From beneath the crimson clouds came the shrieks of griffins and three-headed blood eagles.
Though the air stank of sulfur and smog, the creatures born of blood magic clung tenaciously to life.
They were driven by fire essence but did not shy away from consuming flesh and blood.
Compared to true animals or humans, fire wights had lost the capacity for pleasure, retaining only the instinct to kill.
In the indifferent black mist nearby, the figures of Hairy Men riding undead unicorns were slowly approaching.
Viserys glanced at the Hairy Men fire wights. They were uniquely ugly.
He had thought the Ibbenese were the hairiest and ugliest race of men, but the extinct Hairy Men surpassed them. No wonder many believed the Hairy Men were the ancestors of the Ibbenese.
The Ibbenese, from the island nation of Ib, had two distinct features: they were the hairiest known race in the world.
And they were famously ugly, squat, and strong.
Ibbenese had pale skin and dark blue veins, but their hair was black and wiry.
Ibbenese men wore beards, and body hair covered their limbs, chests, and backs. Coarse body hair was common among women too; some even had mustaches.
They were stout, broad-shouldered and barrel-chested, rarely exceeding five and a half feet, with short, thick legs and long arms.
Their facial features were distinct: sloping brows with prominent ridges, small, deep-set eyes, large square teeth, and heavy jaws.
Even slavers disdained the Ibbenese. Ibbenese women were considered too ugly for bed slaves, and their manners too crude for house slaves.
Thus, many enslaved Ibbenese ended their days in the fighting pits of Meereen, Yunkai, and Astapor.
But in terms of combat power, the Hairy Men cavalry, larger and stronger than the Ibbenese, were not to be underestimated.
Viserys had to deal with the aerial threats first before engaging the undead Hairy Men.
Viserys and the gold dragon stood on the flat ground between the ruin hills. The dragon had nearly finished devouring the three-headed blood eagle.
Sunfyre opened his mouth and exhaled a wisp of black smoke, satisfied with the meal.
A dragon needed to eat several times its body weight, but in the wasteland of Valyria, Sunfyre rarely had a full belly.
Sunfyre tentatively touched his snout to Viserys's silver breastplate again. The little dragon found this game amusing.
Viserys breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a surge of confidence and satisfaction.
He had completed the arduous path of fire.
Now, it was time to bring some new excitement to the world.
This was exactly what Emperor Aurion had asked of him: to plunge the world into chaos and noise, to wreak vengeance on those who betrayed the Dragonlords, and to climb to the pinnacle of power.
After more than a century, the world would hear the roar of dragons once again.
And he, Viserys Targaryen, would be the architect of this legend.
Dragons were usually named in a few ways. First, after gods: Balerion, Vhagar.
Second, after their appearance or traits: Sheepstealer, The Cannibal.
Third, metaphorically: Morning, Stormcloud, Moondancer.
Finally, in memory of people: Rhaegal.
Viserys felt that while "Sunfyre" might be a bit cliché, it fit the naming conventions.
Winter is Coming. Mankind needed the sun, a scorching sun.
Though the golden dragon Sunfyre was aloof and proud, Viserys had passed the partner test.
Lonely, proud, cunning, powerful, greedy...
Viserys seemed to read the emotions in the dragon's eyes. He was clever, cunning, and tough, which was why he had survived in the ruins of Valyria.
Only top-tier lone wolves and predators who had killed many rivals could survive here.
Otherwise, he would end up like the old Viserys—a destitute Beggar King.
The gold dragon didn't really need a rider, but Viserys's performance gave Sunfyre a sense of kinship.
A powerful, dangerous, perhaps even mad hunter.
Generally, young dragons were easier to tame than old ones, females gentler than males, and dragons that had once known riders easier than wild ones.
Sunfyre wasn't as violent as old wild dragons like The Cannibal or Sheepstealer, nor was his dragonfire terrifyingly concentrated yet, but he was proud, stubborn, and wouldn't tolerate being fooled.
"Form a defensive line against the Hairy Men. I'll deal with the blood eagle and griffin in the air first," Viserys ordered his squires. They had already lost several men, and the journey wasn't over.
"Long live King Viserys! Gods bless King Viserys!"
"Long live the Dragon King!"
In this deadly situation, the King had tamed a wild dragon. Their chances of victory had just skyrocketed.
Aggo and Jalaka were ready. The Unsullied formed a shield wall against the approaching Hairy Men.
They had no time to cheer the miracle of Viserys riding a dragon; they had to turn and face a new battle.
Those terrifying savages riding unicorns—the Hairy Men cavalry.
"Now, let us fight together!" Viserys said to Sunfyre. The high-pitched shrieks of the blood eagle and griffin signaled imminent danger.
