Geek's Guide to Thriving in a Low End Fantasy World ( Robert Baratheon OC SI AU)

[Samael61]

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 six chapters ahead now.

Thank you in advance.

---

Valyria

"Drown me in a mountain of gold? Damn two talking, dream invading, zombie making, human eating ugly fucking bastard. He thinks he can con me? I am so going to make that overgrown snake regret it." Robert muttered to himself as he moved through the damp and dark tunnel to outside, hopefully.

He had a lot of questions, like why the fuck did that Valyrian wanted to end slavery, much less summon a fucking Archdemon to do it?

Letting it be was one choice, but eventually someone else with dragons would arrive at Valyria, and chances are, they would actually believe the fugly bastard down in that hole, and then this world truly would be fucked, not to mention the demon would just keep appearing in his dreams without a doubt.

So Robert had no choice but to deal with it now, and he had just the idea for it.

Walking in complete darkness with only a torch tends to make a person lose their sense of time, but it came to an end when he reached a wooden door, half rotten, half burned, and easily went down with a kick.

Air inside was stale and dusty due to lack of proper ventilation, and another door, which seemed to be opened with force, was at the other end of the room .

There were corpses laying on the ground, one had lost his head, most likely executed with how smooth the cut on the decaying bone was. The others, he couldn't tell why they had died, but he could see the skeletons weren't infected with the spawn of that demon after kicking their Valyrian Steel armors to check.

A desk stood at the corner, and Robert went to rummage through it, to see if there was anything important. Rotting parchments with illegible writings, quills, dried ink bottles and a candle stood on top, and he checked the drawers. The one at the right had some more writing supplies, the middle, larger drawer had a well preserved book written in Valyrian, and at the left there was another leather bound book.

Robert opened it and was taken back by what he saw, bringing the torch closer to make sure it wasn't the shadows playing games on him. He turned the pages gently to avoid damaging the diary, only to see he wasn't mistaken at all.

The diary was…

Shaking his head, Robert took the diary with him, as well as the other book since he believed it was important as well.

He wanted to read the diary, but there was an Archdemon he had to slay, and the Lord of Asgard would definitely get lost in the pages, wasting valuable time.

Stairs, stretching on for a really long distance - long enough he couldn't see the end of it with the torch alone- greeted him at the other end, and sighing in resignation, Robert began to climb, measuring each step.

For some time, the stairs didn't seem to have an end, making him wonder how the heck did the Valyrian climb these stairs each day, but eventually Robert saw sunlight peeking through the door at the exit, and hurried up, climbing the stairs three at a time.

Giving his eyes a couple of seconds to get used to the sunlight again, Robert found himself in a living room, with nary a corpse laying around.

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Naduin was confused about the human. He had no holy protection, no sorcery concealing his true intentions, no innate or acquired power of any kind.

Yet he could not read the mortal's soul to lay his deepest desires bare and unfold his thoughts before the might of an Archdemon. It was as if his soul was covered by the remnants of another soul, creating a void he couldn't pierce through.

Even invading his dreams took a ridiculous amount of effort than it did against that Valyrian girl, who at least had a sliver of magic in her blood.

His comment about dying before and waking up in his current body did not escape Naduin's notice. Magic to take over a body did exist, and wasn't particularly rare, but finding a suitable host wasn't that easy, and the Archdemon doubted the human was a sorcerer, as he had no magic, meaning it was most likely an outside intervention.

Which meant the original soul was stuck in the body and was slowly merged with the invading soul, leaving behind a husk.

How that happened, Naduin had no idea, but if the opportunity presented itself, he would search for an answer.

At least he appeared to be greedy for gold and riches, the worthless shiny trinkets they were.

Those types of mortals were fun.

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Calling his dragons after making it out of the house, Robert searched through the saddlebag, and grinned when he found what he was looking for.

That fucker was going to regret messing with him.

Now, he just needed to go down those damn stairs again.

Ugh.

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The mortal slowly walked into the cave, holding a bag over his shoulder, grumbling about the stairs.

"Well, do you have it?" Naduin asked as the human slowly approached the blood orb meant to power the creation of his body on this plane of existence.

He couldn't sense any magic from the bag, but chalked it up to the human's soul acting as a veil.

"Boy, do I. You're gonna love it." He said, taking a bottle that clearly didn't contain dragon blood, and dumped the clear liquid on the orb before Naduin could stop him.

A burning sensation flared from where his heart would be, and the cave shook as the Archdemon screamed in agony. The hearts started beating faster, emitting a sickly green light, as did the blood orb.

"You bastard, do you have any idea how many D&D sessions and video games I played, or how many fantasy books I read? That double talk about burying me under gold isn't going to work, but I bet the rubbing alcohol is going to fuck this satanic ritual up. Enjoy, chucklenuts." The mortal said, grinning impishly.

"YOUUU!!!" Naduin screamed, as a fresh wave of pain bloomed across his body, causing the cave to shake more, and a stalactite fell near the human, who flashed his thumbs up at the Archdemon, and ran.

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Robert bolted to the exit at full speed. Hopefully, this ritual would be destroyed and send the fucker back to whatever hell it crawled out from, as blood and isoprophy alcohol did not get along well.

Bursting through the doors, Robert climbed the stairs as fast as he could, and the tremors weren't making things any easier. Making it back to the house, Robert barely stopped himself as a slab of rock fell right in front of him, followed by others as the earthquake the demon caused was bringing the building down.

He threw himself out of the window just in time as the already weakened structure came down, followed by others across the district.

Running to an open place to call his dragons down and leave, at least until the tremors ceased, Robert stopped as the shaking stopped abruptly. Watching the tower for any signs of the demon, a small smile spread across his face after nothing happened for a good while, and the Lord of Asgard began to do a celebratory dance.

Which halted mid way when, with a roar that startled him, the Arch-Demon burst out of the tower, sending rock flying everywhere. Slowly turning around with his smile transforming to a look of resignation, Robert watched as the demon walked out of the ruins of the tower, fell on one knee, and visibly shrunk.

Rather than the thirty feet long nightmare, it had at least shrunk to half size, and lost two of its wings, the remaining appendages too weak to allow flight. It coughed out black smoke after breathing fire for a couple of seconds.

More than just affecting its size, the alcohol seemed to have weakened it.

Furious, it slammed a fist on the standing parts of the tower, wrecking the tower entirely.

"You will die for this, mortal filth." The demon roared, pushing itself up, as the predatory irises landed on his location.

Well, Robert never imagined slaying a demon, besides when he was playing video games, but since the opportunity had presented itself, he wasn't going to pass it.

That and, who knew what kind of trouble that bastard would cause?

Jogging towards the fifteen foot tall demon, who was heading towards him anyway, Robert prepared for the fight of his life.

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Naduin stomped on the ground, trying to crush the human like the bug he was, but this decaying body was slow and every time the Archdemon tried to use his magic, it further shortened his time on this plane. He could annihilate the human, and the island entirely with a snap of his fingers, but since the ritual was botched the body he was inhabiting would turn to dust if even a sliver of the might he possessed was channeled.

