Chapter 13: The Testers of New Items

The loud cheers were annoying but far enough to be bearable. The subsequent flutter of the tent flaps and the excited footstep of the woman were less so.

"Lord Magus! You should have seen the duel of Dario Naharis and the champion of Meereen!" Doreah proceeded to excitedly recount the details of how the man dodge the charging Champion of Meereen and his 14 feet silver lance, how he felled the horse in a single move and how he danced with his opponent before beheading him and humiliating the Meereenese.

"You seem rather excited about Dario's duel." Jafaar muttered, trying to keep his concentration.

The brown headed woman seemed to bloom as she slowly ran her fingers along the length of his back, "Are you jealous my lord?" she whispered in his ear.

"I am busy." he told her while trying to ignore the blatant advances of the vagrant woman. Before him, a simple iron bracelet hovered midair, strange and powerful silvery runes shimmered around it in a perfect circle before finally merging into it, leaving a string of said runes across the surface of the thin bracelet.

Jafaar sighed in relief as the newly enchanted item landed softly in his hands. Unlike Jafaar's own which were four inches wide and inlaid with precious gems, this was only half an inch wide and made of simple iron, without any engravings or gems. Jafaar observed it for a moment before putting it away and turning to the woman who had grown more and more impudent during this past month of travel from Yunkai to Meereen and had now placed her head in between his legs.

"You are getting brazen, I should retrain you." Jafaar warned her but elicited the wrong reaction instead. A few hours later, he finally stood up from his bed, leaving behind a quivering woman, her hand and feet bound with ropes.

"These women frighten me…" Jafaar gulped. He had, many weeks ago, used a bit of simple lightning to tease her during their nightly escapades but the reaction from Doreah had left them both confused. Since then it was downhill and the rabbit hole was dug deeper and deeper.

Jafaar shook his head and sat on the chair, scribbling onto a parchment before tying it to a small brown hawk to carry away and towards the besieged city. This was his familiar's current form. He used Shapeshift magic to change it as the need arose. He petted the bird, it chirped and leaned into his touch. Soft and smooth, Jafaar had grown to love this bird.

Purchase of the Familiar magic in Qarth was an excellent decision, even though he was short of points. Between getting another arrow in the quiver and getting loyal and trusted familiar, there was no choice at all. He had been constantly sending messages to his steward, along with the treasure he looted from Astapor so he could further the plans in Meereen.

He had purchased large amounts of food and wells within the city before the start of Dany's conquest. Even though there was no immediate hunger in Meereen, with 80,000 new mouths that would enter the city soon, the freed slaves that would have nowhere to go and no work to do and the burnt fields and farms the Meereenese had torched outside their gates, food would become more and more scarce in the coming years. Jafaar planned to hold a large enough share to influence the entire city. Not to mention, he could also sell it to Dany for a pretty penny so she could feed her armies, it's not like she was paying with her own money anyways.

Jafaar had also used the bird to keep tabs on Dany in Qarth, turning it into a bug attached to her clothes when she went into the House of Undying so he could rescue her from the clutches of the blue zombies. No one notices a small tick on the clothes when there is a dragon on your shoulder. How else would he have been able to cast magic at a distance and remain undetected by the warlocks?

Not to mention having a flying familiar was akin to having a personal satellite in this world, a satellite that shoots down his enemies from a distance like a war drone.

Jafaar went outside the tent and the bird flew away, "Godspeed my friend." He watched the bird fly into the sky and returned back in and went to sleep beside the unconscious woman.

The day broke and Jafaar picked up the iron bracelet and a long silk warped cloth, making his way towards Dany's tent. It was time he found some lab rats.

As he approached the tent, he could hear the heated conversations inside, 'No doubt Jorah is trying to convince her to abandon the slaves and sail to Westeros again.' he mused at the foolish man's thinking. Jorah, the poor man, had failed to learn his lesson time and time again.

He failed to see that Dany would not so easily turn from the people that called her Mother, especially not after that little stunt that the Meereenese pulled by hanging innocent children. They had cemented their fates the moment they chose to crucify them. Jafaar was not a good man but even he had a line that he would not cross and killing innocent children like this… the Meereenese were well over that line.

Iftar, his freeman soldier had successfully ran down the culprits and brought them back, so they knew exactly which of the not-so-Great Masters were responsible. Even if Iftar had failed, Jafaar would have used Mind Magic to find the culprits. 'The children were nailed alive…' his skin scrawled at the thought.

Jafaar shook off his thoughts and entered the tent. There Dany was seated on her silk cushions while her dragons lay about her lazily. The men were hunched over a table with sketches and wooden carvings that gave rough details of the landscape around the city and represented Dany's armies.

"How goes your conquest Dragon Queen?" Jafaar put the silken package and the bracelet onto the table, scattering the parchments and figurines without care.

*Whiine*

The dragons whined and assaulted him, "Slow." Dany chuckled.

