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[Companion Name: Vermax
Owner: Jacaerys Velaryon
Body Length: 30.68 meters
Wingspan: 72.85 meters
Companion Trait Slots: 6/6 (Unlockable)
Trait Qualities:
Fire and Blood (Purple): Fire resistance +100%
Trait: The pet shares its fire resistance with its master.
Gluttonous (Purple): Appetite +100%, Growth speed +100%
Trait: By devouring high-level creatures, it can trigger a burst in growth speed. (Currently on cooldown)
Agile (Blue): Agility +50%
Dragon Slayer (Blue): Damage to dragon-type creatures +50%
Hardened Scale (Blue): Defense +50%
Iron-Walled Strategist (Blue): Grants the owner a 50% defense bonus
Current Attribute Points: 37,794]
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Because of Vermax's recent metamorphosis, Jacaerys' attention naturally turned first to the trait [Gluttonous]. As he had expected, the ability to devour high-level creatures had a cooldown period.
That made sense. Otherwise, how could such an overpowered trait be limited to only a purple grade? Clearly, it would be worthy of being a divine-tier trait if there were no restrictions.
If Vermax were truly capable of devouring endlessly and evolving without limit, Jacaerys would not hesitate to lead it across Dragonstone Island to consume every last dragon in sight. And not just the wild dragons, but all of them—no exceptions.
He imagined Vermax evolving again and again, becoming a colossus stretching over a thousand meters in length with wings that spanned several kilometers across the sky. Who in the entire world of A Song of Ice and Fire could stand against such a beast?
Of course, dreams like that were best left as fantasies. He needed to be realistic.
What mattered now was that even though Vermax had defeated and devoured the Cannibal, it had not gained a single trait point. This result left Jacaerys both puzzled and frustrated.
In his view, the Cannibal was a creature far more powerful than any human, and it had harbored an intense hostility. Based on that, even if it didn't grant fifty or a hundred thousand points, it should have given at least ten or twenty thousand.
So then, what made humans so special in this system?
With too little information to form a conclusion, Jacaerys set that line of thought aside for the time being.
Lifting his gaze, he looked up at Vermax, whose body and wingspan had both doubled in size. The dragon's scales, once a deep jade green that shimmered like polished emeralds, had now darkened to an ink-black green, caused by the merging of black hues from the Cannibal's essence.
Its dragon flame had changed as well. What was once a bright orange-red blaze had now turned into a somber blend of black and gray.
There was no need for further confirmation. It was clear that during its transformation, Vermax had absorbed certain traits from the Cannibal it had consumed.
Taking the strength of an enemy to make up for one's own weaknesses was the true path to growth.
Without a doubt, Vermax was destined to become a terrifying dragon the world had never seen before.
Through the restored mental link between master and beast, Jacaerys conveyed a single thought. Vermax immediately responded, obediently lowering its massive body so that Jacaerys could climb onto its back.
However, the newly replaced dragon saddle had already been destroyed again due to Vermax's rapid growth. With no choice, Jacaerys, much like Daenerys, gripped tightly onto the ridged spines along the dragon's back with his bare hands, doing his best to steady himself.
With a powerful sweep of its massive wings, Vermax sent a gust of wind roaring through the air, stirring the scorched ashes that covered the ruins of a nearby town and scattering them in all directions.
Because he had not been present the previous night, Jacaerys did not know whether this town had been destroyed by Vermax. But in truth, it did not matter. It was just another town of common folks, and nothing of value was lost.
Rising into the sky, the dark green dragon soared high above the desolate landscape. Behind it, there was only ruin and death.
…
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
On Dragonstone Island, the sharp and urgent clangor of warning bells echoed through the entire Stone Drum Tower.
Hundreds of Dragonstone soldiers scrambled into position, rushing to man the arrow slits in the surrounding towers and preparing for battle.
Over the past several months, Prince Daemon had maintained a constant state of vigilance among the island's defenses. Now, it appeared that his efforts had paid off.
WHOOSH, WHOOSH…
From the northwestern skies over Dragonstone, an unfamiliar dragon approached the Stone Drum Tower. Its appearance was unlike any dragon ever documented in recorded history.
THUNK!
At the top of the Sea Dragon Tower, facing the Narrow Sea, a ballista fired a massive bolt toward the incoming dragon. The trajectory was intentional—it was a warning shot, aimed to miss.
The unknown dragon halted immediately, hovering in the air with its powerful wings outstretched.
A few tense minutes passed in silence, and then the unfamiliar dragon let out a high-pitched roar, a piercing and defiant sound. Without hesitation, it turned and charged directly toward the Stone Drum Tower, radiating open hostility.
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
The sudden aggression provoked an immediate response from the defenders. Arrows and ballista bolts flew through the air in a concentrated volley, all aimed at the dark green dragon.
CLINK! CLINK! CLANG!
The ordinary arrows bounced off harmlessly upon contact with the creature's hide. It was only the larger, heavier ballista bolts that posed any potential threat, and even those were dodged with remarkable agility by the airborne beast.