The Spawnfather of Kalmion might have lost, but he was taking that mortal with him for an eternity of agony.

Said human dodged to the left and stabbed Naduin's foot, causing an excruciating pain to spread. If he had his real body, the weapon wouldn't even leave a scratch, but now, the barely magical sword had hurt him.

Grasping the edge of a roof, he ripped chunks of stone and sent them raining towards the human, who ran between the Archdemon's legs to avoid the projectiles.

Bringing his tail down to crush the mortal, Naduin stumbled forward, letting out a wail when the human managed to roll out of the way and cut the tip of his tail off, resulting in pale green, scorching hot blood gushing out of the wound.

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Robert, after cutting the demon's tail off, decided to go for the head, and avoiding the boiling blood, jumped on the tail, using the spiky parts to climb up while the demon tried to shake him off. Holding on for dear life with his sword strapped to his back, Robert continued to climb, coming half way up before boils began to appear on the demon's back, and to his annoyance, more of its spawn burst out of the liquid-filled sacks, coming to defend their creator. Deciding to hell with it, Robert jumped at the demon's leg, pulling his sword mid air and stabbed.

The sharp, Valyrian Steel sword plunged deep into the Archdemon's flesh, and Robert's weight began to pull the sword down, slicing open the leg from mid thigh to ankle. The Lord of Asgard had to stick close to the leg to not get in contact with the boiling blood as the sickly life giving liquid poured out of the wound.

Ignoring the demon's roar, Robert went for the wounded leg again, hoping to mutilate it enough to force the bastard down, before it released a shockwave, sending Robert flying back.

All around him the corpses began to rush at the Archdemon, ignoring him completely, and wondering what the hell it was doing now, Robert felt like slapping himself.

The creatures, Kalmion, left the bodies behind and started to fuse with their Spawnfather, melding on the wounds and closing them shut, but the rest kept climbing up, before entering through the Archdemon's mouth, making Robert visibly sick. Red lines, as if veins filled with fire, just like with the monster he had killed before, began spread out from its glowing heart, covering the entire fifteen foot tall body,

The flesh beneath its wings bulged, as if something was trying to claw its way out, before the missing wings burst out of its back. As if in triumph, the demon blasted out a wave of fire that was bigger than anything his dragons could make, and turned to Robert, grinning.

At least he thought it was grinning, not like Robert was an expert in demonology.

"Prepare for an eternity of pain, mortal vermin." The demon grunted out, before flapping its wings, and slowly, took to the air.

Robert crashed through another window and into a building, assessing the situation.

Things just got a lot harder.

---

In the next chapter:

The Archdemon, for all its supposed might, was having a damn hard time dealing with three dragons. Whenever he targeted one, mainly Obelisk since Robert was on the dragon, Slifer and Ra would attack, slamming on the demon's back with their claws, scratching and biting since fire did nothing.

"I will not leave this plane of existence without your soul!" The demon screamed out, unleashing a jet of flame so large it would cover all three of his dragons. Obeliks dodged, of course, and his siblings slammed the dragon, throwing its aim off.

"Don't you think we are moving a bit fast? You should buy me coffee first, at least." Robert quipped, enraging the demon even further. After all, a furious enemy was one that made mistakes.


Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me in Patreon.

 

[Samael61]

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 six chapters ahead now.

---

Valyria

Crawling on the ground as the demon burned the building, Robert wondered how he was going to kill the fugly. The core in its chest was the obvious target, but now that it could breathe fire and fly, stabbing it wasn't going to be a walk in the park.

This would have been a good time to have his flight suit, but he never bothered to have it incorporated into the armor, and now, there was a flying demon outside.

Nightblood didn't have enough reach, not if he didn't just manage to stick on the demon, which would end badly, so a weapon with greater range was needed, something like a really long lance.

Too bad he didn't have a blacksmith at hand either.

The window at the end of the hallway led outside, and Robert defenestrated himself again after the demon stopped breathing fire.

By his count, it could breathe fire for four seconds before it had to wait around fifteen seconds. Cooldown for a skill, so to speak.

Running inside the other building through the hole, Robert continued to run, putting distance between himself and the demon. To his luck, the building was actually a forge, with a dozen workspaces filled to the brim with Valyrian steel products, most unfinished.

A spear, at least six feet long, rested near the wall, along with several shafts. An idea sprung into his mind, and Robert took the spear and one of the shafts and started running again.

He needed to get far away enough to call his dragons down.

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Making it to the top of a tower, Robert whistled as loudly as he could with his lungs burning, and Obelisk dived down. The demon, frustrated it couldn't go higher, instead chose to ram through the tower.

Robert lost his footing, and as the tower began to tip over, he quickly got up and ran to the edge of the crumbling tower and leaped at the last second, just as the tower went down.

Obelisk was too high for him to jump on the dragon's back, but he managed to hang on to the dragon's foot. Flying away while dangling down on a dragon, Robert quickly called Slifer, and the blue dragon gently lowered Robert on his brother's back.

Holding on tight, he took the dragons to the other end of the city, while the demon continued to roar, summoning more of its spawn back.

Finding an open space to land, Robert quickly brought some rocks together, securing both the spear and the spare shaft, making sure they were in contact, before ordering his dragons to melt the Valyrian Steel.

Three dragons unleashed their flames, slowly melting the shafts into a single twelve-foot spear, just the thing he needed to ram through that bastard's heart.

Stopping the dragons, he could see that the glowing steel was fused together but needed to be cooled. Luckily, he had Valyrian steel armor, and the gauntlets protected him from the heat as he lowered the spear into a drainage gutter filled with water.

The water boiled due to the heat, but soon enough, the spear was ready, all twelve feet of it. The point where two shafts fused into one was ugly, and he was sure any blacksmith worth his salt would say the same, but it would do for now.

He was ready just in time, because the big, bad, ugly thing must have been done with eating its own spawn and was definitely flying faster and higher than before.

Robert was ready for round two.

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The Archdemon, for all its supposed might, was having a damn hard time dealing with three dragons. Whenever he targeted one, mainly Obelisk since Robert was on the dragon, Slifer and Ra would attack, slamming on the demon's back with their claws, scratching and biting since fire did nothing.

"I will not leave this plane of existence without your soul!" The demon screamed out, unleashing a jet of flame so large it would cover all three of his dragons. Obeliks dodged, of course, and his siblings slammed the dragon, throwing its aim off.

"Don't you think we are moving a bit fast? You should buy me coffee first, at least." Robert quipped, enraging the demon even further. After all, a furious enemy was one that made mistakes.

Changing tactics, it began to gather a fireball in its hand and condensed it to the size of a baseball before it exploded like a miniature sun, sending out a bubble of flame and shockwaves that threw the dragons away like ragdolls. Capitalizing on the demon, it flew towards Obeliks at neck-breaking speeds, while Robert barely held on.

Seeing the demon coming, he realized Obelisk couldn't escape, and knowing how strong it was, his dragon wouldn't survive it.

Robert let the reins go, plunging down, and the demon forgot about Obelisk, choosing to focus on him.

Now would have been an excellent time to have that damn flight suit on.

