Game of Thrones: Knight’s Honor

Having determined that Dragonbones were the key to activating the energy bar of the cheat, Lynd couldn't help but feel grateful for the stockpile he'd obtained from the Faceless Man, Bovo. Without it, he would have been forced to find a way to infiltrate the Red Keep and sneak into its dungeons to steal Dragonbones himself—a risk he was glad to avoid.

Lynd felt no urgency to make a decision just yet. He meticulously weighed the pros and cons of the two options offered by the cheat, only to find the information provided frustratingly scarce. It was so limited that choosing either option felt more like gambling than strategy.

Take the first option: selecting a new Hero and mastering a new weapon. Would this truly enhance his combat power? He found it unlikely. His current dual swords, combined with the extraordinary senses his body provided, already granted him superhuman prowess. Replacing them with an unfamiliar weapon seemed more likely to diminish his effectiveness than improve it.

As for the second option—further refining his dual-sword skills—he struggled to imagine any substantial improvement. His current mastery seemed complete; any additional skillset might simply overlap with his existing style, wasting a valuable opportunity.

After a thorough analysis, Lynd concluded that the cheat was holding something back. The options on the energy bar were only the surface of what the cheat could offer. There had to be more hidden behind these choices—something far greater.

The deliberation left him paralyzed. Frustrated with overthinking, he decided to trust his instincts and chose the silhouette of the figure wielding dual swords. While the prospect of gaining experience with a new Hero and weapon was enticing, staying in familiar territory felt safer. Even if the outcome was less than ideal, he could always make a different choice later. For now, he had time to gather more energy.

The moment his decision was made, the energy in the bar surged into the dual-sword silhouette. The figure began to shift and transform, while a wave of hot energy poured into Lynd's hands, growing more intense with each passing second. What started as a gentle stream now felt like a roaring torrent.

Simultaneously, the Dragonbones in the box turned to ash in his hands, as though every last drop of their power was being drained. By the time two-thirds of the Dragonbones had disintegrated, the transformation of the silhouette slowed, and its image began to take form.

What emerged was a towering Knight, standing over two meters tall, clad in ornate full-body heavy armor adorned with mysterious runes. The magnificent helmet was crowned with a dragon-shaped crest, its wings arched in a display of grandeur.

The Knight's weapons caught Lynd's eye: twin swords unlike his own half-swords or any traditional knight's blade. Their long blades and extended handles resembled greatswords—massive and heavy, their size suggesting strength over finesse.

Lynd frowned. How could such enormous weapons complement the swift and precise style of dual-sword combat? Even with his enhanced strength, wielding a knight's greatsword in one hand—let alone two—seemed impractical. And with the heavy armor, he would sacrifice the nimble footwork essential to his Peacekeeper combat style. It felt like a tactical misstep.

Doubt began to creep in as the Knight's figure grew clearer. Lynd couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen this Knight somewhere before, though the memory eluded him. As frustration mounted, the image of the Knight completed its transformation, and in an instant, it turned into a ray of light that shot into his mind.

A torrent of information accompanied the light, forcing its way into Lynd's consciousness. His vision darkened as his awareness was dragged into the flood of knowledge. From the outside, it appeared as though Lynd had collapsed into a coma.

As nearly three-quarters of the remaining Dragonbone in Lynd's box turned to ash, an intense burning heat surged into his body, making him feel as if he were engulfed in flames. The sensation was overwhelming, almost unbearable.

Glory resting on Lynd" seemed displeased by the heat. Yet, instead of retreating, it moved to its head, wrapping itself protectively around him. Its body became astonishingly cold, like a block of ice, countering the burning heat coursing through Lynd's veins. The contrasting sensations created a strange balance, reducing the side effects of the scorching energy and allowing Lynd to endure the transformation.

After half an hour of enduring this fiery trial, the intense heat began to subside, fading completely after a few more minutes. Lynd's body temperature gradually returned to normal. While his height and overall build remained mostly unchanged, closer inspection revealed that his muscles had become more defined and compact, giving him a slightly leaner but visibly stronger appearance.

As the heat dissipated, Lynd slowly detached from the influx of new knowledge that had flooded his mind. When his senses returned, he didn't immediately open his eyes. Instead, he lay still, a look of astonishment spreading across his face. His breathing quickened, betraying his excitement.