Jafaar tried to push away the dragons that were now the same size as a large dog while trying, and failing, to keep up his dignified image of a mysterious and powerful Magus, "How do you plan on breaching the city?"

"For now…" Jorah started, "It's either attacking the gates with axes or climbing up sewers… unless Lord Magus-" Jafaar gave him a pointed look, "My head is not a Battering ram, Ser." That little trick had been a clever use of the Reflection Shield. It was like hitting the gate with a small indestructible plane; instead of Jafaar turning into a pancake, all the damage was reflected back at the Gate, leaving him unharmed.

Jafaar finally freed himself from the dragons and pointed to the items he had brought, "But I do come bearing gifts." He grabbed the iron bracelet and gave it to Grey Worm and the long silken package to Ser Barriston.

"What is this?" Ser Barriston asked, opening the package to reveal a longsword in an ornate golden sheath. The hilt was made of a similar gold painted metal, encrusted with a single large red gemstone at the end and a straight crossguard.

"I just felt like the greatest swordsman in Westeros should have a sword worthy of the title." Jafaar smiled.

"I appreciate the thought but… I am afraid it is too heavy for me to use in battle." Ser Barristan complained truly. The sheath alone was heavy enough to slow down a fighter and the sword was also heavier and wider than normal longswords.

"Unsheath it." Jafaar suggested and the man relented. He grabbed the hilt and pulled, nothing. He pulled again, harder this time but still nothing. He pulled with all his strength but the sword would not budge. He looked at Jafaar in confusion who smiled in return, took a small fruit knife from the table and cut Ser Barriston's hand.

Instantly red flowed from the old knight's hand and covered the ornate golden sheath in a red pattern of a three headed dragon, all three of the dragons circled around the sheath, their maws open towards the hilt.

The group looked in astonishment as Jafaar asked the equally shocked Ser Barriston, "How is the weight now?"

"Lighter… much lighter!" the man exclaimed before unsheathing the sword. It was shiny and straight, pure and without defects. It was a typical longsword, save for its wider blade and where there should be a fuller or groove in the middle, was a thicken part that juts out, adding extra weight to the sword.

"I had it especially made from Volantis by a mastersmith and enchanted with my own magic. It will not unsheath for another nor will it be any better than an edgeless sword in their hands but in yours…" Jafaar paused, pointing towards the edge of the table.

Ser Barriston walked forwards and with a gentle slash, *Tak* the edge of the table fell clean off. Dario picked up the piece, "Such a straight cut!" he marveled.

"You can cut through anything… flesh, iron, even magic." Jafaar told him. He had enchanted it with the Create Weapon spell. Ritual Cast was a strange and powerful thing, it turned his click and cast spells into actual works of sorcery.The spells not only became more powerful but when used in unison with Enchant, they also became far more flexible. This sword for instance had become sturdier and sharper and even had restrictions on its use.

Ser Barriston sheathed the sword, "Thank you Lord Magus. I shall use it well."

Jafaar nodded and turned to Grey Worm, the latter was still holding the bracelet in his hand, "That does not have any such restrictions. But it can only be used by a person who knows exactly what its function is. So for now… only the people present." he gestured openly. "As for what it does, he sends forth a powerful wave of magic, it can knock away horses, walls, men, etc."

"Can it… break down gates by any chance?" Jafaar could see the light bulb above Dany's head as she asked this question.

"Theoretically, yes. But best not use it for giant city gates." Jafaar quickly quashed her hopes.

"Thank you Lord Magus." Grey Worm saluted.

"But it can only be used 10 times a day so… use it sparingly." Jafaar warned. This item was another one of his experiments, he wanted to test his limits and flexibilities of the spells and enchantments he could make and what better time than now?

"I understand." the eunuch nodded.

"So we are still no closer to finding a way to breach the city than we were 5 minutes ago." grumbled Ser Jorah.

"True but you will be far closer in 5 hours when the Maiden's Light comes ashore with a few other ships, bringing you all the supplies you need to construct shields and rams to breach the gates." Jafaar informed them. "I gather that would be sufficient."

"It is, thank you Lord Magus." Dany gave her gratitude and Jafaar left the tent without lingering, walking back towards his own.

'It is comical how little these nobles and royals think before they make their offers…' he smiled, 'You would return back 3 times what you receive…hah' he chuckled, stopping to return the greetings of a few freemen as he walked, 'If I help you conquer the 7 kingdoms and the slaver's bay, you simply assume I won't ask the same of you…' He entered his tent and sat down on the chair, closing his eyes and relaxing, 'I will spend a few years helping you and you will spend a lifetime paying me back.'

It was the classic case of debt-trapping. This was also the reason he had let Dany come on this crusade. She will soon learn of her failures in Astapor and Yunkai, making her stay in Meereen. The further she was from her target, the more she would rely on him and more the debt would pile up. When she finally comes into the Iron Throne, she would be inescapably in his grasp. And finally the repayments would start.