Roaring, the demon began to catch up to Robert, beating its wings with fervor to catch him. His dragons followed suit, diving down after him. He took out Nightblood before throwing it with all his strength at the demon, and to his luck, the spinning sword nailed the demon right in the eye.

In pain, the demon flapped its wings to stop, giving his dragons the lead, while it took the sword out of its eye, growling in pain.

Beating his wings as fast as he could, Obelisk was slowly closing the gap between them, while Robert inched ever closer to the ground.

The distance closed bit by bit, and Robert finally managed to hold on to Obelisk's head, the dragon barely having enough altitude to pull both of them up, though his feet still scraped the ground.

Climbing to the back of a flying dragon wasn't easy, but eventually, he managed, only to hold on tight as Obelisk weaved between the buildings to dodge the miniature fireballs the demon launched en masse.

Taking a left, the dragon and his rider disappeared from sight due to the large building at the edge of the street before the dragon began to pull up.

Hot on their trail, Naduin smashed through the building, trying to bite and claw Obelisk to bring both of them down. Slifer and Ra came diving, slamming into the demon and sending it through the building, giving him and Obelisk time to put some distance between them and their quarry.

The demon was back on air, following them, and Robert was ready to finish this fight. Naduin was weakening each second, and now was the perfect time.

Slifer and Ra kept scratching and biting the demon, which was easier now that it was half blind.

"Ignis!" Robert ordered Obelisk, and the dragon unleashed his flames right at the fugly's head. He knew it wouldn't do any harm, but now that the demon had no vision, Robert had his opportunity. Taking the spear from where it was tied on the dragon's back, Robert ran up Obelisk's neck, and using his head as a jumping board, leaped, ordering the blue dragon to stop while mid-air.

The Archdemon must have realized what he was doing, because the fugly crossed its arms over where the source of its powers was and got ready to blast Robert. Ra leaped to the rescue, approaching from the blind side of the demon, and grasped the horn, using all his power to turn the head to the side and away from Robert.

Holding the spear from the very end, Robert plunged it down. The make shift weapon went through both arms with surprising ease and stabbed the demon right in the heart.

It went still, mouth open, and the flames in its throat slowly died. The wings of the demon stopped beating, and the Archdemon Naduin began to fall, dragging Robert down with him.

Using the spear as leverage to get on the demon, Robert began to run up and caught Ra's leg. The golden dragon let go of the horn, dragging his father up with him, and the lord of Asgard looked down, watching the demon plummet.

It fell onto a building, flattening the structure with its massive size, and raised a small cloud of dust.

Robert had the dragon land near the corpse—at least he hoped it was a corpse now—and checked on it. There was no reaction to his poking and prodding, so Robert climbed up to pull the spear out, making sure to avoid the boiling hot blood, and with a wet squelch, finally ripped it out.

The demon's arms fell to the sides, still unresponsive, so Robert did the only thing he could.

He took his helmet off and let out a scream of victory.

"Yeah! Fuck you, Valyria, you're my bitch now!" Robert raised his hands to the air, celebrating by himself.

"You wonderful fire-breathing—no, wait, stop!" He called out to his dragons at seeing what they were doing, though the three overgrown lizards didn't even seem to have heard him.

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Two Weeks Later

Tyrion didn't think an old woman could be so scary, especially without a dragon, but Rhaelle Baratheon certainly fixed that misconception.

"What do you mean he went to Valyria?" She asked, her tone low and dangerous, and Tyrion sunk into his chair, avoiding eye contact with the furious dragonrider.

"He went to Valyria, as something in there was haunting his dreams." He explained again and jolted when the woman slammed her fist on the table.

"And none of you thought to stop him?" The dwarf of Asgard was beginning to understand why Robert respected and loved his grandmother so much, because she was terrifying.

"We did our best, my lady, but you know how stubborn your grandson is better than us." Tyrion knew the excuse was lame, but what could he say?

There was a knock on the door, and both of them turned to the sound.

"Later." Tyrion called out, since he doubted Lady Baratheon was interested in whatever complaint the man had brought forward.

"My Lord, one of Lord Robert's dragons is back, the red one. You should come see this."

Rhaelle stormed out of the room to go and see the dragon, but the fact that only one had returned wasn't a comforting sign.

Tyrion followed wordlessly.

The dragon had landed on the square and seemed to be waiting for Tyrion as he walked towards the dwarf on all four legs, holding out the saddlebags tied to his chest.

Slifer was larger than he remembered; before they left, he was around sixteen feet, now easily standing at twenty, not to mention the red dragon also seemed to have grown two legs and two wings out of nowhere, looking even more majestic.

Rhaelle reached out for the bag, took out a rolled-up parchment, and began to read.

" To Tyrion,

I killed the big bastard roosting in Valyria; turns out it was an Archdemon. Have Davos find as many ships as he can and sail here. With the Smoking Sea gone, all the riches of Valyria are ours. As for the dragons, long story; I'll tell you when you get here.

From Robert Baratheon, the Demon Slayer.

P.S: Send some food for me with Slifer, will you? Those slugs have been sleeping for over a week, and I am beginning to run out."

P.S.S.: Get my grandmother to protect the city while you, Davos, and Sandor sail here, because when this gets out, there definitely is going to be trouble.

A crowd had gathered, worried something might have happened to Good Lord Robert, and Tyrion called out to assuage their fears.

"People of Asgard, Lord Robert is fine. He has fought the demon haunting Valyria and was victorious. Long live the Demon Slayer of Asgard!" Tyrion shouted to the crowd.

First, a sense of relief covered the crowd before it turned to screams of adoration for the Lord of Asgard.

Lady Rhaelle, on the other hand, looked like she wanted to strangle her grandson.

---

In the next chapter:
"Dragonlord, I assume the disappearance of the Smoking Sea and Valyria's current situation are owed to you?" His accent was thick, and his disdain wasn't hidden well, so Robert didn't even get up from his chair.

"Duh."

"I see. I am Aumax of the noble house Staegon of Volantis." The pompous captain introduced himself, watching Robert with a calculating gaze.

"And I am someone whose rest you are interrupting, so get to the point." Killing an archdemon was hard work after all, and Robert deserved his rest.

"I simply wish to explore Valyria." Robert looked at the noble blankly for a couple of seconds before chuckling.

"Oh, wow. No. I didn't kill a fifteen-foot demon just to let someone else lay claim to my turf. Get back on your ship and go away." The demon remark caught them off guard, and the guards looked uncomfortable, fidgeting on their spots.

Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me in Patreon.

 

[Samael61]

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 six chapters ahead now.

---

Valyria

Robert watched with an open mouth as his dragons tore the chest of the now dead Archdemon apart and began to eat its heart, his warnings falling on deaf ears.

They pulled back once down, wobbling around as if drunk, before coming to the empty square, falling down, groaning in discomfort, and going to sleep.

Robert rushed to check their condition. The dragons were breathing, but they did not respond to any of his attempts, sleeping as if dead to the world.

"Fucking wonderful." He muttered, kicking a pebble away in frustration. He was stuck in a dead city with his dragons in a coma after eating something they shouldn't have. And if something happened to them, such as going crazy because of eating a demon's heart, Robert would have to kill them or die trying.

