Viserys felt like he and the dragon Sunfyre were an island beneath the red sky, looking down on the battle below.
The Hairy Men legion on their undead unicorns had fully revealed themselves—pale, ugly, and massive.
The Hairy Men were hairier, taller, and more robust than the Ibbenese.
Ibbenese rarely exceeded five and a half feet, but the Hairy Men broke that limit, reaching six or even seven feet.
Most striking were their dark blue veins and the thick hair covering their limbs, chests, and backs—even the women were hairy.
Their faces and bodies were tattooed with flame patterns, and blood-rubies were embedded in their foreheads.
Wielding axes and furry brown shields, clad in tattered leather armor, they were formidable warriors, well-suited to become fire wights.
They looked clumsy and brutish, fit only for fighting.
The Hairy Men were said to excel at wrestling; even the Westerosi could not match their descendants, the Ibbenese, in their favorite sport.
The Unsullied formed a shield wall, spears bristling.
Enduring the blood and fire environment, fortified by years of Wine of Courage, the Unsullied had an extremely high pain tolerance.
Their crescent spear formation was intimidating, but the fire wights knew only the desire to destroy.
The Hairy Men swung their great axes, hacking at the shields, while the strong undead unicorns charged with their sharp horns.
Though the Unsullied were loyal and fearless, the Hairy Men wights were no ordinary army; their attack rhythm was unified.
Such a strange and terrifying force was rarely seen in the Seven Kingdoms or the Free Cities.
The massive Hairy Men and their unicorns felt no pain from ordinary wounds and could revive after death.
A unicorn charged violently. Even pierced by several Unsullied spears, it roared and swept through the shield wall.
The unicorn fell, but it opened a gap in the formation. Those who didn't dodge were crushed.
"Gouge out the rubies!"
"Cut off their heads!"
"Fall back!"
One Unsullied failed to dodge. A Hairy Man's sharp axe swept through his neck, severing his head instantly.
Though the Unsullied drank the Wine of Courage, their eyes and heads remained vulnerable. They were not invincible super-soldiers.
Boiling oil, headshots, or heart strikes would still kill them.
Aggo roared, swinging his greatsword to meet the charge.
Jalaka discarded his goldenheart bow; at this range, only the spear would do.
"The King!"
"King Viserys!" The men called his name.
Then came the dragonfire. Viserys, riding Sunfyre, arrived to support the ground battle.
The Hairy Men were undeniably a powerful force; he couldn't afford to lose all his men.
Sunfyre climbed steeply, higher and higher, until the Hairy Men lost track of him. Then, folding his wings, he dove.
Swirling gold-red fire descended. The Hairy Men and unicorns caught in its path burst into flames.
Dragonfire, like wildfire, burned persistently, often stronger and longer than normal fire.
Viserys saw the gold-red flames sweep over a Hairy Man's face, melting his eyes like bursting eggs.
Then the hair and beard caught fire. The thick body hair acted as an accelerant, the flames spreading rapidly.
In an instant, the Hairy Man seemed crowned in fire, growing taller in the inferno until he was reduced to charcoal.
These fire wights were born of blood and fire, but they could not withstand an overload of flame.
The battlefield became a chaotic slaughterhouse. Yet, the wights, craving living flesh, did not flee. The dragon danced.
Gold-red fire swept across the field like a prairie fire.
Aggo and the Unsullied breathed a sigh of relief. Crossbows targeted the eyes of the Hairy Men and unicorns.
Aggo charged with his greatsword.
Viserys wielded True Dragon, its blade cutting through the Hairy Men's necks like butter.
With the dragon's support, the tide of battle turned quickly.
Viserys leaped from the dragon's back. Sunfyre found his own meal, spewing fire on the corpses of the three-headed blood eagles and griffins before feasting.
Viserys stood on the ravaged battlefield, the air thick with the smell of burnt flesh and blood.
Though they had taken casualties, the overall losses were manageable.
Viserys looked at the bodies of the griffins and blood eagles. In prophecies, sphinxes would fly.
If they truly flew, the principle would be the same as blood magic: stitching dead dragons or giant eagles together and animating them to breathe fire. A low-budget sphinx was still a monster.
Aggo and the guards carefully pried out the blood-drop rubies and found a gilded disc for Viserys.
As Viserys suspected, the griffins and three-headed eagles came from the secret Blood Faction labs in Gogossos, sent back to Valyria after assembly.
The Hairy Men belonged to a Blood Faction Dragonlord's guard, the "Secret Blood Army," bearing identification tags.
Viserys took a tag: "Great Creation of the Blood Faction Dragonlord, Forever Loyal Servant, Secret Blood Army, Unit 0013."
These Hairy Men died nameless, known only by a code.
Like the Unsullied, they had no true names.
Viserys looked at the devastated field. They had killed only two types of the blood mages' pets.
He sensed more terrible things lurking dormant in the ruins.
