Chapter 112: Dance of Gods

"Good Samaritans like these really make my heart warm."

Standing atop a fountain, handing off loaves of bread and small bags of copper coin, a man smiled warmly, watching the grateful, happy faces gathered in front of him with genuine satisfaction.

He’d been approached earlier that morning by a few wealthy patrons, well-dressed and carrying a spectral ring alongside a considerable bundle of resources meant for distribution as charity, presenting the offer with a politeness that had left him little reason to question it. Not many people around these parts bothered with that kind of generosity anymore, so he’d accepted eagerly, and had been at it steadily ever since, working through the crowd one grateful face at a time.

"Hmm, these people don’t look particularly familiar, though."

He noted quietly, handing a bag of coins toward an older woman who snatched it quickly and rushed off almost immediately without a proper word of thanks.

"Oh well. Just one of those things."

He shrugged the observation off easily and continued distributing what remained, moving on to the next person in line without dwelling on it further.

Meanwhile, as the woman hurried away, a feminine figure emerged quietly from around the corner of a nearby building and began trailing her at a careful, measured distance.

The streets ran considerably quieter at this particular hour, though blending into whatever foot traffic remained still proved simple enough for someone experienced. Muggings still occurred often enough in this part of the city that no one paid too much attention to a woman walking alone.

Suddenly, the older woman ahead cut sharply into a narrow back alley, her movement decisive and immediate, no hesitation whatsoever in the turn.

"Shit."

By the time Vira rounded the corner into the same alley, the woman lay slumped unconscious against the ground, already stripped of whatever coin she’d been carrying.

The exact same pattern repeated itself wherever Kang happened to pass through as well. Regardless, the puppets continued their assigned work without pause, steadily collecting money and food from the man stationed at the fountain, each one playing their part without any visible awareness of what was actually happening to them afterward, their expressions blank and pleasant the entire time.

This cycle repeated itself several more times as the afternoon stretched onward, until eventually the man’s storage ring finally ran dry of anything left to distribute.

"Maybe next time, everyone. Thank you all for coming."

Seeing that he had nothing further to offer, the gathered beggars slowly bowed one after another and began drifting off, leaving in scattered groups, except for a small handful who lingered behind.

"I’m sorry, we’re finished for the day."

He spoke again toward those still remaining, a hint of confusion creeping into his voice at their continued presence.

That was the exact moment all of them shook their heads simultaneously, slipping visibly out of some dazed state as their eyes darted around the unfamiliar surroundings, clearly disoriented, confusion spreading across each face in near-perfect unison.

One by one, they scattered in different directions, leaving the area entirely without a backward glance.

It was at this precise moment that Ethan selected one of them and began following her quietly through the thinning crowd.

She’d appeared specifically once both Vira and Kang had already left the area, blending seamlessly into the general crowd of beggars, making her nearly impossible to isolate as a suspect through appearance alone.

Still, something about her nagged persistently at Ethan’s instincts.

Staying blended within the deepening shadows, he tracked her steadily across High Hanger’s winding streets until she eventually reached a small shack tucked behind a massive warehouse, the smell of salt and old fish growing stronger the closer they got to the docks. There, she slid the door open and disappeared inside without hesitation.

"Hmm. Nothing particularly suspicious here."

Ethan couldn’t immediately pinpoint anything incriminating about her actions, so he eventually turned and walked away, filing the encounter away as a dead end.

Still, a lingering, nagging sense of doubt refused to fully settle in his chest.

So the following day, once another decoy trap had been set elsewhere across High Hanger, Ethan requested permission to break away from the group and returned specifically to track down that same shack again.

Just as he’d suspected, she’d already left for the day.

"Let’s see."

Ethan murmured to himself, approaching the shack and stepping directly inside without further hesitation.

Once inside, he immediately noticed how strikingly neat the interior appeared, standing in sharp contrast to the shack’s worn, unremarkable exterior. Every piece of clothing, regardless of how dirty or worn, had been carefully folded. Every utensil sat arranged with meticulous precision, lined up along a shelf as though positioned with a ruler.

She likely carried some degree of obsessive tendency, given the sheer level of detail maintained throughout such a small space.

"Hm? A Bark worshipper?"

Something suddenly caught Ethan’s attention, drawing his focus toward the center of the room.

A small tree grew there, its thin branches spreading outward in a shape unmistakably resembling the World Tree of Bark itself, cultivated with obvious care despite the shack’s otherwise humble surroundings.

Saplings like this one existed in nearly every household throughout Bark, symbolizing national identity on one level, and on a deeper, religious level, devotion to the God of the World Tree specifically, tended with the kind of quiet reverence most families passed down across generations.

"That’s a remarkably high-grade sapling for someone this poor."

Ethan smirked faintly, reaching into a nearby cupboard and pulling free a long, flowing robe folded carefully at the back.

"And there it is."

Ethan shook his head slowly, examining the fabric closely.

These were unmistakably the ceremonial robes worn specifically by priests and priestesses serving the World Tree of Bark.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

With that, the gut feeling Ethen had slowly churned coming to a close halt.

His conjecture was obviously right, this was a dance of gods. Using their influences to carry out their will.

But he could understand why Karth might do something like this, but Bark had already sent them to bring Tywin back, why then do this?