Chapter 26 - Valyria
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Samael61
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Hello there,
If you enjoy my stories you can read advanced chapters in my patreon page
Commander Shepard, The Greatest to Ever Live, a Mass Effect story where Shepard is greater than ever,
Geek's Guide to Thriving in a Low End Fantasy World a Robert Baratheon OC SI in an AU,
Her Eternal Excellency, a Genshin Impact and ASOIAF crossover, Raiden Ei Reborn as Argella Durrandon,
and DCU:Blacklist, a Raymond Reddington inspired OC SI using his knowledge for his own advantage, as well as the rest of the world
All stories are five chapters ahead.
Thank you in advance.
Stormlands
Robert did not know what he was going to face at Valyria exactly, but he was going to face it, no matter what.
His journey would be in two steps, first he was going to land and camp at an uninhabited island off the coast of Volantis, and then make his way to the ruins of Valyria .
Flying over the Stepstones, Robert examined the destruction he had wrought on the islands. No ships were in sight, a sure sign that his cleaning was thorough enough to scare any more advances by the pirates, and Free Cities.
Other matters were on his mind though. Robert wondered what the creature wanted from him, though it was obviously tied to the dragons, but he couldn't begin to guess the details. He had actually considered searching the Free Cities for any information, hell, even Asshai if he had to, but less people knew about why Robert was suddenly interested in Valyria would mean lower chances of someone discovering he was haunted in his dreams.
Wouldn't do if people started to claim he was going mad, especially the Targaryens as Robert had no doubt they would advertise it as a proof of how they were the only ones capable of controlling dragons.
He would do it after all.
Robert wanted to say goodbye to his family, but the simple truth is, he was afraid of telling them, knowing they would try to stop him. Maybe it was cowardice, just leaving a letter instead of saying proper goodbyes but he could only hope to return safe and sound.
He couldn't help but think of Asgard, and what would become of it if he did not return. He had no children to entrust the developing city to, nor had he appointed an heir, besides the letter. Would his family continue its construction, or would it fade into obscurity?
Robert wanted Asgard to be the City of Tomorrow of this world, a place of innovation and scientific advancement to uplift this world from its current situation, but life had other plans for him.
Now, he was flying towards the ruins of a dead and cursed city, where there was a good chance he would meet death.
The thought of death did not scare him, in fact, if he were ever to die, both sides of him wanted to go out in a blaze of glory, though not necessarily in the same agonizing manners as Princess Aerea.
There were still a lot of things he wanted to do before dying of course, a sort of a bucket list.
He wanted to recruit the giants, because who wouldn't want a private army of at least ten foot tall creatures capable of batting a human aside like a toy?
Robert also wanted to go and mock Cersei, because he was petty enough to avenge himself even though she technically did not do anything.
Then there was Bloodraven, he wanted to kill that bastard for spying on him. Even in Asgard the bastard did not leave him alone and Robert dearly wished to make the Targaryen regret ever crossing him, and find Darksister while he was there.
He also wanted to neutralize the Ironborn, whether by changing their ways or annihilating them, because Robert didn't want to let that crazy cunt Euron start the fucking apocalypse because he was bored.
Not to mention the damn White Walkers, because if Euron did not, they would bring the end of this world.
For all that Robert thought of this world as a low fantasy one with magic being rare, it was in fact mostly the Seven Kingdoms itself, as the rest of the world seemed to have an abundance of it.
Red priests of R'hllor, Shadowbinders of Asshai, skinchangers and wargs in North and beyond the wall, that island with the fish people.
Damn it, he should have killed Melisandre, who knows what damage she could do if the red bitch targeted Stannis or Renly, or one of the Targaryens?
He wanted to help Jon clear out the Mountain Clans, make sure Stannis and Delena were happy, Renly did not become someone's pawn, Tywin didn't get to run amok as he wanted, enjoy tormenting Rhaegar and Lyanna and a ton of other enjoyable activities.
A fury welled up inside him. He died once, only to find life again, and now a monster wanted to take it away?
Robert gripped the reins tighter, scowling to himself. If that monster wanted him dead, it was going to have to work for it.
Deciding to formulate a plan with what he knew, Robert reviewed everything he had learned from Tyrion's report.
Creatures with human faces and snakes with hands coming out of someone's skin meant they probably used her as a host to grow, just like some bugs were known to implant their eggs into other animals.