After taking a moment to calm himself, he muttered softly, "I didn't expect the newly obtained character to be him—the number one expert in Castle Sol."

Until now, Lynd had assumed the cheat's range of characters was limited to those within For Honor. However, this revelation shattered that notion. For Honor characters were merely the foundation; the cheat could draw from other games on his hard drive. This time, it had unlocked the Red-Eyed Banished Knight with Two Swords, a formidable figure from Elden Ring, renowned as the strongest warrior in Castle Sol.

The memory of being relentlessly defeated by the Banished Knight during his Elden Ring playthrough resurfaced. Even as the haze of his past life grew thicker, that experience remained vivid. Despite being classified as an ordinary knight, the Red-Eyed Banished Knight fought with the strength of a boss. Among all mortals wielding dual swords in Elden Ring, he was unmatched.

What made the Banished Knight extraordinary wasn't just his unparalleled Swordsmanship. His dual swords were enchanted, and he possessed the ability to teleport and flash-step, elevating his combat prowess to near-supernatural levels.

Lynd realized the cheat had gifted him more than just combat experience. It had transferred the knight's comprehensive training methods, occult knowledge, and even the forging blueprints for the Banished Knight's armor and great swords. Essentially, Lynd had received every piece of the knight's memory—except his personal life.

The implications were clear. While the Peacekeeper's Swordsmanship, rooted in mortal techniques, was already exceptional, the Banished Knight's style transcended into the extraordinary realm. More importantly, Lynd discovered that the Banished Knight's supernatural abilities weren't bound by any unique constitution. With the right training and tools, Lynd could cultivate this power himself.

Through the Banished Knight's memories, Lynd learned that their extraordinary strength stemmed from two main sources. The first was external: the dragon runes engraved on their armor and weapons.

These runes were a hallmark of the Order of Lost Knights, possessing the ability to absorb ambient energy and enchant the equipment they adorned. When activated through specific swordsmanship techniques, the runes released energy, manifesting effects like hurricanes or freezing cold.

The power of these effects depended on the duration of the runes' enchantment. The older and more pristine the armor or weapon, the stronger the enchantment.

The memories included a legendary tale of an ancient Banished Knight whose armor and weapons were so steeped in enchantment that his swordsmanship froze an entire plain, including the dragons that inhabited it.

The Dragon Rune, though powerful, comes with a significant limitation: its energy is finite. Like a rechargeable battery, it must be replenished after depletion, requiring time to restore its potency. However, the Dragon Rune is only one part of the power wielded by the Lost Knights. Their true strength lay in the Dragon Communion Ritual.

The Banished Knight—or more accurately, the Knights of the Dragon Cult—were the first knightly order devoted to the worship of dragons. Their reverence for dragons permeated their identity, from the dragon motifs on their armor and weapons to the dragon-emblazoned banners they carried into battle.

Driven by their faith, the Knights initially sought to emulate the dragons through the creation of the Dragon Runes. But over time, their ambitions grew. Desiring not just to mimic dragons, but to become like them, they developed the Dragon Communion Ritual. This ritual allowed them to draw power from dragon remains, granting them extraordinary, dragon-like abilities. It was through this ritual that the Order of Lost Knights attained strength rivaling even the Crucible Knights.

However, the defeat of the Dragon Cult scattered the knights into exile. Among the banished, some grew desperate and sought greater power to reclaim their lost glory. They altered the Dragon Communion Ritual, taking a darker path. Instead of merely drawing power from the remains of long-dead dragons, they began hunting living dragons, consuming their hearts to gain power.

The memories Lynd inherited contained knowledge of this forbidden practice. It was a shortcut to unparalleled power but fraught with peril. Consuming a dragon's heart infused the knight with raw, violent energy, riddled with the dragon's rage and resentment. Though a strong will could resist the corruption for a time, each subsequent consumption pushed the knight closer to madness and mutation. Once the corruption overwhelmed them, their body would be transformed, and the once-proud knight would become a berserk red-eyed creature—a fate many Banished Knights suffered.