If a giant Face-Worm appeared, they would be in trouble.
The Blood Faction relied on quantity: griffins, blood eagles, Hairy Men, giants, unicorns—all pets of the Blood Faction Dragonlords.
Imagine a Blood Faction Dragonlord deploying this menagerie on the battlefield; the intimidation factor would be immense.
Though blood magic lacked the elegance of fire magic, these flying, fire-breathing, discount dragons were formidable.
Valyria might produce a few hundred dragons, never exceeding a thousand.
But these crude, genetically modified weapons were easy to mass-produce.
Viserys found a relatively intact Hairy Man corpse, charred black.
The flame script on its arm still glowed with a dark, bloody light—eerie to behold.
"The art of great blood magic: Bloodline Binding. A heritage that never spills over." Viserys watched the flame script fade.
After removing the blood-ruby, the body withered.
"Bloodline Binding?" Viserys read the words. Fire resistance and fire attacks were the art of fire magic; this was his first encounter with Bloodline Binding.
"It seems the Blood Faction embedded a curse in the Hairy Men's bloodline. No wonder the Ibbenese today cannot interbreed with other races..."
It was also because they were too ugly; everyone despised them.
The proud Valyrians could tolerate Rhoynar, Andals, Ghiscari, and Lysene slaves, but not the Hairy Men.
In the current world, Ibbenese men could mate with Westerosi or other women, but the offspring were usually deformed and sterile like mules.
Ibbenese women mating with other men produced only stillbirths and monsters. Given their appearance, willing partners were likely desperate.
Viserys had thought it was just Ibbenese biology.
Now it seemed the Hairy Men had been Blood Faction experiments, their curse passed down to the Ibbenese.
Sunfyre, having eaten his fill, growled low, indicating he wanted to return to his lair.
Viserys looked at the gloomy weather. They had explored for several days and nights; they couldn't stay longer.
Even as a vessel for fire magic, Viserys was a cup trying to hold a river.
This was the Fire Pole of the world; the elemental concentration was immense.
Like the Heart of Winter sustaining the Night King and his army.
He had absorbed as much fire essence as he could. The Blood Faction pets, Face-Worms, and firewyrms were hostile, not to mention the smog and constant sulfur gas leaks.
Sunfyre's lair should offer some safety from the pollution of blood and fire.
Viserys decided to try one last thing before leaving the ruins.
He looked at Sunfyre. Several messages scrolled across his attribute panel.
[ "Fate-Reverser" Viserys Targaryen, you have slain the Blood Mage's creations: Three-Headed Blood Eagle, Griffin, and the Blood Mage's vassals, the Hairy Men. Ancient power is awakening for you. ]
[ Strength ↑, Speed ↑, Agility ↑, Spirit ↑. ]
[ "Fate-Reverser" Viserys Targaryen, you have completed the pact with the dragon Sunfyre in the ruins of Valyria. Fate Axis Fluctuation. Activated Class: Dragonrider. ]
[ "Fate-Reverser" Viserys Targaryen, you have completed the pact with the dragon Sunfyre in the ruins of Valyria. Fate Axis Fluctuation. Reward Talent: Dragon Affinity. ]
[ Talent (Dragon Affinity): The pride of ancient Valyria, the supreme dragon race, the beautiful melody composed by Dragonriders. Dragon Affinity increases affinity between man and dragon. (Note: Best used on one's own dragon or wild dragons...) ]
Viserys's Knight class was gone, directly upgraded to Dragonrider.
Viserys looked at his panel. He was now a comprehensive hexagonal warrior.
[ Viserys Targaryen ]
[ Age: 15 ]
[ Class: Fate-Reverser (Master), Dragonrider (Novice), Water Dancer (Master), Pyromancer (Master), Hydromancer (Master), Singer (Master), Gourmet (Legendary) ]
His Fate-Reverser class had reached Master level.
His Knight class, which had been Master, was now replaced by Dragonrider (Novice), the only novice skill left.
[ Reputation: The Restorer, The Dragon King, The Silver Dragon Khal ]
The title "Beggar King" was gone, replaced by titles of conquest and pioneering.
[ Charisma: Extremely High ]
[ Partner: Sunfyre (Juvenile Dragon, 3 years old, Relic of Valyrian Ruins, Lonely, Cunning, and Dangerous Hunter) ]
Viserys looked at Sunfyre. Three years old?
He was huge for his age, especially considering the scarcity of food.
[ Attributes: Strength 4, Toughness 4, Agility 4.1, Spirit 3.6 ]
His stats were very balanced. Viserys estimated that 4 represented a super-elite warrior, the limit of ordinary humans.
While Viserys's stats skyrocketed, others wouldn't be as well-rounded.
[ Special Talents: Glutton, God of Food, Insight, Justice Judgment, Dragon Affinity, Water Affinity, Fire Affinity ]