He needed shelter and had to make a list of what food and water he had and, in the meantime, make a map of everything of value.

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Two days later, Robert watched the dragons with his jaw down again, not because they were awake but because of the stubs that were growing in their forward lower chest and at their back, just behind their wings.

They were growing two more legs and wings, he realized. That must be the reason they ate the heart of the demon, to basically evolve.

"You overgrown pokemons." He huffed with amusement, continuing to explore Valyria.

He was one person on a whole island city, so mapping all of it would take months by himself, so Robert only chose to explore locations he thought would yield the greatest value.

He had already found a vault filled with gold and was sure there would be many riches to explore.

One good thing that came out of the whole situation was he didn't see any more of those zombies. Since the Archdemon was dead, he assumed they died too, which meant his exploration was unhindered.

Robert was actually really happy with the situation, because it felt mystifying to explore the ruins of an ancient civilization in a fantasy world.

Now, if only he could find out how they made Valyrian steel in the first place, that would be the cherry on top.

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Five days after the dragons went into a coma, Robert could see that the new limbs and wings were growing really fast; they were already half the size, and not to mention, the dragons seemed to be growing in size as well.

He still didn't find Nightblood after the demon tore it out of its eye and threw it away, but he found an armory full of Valyrian steel weapons and armor, so it was fine.

The diary he had taken from the underground hideout was really interesting to say. The Valyrian in question wanted to end the slavery because of his personal beliefs, but he was shunned, mocked, insulted, and eventually, driven mad because of it. His writing got more unhinged as the diary progressed, and eventually, Baenor Bealerys decided that Valyria must be destroyed for all they have done.

Elia was going to find the diary just as interesting; he was sure of it.

One other thing he was interested in besides gold and Valyrian steel was the books. They had a main library that contained a lot of books on various subjects, at least from what couple of Valyrian words he picked up. Not to mention, the residences of the nobles of Valyria had their own libraries, which he was sure were containing even rarer books.

Say what you will about them, Valyrians knew the value of knowledge and kept their libraries well protected enough that most were still intact. If he was fortunate, there would be manuscripts amongst those books, describing how Valyrian steel was made.

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By the seventh day, the new limbs and wings of his dragons had grown fully, and they each gained a couple of feet to their size, and their scales became shiny enough he could see his own reflection.

They still were asleep, though he was sure it wasn't for much longer.

He was rationing his food supplies because fishing and hunting were out of the question, since the only living beings on Valyria and the surrounding waters were himself and the dragons.

Speaking of dragons, he found several eggs, or rather, remains of several eggs, as they were broken, most likely eaten by the now dead parasites. So, hopefully, his last egg would be a female; otherwise, there would be no more dragon eggs.

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Morning of the eighth day, Robert woke up with a yawn, stretching to get rid of the stiffness in his shoulders. He was camping close to the dragons in case something happened and usually checked their condition first thing in the morning.

The dragons were finally awake, and Robert couldn't help the belly-aching laugh. They were trying to walk around on all four legs, but it turns out, growing new limbs didn't mean that the dragons knew how to use them, and they were stumbling around like toddlers who were taking their first steps.

Obelisk tried to coordinate all four of his legs, only to stumble and fall on his belly, while Ra took a slower approach, getting a feel of his new limbs before taking full steps.

Slifer seemed to prefer flying over walking and was awkwardly flapping his new pair of wings and slowly took off without the need for a starting run.

He missed the beat, of course, and fell down ceremoniously.

Robert kept laughing at the dragons, who snarled at their father, before continuing their efforts.

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On the tenth day, the dragons began to get used to their limbs.

The first thing they did was go out and hunt, since they last ate ten days ago. The increase in speed was very noticeable, and Robert couldn't wait for the opportunity to take to the skies.

They went hunting and returned in a couple of hours, even bringing a massive buck to Robert. Good thing too, because he ate his last rations already and cut one of the legs and slowly roasted it over the fire while petting the massive lizards, who were fighting for attention.

Three days later, he sent Slifer back to Asgard with a letter for Tyrion and Davos to gather as many ships as they could and head to Valyria.

He kept drawing the map and highlighting the important locations, and boy, did they have a lot of gold. The Valyrians didn't need to spend much, not when they had slaves, so they only used gold for transactions between the noble houses.

Provided he spends wisely, Asgard would not need any loans or investments.

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Two days after he had sent the shiny, crimson dragon to Asgard, he received a letter, as well as supplies on the back of Slifer.

"My Lord,

It fills us with relief to know you are well and victorious. We will immediately buy as many ships as we can and set sail for Valyria.

On less cheerful notes, your grandmother, Lady Rhaelle, has learned of your trip to Valyria and is wroth with you. She has graciously agreed to protect the city in your absence, but I would expect a rather severe scolding.

With relief, Tyrion."

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Robert was lying on a chair near the shore, enjoying some wine, when he saw a ship in the distance approaching the island. It was too far away to say whose flag it sailed, but he had three dragons, so nothing to worry about.

The wine bottle was emptied slowly while the ship approached, and he could see the vessel was flying a flag with a tiger emblem, meaning Volantis.

Since his dragons did nothing, the ship felt it was safe enough to approach and docked near the shore, and a dozen people in shiny plate armor came down the gangplank, headed by whom Robert assumed was the captain.

"Dragonlord, I assume the disappearance of the Smoking Sea and Valyria's current situation are owed to you?" His accent was thick, and his disdain wasn't hidden well, so Robert didn't even get up from his chair.

"Duh."

"I see. I am Aumax of the noble house Staegon of Volantis." The pompous captain introduced himself, watching Robert with a calculating gaze.

"And I am someone whose rest you are interrupting, so get to the point." Killing an archdemon was hard work after all, and Robert deserved his rest.

"I simply wish to explore Valyria." Robert looked at the noble blankly for a couple of seconds before chuckling.

"Oh, wow. No. I didn't kill a fifteen-foot demon just to let someone else lay claim to my turf. Get back on your ship and go away." The demon remark caught them off guard, and the guards looked uncomfortable, fidgeting on their spots.

"Please, I have no intention of staking any claims."

"Yeah, I don't know you, and I don't trust you, so no." Robert refused, but the Volantine noble wasn't done and kept trying to convince him with various offers, insisting he had no intention of trying to claim anything.

He had enough after his final offer, which included sex slaves, so Robert snapped his fingers. The dragons rose from their nap and turned to the Volantine noble, snarling, not with the playfulness they reserved for their father, but with aggression they had learned from him.

He wasn't going to allow anyone, let alone a slaver, to go and explore the city he had fought for and claimed.

Aumax didn't stick around after that, too afraid to go against his dragons.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Volantis was the strongest of the Free Cities, only rivaled by Braavos, and was the closest to Valyria.

Which was why barely a week and a half after he had sent that captain away, hundreds of ships were sailing towards Valyria with intent to claim it from Robert.

