The early morning fog that rolled through the valleys below Cair Volakar was laced with sulfur and ash. Even birds refused to sing here. The winds howled like ghosts caught in the ribs of a dying empire.
Neron stood on a blackened ridge, cloaked in obsidian-dyed leather, surveying the path winding through the Gullet of Tharax—a narrow canyon leading to the outpost. That's where the Byrnadar mercenary host would pass.
A host of sixty men, armored in Valyrian-forged steel, trained in dragon-killing, and paid handsomely by some unknown enemy.
They were coming for his egg.
They would not leave.
📜 Mission Status: Defense of Volakar
Enemy Force: Byrnadar Mercenary Vanguard – 60 menComposition: 40 Spearwall, 10 Ballista Crew, 10 SkirmishersLeader: Ser Ulrix Byrnadar – "The Steel-Wyrm"Known Weakness: Pride, poor terrain adaptation
Your Force: 35 Trained Gladiators, 3 Elite Vaelzary Blades, 7 RecruitsAssets: Active volcanic vents, sulfuric mines, unstable canyon ridges, partial control of Valyrian tunnels
Tactical Objective:✅ Ambush & Delay✅ Kill Ser Ulrix✅ Preserve Dragon Egg✅ Prevent breach of Hatchery Core
M'Koro squinted at the map scratched into the ash floor of the strategy room. "So, your great plan is collapsing a mountain on them?"
"Only part of a mountain," Neron replied, smirking. "They'll expect sword and shield. We'll give them earth and fire."
"We'll give them hell," growled Jorvan, the pit brute turned sergeant.
📍 Preparation Phase – The Night Before
For hours, Neron moved like a phantom through the tunnels beneath Cair Volakar, personally placing obsidian runes—volatile glyphs powered by the Voldemorte arcane system—into cracks and crevices.
He combined ancient Valyrian glyphs with soul-activated wards, using blood, fire ash, and raw hate as catalysts.
These were no ordinary traps.
These were war sorceries of the old world—forbidden in the Freehold, burned from books, wiped from the Citadel.
But Neron wasn't Valyrian. Not truly. And he wasn't bound by their laws.
He was reincarnated fire—and in the face of extinction, fire fights back.
🔸 Sub-Systems Activated:
Arcane Trap Network (Tharax Gullet) – Primed
Volcanic Pressure Chambers – Linked to Trigger Glyph
Command Interface: Active – Battle Leadership Boosts Enabled
At dawn, the Byrnadar army entered the canyon, drums echoing like thunder.
Neron stood above them, atop a basalt ridge.
He waited.
Watched.
Then lifted the command shard—and whispered, "Burn."
⚔️ Combat Begins — Ambush at Tharax Gullet
The explosion was not a fireball, but a wave of red-hot wind, lava vapor, and molten rock that ripped through the lead units of the Byrnadar line. Ten men died instantly—flesh flash-boiled, steel warped.
The rest staggered, some vomiting from sulfur inhalation, some blindly retreating into the trap-laced canyon.
Then came the second phase.
Neron's gladiators surged from the cliffs in coordinated waves—striking from above and then melting into the smoke.
The Vaelzary blades used short-blade shadow strikes, cutting throats in the confusion.
Neron moved through the chaos like a dark god—his Valyrian kopis glowing red from overuse, system indicators feeding him enemy intent in real time.
[Blade Mastery +1][War Tactics: Ambush Level 2 → Level 3][Enemy Morale: -35%]
Ser Ulrix Byrnadar, the infamous dragon-killer, rallied his core beneath a ridge, setting up a makeshift phalanx, barking orders.
"Steel holds! Forward by twos! Form wedge! Kill the Ash-Lord!"
Neron appeared behind his left flank with three shadowrunners and two explosive glyph grenades.
He hurled one.
The wedge exploded.
Ulrix's helmet was scorched. One side of his face melted. He roared, drawing a massive Valyrian scythe-spear, charging Neron directly.
💥 Duel: Neron vs. Ser Ulrix Byrnadar
Ulrix struck like a whirlwind—each sweep meant to decapitate. Neron dodged two, took a gash to his shoulder, then responded with a half-spin feint that drove his kopis into Ulrix's hip joint.
They clashed again—steel against steel—until Neron used the terrain.
A quick glyph-swipe activated a buried pressure rune.
The earth beneath Ulrix gave way.
The man fell to his knees—and Neron didn't hesitate.
He drove the kopis through his throat with both hands.
The legendary dragonhunter spasmed, eyes wide, blood pumping like a fountain.
Then fell.
[Commander Eliminated: Ser Ulrix Byrnadar][System Bonus: Reputation Surge – +15 Influence, -10 Fear (Local Nobility)][Loot: Valyrian Scythe-Spear, Dragonhide Greaves, Mercenary Battle Plans]
The rest of the Byrnadar host broke and fled.
Neron let them go.
He turned to his bloodied men and raised his blade.
"The age of dragons is not dead," he declared. "It sleeps beneath our feet. And we shall wake it."
The men chanted: "Ash and Blood! Ash and Blood!"
📜 Aftermath: Cair Volakar Fortified
With the mercenary threat eliminated, Neron turned to strengthening his hold:
Recruits: +14 Survivors from Byrnadar's Line (Now Initiates)
Fort Upgrades: Ballistae from salvaged enemy parts; Rune-Warded Outer Wall (in progress)
Spy Report: Enemy patron likely from House Aenerion, rivals of House Vaelzarys
Dragon Egg Status: 45% Hatch Progress
That night, in the rebuilt hatchery chamber, Neron stood before the egg once more.
He felt the heartbeat inside it now. It resonated with his own.
He drew a shallow cut across his palm and pressed the blood against the egg's hot surface.
[Blood Offering Accepted][Bond Deepened – Emberlink Strength +2][Dream Vision Unlocked]
🌌 Dragon Dream — First Glimpse
In sleep, Neron soared through fire-filled skies, mounted on a drake of green flame and silver wings, diving through stormclouds, laying waste to fleets below.
He saw cities burn, banners fall, and above it all, his own face—aged, crowned, and battle-scarred—sitting on a throne of melted obsidian, behind him a Valyrian woman with serpent eyes whispering into his ear.
Then: The Doom—not yet real, but inevitable—erupting across the horizon like a mountain splitting the sky.
He woke, drenched in sweat.
💬 A New Visitor
At dawn, as his wounded were tended and his banners restored, a rider appeared at his gate.
Not a warrior. Not a noble.
But a sellscribe, marked with the inked chains of the Scales of Velaryon—the economic faction of the Freehold.
She dismounted calmly, her scroll tube shimmering with hidden runes.
"I come in the name of gold," she said, "and in the interest of dragons."
Neron narrowed his eyes. "Speak."
She bowed low. "The Scales would like to invest in… your future."
[End of Chapter 6]