Even the original Dragon Communion Ritual, which used dragon remains rather than hearts, wasn't without risks. The power it granted could still cause instability, though this was far less pronounced. The aged remains lacked the violent aura of a freshly slain dragon, as time had diminished their chaotic energy. Coupled with the Banished Knights' training, their willpower, and their use of Dragon Rune to ward off mental disturbances, they could safely perform the ritual without succumbing to madness.

For Lynd, the dark path of consuming dragon hearts was out of the question. Not only were there no living dragons in the world of Ice and Fire to hunt—at least none he could reasonably confront—but even if he somehow encountered one, with his current strength, he would be nothing more than prey. Instead, the normal Dragon Communion Ritual, which relied on dragon remains like Dragonbones, was a much more realistic and safer option.

The Red Keep's cellars were said to house vast quantities of Dragonbones, and Lynd already possessed a decent supply in his box. While the power gained from this version of the ritual would not match that of consuming a dragon's heart, it was more than sufficient for Lynd's purposes. It would allow him to stand strong in this harsh world, ensuring he could hold his own in the trials ahead.

Lynd reflected on his current strength. Even with just the swordsmanship of the Peacekeeper, he was nearly invincible in single combat. Now, with the knowledge and skills of the Banished Knight, his combat power could increase exponentially. The Banished Knight's Greatswords, though heavier than Lynd's dual swords, were perfectly suited for mounted combat, granting him an edge in battles on horseback. This versatility alone was a game-changer.

Moreover, the Dragon Communion Ritual promised to grant him superhuman strength and resilience, pushing him closer to the realm of legends. With such a foundation, Lynd could carve out an unshakable position for himself in the world of Ice and Fire.

"First, let's make the armor and weapons," Lynd said aloud after sorting through his thoughts.

Before the group competition, this task would have been a daunting one. In Westeros, top-quality steel plate armor was already considered a luxury, as evidenced by Vortimer lending him his own valuable armor. Forging the kind of full heavy armor the Banished Knight wore—thicker and more intricate than standard plate—would cost at least ten times the price of regular plate armor, if not more.

However, with his victory in the team competition, Lynd now had the resources to make it happen. The 20,000 golden dragons he had earned as prize money would easily cover the cost of crafting such armor and weapons.

As for materials, Lynd didn't entertain the idea of using Valyrian steel. It wasn't a matter of cost but availability; Valyrian steel was exceedingly rare and had already been forged into swords, leaving none to spare. Instead, he decided to use the steel from Garlan's swords. Though it wasn't as extraordinary as Valyrian steel, it was far superior to ordinary steel. Moreover, once infused with dragon runes, this steel could undergo a mysterious transformation, becoming significantly harder and more resilient.

Lynd's inherited memories of the Banished Knight reassured him further. The Banished Knight's armor and greatswords had been forged from ordinary iron, yet he had used his weapons to cut through Dragonbone itself. If that were possible with basic iron, then Garlan's steel, combined with the dragon runes, would surely suffice.

Having finished assimilating the Banished Knight's memories, Lynd opened his eyes and prepared to get up. But as he moved, he felt something cold and heavy resting on his head, like an ice pack. He reached up and discovered Glory lying there. Gently pulling the creature off, he held it in front of his eyes with a smile.

"Why are you lying on top of my head?" he asked, amused.

It was unclear if Glory understood him, but it let out a series of soft howls. As Lynd held it, he noticed that its fur, which had been icy cold, was now returning to its normal temperature. Although he didn't understand Glory's noises, he pieced together the situation. The sudden chill of Glory's body and its actions during the cheat activation suggested it had helped him in some way.

His gaze drifted to the box of Dragonbones beside his feet, and the sight stopped him short. Setting Glory down, he stood and scanned the tent warily.

The Dragonbone box was nearly empty. When he activated the cheat, the box had been filled with Dragonbones, but now only a few fist-sized fragments remained, while the rest had turned to ash. His first thought was that someone had entered the tent while he was unconscious and stolen the Dragonbones. But he quickly dismissed this idea. Glory would have attacked any intruder, and guards were stationed outside the tent. No one could have entered unnoticed.

"If no one broke in, then how come so many Dragonbones are missing?" he murmured, puzzled.

A sudden thirst interrupted his thoughts. Reaching for the kettle on the table, Lynd poured himself a cup of water. But as he picked up the oak cup, he applied a slight amount of pressure—and the cup shattered like paper in his hand.