Dressed in his Valyrian steel armor and armed with Nightblood—he finally found the sword stuck on top of a building—Robert rode Obelisk to battle. He would send them to the bottom of the sea without allowing any to land on the island.

He approached the ships to get a good count of how many there were, but it was a mistake, as the bastards had brought scorpions, and he inadvertently entered their range.

They were smaller than the ones he remembered watching Jaime Lannister use, but they had brought a lot, no doubt prepared long ago in case he chose to fight with Braavos against Volantis.

Of the dozen or so scorpion bolts fired, only three made it to him and Obelisk, and to the surprise of all parties involved, they harmlessly pinged off the sky-blue dragon's new, shiny scales.

It seems his dragons gained more than just limbs and size.

"You guys are fucked now!" He screamed at the top of his lungs and ordered his dragons to dive.

Volantis' fleet was subjected to a three-pronged attack, and with their main weapons all but useless now, they stood no chance.

Leadship, a massive vessel with three hundred oars, was the first to feel Obelisks' fury. A dark, red fire cone, larger than any his dragon had exhaled so far, consumed the ship and the several vessels around it, turning the men aboard to ashes in seconds and sending a small portion of the fleet to the bottom of the sea.

The other two prongs of the attack yielded the same results.

Arrows and scorpion bolts harmlessly impacted the dragons, incapable of stopping their deadly advance.

Groups of ships burned at the same time; sailors died in droves; some jumped off the ships to hide under the water, but the heat of the flames flash-boiled the water, giving them a slower but no less agonizing death.

At a pace they wouldn't have been capable of before, three dragons burnt an entire fleet to the last ship.

In the year 287 AC, Volantis gambled on numbers against Robert Baratheon and lost, weakening the city-state more than any war in recent history.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robert watched as the last ship sank and only hoped there were no slaves in the fleet, though that was just wishful thinking.

He hoped they would at least find peace in the afterlife, if one existed in this world.

---

In the next chapter:
"My lord, we found a gate of Valyrian steel, and we can't open it. Something seems to have warped the metal, and prying it open with manpower isn't really possible." Davos reported his group's little expedition throughout the city already yielded great results; hopefully whatever was behind that door was valuable as well.

Robert frowned, having not discovered any gate; then again, he was more interested in exploration and may well have missed it.

"Show me."

Beneath a tower, through a hidden door that led to a wide underground space, with a gate that seemed to have been bent inward due to an explosion caused by pressure buildup that tore through a wall and left a gaping hole.

Some workers had found the key and were trying to open the door, but the lock was bent inside, and the key did not turn.

"It won't open, my lord." They finally gave up, handing him the Valyrian steel key.

"Alright, see if you can find me Valyrian steel chains, or, failing at that, normal chains. We will try to pull the door off using the dragons."

Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me in Patreon.

 

[Samael61]

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 six chapters ahead now.

---

Valyria

Close to a month after he had burned down the fleet of Volantis, with several more ships belonging to different Free Cities appearing on the horizon every day but none daring to approach, he finally saw Asgard's small fleet.

He waited at the docks, which, owing to the way the Dragonlords constructed them, meant they were still in condition to be serviceable. The fleet grew ever closer, and he could count at least forty ships, which meant Tyrion had to have spent a good chunk of his gold to purchase these vessels.

Which was nothing compared to the treasures Valyria held. The Valyrian steel weapons alone could make him the richest man in the known world.

Flagship of the fleet, the Pioneer, docked first, with the crew going mad at seeing Robert.

"Gentlemen, I give you Asgard's one and only demon slayer, myself." Robert pointed at himself with both thumbs, and the crew didn't even wait for the gangplank, jumping into the water or climbing down the side of the ship to reach him.

The men hoisted him on their shoulders, chanting his name to the skies.

Davos, Tyrion, and Sandor were more composed, however, choosing to disembark the traditional way.

"Alright, alright. Put me down; we can celebrate later. There is work to be done now."

"My lord." Tyrion and Davos greeted Robert, while Sandor just grunted.

"Good to see you lot. How are things in Asgard?" With his grandmother close by and the loyalty of the men before him, Robert was sure everything was fine.

"Well enough. Your grandmother is protecting the city as you requested. What of you, my lord? Are you alright?" Tyrion was glad to see the man hale and in one piece.

"Better than alright. Come on, there is a lot to do, and I can tell you about my little adventure while we walk."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the way to see the demon's corpse, Robert regaled the people with the tale of his arrival at Valyria, starting from the walking dead controlled by the spawns of the demon, to the monster he had faced, and finally the Archdemon itself.

"How the fuck did you kill that thing?" Everyone that made it to the shore was watching the corpse that lay on the rubble as if it was a dead god seated on a throne in silence, though Sandor eventually broke it in disbelief about the corpse.

"I jumped off Obelisk and stabbed it in the heart with an improvised Valyrian steel lance in the air." Robert shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal.

"I assume the thought of death never crossed you?" Tyrion craned his neck to see the full size of the demon, and while it was smaller than the dragons, the dwarf of Asgard had no doubt it was more powerful.

"It did. I thought the demon would make a great trophy if I killed it." Robert joked, enjoying the moment of glory.

"Of course you did."

"Alright, you can watch all you want back at Asgard. Now listen up." He called out to the workers, his loud voice grabbing their attention like a fishing hook.

"First of all, we are going to make camp, as looting Valyria is going to take time. After that I am going to split you into three groups. The first group will gather all the gold, gems, and jewelry. If you come across any corpses, don't hesitate to take their valuables. They were slavers; no need to treat them with dignity." Robert shouted so his voice could reach everyone in the crowd. Forty ships meant a lot of crew, and even if not all of them were here, there were easily a thousand people listening to him right now.

"The second group will gather all the Valyrian steel items. Everything from weapons and armor to trinkets, statues, and tools. I don't care if it is the seat of a privy; take it if it is Valyrian steel." Since having the Valyrian steel reforged was possible, every single piece of it was valuable.

"The third group will take all the books they come across. If it has a writing on it, treat it as if it is your child." With these books translated, Robert could have a great chance at cracking the secrets of the Valyrians.

"Let's go, people; we are burning daylight here."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A lot of empty buildings made building a camp an easy affair rather than the hassle it was, and it meant work started the next day.

Cartloads of gold were dragged by horses and men, slowly filling up the hulls of the ships. Hundreds of Valyrian steel items were loaded on the Pioneer, ready to fill his armory in Asgard.

Entire libraries were emptied out, and the books were gently carried away so Robert could hopefully figure out the secrets of the Valyrians.

"My lord, we found a gate of Valyrian steel, and we can't open it. Something seems to have warped the metal, and prying it open with manpower isn't really possible." Davos reported his group's little expedition throughout the city already yielded great results; hopefully whatever was behind that door was valuable as well.

Robert frowned, having not discovered any gate; then again, he was more interested in exploration and may well have missed it.

"Show me."

Beneath a tower, through a hidden door that led to a wide underground space, with a gate that seemed to have been bent inward due to an explosion caused by pressure buildup that tore through a wall and left a gaping hole.

Some workers had found the key and were trying to open the door, but the lock was bent inside, and the key did not turn.