Which meant whatever the creature was, it could be a sort of parasite, one meant to grow inside the body of a human, and perhaps requiring one with Valyrian blood due to all that blood magic. He had no idea how large they could grow, but if they needed sustenance, then Robert didn't think there would be any left on Valyria after the Doom killed every living creature.
If they did not, the entire city could be crawling with them for all he knew, and since they were creatures of fire, dragons did not seem like a possible solution.
Grand Maester Benifer's records said the largest creature was the size of his arm, easily disposable by sword and hammer, depending on their numbers. After all, even ants could kill something far bigger than them if they came together, though seeing as Princess Aerea somehow managed to escape there was a chance they weren't too numerous.
Origins of the creature, well he had no idea, but it could talk and use magic, so it wasn't some mindless monster that got out of control. A possible connection to the Firewyrms was there, but in what way or shape, Robert had no way of knowing.
Valyrians using blood magic to create a human dragon hybrid creature was possible as he had considered previously, but unless they were completely and utterly mad, he didn't see the point in those slimy creatures, not unless they were some sort of a mistake or a side effect.
A reconnaissance was in order first, he would fly over the city to see the situation, and if it was safe to land with dragons, or would it be better to continue on foot. If the city was teeming with them, any of these creatures getting near his dragons could have catastrophic consequences as they would have a flight capable carrier and who knows how much their infection could possibly spread.
Depending on his findings, he would have to approach wherever that creature was exactly, and then it would most likely end in a fight because Robert did not see any other ending to this.
Robert would prefer to use his hammer, but Nightblood had magical effects, and would be better suited to dealing with unarmored enemies outnumbering him, so he would have to leave his beloved hammer behind.
He had a bow, and was a better shot than the original, but again, they were ordinary metal tips, so Robert was unsure of how effective they would be.
At any rate, even if he could not kill the creature by himself, he could always come back with an army at his back after escaping, though the Smoking Sea presented an issue on that front.
He could bring ships to the edge of the cursed sea, and carry men to the ruins with the dragons.
Fighting an enemy you knew nothing about was folly, as such information, no matter the outcome here, would be vital.
Killing the creature though….
It would mean he would have Valyria, along with all its riches and secrets, provided the Doom did not just eradicate everything, but if Euron could find a whole Valyrian Steel armor, Robert wagered he could find more.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Island on the Shore of Volantis
Hours later, as the sun began to set and he approached the island, Robert felt trepidation.
He had a date with destiny tomorrow.
Offloading the saddles on the dragons, and sending them off to hunt, he began to set up camp. He had learned it from Elbert and Jon at Vale, he and Ned setting camp together, enjoying the campfire, singing and being merry.
All coming to an end at Harrenhal when Ned pulled a sword on him to stop Robert from killing Rhaegar. Someone had knocked him out while he was shocked by betrayal - Arthur Dayne he later learned- and before he knew what was happening he was shipped off to the Free Cities.
The Earth side of him didn't really care about the Starks and the Targaryens, but the Planetos side of him was seething with fury. Eventually, as both sides began to merge, he just found them irritating.
Starks, Targaryens, Lannisters, even the Tullys because of Lysa and Hoster, he just stopped wasting his time on them.
Tent was ready, and as the dragons were still out, Robert found some logs and started a campfire, pulling out his canteen, he began to munch on bread and beef jerky, shaking the thoughts of these houses away.
Finishing his dinner and cleaning up, Robert went to prepare his sleeping bag, and his dragons landed near him, licking their snouts, evidently satisfied with their food.
With his tent in the center, he and the dragons went to sleep, though it did not come easy to Robert.
He could hear the dragons snoring outside, and while he was used to the sound enough to sleep through it, the anticipation of tomorrow left him unable to sleep. Deciding he needed to calm himself, Robert went and took the bottle of wine back to the tent. After an hour and an empty bottle later, he finally closed his eyes.
No dreams bothered him that night.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robert woke up with the sun, a slight headache bothering him. Yawning, he went to drink water, and the dragons slowly rose from their sleep upon hearing him.
He didn't feel like having breakfast, and broke camp, and saddled the dragons with the luggage again, feeling as ready as he could be.
Mounting Obelisk, Robert took a deep breath, and they were on air once more. He would head to Valyria from the sea, to avoid prying eyes. The flight wasn't long and after a couple of hours Robert saw the Smoking Sea in the distance, covering the ruins of Valyria like a veil.
As it grew ever closer, so did the unease in his heart.
He stopped at the edge of the Smoking Sea, waiting. The sea appeared to be fluctuating, but Robert wasn't sure if it was actually happening, or just an optical illusion. He had his answer soon, as the white smoke began to disappear right before his eyes.
