closer and then held it right above the six heads poking out of the hard ground.
"For years, many wondered how the Tyrant of the Trident fought, how he was so strong. Some say, I'm blessed. But I say, I'm more than blessed." Wylis lowered the boulder just enough for it to touch their hair. "Now, answers!"
Still, Wylis gave them time to adjust to the shock. What he'd shown them was more magical and unbelievable than dragons. Because dragons existed once, magic like his didn't.
"Y-You are… Gods!" Nage stuttered.
"Are you the Old God?"
"..."
Wylis looked at Lew. The man was too much of a fool.
"Nage, tell me what I want to know, or have this boulder fall on your heads. And be sure, I'll make it slow."
"N-no! Lord Bolton's joined the Freys by the hand, he has. They mean to see you dead, say it's you who brought the bridge down. And the Flints of Widow's Watch, they've sworn the same. L-Lady Flint bears no love for House Kaiser so close by… Claims what's hers was taken, aye, the Broken Branch river most of all."
Wylis genuinely frowned at that revelation. House Bolton and House Frey were expected to, as he knew they eventually joined hands in a different future. But House Flint made no sense to him.
Yes, they were his direct neighbor to his east, but he had never ventured into their lands or claimed what was theirs.
Besides, the whole region was, in a way, House Manderly's playground. Wyman Manderly truly held influence over all the houses east of the mouth of the White Knife, and that included Flint of Widow's Watch. Only his house was somewhat independent because he was sworn directly to the King.
Lady Lyessa Flint… What the fuck is your problem?
"What were you tasked with before coming here?" He asked further.
"Came to hear what goes on inside your walls. Learn your weaknesses, your guards, how many men you've got, what trade you keep... and if I could…" Nage swallowed hard and cut himself off, lips pressing tight as fear crept in suddenly.
"Speak!" Wylis pressed the boulder further down, putting some weight on their head.
"K-Kill… your… lad."
SQUELCH!
The boulder dropped and crushed the men with a loud crash.
There was no other way this could end. The moment those three words were spoken, Magnus' smiling face flashed in his mind, and the idea of someone daring to take away that smile from him was enough to erase all restraints.
"A-Aaaah! My lord! Forg—"
Wylis hadn't killed Nage, however. The man was directly connected to Roose Bolton and had plenty of use. His political mastery did its magic, and he quickly came up with a grand plan that would take years, but it would end many problems for him.
"I don't know where it all went wrong. Roose and I bled side by side in the rebellion, and now he schemes against my children. I won't stomach it. What do you say, House Kaiser could use a bit of growth, couldn't it? The lands east of the Broken Branch, up to Last River. Dreadfort and Widow's Watch both. Chett will need a strong seat one day, after all."
"P-Please don't kill me, my lord."
"I won't. You still have much use." Wylis pulled the man out of the dirt and then pushed him down on the belly.
Snap!
Snap!
Two arms and two legs were cracked and broken at the joints.
"Aaaaargh!"
Wylis nonchalantly turned him again and used a knife to cut the man's tongue out.
"You'll live. You'll eat. And when that day comes, you'll open Dreadfort for me. My tolerance and kindness have been mistaken for weakness. That was your mistake. If you want the man I can be, well done. You've got him."
Finally, Wylis hauled Nage up and threw him on Caliburn's back. Then he made sure to sink the five dead bodies further down into the ground so no future river flooding would unearth them.
"Let's head back, boy. We've got work to do."
####
Once back in his castle, Wylis summoned both Lyanna and Brandon to his solar, while Nage was sent to the dungeons where he'd be kept locked and fed, alive but never free.
He explained to them where he'd found the intruders, what he did to them, and what their plan was. As expected, the first one to seek a chair was Lyanna.
Brandon was next, more furious than shocked. "I knew the Boltons were scum, but going after kids? That's fucking beyond anything. Guess whatever Walder Frey offered Roose was worth it. I'll go to Winterfell and..."
"Do no such thing." Wylis coldly ordered. "Eddard's no use when steel must speak. He'll want talks, a table, and calm words with Roose. That time's gone, Brandon. I'll kill Roose. I'll see the Boltons wiped out. The Flints as well. And don't forget, the more we prosper, the more they'll try to cut us down. They believe we've stolen their dues."
"That is true!" Lyanna erupted. "He didn't just want to kill Magnus; he sent men to do it! They must die, Wylis. All of them."
"Agreed," Brandon blurted. "Gods, I'd love nothing more than to bash Roose's fucking head into the ground. But my dear sister, Wylis has at best a hundred men, all green. Roose has thousands at his call, close to four thousand if I remember what father taught me. We can't win this battle by directly engaging the cunt. And he'll have the fucking Freys with him."
"It's not impossible." Wylis interrupted before they fought each other. "If it were simply sneaking into their castle and killing Roose, I could do it right now."
He gave Lyanna a look. She knew about his Earthbending, and she understood what he meant, hence her nod.
"But that will only delay this headache to whoever takes the lordship next. I want those houses wiped out, root and branch. Ramsgate will grow and take every inch the Boltons and Flints ever held.
"Give me three years, and it's done. After that, I'll need you and Brandon beside me. Eddard already looks at me like I'm some snake, and once he sees what I've taken, he'll meddle. He'll press me to yield it all, hand it back to some forgotten whelp of Bolton or Flint while moaning about honor. I won't bend to that."
Wylis stared at them intently. This was it, his decision. If he was supposed to be a Tyrant, he was going to be one now.
"I'll go to war to keep what I've won. If that means crossing swords with the Starks of Winterfell, so be it. Leave the planning against the Boltons to me. You two should go and figure out how you'll keep Eddard from doing something reckless. The Crown will stand with me, that much I guarantee."
That was the least the Crown could do after what he was planning for the Greyjoy Rebellion. Not only bringing Robert back into form and action, but also changing the political landscape of Westeros forever.
"That's all well and good, but we still don't have enough bloody men to arm," Brandon stated, shrugging.
Wylis nodded and grabbed a sheet of paper from his table. "Read this, you two."
He watched the brother and sister stand close and read the paper. It was what he'd written just now. An open call to the entire Seven Kingdoms. An invitation to all the hungry, the poor, the homeless, and the orphans. As long as they weren't criminals, they would be given shelter, food, and guaranteed work in labour, and others, depending on their skills.
There was simply no other way, and Wylis knew that. Nobody wanted to take the risk of leaving their current homes and coming to his town. However, those who had nothing left to lose would flock.
I'll drown in work.
Sadly, the only way to ensure none of those arriving were criminals was to interview them personally and use his Eye of the Judge skill on them. Thankfully, he had the Fief Map to easily find out all the spies and hostiles who'd try to enter. Moreover, a strict identification system was going to be established to keep track of the population.
Hope I can hit that first tier of the Tyrant's Lair quest.
The reward for that quest was the Talent Hunter ability, which would allow him to find talents amongst his population. Though it was unknown what the tiers meant and how each tier would upgrade that ability.
Ten thousand folks. That won't be easy.
"Do we even have the coin for this?" Brandon asked.
Wylis shrugged. "We'll have it soon."
______________________
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 Solo Dacey Mormont & Wylis X Elia NSFW art, and advance chapters at [email protected]/MrPlotThickens Or Subscribestar.adult/mrplotthickens
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