"It won't open, my lord." They finally gave up, handing him the Valyrian steel key.

"Alright, see if you can find me Valyrian steel chains, or, failing at that, normal chains. We will try to pull the door off using the dragons."

There were Valyrian steel chains, but they were not long enough to reach all the way out of the tower. Robert decided to have the men widen the entrance and used the thick anchor chains of the ships along with the Valyrian steel ones.

His muscles bulged as he pulled the chain along with the workers, slowly dragging the heavy metal to the hooks inserted into the holes they dug after hours.

Robert dropped the chain, and his men began to connect it to the hooks. With the dragons pulling it, they should be able to rip the door off the wall, provided the chains don't rip apart.

He went outside to order the dragons to pull, and as Obelisk took a step forward, the chain scraped the walls, adding more resistance, but the blue dragon powered through, and after one mighty heave, Robert heard a dull thud.

Walking back to the secret vault or whatever it was, I only saw the workers, along with Davos, who was leading things down here, standing there like statues.

"What? Is it something bad?" He asked, words slowly dying in his mouth as the contents of the vault became clear.

Robert had seen the height of his wealth gathered at a vault in the Iron Bank, and four million gold dragons was a lot.

The amount that laid on the vault before him was way more than that, at least three times, perhaps even more.

"Well, I'll be. Start emptying the vault now."

Too bad he couldn't swim in that gold like Scrooge McDuck.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

King's Landing

Red Keep

Small Council Chambers

"What did you just say?" Rhaegar asked, not believing what he just heard, thinking, hoping he might have heard the Master of Whispers wrong.

"My birds tell me Robert Baratheon has slain the demon that apparently was responsible for the Doom and has declared Valyria as his. Ships carrying the looted wealth are sailing to Asgard right now." Varys, with his usual jolly tone absent, repeated his words again, sending the Small Council Chambers to silence.

"You cannot be serious." Prince Daeron slammed his fists on the table, rising from his chair with fury before a look from his king stopped him, and he slowly sat back.

"Unfortunately, that is the truth, Your Grace. He intends to have the demon's corpse paraded in his city as a show of force." Varys had plans to kill Robert Baratheon eventually, but now that the man had done something impossible like this, no one was going to agree to assassinate him.

"Did your birds say anything about the wealth itself?" Tywin Lannister, Hand of the King, focused on the more immediate concerns. While the idea that the firstborn of his friend had slain a demon was not lost on him, the wealth Robert possessed now made him a more dangerous man than ever.

"More than thirty ships had arrived, and Robert had ordered the construction of several vaults to store it all." Varys had considered an attack on the city, but not only was Rhaelle Baratheon there with her dragon, so was Slifer, Robert's crimson dragon.

"With the legends of the riches of Old Valyria, even with the most humble estimates, Lord Robert's wealth would be unmatched." Lord Wyman Manderly, the Master of Coin, had wondered how much wealth was hidden in the ruins of Valyria, and he supposed they would all have their answer soon enough.

"What do we do?" Prince Aegon of Summerhall began to consider solutions, but he couldn't think of anything to do that would succeed.

"Stannis is set to marry, so there is nothing we can do. Young Renly, however, we could offer to foster him." Dowager Queen Rhaella would advise her eldest son to marry Shaena to Stannis immediately if it weren't for the fact her eldest daughter was already wed to Jaime Lannister. Perhaps if they could build a friendship between Viserys and Renly, that could keep Robert in check, as he wouldn't want to harm the friend of his dear little brother.

Hopefully.

"Provided Lord Steffon agrees. He refused Lord Tyrell's offer." Lord Commander Gerold Hightower was as well versed in politics as he was with the sword, though none, he wagered, would be particularly useful against the dragons.

The Master of Laws just frowned at the mention of it. He was sure Steffon Baratheon would agree; Mace had made an incredible offer, after all, but the Lord of Storm's End had seen it fit to refuse.

"We are kin, not some distant house; perhaps we could remind Steffon of that." Rhaella knew Aerys and Rhaegar's actions had eroded the goodwill between the two houses, but Steffon was still loyal.

"That is not going to solve the problem, merely delay it. With that amount of wealth in his hand, Robert could do more than just build a city." Rhaegar finally found his voice again, rubbing his head as the King of the Seven Kingdoms felt a headache coming.

"That is not all, Your Grace."

"More bad news, Lord Varys?" The Master of Ships, Jon Connington of Griffin's Roost, and a close friend of King Rhaegar was as disturbed by the news as the king and only hoped the diary he had stolen would be of some help.

Otherwise a clash between House Targaryen and Robert Baratheon would be inevitable, and the chances of victory did not seem high.

"Yes. Robert's dragons seem to have grown stronger." Varys had sent a lot of letters to verify the news, and the destruction Volantis faced showed that they were facts.

"Stronger how?" Aegon did not like the sound of that at all, as if Robert having dragons wasn't enough.

"They have grown two more wings and legs, Your Grace, and their flames have become fiercer. Volantis sent three hundred ships, a good number armed with scorpions, yet Lord Robert seems to have destroyed them without any difficulty." News of Volantis' defeat had sent the Free Cities into a frenzy, as Braavos was now in a stronger position than ever before and was threatening the metaphorical throne of the First Daughter.

"Any survivors?" Rhaegar would curse Robert to the deepest part of the seven hells if he thought it would actually work, but all he could do now was to see if the information was true.

"One, your grace."

"One ship?" Jon could understand the idea of letting a single ship leave as a message, and he would do the same himself.

"No, just one person, a ship captain, who had dived down deep enough to escape the onslaught. His account of the attack says the dragons brushed off the scorpion bolts, and their flames burned down several ships at once." The man was half mad, starving, thirsty, and sick, but swore up and down it was the truth, and his little birds had seen the dragons in person and vouched for the physical changes.

"How did that happen?" Lyanna Stark, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, asked, still in a state of dread after hearing the news, and felt nauseous due to the stress.

"Fortunately, Lord Robert did not keep it a secret, as apparently his dragons feasted on the heart of the demon and gained some of its powers." Varys was somewhat well versed in magic, but dragons eating the heart of a demon and growing in power? That was news to him.

He would have to consult sorcerers.

"What else did he say about this demon?" Mace dreaded the idea of Robert Baratheon bringing a demon—even if it was the corpse of one—to Westeros, but just like everyone else in the chambers, he had no way to do anything about it.

"His tale claims that a Valyrian had summoned the demon after failing to convince the Dragonlords to abandon slavery. The ritual was not completed before it was discovered and the summoner killed, so the demon destroyed Valyria to save what was left of the ritual. Robert Baratheon completed the ritual with a twist, causing the demon to be summoned in a much weaker form, and has slain it in combat by stabbing it in the heart while on dragonback." Too bad the man didn't die while committing insane stunts like that, Varys thought.

"I have read about Princess Aerea and how she was infected with creatures after going to Valyria." Rhaegar's obsession over the history of his house and the Dragonlords of Old Valyria is well known to everyone in the chambers, though not many knew about Princess Aerea herself.