The dragons growled, unnerved by the magic in the air. The smoke kept receding slowly, revealing the sea at first, and then Valyria itself.
Robert didn't remember the details of the doom, but he knew it was extremely destructive so he couldn't help but be surprised at what he saw.
Valyria was intact, relatively, there were destroyed buildings but also just as many standing ones, scorched and damaged, yet still standing.
Light, red veins glowed everywhere, on the roads, buildings and there was no vegetation in sight. He urged Obelisk forward, slow and cautious, approaching the land of the dragonlords of the past.
Towers and spires of marble decorated with dragon statues and motifs covered in soot and ash stood tall, a testament to the nature of the magic used to build them. Robert circled at the edge of the city for a bit, but he saw no movement. He didn't let his guard down though, and advanced on the city, ready to abort this task if he saw something he couldn't handle by himself.
"COME TO ME" the infernal voice was back, punctuated by all the red veins glowing brighter.
Robert sniffed, seeing as they were heading towards a tower on the other side of the city, and with all those downed buildings, it seemed to be the epicenter of whatever the fuck this was.
He would land as close as he could, but with how fragile the buildings looked, Robert couldn't afford to bring his dragons too close.
It was time.
Next chapter:
A corpse, one that was of brown, dried out skin and bones burst through the door, mouth open in a mockery of a scream, and a white, slimy reptilian with the parody of a human face lashed at him like the tongue of a Xenomorph, screeching. Robert swung Nightblood, cutting the slimy abomination and the zombie's head in half. It fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, and both halves of the creature squirmed on the ground before going still.
Robert took a step back as the corpse's stomach bulged and contracted, bursting open with a stench so vile he almost puked. He was no stranger to bad smells, he was covered in the guts of his enemies, and had burned many men alive, yet this stench was thousand times worse than all of them combined.
Good thing he avoided breakfast.
Inside of the corpse was black and oozing sickly coloured liquids, and dozens of these creatures, far smaller than the one he killed slithered out of the corpse, some even had hands and were crawling towards him. Most died after a couple of seconds, most likely not grown enough, but some did come closer and Robert stabbed and cut through the disgusting creatures with his sword.
Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me in Patreon.
If you enjoy my stories you can read advanced chapters in my patreon page
Commander Shepard, The Greatest to Ever Live, a Mass Effect story where Shepard is greater than ever,
Geek's Guide to Thriving in a Low End Fantasy World a Robert Baratheon OC SI in an AU,
Her Eternal Excellency, a Genshin Impact and ASOIAF crossover, Raiden Ei Reborn as Argella Durrandon,
and DCU:Blacklist, a Raymond Reddington inspired OC SI using his knowledge for his own advantage, as well as the rest of the world
All stories are five chapters ahead.
Thank you in advance.
Stormlands
Robert did not know what he was going to face at Valyria exactly, but he was going to face it, no matter what.
His journey would be in two steps, first he was going to land and camp at an uninhabited island off the coast of Volantis, and then make his way to the ruins of Valyria .
Flying over the Stepstones, Robert examined the destruction he had wrought on the islands. No ships were in sight, a sure sign that his cleaning was thorough enough to scare any more advances by the pirates, and Free Cities.
Other matters were on his mind though. Robert wondered what the creature wanted from him, though it was obviously tied to the dragons, but he couldn't begin to guess the details. He had actually considered searching the Free Cities for any information, hell, even Asshai if he had to, but less people knew about why Robert was suddenly interested in Valyria would mean lower chances of someone discovering he was haunted in his dreams.
Wouldn't do if people started to claim he was going mad, especially the Targaryens as Robert had no doubt they would advertise it as a proof of how they were the only ones capable of controlling dragons.
He would do it after all.
Robert wanted to say goodbye to his family, but the simple truth is, he was afraid of telling them, knowing they would try to stop him. Maybe it was cowardice, just leaving a letter instead of saying proper goodbyes but he could only hope to return safe and sound.
He couldn't help but think of Asgard, and what would become of it if he did not return. He had no children to entrust the developing city to, nor had he appointed an heir, besides the letter. Would his family continue its construction, or would it fade into obscurity?
Robert wanted Asgard to be the City of Tomorrow of this world, a place of innovation and scientific advancement to uplift this world from its current situation, but life had other plans for him.
Now, he was flying towards the ruins of a dead and cursed city, where there was a good chance he would meet death.
