Chapter 77

You were right, it was indeed quite entertaining to mess with him like this, though you weren't really sure how to proceed now that you knew this little Snippet of Information about your Companion as it, everything considered, didn't actually change all that much when it came to your Interactions with him. For the greatest and pretty much only Changes you managed to find since you started talking with him were that he started to shift more and more frequently between his passive and wolflike Side and that he seems a bit more spirited, Pun intended, while he moved, so nothing all that interesting.

Well, there was strictly speaking also a Change when it came to the Direction he was so energetically marching towards a few Days later, but that didn't seem all that noteworthy all things considered. For while they had all the Wealth one could ever want, the Lannisters like pretty much everyone else didn't actually possess accurate Maps of the Vale as far as you knew. And that lack of Information was one of the main Reasons for why travel through the Vale was so ridiculously bothersome, if you ignore the constant Ambushes. For once the planned Path ahead becomes unviable there was nothing one could do but change Direction as there was quite simply no use in arguing with a Mountain Chain or two.

You weren't all that sure where you were going as your Companion had silently and so naturally without clear Reason taken the lead of your little Party. But you weren't really that concerned about the sudden Change in Direction, as you knew that he wouldn't march right into the Camp of one of the Arryn or Mountain Clan Hosts that were active in the Region without some pretty good Reason. In times like these you really wished that your Companion could answer to more than simple yes and no Questions while you were on the move, but Life was Life you supposed.

"You know, you big Companion of mine, it would be really awesome if you could bother to give me some proper Warning the next time you decide to march right up to the Gate of a massive and probably hostile Camp."

"..."

"Yeah, I can see that you just forgot to do it, that's why I'm still talking to you without any bitterness or resentment, but I still want to remind you that I'm mortal and all that."

"I absolutely don't want to die because you forgot that Fact and did something that takes Plate Armour to survive, you can understand that much, right?"

"..."

"Good, so despite how the Camp looked from afar, those Guys are clearly not Knights of the Vale now that I can see them up close, that being the Case, did you lead us here expecting to find a Host of the Arryns or did you predict that we would actually find those Clansmen here?"

"..."

"Ah yes, Apologies, did you try to meet up with the Knights that should be somewhere in the Ground nearby, or with that Host of the Mountain Clans, positive for the former and negative for the latter."

"..."

"Huh, so does that mean I was right about that Connection I felt between the Mountain Clans and the Lannisters?"

"..."

"Come on, don't look at me like that, everyone who makes a Living from working in the Shadows would pick up on the Fact that those Clans changed Way too much in Terms of Strength for it to be natural."

"..."

"Fine, I suppose our little Journey was really what gave me that Feeling, but it's genuinely not that hard to figure out once you realise that House Lannister is actively sending more of its Agents into the Vale instead of using them to hunt down those thousands of Rebels in the Reach."

"..."

"Ugh, you're such a Stickler, but sure, the Westerlands, those thousands of Rebels in the Westerlands, happy now?"

"..."

"Great, so what do you need from those Brutes that you specifically sought them out?"

"Ehm, that's not really something that I can turn into a yes or no Question right now, so just tell me if I need to do anything here, whatever we're here for."

"..."

"Awesome, then I will leave it to you, and thanks for the Talk, I guess."

Well, you certainly had more fruitful Conversations throughout your Life, but knowing that you didn't have to do anything, and that he had apparently already planned to come here at least a few Days beforehand, was good enough for the Moment. For you were never really fond of any Idea that involved fighting through the main Entrance of just about anything, as that just didn't blend well with your Abilities. Sigh, that he actually forgot about your mortality was more than a bit bothersome, but you supposed that you should probably focus on the current Situation even if he had told you that you didn't need to do anything.

Thinking back on it, you couldn't help but wonder how he planned to get those Clansmen to open the Gate of the Camp if he didn't have your Help, or the Ability to talk. Sigh, no, if you're completely honest with yourself you pretty much already knew what was going to happen if you consider his Surprise and the Fact that you both were already standing some twenty-five Meters away from the Gate. Yeah, there were really only a few select things that this Monster of a Companion would never need any Help with, and while you think that you can already hear the first Impact of his Hammer on the Gate.

It seems like House Lannister didn't care all that much about its Connections with the Mountain Clans if they were willing to go out of their Way to get rid of them once they get truly invested into something of actual Importance. And while you and your Companion took care of dozens upon dozens of Mountain Clan Raiding Parties since you entered the Vale, you didn't expect that the Lannisters were willing to just drop this Puppet of theirs this suddenly. Thus, you found yourself with Thoughts of nigh absolute Confusion about their Motives as more and more heavily armoured Clansmen stormed out of the now ruined Gate, and you could only think about how nothing of this made any Sense to you as half a dozen of these Bastards were coming for you.