However, one final heavier ballista bolt did strike its tail.
CLANG! CRACK!
A sharp metallic sound rang out as the bolt rebounded off the dragon's tail with a violent shudder. Though a few dark green scales cracked upon impact, they did not shatter entirely.
Archers with the sharpest eyes paled at the sight. The large ballista was their most powerful weapon against dragons. Even Prince Daemon's own dragon, Caraxes, dared not take a direct hit.
But this unknown beast had resisted the strike with barely any damage. How could they possibly win such a battle?
Hovering above Sea Dragon Tower, the green dragon seemed to know the enemy's ballistas were being reloaded. In a display of arrogance and dominance, it remained in place, unfazed.
Then, in an instant, a blazing red figure streaked across the sky like a flaming arrow, soaring in from the direction of the Dragonpit.
ROOOOOOOAAAAAARR!
Without the slightest hesitation, the scarlet dragon opened its jaws and unleashed a torrent of fire the moment it entered striking range.
That fearsome creature was Caraxes, the Blood Wyrm.
Daemon Targaryen had never once hesitated in battle. The moment an unfamiliar dragon displayed hostility, it was marked as an enemy. And Daemon never showed mercy to his enemies.
Each dragon in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire possessed a flame of its own—unique in color, form, and strength.
Vhagar's flame burned with a brilliant yellow light, hot enough to melt steel with ease. The previous flames of Vermax and Sunfyre had been orange-red, though each differed in strength and intensity.
The dragonflame of the wild beast known as the Cannibal had been a sickly shade of green. Its power did not lie in sheer destruction but in persistence. Once it clung to a target, it was nearly impossible to shake off, spreading like a burning plague.
Caraxes's flame, in contrast, was a dazzling blend of gold and red. It shone with a radiant brilliance, completely unlike the more gaseous and smoky fire that most dragons breathed.
This particular flame possessed a hybrid nature, a fusion of gas and liquid, much like the napalm bombs from a bygone world. On impact, it released a scorching shockwave, then scattered into smaller streams that clung to surfaces, continuing to burn and inflict secondary damage.
With a sharp and thunderous roar, the unfamiliar dragon responded. Almost as if it had anticipated Caraxes's assault, it released a massive torrent of black-gray dragonflame at the very same moment, their attacks colliding in perfect synchrony.
A violent hiss echoed through the skies as the two opposing breaths collided above the Sea Dragon Tower. The flames, so utterly different in hue and nature, erupted upon contact, crackling and hissing as they battled each other in mid-air, each one attempting to consume the other.
Scattered fragments of both dragonflames rained down from the sky, striking the stone roof of the tower. The golden-red fire spread rapidly upon impact, enclosing the slower-burning black-gray flame.
However, despite its ferocious onset, the golden-red flame burned out just as swiftly as it had ignited, lacking sufficient fuel to sustain itself.
The black-gray flame, on the other hand, clung stubbornly to the stone, continuing to burn with an eerie slowness. By appearances alone, the scattered black-gray flames seemed more formidable. But in the sky, where the true battle between the two dragons raged, the outcome told a different story.
Caraxes, whose size was only slightly smaller than that of the famed "Red Queen" Meleys, clearly had the upper hand in both the scale and force of his flame.
His fire column was wider, his impact stronger, and within moments, his golden-red flame overwhelmed the black-gray breath of his opponent.
Yet just before the golden-red dragonflame reached the other dragon's position, the unfamiliar beast shifted swiftly, evading the oncoming blaze.
Prince Daemon was not one to let an advantage slip through his fingers. Without hesitation, he guided Caraxes in hot pursuit, the massive red dragon tearing through the sky after its adversary.
Suddenly, the unknown dragon came to a halt mid-air. Upon its back stood a familiar figure, waving his arms and shouting.
"Wait! Stop! Father, it's me! Jacaerys!"
"Jacaerys?" Daemon's eyes narrowed in confusion and astonishment as he pulled Caraxes back, just as the dragon was preparing to unleash another torrent of flame. His gaze shifted to the dark green beast in the sky. "Is that… Vermax?"
"Yes. A lot has happened these past two days. I'll explain everything in detail later," Jacaerys answered with a firm nod, then gestured towards the crimson-scaled Caraxes.
"I didn't realize it before, but after fighting him today, I now see just how powerful Caraxes truly is."
There was no trace of flattery in Jacaerys's tone. His words were sincere, born from a rare moment of clarity. The pride he had begun to feel from Vermax's recent evolution had been completely swept away by that brief clash in the skies.
Setting aside the life-and-death struggles of dragonriders leaping between backs in mid-air, and focusing purely on raw strength and power, Vermax was still outmatched. When compared to the known titans—Caraxes, Meleys, and Vhagar—he remained the lesser.
Of course, this assessment did not yet account for other mighty dragons who had not entered the fray, such as Vermithor, the Bronze Fury, or the venerable Silverwing and Dreamfyre.
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[Chapter End's]
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