The royal party rode south.
Dozens of carts. Soldiers. Servants. Nobles.
And shadows.
Ryu walked quietly behind them all, sometimes ahead, sometimes gone entirely. He didn't ride in carriages or drink wine by the fire. He walked through forests. Slept under trees. Watched everything.
The road to King's Landing was long. Full of noise, politics, and unseen blades.
Perfect for someone like him.
---
[Skill Activated: Shadow Merge]
Effect: Move between natural shadows for faster, silent travel.
---
Ryu moved faster than the party. He visited nearby villages hours before the royals arrived. Planted shadows in the inns. Listened to local talk. Bought secrets with silence.
One barkeep whispered of gold cloaks already plotting against the King.
Another spoke of a blacksmith in the capital—one who forged a strange blade for a noble with lion's gold.
Ryu didn't judge. He just remembered.
---
[New Targets Marked]
Capital Informants
Unnamed Lannister Agent
Mysterious Blacksmith
---
Back on the road, Tyrion Lannister drank by the campfire, laughing with Jon Snow. Ned rode ahead, lost in thought.
Ryu sat apart, sharpening his new dagger, Whisperfang.
At night, he summoned shadows to watch over his hidden stash—scrolls, coins, poisons, stolen maps.
He wasn't hoarding. He was preparing.
One night, a scout vanished.
The next day, a Lannister guard claimed bandits had returned. Fear spread fast.
Ryu said nothing.
But deep in the woods, the scout's body hung upside down—eyes wide, throat slit.
A shadow moved below him. Ryu's voice echoed softly from the dark:
"Next time, send someone smarter."
---
[Shadow Extraction Successful]
New Shadow Acquired: "Wren" – Former Scout
Ability: Long-range tracking, high perception
---
As they neared the capital, King's Landing came into view—loud, golden, rotten beneath its glory.
Ryu stood on a hill overlooking the city. His eyes unreadable.
His shadows shifted behind him, whispering without sound.
The game would begin soon.
And unlike the players inside, Ryu didn't want power through alliances or fame.
He would take it in silence. One step at a time.