The Haunted Forest. Near the Dead Weirwood.
[Use Knight's Certificate to initiate Class Awakening for Night's Watchman: Grenn? YES/NO]
Jon stood before Grenn, a shimmering parchment manifest in his hand. As he selected [YES], the scroll dissolved into a flurry of golden motes that swirled around the boy before sinking into his skin.
"This is... unbelievable," Grenn gasped. He clutched his head as his body spasmed with a sudden, violent influx of strength. "I can feel it... my arms, my legs... I know how to hold a lance. I know the weight of plate armor. I... I've been training for years, haven't I?"
In a span of seconds, Grenn had lived ten years of a knight's life. The memories of a squire's toil, the maintenance of mail, the balance of a destrier, and the lethal geometry of a mounted charge were now etched into his soul. It was a miracle that bypassed faith; Jon had told them they needn't pray to any god, only use this power to hold the line against the cold.
"And these," Jon said, handing out sleek, magically-forged longswords to Pyp, Edd, and Todder. "These are not Valyrian steel, but they are blessed. They will not dull, and they will not shatter—not until the divine energy within them is spent. Watch the blades; if red veins appear in the steel, the weapon is nearing its end."
Jon felt a phantom ache in his chest at the cost. The awakening and the gear had burned through 4,000 Soul Energy units in a heartbeat. Between his previous expenditures and the quest costs, his "bank" was hovering around 6,000.
I need a larger army, but I can barely afford a squad, Jon thought grimly. I need a high-yield source. I need a boss.
As if the forest were listening, the temperature plummeted.
AWOOOO—!
A sharp, agonizing howl cut through the trees from the southwest. Jon's mental link with one of the Mo Sha Hounds was severed instantly. It hadn't sensed danger; it had simply... ceased to be.
"Form up!" Jon barked.
Suddenly, the "lost" Mo Sha Hound emerged from the brush behind them. But it wasn't the creature Jon had made. Its fur was frosted white, and its eyes burned with a malevolent, icy blue fire. The other hounds whined and backed away, sensing a presence far above their own tier.
GRRR...
Jon realized with a jolt of alarm that he was witnessing a supernatural skin-changing. The Others weren't just ice-demons; they were the legacy of the Children of the Forest. If they could turn the dead, why couldn't they hijack the souls of the living?
The hijacked hound lunged at its pack-mate. With a single, magically-augmented swipe, it shattered the other hound's jaw. The victim crawled toward Jon, whimpering in pain.
SHING.
Jon drew Longclaw. The ripples of Valyrian steel seemed to pulse with a faint heat, and the hijacked hound froze. It recognized the blade. It recognized the threat. After a tense moment of eye-contact with Jon—a silent clash of wills—the blue fire in its eyes flickered out.
The hound collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. As the magic left it, its internal organs, frozen solid by the Other's touch, turned into a slurry of dark slush that leaked from its mouth and ears.
"Prepare yourselves," Jon commanded, his eyes fixed on the deepening shadows. "The master is here."
Grenn and Pyp, fueled by their new knightly strength, stepped forward. They felt invincible, their fear replaced by the hot rush of magical adrenaline.
"Let them come," Pyp spat, his new sword gleaming. "I'll cut down a spider, a wight, or a god. Just give me a target."
CRACK... CRACK...
The sound of grinding ice preceded the rider. Emerging from the black-briars was a horse—a skeletal ruin of a beast, its eyes glowing blue and its body dripping with a foul, grey ichor.
On its back sat a humanoid figure of translucent, pale-blue skin. Its body was encased in armor that looked like frozen ripples of water, shimmering with a lethal, crystalline light. It held a massive spear of translucent ice, the tip twice as long as a man's hand.
[Descent Entity: Other Knight. Level 5. Alignment: God of Cold.][Items: Blizzard Grimoire, Staff of Recovery.]
Jon's pupils dilated. His alarm was instantly overwritten by a surge of pure, mercenary greed. The System had just dangled two legendary artifacts right in front of him.
"Forget the retreat!" Jon roared, his voice filled with a sudden, predatory excitement. "That one is mine! Slay the horse!"
He didn't wait for the Others' move. Jon lunged forward, Longclaw raised high, charging the Knight of the Long Night with a fury that made the very snow steam.