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Caspian Darkwood
Essos, Vaes Yeraan
57 AC
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It had to be Balerion; there was no other answer, unless the situation was different from what I remembered, and there were more surviving dragons from Old Valyria large enough to resemble the colossal beast described in the books.
From the altitude I was at, I could see the beast better, an animal that defied the laws of physics, because how could a creature of that size and weight take flight?
But from what I could see, it was wounded. Severely wounded. Dozens of wounds were oozing black blood that burned like lava the moment it touched anything, so much so that a large part of the forest where it had crashed was on fire—flames that hundreds of men were trying to control.
Seeing that the situation was not yet under control, I grabbed a block of snow from the menu, and immediately set about dropping them on every spot that was still burning. I would have used a bucket of water, but that would be more work, as I would have to remove them afterward to prevent them from constantly dispensing water.
On the ground, I noticed some Dothraki gesturing to me, and seeing that the vast majority of fires were controlled, I decided to descend.
"My Khal, this thing fell from the sky, it crashed!" the man spoke to me excitedly. It was clear he was terrified of the dragon, and it was understandable. Even I, who in my old world had seen enormous things, from skyscrapers to aircraft carriers, was surprised by the size of such a beast.
But I couldn't let them remain agitated; fear makes people act foolishly, so I asked him to calm down, while asking him to explain what had happened.
It turned out that the dragon had been flying from the south and had crashed, not before leaving a river of burning blood wherever it flew. "And we saw someone."
From the crowd, I heard something that caught my attention, "What did you say?" I asked. I noticed that the one who had spoken earlier was a villager, a librarian to be more specific. They were in charge of the management, administration, and assistance of the city's resources. Being versed in various subjects, they were perfect for those positions. And thanks to them, the city had been well managed even though I hadn't been here for over a month.
"My Khal, there was a rider. I didn't get a good look, but I swore someone was controlling the dragon. They must be near the impact site, although I couldn't say if they are still alive." Could it be? I thought. Thinking that my idea might be true, I made a hand gesture.
Immediately, five witches materialized around me—I will never get used to that. The witches had the gift of using potions as if they were their own fingers, to the point of using their effects almost indefinitely and suppressing their side effects. Thanks to this, they appeared and disappeared from sight as a result of the Invisibility potion.
The five witches were armed with enchanted spears and wore equally enchanted Netherite armor. It was the maximum protection they could have for what we were about to do.
"You heard me, there may be an injured rider, and it is necessary to find her. With her, the dragon will be easier to control," I told them. While I had faith in my sword, I didn't want to end up killing the dragon; a dragon was a very valuable asset, and getting rid of it would not be the best idea.
They nodded, and sighing, we approached the dragon. As we got closer, I felt the heat increasing. It was like feeling the static electricity caused by old televisions, when you put your arm near the screen and your hairs stood up.
That was the sensation, although it was neither painful nor annoying, thanks to the fire resistance potions I had ingested.
Up close, I could see that the dragon was big, very big. It had teeth that protruded from its mouth, and they were almost as large as the sword I used, and that sword measured more than a meter and a half.
A deep wound was on its chest, and the sight made me frown. Whatever had wounded it in such a way had to be something far more dangerous. Because the dragon looked like it had come out of the depths of hell itself. Hundreds of small wounds adorned its body, and the membranes of its wings had multiple holes, the result of tears and cuts.
"My Khal, here," the voice of one of the witches made me look away from the dragon's head, and I quickly went to where I had been called. There, three witches were surrounding a body.
It was a woman; the characteristics of her body indicated it, even under the armor she wore. A Targaryen, or someone of Valyrian descent, I thought upon noticing the woman's silver hair. At this point, it could well be someone else.
I was sure it was Aerea Targaryen; the woman, the hair, even the dragon matched. But beyond that, I thought of the complications this would bring—a dragon, no. Not just any dragon, the largest dragon of House Targaryen, crashing into a Dothraki city in Essos. That old man would undoubtedly not be happy.