The thought of death did not scare him, in fact, if he were ever to die, both sides of him wanted to go out in a blaze of glory, though not necessarily in the same agonizing manners as Princess Aerea.
There were still a lot of things he wanted to do before dying of course, a sort of a bucket list.
He wanted to recruit the giants, because who wouldn't want a private army of at least ten foot tall creatures capable of batting a human aside like a toy?
Robert also wanted to go and mock Cersei, because he was petty enough to avenge himself even though she technically did not do anything.
Then there was Bloodraven, he wanted to kill that bastard for spying on him. Even in Asgard the bastard did not leave him alone and Robert dearly wished to make the Targaryen regret ever crossing him, and find Darksister while he was there.
He also wanted to neutralize the Ironborn, whether by changing their ways or annihilating them, because Robert didn't want to let that crazy cunt Euron start the fucking apocalypse because he was bored.
Not to mention the damn White Walkers, because if Euron did not, they would bring the end of this world.
For all that Robert thought of this world as a low fantasy one with magic being rare, it was in fact mostly the Seven Kingdoms itself, as the rest of the world seemed to have an abundance of it.
Red priests of R'hllor, Shadowbinders of Asshai, skinchangers and wargs in North and beyond the wall, that island with the fish people.
Damn it, he should have killed Melisandre, who knows what damage she could do if the red bitch targeted Stannis or Renly, or one of the Targaryens?
He wanted to help Jon clear out the Mountain Clans, make sure Stannis and Delena were happy, Renly did not become someone's pawn, Tywin didn't get to run amok as he wanted, enjoy tormenting Rhaegar and Lyanna and a ton of other enjoyable activities.
A fury welled up inside him. He died once, only to find life again, and now a monster wanted to take it away?
Robert gripped the reins tighter, scowling to himself. If that monster wanted him dead, it was going to have to work for it.
Deciding to formulate a plan with what he knew, Robert reviewed everything he had learned from Tyrion's report.
Creatures with human faces and snakes with hands coming out of someone's skin meant they probably used her as a host to grow, just like some bugs were known to implant their eggs into other animals.
Which meant whatever the creature was, it could be a sort of parasite, one meant to grow inside the body of a human, and perhaps requiring one with Valyrian blood due to all that blood magic. He had no idea how large they could grow, but if they needed sustenance, then Robert didn't think there would be any left on Valyria after the Doom killed every living creature.
If they did not, the entire city could be crawling with them for all he knew, and since they were creatures of fire, dragons did not seem like a possible solution.
Grand Maester Benifer's records said the largest creature was the size of his arm, easily disposable by sword and hammer, depending on their numbers. After all, even ants could kill something far bigger than them if they came together, though seeing as Princess Aerea somehow managed to escape there was a chance they weren't too numerous.
Origins of the creature, well he had no idea, but it could talk and use magic, so it wasn't some mindless monster that got out of control. A possible connection to the Firewyrms was there, but in what way or shape, Robert had no way of knowing.
Valyrians using blood magic to create a human dragon hybrid creature was possible as he had considered previously, but unless they were completely and utterly mad, he didn't see the point in those slimy creatures, not unless they were some sort of a mistake or a side effect.
A reconnaissance was in order first, he would fly over the city to see the situation, and if it was safe to land with dragons, or would it be better to continue on foot. If the city was teeming with them, any of these creatures getting near his dragons could have catastrophic consequences as they would have a flight capable carrier and who knows how much their infection could possibly spread.
Depending on his findings, he would have to approach wherever that creature was exactly, and then it would most likely end in a fight because Robert did not see any other ending to this.
Robert would prefer to use his hammer, but Nightblood had magical effects, and would be better suited to dealing with unarmored enemies outnumbering him, so he would have to leave his beloved hammer behind.
He had a bow, and was a better shot than the original, but again, they were ordinary metal tips, so Robert was unsure of how effective they would be.
At any rate, even if he could not kill the creature by himself, he could always come back with an army at his back after escaping, though the Smoking Sea presented an issue on that front.
He could bring ships to the edge of the cursed sea, and carry men to the ruins with the dragons.
Fighting an enemy you knew nothing about was folly, as such information, no matter the outcome here, would be vital.
Killing the creature though….
It would mean he would have Valyria, along with all its riches and secrets, provided the Doom did not just eradicate everything, but if Euron could find a whole Valyrian Steel armor, Robert wagered he could find more.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Island on the Shore of Volantis
Hours later, as the sun began to set and he approached the island, Robert felt trepidation.
