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The black light struck Jimmy square in the chest.
For a split second, his vision swam.
Inside his mind, a vast shape coiled into existence an enormous octopus, ancient and oppressive.
"I am the Drowned God. Kneel. Worship—"
"Worship your ass!"
Jimmy lunged forward with his wolf-claws flashing.
Worship?
He worshiped no one.
Lightning crackled along his claws as he tore into the monstrous apparition. Each slash left sparks of fire, ripping flesh that dissolved into the surrounding darkness.
Chunk by chunk, the so-called god unraveled.
When the final fragment scattered, it had lasted no longer than a blink in the real world.
Boom!
Across from him, Euron Greyjoy's head exploded.
The Drowned God's chosen died without even finishing his madness.
Then—
The Dragonbinder sounded.
A deep, resonant note tore through the Smoking Sea.
Jimmy felt his blood ignite, as though it had turned to gasoline. Ghostly screams howled around him, clawing at his mind.
Horus faltered mid-breath.
The dragonfire in his throat turned to smoke.
He coughed violently as the crimson scales across his body flickered, threatening to revert to simple eagle feathers.
The smoke wraiths suffered even worse. Many clutched their heads and shrieked. Some, too close to the blast, burst apart outright.
Then—
A roar.
Low.
Deep.
Like a bull bellowing from the heart of the earth.
From within one of Valyria's smoldering volcanoes, a massive beast emerged.
Its tail ended in a blade-like axe. Jagged bone spikes jutted from its flanks. Two enormous horns crowned its skull.
With a single roar, Horus's draconic form wavered further.
Jimmy understood instantly.
"Horus. Out. Now. I'll finish this."
Though confused, Horus did not argue. The horn and that unnatural roar were suppressing his dragon blood.
"I'll wait outside," Horus said sharply. "If things turn bad, retreat."
He shot skyward and vanished beyond the haze.
Jimmy's blade flashed.
The remaining sailors were cut down in seconds. The man who had blown the Dragonbinder looked as though he had swallowed magma—his mouth blistered, veins scorched, blood boiled away.
Jimmy picked up the horn.
Around him, the smoke wraiths writhed across the volcanic slopes.
He lifted the horn to his lips.
He blew.
Fire surged through his veins, racing from his mouth through every artery. It felt as if his entire body had ignited from within.
But his regenerative power held.
Where another man would have burned alive, Jimmy endured.
This was not the weak, faltering note from before.
This was a full, resonant blast.
Across the ruined landscape, smoke wraiths exploded in waves.
Area-of-effect extermination.
The horn's sound rolled across Valyria, leaving silence behind it.
The horned beast roared again, fury shaking the ground.
Jimmy looked down at his armor.
At his weapons.
Then made a deliberate decision.
He dismissed them all.
Wolf-claws extended from his hands.
The beast thundered down the volcanic slope.
"Fine," Jimmy muttered.
"Let's do this."
It became clear quickly.
The Dragonbinder had been crafted from this creature's horns.
It was a dragon slayer.
Its roar suppressed dragonfire, weakened scales, stripped away draconic power. Even if Horus had fought it at full strength, the outcome would have been uncertain.
And this thing lived in magma.
Flame meant nothing to it.
Jimmy fought it for six days.
Six days of shattered rock and collapsing terrain.
Each time the beast tried to retreat into the molten core of the volcano, Jimmy sounded the horn again, driving it into another frenzy and dragging it back into combat.
By the end, Valyria was unrecognizable.
Nothing lived there anymore.
The skies were silent.
The ground had been torn apart and reshaped.
Finally—
Jimmy clambered onto the creature's skull.
With a final surge of strength, he drove the Stormblade deep through its blackened eye socket and into its brain.
The beast convulsed violently.
Then its entire body erupted in flame.
When the fire faded, nothing remained—
Except for two massive horns lying upon the cracked earth.
Jimmy stared at them.
After six days of battle, he had expected… more.
Food. Loot. Something.
Instead, just two horns.
"That's not very scientific," he muttered, baffled.
Sitting atop a field of ash, Jimmy opened his status panel.
During that six-day slaughter, he had heard plenty of notification chimes.
Time to see the results.
---
[Name: Jimmy Halstead]
[Level: 19 (8.7%)]
[Age: 2]
[X-Gene Rank: 2]
[Abilities: Accelerated Healing, Feral Senses, Enhanced Smell, Advanced Hand to Hand Combat, Bladed Weapon and Claw Mastery]
[Secondary Ability: Absorption (Damaged)]
[Equipment: Memory Adamantium Alloy]
[Temporary Skill: Eye of Insight (Can identify divine emissaries and priests.)]
[Yellow Gem (Unequipped) – Level 12]
[Socketed in Weapon: +1–22 Lightning Damage]
[Socketed in Shield: +22% Lightning Resistance]
Attributes:
[Strength: 72]
[Agility: 73]
[Mental: 70]
Available Stat Points: 0
Skill Points: 2
(One skill point every ten levels. Can develop X-Gene or awaken latent mutation.)
---
Defeated:
Servant of the Drowned God, "Kraken"
Reward: +100% current level EXP
Skill gained: Diving
(You can plunge underwater for two days straight. If you don't resurface, you might be dead—or just very committed.)
Drowned God Warlock
Reward: +100% current level EXP
(Careful. They always have a trick up their sleeve.)
Hidden Quest Completed: Godslayer
Title earned: Hand of Deicide
+1 Skill Point
(When equipped, allows the slaying of spiritual deities under specific conditions. Westeros plane only.)
Juvenile Dragonbane Beast
Gained: Partial Flame Constitution
(Half-formed, but sufficient. You are now immune to basic fire damage. Lava at 1400°C will not kill you. Lava baths are no longer a fantasy. Note: Your hair does not share this resistance.)
---
Four levels gained.
One extra skill point.
And a flame-resistant body.
Jimmy lay back on the scorched ground and laughed.
Euron had been a walking blessing.
"Whoo—"
Horus descended in a wide circle before landing beside him.
"How did it go? What happened to the big one?"
"I killed it," Jimmy replied lazily. "I'm going to rest. Go loot whatever you can. Valyria's huge—there's bound to be something useful."
"You sure you're alright?" Horus asked, genuine concern in his voice.
He had barely contributed to the fight. The horn and that beast had neutralized him completely.
"I'm fine. Just starving. I'll eat, sleep, and I'll be good as new."
Jimmy pulled out smoked Smaug meat and a stack of elven waybread, devouring both with wolfish hunger.
Horus scanned the area once more. No threats.
Then he took off to scavenge.
Jimmy ate until he couldn't anymore.
Then he slept like the dead.
When he finally opened his eyes—
"…Where am I?"
Around him lay piles of armor, swords, spears, and relics.
And at the center of it all—
A massive golden statue.
Horus perched proudly atop its head, preening its feathers.
Jimmy squinted.
Was it his imagination…
Or did Horus look slightly brighter? Hotter?
"You're awake," Horus called down. "I found some good stuff, Come take a look."
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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