But I didn't care. Right now, I had to save Aerea. I knew there were creatures inside her skin, or so I remembered, and whatever they were, they shouldn't be pleasant things.
"Don't touch her with bare skin, always use the Netherite gloves," I ordered, watching the witches carefully take the woman and carry her away, to a place where others were already waiting with a rudimentary stretcher.
In my case, I didn't go with them. First, I had to build something to contain the dragon. I didn't want it to wake up and attack the city when it didn't feel its rider nearby.
So, using the Bedrock block, I began to build an enclosure around the dragon, as if it were a high, circular coliseum. I made sure to leave gaps in the walls, and on the top of the dome-shaped roof, I also left a large hole so that air could enter normally. But not large enough to allow it to leave.
I also didn't leave any entrances, as the only one who would have access to the place would be me with its rider, once she recovered.
After half an hour that it took me to finish the dome, I went to the city's fortress, where Aerea had been taken. The room where they kept her was full of people. Some librarians were taking notes in books from a corner of the room, undoubtedly documenting everything.
Aerea was on a bed in the center of the room, and the witches surrounded her, doing everything possible to heal her. The armor she wore was placed on a shelf, surrounded by glass walls.
And next to Aerea's bed, there was a wide, bubbling container. When I asked, they told me it was a Potion of Poison, which they used to dump all the creatures they managed to extract from Aerea's body. They were fleeing from her insides every time they applied measured poison potions, which was causing the creatures to leave her body.
For hours, I watched the whole process. Every time Aerea became very weak due to the poison potions, the witches would apply Health Potions, which kept her stable. This process was repeated over and over again, whenever necessary, keeping Aerea's health as stable as possible.
After four hours, Valery, one of the witches who treated Aerea, approached one of the gardens where I was. "My Khal, we managed to remove all the worms. We counted 357. We don't know how she managed to survive that, but she is strong. Now, all she needs to do is rest. Other than that, she is out of danger." That gave me the peace of mind I needed.
Not so much for her survival, but because it would make things easier with Balerion. "Thank you, Valery," I replied, as I saw Valka approaching.
She wasn't wearing her witch robes. Instead, she was wearing a black leather dress that reached her ankles, with long sleeves and a hood over her head. She looked radiant. "Yer shekhikhi" She greeted me in Dothraki. I just smiled at her. "You arrived sooner than I expected," I commented as she stood in front of me.
(Image)
Sitting down, I wrapped my arms around her waist and kissed her. "It feels like we haven't seen each other in years," she said laughing once we separated. "It's been more than eight hours, a whole lifetime for an ephemeral." I told her, smiling, although she only responded with a confused look. "It's a fly; they live very little." I answered her unasked question.
"By the way, I saw that thing you made, is it for the Enderdragon?" she asked, and all my happiness began to fade. "It's not an Ender Dragon as such. Let's say it's a dragon of another race, although I don't know how big the difference will be. I just know they can be very dangerous. I didn't want to take any risks." I explained. I hadn't thought about the differences there might be between Valyrian dragons and Enderdragons, apart from the latter's four legs, or her four legs, if I remember correctly—the Ender Dragon was female.
"By the way, what do you know about the Enderdragon?" I asked her, interested in the subject of such creatures. I knew there was one in Minecraft, but beyond that, I didn't remember much, as I had played the game many years ago.
Besides, if there was the slightest chance of getting an Enderdragon, I would gladly take it. "I don't know much about it. They inhabit the End, and they coexist with the Endermen and the Shulkers. They are very dangerous and long-lived. The only ones known to have defeated them are those called players."
So it was no different from what I knew. Wait, players? "My Khal, the woman has woken up," before I could ask her about it, a witch arrived and announced that Aerea had woken up, but while she awaited an answer, my head was spinning with hundreds of thoughts.