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CHAPTER 243

294 AC

POV THIRD PERSON

TWO YEAR AGO

Aermir, having successfully subdued the Moon Brothers, turned his attention to other mountain clans; other than two of them, he managed to convince them to follow him. Showing them his magical power and letting his familiars thrash them was enough for most of them, but the Burned Men and the Painted Dogs, the two mountain clans who, refused to bow to him.

The Burned Men, marked by the fiery scars they adorned, were a proud and fiercely independent group. Their leader, Torik, son of Urk, was known for his cunning and fiery temperament. As Aermir approached the Burned Men's village, a ruggedly fortified village carved into the mountainside, Torik stood defiantly at the entrance. He had heard some rumors about this caster, but he always saw his clan above others.

"Ye may have your fancy tricks, Druid, but Burned Men don't bend the knee to no one," Torik spat, his eyes ablaze with determination.

Aermir, flanked by his familiars, met Torik's gaze with an air of calm authority. "Your strength is admirable, Torik. But the winds of change blow, and even the mightiest peaks yield to time. Time has changed. Join me, and together, we shall forge a new destiny for all mountain clans outside of Valeman's shadow."

Torik, unmoved, raised his axe; it was like flames were dancing along its edge, and Aermir could feel magic from the axe. The axe was made out of Valyrian steel, and this one was different from the others. Even though it was made out of Valyrian steel, it had turned into a bronze color. Torik smiled and said,

"Be honored; I will be cutting yer head with our ancestral weapon."

Older men standing behind him were looking at Torik with raging eyes, and one of them shouted,

"It is forbidden to take it out of the village; how dare you show it to an outsider!"

Torik angrily shouted back,

"Shut it, ye half-dead geezer! I never understood that rule. We have such a powerful weapon, and we never use it. Let's see if it is true that this weapon can cut magic."

Aermir smiled and said,

"Because they are smart, weak cannot protect their treasures; if you had ever taken it out of your village, Valeman would send armies to scour every inch of this mountain to find you, but since you are an idiot, you wouldn't know that."

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Aermir sent a level 2 fireball to see if it was really Valyrian steel; the fireball flew towards Torik. The spell was too fast for him to dodge. So, he pulled his shield in front of him with fear in his eyes, but as the fireball came close to him, it got dispelled.

Aermir was really happy. It was such a happy coincidence; even if he had to kill them all, he was taking that great axe. Torik was a big man, as big as Greatjon Umber or maybe a bit bigger. So, he had no problem wielding that big axe with only one hand. Most importantly, this axe looked a bit different; whenever sunlight reflected on it, its color changed to bronze.

Just as Aermir was getting ready to attack, Poe informed him Painted Dogs were coming here with 200 men group, and Aermir was sure they were not coming here to attack this clan. The Burned Men are an offshoot of the Painted Dogs that branched off before Targaryens came to Westeros. So, most likely, they were coming here to help their relatives.

Aermir thought this was good since he could take care of them at the same time. He waited for them to arrive. Their leader, Kaela, was a fierce woman with a wolf pelt draped over her shoulders; she was walking at the front and stood in front of Aermir.

"Your beasts and spells matter not to the Painted Dogs. We do not believe the Old Gods send you. We answer to the spirits of these mountains, not some tree-clad sorcerer," Kaela declared

"I, too, am a servant of the land, a guardian of its ancient secrets. But standing against me means you stand against the Old Gods, and I show no mercy to those who stand against them."

Kaela remained resolute. "The land needs no guardian but itself. We shall not bow, Druid, not to you nor anyone."

Aermir thought this was regretful since both Torik and Kaela looked like good warriors, and after he killed them, he most likely had to kill many more before they would give up. He shook his head and said,

"So be it."

The winds swept through the stony mountain, carrying with them a chilling air as Aermir faced the unyielding spirits of the Painted Dogs and Burned Men. The mountainous battleground became a stage for a clash of magic, steel, and primal ferocity.

Aermir, flanked by his familiars, Berus, Poe, and Erebus, met the unwavering gazes of Kaela and Torik. Torik, with a roar that echoed through the peaks, charged forward, his Valyrian great axe gleaming in the harsh mountain light. Aermir, rooted in the earth's strength, attempted to ensnare Torik, but the bronze hue of the great axe dispelled the magical bindings.

"Your tricks won't work on me, sorcerer! You should have learned that by now." Torik bellowed. On another front, Kaela led her warriors against the massive black dog. Berus defended fiercely.

Above, Poe and Erebus dove through the mountain winds, slashing and tearing at the Burned Men. Every one of their talons was a small knife. Torik, wielding his bronze Valyrian axe with unparalleled skill, disrupted the magic Aermir was casting, but the smile on Aermir's wooden face did not go away.

This started to tick Torik off, and he shouted, "Your birds can't save you, Druid! Your spells mean nothing!" Torik taunted. All Aermir did was laugh and said, "Is that so? The playtime is over. Rhovagon grēze (Bark armor)"

Aermir cast his more powerful armor spell and deflected Torik's attack with his arm, but he could feel the heat from the bronze-colored great axe; then, he stepped in and grabbed him by his throat. He waved his other hand, and it looked like spores were flying 20 meters around him as the center.

"Glome Agri (spore field)"

Mushrooms grew, and spores flew; everyone around him started to act like drunk and staggered. They were hallucinating. Aermir turned his attencion to Torik and said,

"You are a burned man, so I should send you off accordingly. Ajomen anima (Wildfire spirit)."

His wildfire spirit emerged right on top of Torik and flared up, swallowing Torik and himself. Normally, Aermir didn't have fire immunity, but when that fire came from his wildfire spirit body and not from a spell, he was not burned. This move exhausted the spirit and despawned it, so it was mostly useless in a battle, but on this occasion, it was perfect as a show.

Torik burned and screamed in pain as he turned into a charred corpse.

After that, Aermir raised both of his hands and combined two spells,

"perzys ondos (Burning hand), Obusjelmio (Scorching Wind)."

Burning hand only had a 5-meter range, but when it combined with Scorching Winds, its range became 15 meters. It was like he was a fire-breathing dragon; in minutes, he burned around 200 men to charred corpses and mentally scared the rest of them. This spell siphoned up his mana like a sponge, but it was impressive and destructive.

Aermir cast Lion's Roar and shouted,

"I just wanted to see how good they were as warriors to see if I should spare their lives, and those ignorant fools thought they stood a chance against the might of Old Gods with their trinkets and meager power!"

...

With the death of Kaela, Torik, and 200 warriors, the last two clans had bowed down to Aermir. Now, it was time to train them and arm them for the conflict ahead. They will be the dagger he will put through the Vale's chest.