FVN Chapter 178: Cannibal’s Wrath
Chapter 178: Cannibal’s Wrath
Chapter 178: Cannibal’s Wrath
"Rhaenyra, I'm here to help you!"
Jeyne's hoarse voice rang out.
Rhaenyra turned to see Jeyne struggling up the hill, carrying an unconscious Jessamyn.
"How is she?" Rhaenyra asked, forcing a smile, her concern more perfunctory than genuine.
"She's weak from blood loss," Jeyne replied, her voice dazed. She gently laid Jessamyn on the ground and moved to support Rhaegar.
Rhaegar glanced at her, noticing her dull eyes and slight tremble—signs of shock.
"Be careful not to aggravate the wound," Jeyne warned, carefully taking Rhaegar's arm, her grip tight.
She had witnessed Rhaegar's solo stand against the Mountain Clans. In the heat of the battle, she had drawn her dagger, ready to end both her and her friend's lives if Rhaegar fell. By some miracle, they had survived.
Bloodied swords, flying sparks, and a blazing dragon had been her reality moments ago. Her worldview had been shattered and reshaped by the sight of Rhaegar's valiant fight and the dragon's fiery wrath.
"This is a miracle!" Jeyne murmured, clutching Rhaegar's arm tighter, seeking security.
With great effort, Rhaegar flattened himself on Cannibal's back. The saddle would only worsen his injuries.
Rhaenyra and Jeyne climbed off the dragon, then carefully lifted Jessamyn onto its back. Syrax, not as swift as Cannibal, was still on its way back.
Rhaenyra settled into the saddle and earnestly pleaded, "Cannibal, fly us back to Runestone safely."
"Roar..." Cannibal rumbled, slowly standing and flapping its wings to stabilize its flight. It understood the gravity of the situation.
Behind the saddle, Rhaegar and Jessamyn lay on the dragon's back. Jeyne sat between them, holding each of their hands, her eyes tightly shut as she fought her fear of heights.
She held on firmly, though the fear of falling was unfounded; Cannibal, an adult dragon, had a broad back and flew smoothly, ensuring their safety.
...
Runestone
This was Shae, the eldest son of the Stone Crows tribe's patriarch. His two younger brothers had been sent on another mission.
Despite the defenders' best efforts, the sheer number of Mountain Clansmen proved overwhelming.
Logs and stones rained down from the walls, and oil fires blazed, but the attackers continued to climb. The walls of Runestone, only seven or eight meters high, allowed a few determined invaders to slip through the defenses.
"Kill!" Gerold drew his sword and slashed at the Mountain Clansmen who managed to breach the walls. But no matter how quickly he moved, he couldn't prevent more from scaling the fortifications.
Soon, more than a dozen Mountain Clansmen had reached the top, killing soldiers and causing chaos.
Shocked and desperate, Gerold rallied his troops to defend the city. Suddenly, a dragon roar echoed from the distance, silencing the battlefield as all eyes turned to the sky.
A pitch-black dragon burst through the clouds and swooped down on Runestone. Its ghostly green flames scorched the battlefield, leaving screams of agony in its wake. Another dragon, golden and majestic, followed close behind, unleashing its own torrent of golden fire.
"No! What kind of monsters are they? Run!" The sight of the dragons' fury sent the Mountain Clansmen into a panic, abandoning their weapons and fleeing in terror.
"Burn them all!" Rhaenyra, sitting on Cannibal's back, her face contorted with rage, commanded the dragon to unleash its fire.
The two dragons, one black and one gold, circled above the battlefield, their flames crisscrossing in a devastating pattern. The Mountain Clansmen, packed tightly on the ground, were incinerated en masse.
Rhaenyra, consumed by vengeance, pursued them relentlessly. She and Rhaegar had nearly perished at the hands of these savages, and she was determined that they would pay in blood and fire.
"Help! Help me!" came the desperate cries of the fleeing clansmen, their voices cut short by the dragons' fire.
In moments, the area around Runestone was reduced to scorched earth, littered with the bodies of the dead. Only a few Mountain Clansmen escaped into the Vale and the forests; the rest were consumed by the dragonfire.
Rhaenyra's eyes were red, her face streaked with dried tears. "Rhaenyra, stop chasing!" Jeyne cried out in panic, clinging to Rhaegar and Jessamyn on the dragon's back.
"Be gentle, Jeyne," Rhaegar's face was pale as he held Jeyne's trembling hand. He shared her desire to annihilate the Mountain Clans, but the pain from his wounds was unbearable.
Rhaenyra snapped out of her fury at the sound of his voice, turning to look worriedly behind the saddle. "Cannibal, land at Runestone," Rhaegar commanded, patting the pitch-black scales beneath him.
The dragon obeyed and descended toward the besieged city.