"Yes, it turns out they were the spawn of the demon and required live humans to grow; however, the abominations could also control the corpses of the dead Valyrians and tried to swarm Lord Robert. He dealt with the swarm and was then confronted by a fully grown spawn of the demon, an eight-foot-long monster with wings and an appearance that was a combination of human and serpent."

"He slayed it too, I assume?" Aegon asked rhetorically, as his cousin seemed to enjoy doing the impossible.

"Yes, my prince."

"Anything else regarding Robert ?" Tywin was making plans to take down Robert Baratheon, though nothing short of having him killed when he was least expecting it seemed like the only option, but how to do it still eluded him.

"None at this time."

"Fucking wonderful. He is looting the ancestral home of our family, and there is nothing we can do to stop him." Daeron spat out. Robert seemed to add more to the Targaryen Prince's hate every day.

This was a grim and dark day for the house of the dragon indeed.

"There is, however, one piece of news you might find interesting."

"Stop playing around, Lord Varys." Queen Rhaella was not in the mood for games after all the revelations.

"It appears House Baratheon is going to have another member soon."

---

In the next chapter:

Robert, along with Davos, Tyrion, and Sandor, stood in the armory of a Valyrian family. Rows of Valyrian steel swords, axes, spears, halberds, arrows, and sets of armor stood before them, a fortune that even the richest of nobles, whether in Westeros or the Free Cities, could boast to have.

"Gentlemen, pick armor and weapons for yourselves." Robert offered.

Loyalty was to be rewarded after all.

"Thank you, but I don't think they have anything for my size." Tyrion was interested in the prospect, as the offer of a Valyrian steel item did not come this easily.

"Pick two then; we can have one reworked to your size, and if you have children in the future, they can wear the other." It was mostly for ceremonial purposes, because Robert didn't intend to force the dwarf into any war, not if it was avoidable.

"Hopefully, I won't be in a place where I have to wear armor."

"Imagine Tywin Lannister, the lord who was willing to spend a fortune to acquire a single Valyrian steel sword, seeing you, the son he hates like an enemy, walking around with full plate Valyrian steel armor and a sword."

"You are right. I should pick some for myself," Tyrion moved forward, before he realized something: "Tommen II Lannister's fleet. If I can find it, I can recover Brightroar. That would be a blow to my father he would never recover from." He could just imagine the look of cold fury on Tywin's face.
Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me in Patreon.

 

[Samael61]

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 seven chapters ahead now.

---

Valyria

Robert, along with Davos, Tyrion, and Sandor, stood in the armory of a Valyrian family. Rows of Valyrian steel swords, axes, spears, halberds, arrows, and sets of armor stood before them, a fortune that even the richest of nobles, whether in Westeros or the Free Cities, could boast to have.

"Gentlemen, pick armor and weapons for yourselves." Robert offered.

Loyalty was to be rewarded after all.

"Thank you, but I don't think they have anything for my size." Tyrion was interested in the prospect, as the offer of a Valyrian steel item did not come this easily.

"Pick two then; we can have one reworked to your size, and if you have children in the future, they can wear the other." It was mostly for ceremonial purposes, because Robert didn't intend to force the dwarf into any war, not if it was avoidable.

"Hopefully, I won't be in a place where I have to wear armor."

"Imagine Tywin Lannister, the lord who was willing to spend a fortune to acquire a single Valyrian steel sword, seeing you, the son he hates like an enemy, walking around with full plate Valyrian steel armor and a sword."

"You are right. I should pick some for myself," Tyrion moved forward, before he realized something: "Tommen II Lannister's fleet. If I can find it, I can recover Brightroar. That would be a blow to my father he would never recover from." He could just imagine the look of cold fury on Tywin's face.

"I didn't see a fleet lying around, but you are free to search. Take some men with you; Davos can put aside what you choose." The knight in question was standing before a full set of plate armor, having already picked up a bastard sword.

Sandor had picked up a greatsword and was trying on the largest armor, but it would definitely need adjustments, as he was still growing up and would be taller than Robert.

Tyrion nodded and left to search for any remains of the fleet. If they had reached the island, then chances are, the demonspawn must have already killed them. If the fleet was sunk for some reason, he wouldn't be able to find Brightroar.

"My lord, vessels are approaching." A sailor rushed in, out of breath, and Robert sighed.

This was getting annoying.

"What flag?"

"Ironborn, my lord." Robert's eye twitched.

This was getting really annoying.

"Figures those rats would be here. I'll go make a statement; you continue to work." There was only one Ironborn he could think of who would make the journey here.

"Yes, my lord."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Over fifty Ironborn ships were approaching Valyria, but upon seeing Robert's dragon, they stopped.

He approached the lead vessel, the Silence.

Euron Greyjoy's ship.

Yay.

"If it isn't one of the squids. What are you doing near my lands?" He had already sent thirty ships full of loot to Asgard, along with Ra for protection, so by now, most of Westeros should know who the new owner of Valyria was.

"I came to see if you really did conquer Valyria." Robert was sure Euron had more in mind, but for all his madness, he was smart enough to realize any fight right now would be very one-sided.

And not in his favor.

"Now that you have, turn back or die." Robert warned, the beat of Obelisk's wings rocking the Silence, as if reiterating his warning.

"Why so cold, Baratheon?" Euron leered, leaning over the railings of his ship, but Robert didn't miss the beat and replied, "If you're cold, I can heat things up a bit."

Euron chuckled, and Robert considered just burning this madman right here and now. "Turn the ships around." But Greyjoy's order to leave stayed his hand, for now.

If Euron was stupid enough to even think about starting the apocalypse, Robert would be there to show that horn up where the sun didn't shine.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Asgard

Rhaelle rubbed her eyes, weary from the work.

Back at Storm's End, she only assisted when Steffon asked for advice; otherwise, the Dowager Lady Baratheon enjoyed her life, especially now that she had a dragon.

Watching all the wealth pouring out of the ships, storing it, ordering new underground vaults to be dug, and managing the work that came with it was harsh on her, but she would endure.

It wasn't all that bad, in truth.

To know that her grandson, who brought dragons back to life, also managed to slay a demon and claim all the wealth of Valyria for himself? That was a fine balm.

The renewed vigor of the lords all over the Seven Kingdoms in sending marriage offers was another thing, and while she would be delighted to see Robert wed, it wasn't wise to push him since he wasn't interested in anyone.

The Free Cities were already aware of what happened at Valyria, and Rhaelle was sure Robert would be receiving offers from them soon enough.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steffon rubbed his head for the umpteenth time, as the stormlords were petitioning nonstop for him to convince Robert to marry.

Why?

Because Robert decided to go to Valyria.

For anyone else, it would be a death sentence. All those expeditions made to Valyria were proof of that.

But not Robert, oh no, his son had to go and slay a seven damned archdemon and take all of Valyria for himself.

Not only was his eldest son the richest person in the Seven Kingdoms and probably the Free Cities as well, but he also was the only one privy to the secrets of Valyria.

His dragons also evolved, as Robert called it, shrugging off scorpion bolts like nothing. The story of how the Dornish shot down Meraxes and killed Queen Rhaenys was a testament to the danger of these weapons in the hands of a skilled marksman, but Robert didn't have to worry about it anymore.