As if understanding Viserys, Sunfyre growled low and lowered his neck.
Viserys felt the scorching heat of Sunfyre's scales as he climbed onto the dragon's back.
The golden scales, like forged mythril, exuded magnificence.
Viserys had a dragon saddle, but there was no time to rig it now.
Sunfyre adjusted to Viserys's weight, taking a few quick steps on the ground before taking off.
He was used to freedom; now he had to learn to carry a burden.
A dragon's body was mostly spine, tail, and wings. With light, hard bones, a dragon was much lighter than a horse of the same length.
Sunfyre could carry a tall, lithe warrior like Viserys.
If it were a muscle mountain like Aggo, the dragon might have collapsed.
Sunfyre roared, launching into the azure sky with unstoppable force, charging toward the blood mage's creations—the griffin and the blood eagle.
The three-headed blood eagle before them was larger and more aggressive than the one they had killed.
The blood griffin had the body, tail, and hind legs of a lion, and the head, wings, and talons of an eagle.
Embedded in the griffin's forehead, cheeks, and throat were red blood-drop gems, and its body bore flame-like patterns.
Of course, the griffin Viserys saw wasn't a natural animal but a stitched-together abomination of flesh and blood, powered by blood magic.
Viserys heard the wind. Now. He began to fly with it.
He sensed Sunfyre's excitement; the dragon had likely fought these blood mage pets before.
The griffin and blood eagle in mid-air were confused. They hadn't expected the gold dragon to fight them two-on-one instead of fleeing.
Sunfyre was a master of ambush and guerrilla tactics—taking advantages, never suffering losses.
But today, he was engaging them head-on, confusing his enemies.
In nature, wild dragons hunted like tigers.
Wild dragons, like tigers, were generally solitary.
Tigers hunted by stalking or ambush, getting close before pouncing, biting the neck so the prey couldn't escape.
Tigers rarely challenged opponents much larger than themselves or groups—a hunter's caution. Kill effectively, minimize cost.
Dragons preferred to spiral high into the sky, then dive-bomb their prey.
As proud, introverted, suspicious, and fierce hunters, wild dragons were agile and protective of themselves.
Wild dragons were flexible and cunning; they wouldn't follow a master into a suicidal one-against-many fight like a domesticated dragon might.
But now, Sunfyre felt Viserys's strength and was attempting to take out two opponents at once.
This was trust.
Sunfyre roared in fury. As a natural sky lord, he was clearly faster than the blood griffin and blood eagle, with hotter dragonfire.
Especially as a young dragon, Sunfyre was swift and keen.
Viserys felt the sky spinning. On the gold dragon's back, a torrent of gold-red fire erupted, painting a tapestry of flame across the heavens.
The griffin and blood eagle shrieked back, spewing their dark, bloody fire.
They weren't weak, but compared to a dragon, they were inferior in every way.
"Now, kill!"
Sunfyre danced in the air, his agility surpassing the griffin and blood eagle.
Viserys felt the wind screaming. He clamped his legs around the dragon's neck, gripping the spinal plates. The dragon's scales and flesh were hot, like bright warm jade in winter.
The griffin and blood eagle roared incessantly. They failed to catch the gold dragon and instead got scorched by his fire several times.
Their thick hides protected them somewhat, but they weren't immune.
The griffin and blood eagle split up to attack Sunfyre's neck from left and right.
Since fire attacks were failing, they tried physical ones.
Sunfyre used his agility to the fullest, dancing like a falcon—swift and fast.
Strike and soar.
Hit and run.
Sunfyre dodged the spit of the blood eagle and griffin, evaded their teeth and claws, then circled behind to attack from above.
Sunfyre spewed bright gold-red fire, brighter than the sun, like a furnace.
The wounded griffin and blood eagle returned fire.
Flames exploded violently, fireworks bursting in the sky.
Fire attacks could be fatal to a dragonrider, but Viserys's Fire Affinity was a massive advantage.
Viserys even drew True Dragon, condensing fire essence into a purple-red blade aura that slashed through the high air.
The griffin and blood eagle lacked speed advantages and were now taking double critical hits.
"Kill the griffin first. Aim for the eyes," Viserys said.
The griffin was clumsier than the blood eagle; the lion body was heavier, and it only had one head.
In terms of speed and agility, it was useless. Its threat and dominance couldn't compare to the three-headed blood eagle.
The lion body was too heavy; even with eagle wings, it couldn't fly very fast.
Sunfyre blasted the three-headed blood eagle with fierce fire, and the eagle chased angrily.
Then Sunfyre accelerated, soaring high and targeting the griffin.
A violent blast of gold-red fire exploded, swirling in the clumsy griffin's face, hitting its eyes. The griffin was blinded.