He had a date with destiny tomorrow.
Offloading the saddles on the dragons, and sending them off to hunt, he began to set up camp. He had learned it from Elbert and Jon at Vale, he and Ned setting camp together, enjoying the campfire, singing and being merry.
All coming to an end at Harrenhal when Ned pulled a sword on him to stop Robert from killing Rhaegar. Someone had knocked him out while he was shocked by betrayal - Arthur Dayne he later learned- and before he knew what was happening he was shipped off to the Free Cities.
The Earth side of him didn't really care about the Starks and the Targaryens, but the Planetos side of him was seething with fury. Eventually, as both sides began to merge, he just found them irritating.
Starks, Targaryens, Lannisters, even the Tullys because of Lysa and Hoster, he just stopped wasting his time on them.
Tent was ready, and as the dragons were still out, Robert found some logs and started a campfire, pulling out his canteen, he began to munch on bread and beef jerky, shaking the thoughts of these houses away.
Finishing his dinner and cleaning up, Robert went to prepare his sleeping bag, and his dragons landed near him, licking their snouts, evidently satisfied with their food.
With his tent in the center, he and the dragons went to sleep, though it did not come easy to Robert.
He could hear the dragons snoring outside, and while he was used to the sound enough to sleep through it, the anticipation of tomorrow left him unable to sleep. Deciding he needed to calm himself, Robert went and took the bottle of wine back to the tent. After an hour and an empty bottle later, he finally closed his eyes.
No dreams bothered him that night.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robert woke up with the sun, a slight headache bothering him. Yawning, he went to drink water, and the dragons slowly rose from their sleep upon hearing him.
He didn't feel like having breakfast, and broke camp, and saddled the dragons with the luggage again, feeling as ready as he could be.
Mounting Obelisk, Robert took a deep breath, and they were on air once more. He would head to Valyria from the sea, to avoid prying eyes. The flight wasn't long and after a couple of hours Robert saw the Smoking Sea in the distance, covering the ruins of Valyria like a veil.
As it grew ever closer, so did the unease in his heart.
He stopped at the edge of the Smoking Sea, waiting. The sea appeared to be fluctuating, but Robert wasn't sure if it was actually happening, or just an optical illusion. He had his answer soon, as the white smoke began to disappear right before his eyes.
The dragons growled, unnerved by the magic in the air. The smoke kept receding slowly, revealing the sea at first, and then Valyria itself.
Robert didn't remember the details of the doom, but he knew it was extremely destructive so he couldn't help but be surprised at what he saw.
Valyria was intact, relatively, there were destroyed buildings but also just as many standing ones, scorched and damaged, yet still standing.
Light, red veins glowed everywhere, on the roads, buildings and there was no vegetation in sight. He urged Obelisk forward, slow and cautious, approaching the land of the dragonlords of the past.
Towers and spires of marble decorated with dragon statues and motifs covered in soot and ash stood tall, a testament to the nature of the magic used to build them. Robert circled at the edge of the city for a bit, but he saw no movement. He didn't let his guard down though, and advanced on the city, ready to abort this task if he saw something he couldn't handle by himself.
"COME TO ME" the infernal voice was back, punctuated by all the red veins glowing brighter.
Robert sniffed, seeing as they were heading towards a tower on the other side of the city, and with all those downed buildings, it seemed to be the epicenter of whatever the fuck this was.
He would land as close as he could, but with how fragile the buildings looked, Robert couldn't afford to bring his dragons too close.
It was time.
Next chapter:
A corpse, one that was of brown, dried out skin and bones burst through the door, mouth open in a mockery of a scream, and a white, slimy reptilian with the parody of a human face lashed at him like the tongue of a Xenomorph, screeching. Robert swung Nightblood, cutting the slimy abomination and the zombie's head in half. It fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, and both halves of the creature squirmed on the ground before going still.
Robert took a step back as the corpse's stomach bulged and contracted, bursting open with a stench so vile he almost puked. He was no stranger to bad smells, he was covered in the guts of his enemies, and had burned many men alive, yet this stench was thousand times worse than all of them combined.
Good thing he avoided breakfast.
Inside of the corpse was black and oozing sickly coloured liquids, and dozens of these creatures, far smaller than the one he killed slithered out of the corpse, some even had hands and were crawling towards him. Most died after a couple of seconds, most likely not grown enough, but some did come closer and Robert stabbed and cut through the disgusting creatures with his sword.
Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me in Patreon.