Meaning all those scorpions House Targaryen was building to cover King's Landing were becoming useless and a waste of coin.

Steffon slammed his fist on the armrest of his chair. "Enough! Stop squabbling like fucking children. You want Robert to marry your daughters?! Go talk to him, not me," he shouted, at the end of his patience.

The hall fell silent, and the Lord of Storm's End took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

"Steffon, are you well?" His dear wife asked, holding his hand, and Steffon smiled, gently squeezing the smaller hand back.

He didn't know what to do without her.

"I will be, once Robert returns and all this is his problem from now on." Steffon grunted, wishing Robert would appear out of nowhere and the lords would turn their attention to him.

"We have a letter from King's Landing." She handed him the opened envelope, but he didn't need it to know the sender.

"What does King Rhaegar want now?" Tywin wouldn't send him a letter, not after Cersei, meaning the king was the only one who would.

Cassana stood straight now, all humor gone, and Steffon understood it wasn't to offer their heartfelt congratulations. "He wants to foster Renly, says it would be good to ensure the bond between our families continues." Steffon just groaned.

If it weren't for the animosity between Robert and the Targaryens, he would send Renly to the court for that exact reason, but Rhaegar just wanted an assurance against any possible attack from Robert.

"Oh yes, that will go so well with Robert." He had actually considered the offer the Tyrells made, as his house was getting isolated, but Robert's threat was unexpected, and he seemed serious enough to do it, and Steffon had to change his decision.

It was a blow to his pride to admit it, but Robert attempted to harm Rhaegar, possibly severely, in front of the late King Aerys, the Kingsguard, and most of the nobility of the Seven Kingdoms. His eldest might have grown and matured since then, but he also had dragons.

He shouldn't have spoiled Robert so much.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vale of Arryn

"So it is true." Elbert didn't have to read the letter his uncle and Lord of Eyrie was holding to know the truth.

His aging and weary face said it all.

"Yes, Robert did indeed slay a demon and intends to have it displayed at Asgard." Jon Arryn, Robert's foster father and the Lord of Eyrie, put down the letter and leaned back in his seat, and uncharacteristically, reached for the pitcher rather than the goblet.

"You always said Robert just needed to use his head and he would do great things." His foster brother had unmatched charisma and could make friends from enemies as easily as he beat them into submission but never had the mind for the finer parts of ruling and nobility.

At least, before his exile.

"I didn't have something from the Age of Heroes in mind when I said that." Jon was happy for Robert, but he was also aware all the wealth and secrets of Valyria would also make him a target.

"Starks, Targaryens, Tyrells, Lannisters, and Tullys, they must be unhappy with the news." Robert's falling out with Ned and the broken betrothal meant he had no love lost when it came to the Starks. The Lannisters hated him because he tarnished their honor, even though it was all Cersei Lannister's fault, and the same with the Tullys due to Hoster's deception and Lysa's dishonor.

The Tyrells were allied with the crown, who hated Robert because of his dragons, and now he also had Valyria, birthplace of House Targaryen, meaning the royalty and five out of the seven great houses had a vendetta with his foster brother.

"Unhappy? My boy, that is an understatement. Starks may not try anything, but the rest? They must already be plotting to kill him." Tywin and the Tyrells, mainly Olena, would try discreet means of removing Robert from the board; House Tully was incapable of doing anything right now, and the Targaryens didn't require any explanation.

"Shouldn't we do something?" Elbert didn't know who to worry about, his foster brother or the Seven Kingdoms, because one or the other would break, and the chances of it being Robert were becoming less likely each day.

"We could, but I don't think Robert will need it, besides some words of wisdom." Jon was going to send a letter to Robert to be cautious, though considering what happened with Cersei Lannister, Robert was plenty cautious.

"I suppose you're right."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Riverrun

Hoster Tully held the letter out to his brother and laid his head down on his forearms, resting on his desk. "I don't think it could get any worse than this." Rumors had already reached them regarding Robert's adventures, but the letter sealed the truth.

Brynden took the letter, giving it a cursory glance, and sat down.

For the first time in a long while, both brothers were on the same page.

"What now?" Brynden and Hoster hadn't gotten along for a long time, but with the hardships House Tully faced in the last years, they understood the necessity of sticking together.

"I don't know." Hoster had no cards to play, no moves to make, not a single way of standing against Robert Baratheon.

They were still technically allied with the crown, as they were fostering his son with the tentative promise of a marriage, and his good-son's sister was the queen, and when a war between the Father of the Dragons and House of the Dragon eventually broke out, Hoster would have to make a choice.

Either betray his allies and stay neutral, or join them and face Robert and his dragons.

He didn't know what to do at all.

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Winterfell

"This has to be a joke!" Brandon slammed his goblet down, spilling wine on his father's desk, who was already on edge due to the letter.

"It is not." Rickard Stark replied coldly, not in the mood for his heir and son's tantrum. The Lord of Winterfell already had enough on his plate.

"Fuck." Brandon snatched the goblet back, drinking it in one go. "What do we do now?" He asked, all the pent-up anger getting to him.

His father was keeping an even sharper eye on him ever since Storm's End, and Brandon didn't even get a moment's respite to enjoy himself, except for the drinks, which had been limited.

"We prepare North and strengthen our alliances." For there was no other option.

"How is any of that going to stop Robert should he get any ideas?" Brandon rose, filling his cup again.

"Do you have a better idea, Brandon?" Perhaps you could do something extraordinary to give us an edge against Robert?"

Rickard was actually a bit resentful.

Brandon and Robert were similar, too similar in fact.

Both loved to drink, fuck, and fight, but where Robert had matured and become someone spoken of with reverence, fear, and respect, even more than Tywin Lannister, Brandon had become a joke among the Seven Kingdoms, not in the least due to his dalliance with Ashara Dayne and how Ned stepped up to claim the child as his and wed the Dornish woman.

He had made great strides in learning how to govern and control his urges, but still fell short of Robert.

Just as many did.

Brandon sat down, silent as a grave.

---

In the next chapter:

The workers took him to what he guessed to be the entrance of a dungeon beneath a mansion, though the steel gate was rusted and blocked by rocks, with the banner of House Lannister stuck between them.

He tried to pull the rest of the banner out, but it wouldn't budge. "Start removing the rocks." Tyrion ordered, and the men got to work as he watched.

Perhaps Tommen II Lannister and what remained of his fleet had no choice but to take refuge there and were trapped inside when the entrance collapsed.

Hauling the rocks away and clearing the entrance took time, but the workers were used to this kind of labor, and slowly, the gates were exposed.

Prying it open was another challenge, but it was one easier than the Valyrian steel gate barring the treasure vault.

The air inside was stale, and it was impossible to see anything. "Somebody bring me a torch." Tyrion called out, ready to go and find Brightroar if it was inside.

The sound of something like bone crunching echoed in the dungeon, and Tyrion hesitantly held out the torch to illuminate the darkness of the dungeon. He dropped the torch as two blood-red eyes appeared ahead, watching him like prey.
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