Chapter 287: Flaming Red Heart

"That was close."

Rhaegar gasped in pain, his body aching as he surveyed the sorry state of his bronze runes. The massive, whip-like limbs had struck with such force that only the protection of his Dragon Claw sword and bronze runes had kept him from being pulverized.

Shaking, Rhaegar slowly rose to his feet, his hand instinctively reaching for his waist. "Where is the Dragon Claw?" he muttered, looking around. All he saw were splinters of wood.

"Damn, it must have been knocked away," he realized. Just before the tentacle struck, he had used Dragon Claw to shield himself, but the impact had knocked it out of his grasp.

Coughing up blood, Rhaegar gritted his teeth and pulled his heavy sword, Brightroar, from his back. He had dropped the sword in his dazed sleep the night before, but fortunately it was still strapped to his back.

"Roar..." Cannibal roared continuously, its pitch-black wings spanning like a dark canopy. It unleashed torrents of ghostly green dragonfire.

The sea monster clung to the sailboat, its crimson skin impervious to the dragonfire. The flames only blackened its flesh and gave off a pungent, burnt smell.

"Heh, smells like dinner," Rhaegar muttered bitterly, staggering into a corner to take cover. His right hand glowed darkly, wisps of black smoke coalescing into a small, eyeless black serpent. It curled around his neck, sucking in the smoke.

Rhaegar's breathing was labored and his body throbbed with pain. The green scales had shielded him from critical damage, but the shock and impact had still damaged his bones and organs.

"Come on, little one," he urged the serpent, coughing and clutching his side. The serpent rune he had mastered could heal most injuries, given time.

Meanwhile, the sea monster, overwhelmed by the dragonfire, began to retreat. Its tentacles flailed wildly, whipping the deck and causing chaos. Stone men and mercenaries were caught in the onslaught, their bodies reduced to pulp, blood spurting everywhere, feeding the creature's rage.

After several agonizing minutes, Rhaegar's strength began to return. His face was still pale, but he was no longer coughing and his movements were more fluid.

"Cannibal, pull it out of the sea!" he ordered, running out of his corner. His eyes were fixed on the boiling sea, his determination unwavering despite the lingering pain.

Cannibal responded immediately, diving and grasping the creature with its claws. The struggle was fierce, but the dragon's power began to pull the monstrous squid from the depths.

Rhaegar's breath was steady now, and he gripped Brightroar tightly. The serpent rune had done its job, restoring enough of his strength to fight. He couldn't help but marvel at the power of the advanced runes, knowing that their full potential had yet to be realized.

"Roar..."

The Cannibal, initially consumed by rage, gradually regained its senses and heeded its rider's commands. Its massive form descended, casting a shadow over the nearby sea and plunging the surroundings into an instant darkness.

As it glided, its claws dipped into the seawater, seizing the crimson sea monster lurking beneath. The sea monster, terrified, wrapped its soft limbs around the dragon's black claws and silently roared with its gaping, fang-filled maw.

Rumble--

At that moment, a distant underwater volcano erupted once more, sending flames skyward. The Cannibal's green vertical pupils gleamed with cruelty as it lifted the sea monster from the water, flapping its wings.

The sea monster's torso, nearly as large as the dragon's head, was encircled by its thick, intimidating limbs. With a fierce grip, the Cannibal hoisted the creature like a rag doll and began tearing it apart mid-air with its claws.

Rip!

The sound of flesh and bone tearing filled the air as the sea monster was torn in half. Its limbs, strained to their limits, snapped under the dragon's immense strength.

"Roar!"

The Cannibal's fury found release as it roared into the sky, spewing Dragonfire onto its claws. The flames consumed the still-writhing sea monster, its body shrieking as it burned.

Driven mad by pain, the sea monster's crimson skin glowed darkly as it bit down on one of the dragon's claws. The Cannibal shook it off, climbed higher, and incinerated the creature with another blast of Dragonfire.

Rhaegar stood on the deck, watching the erupting volcano and feeling the temperature rise. He swung his sword, cutting down a Stone men that had rushed at him, and moved towards the deck's edge. The sea churned like boiling water.

"We need to leave now," Rhaegar muttered urgently. "That underwater volcano is too close. If we stay, we're in serious trouble."

Volcanic eruptions were no joke, and the ash could spread for hundreds of miles. The sailboat was only a dozen miles away. One bad move, and the lava could hit them directly.

Splash!

The sea monster's remains fell from the sky, crashing into the sea and raising enormous waves. Rhaegar's eyes widened as he quickly got down.

The waves slammed against the sailboat, sweeping Stone men and mercenaries into the sea. The force knocked them unconscious, and the boiling water ensured a swift end.

Rhaegar held onto the railing, drenched but unharmed. The bronze runes on his back protected him from the impact.

Splat!

As he stood up, a soft crimson limb emerged from the sea and latched onto the sailboat. Rhaegar looked up to see the sea monster's remaining half clinging to the deck, its limb writhing.

"Damnation!"

Rhaegar's face hardened. He gripped Brightroar and stepped forward quickly. The sea monster, clinging to the sailboat, couldn't be attacked with Dragonfire, but his sword would suffice.

His Pyromancer talent surged, flames enveloping his body, and Brightroar seemed to roar with the fury of a lion. With a cold smile, Rhaegar rushed to the sea monster's writhing limb and swung his sword violently.

Plop!

Rhaegar's sword fell, severing the sea monster's thick, soft limbs. Blue, fishy blood splattered everywhere.

Rhaegar stepped back quickly, watching the severed limb writhe as the rest of the sea monster's body lay limp on the deck.

"A sea monster is no match for a dragon!" he roared, raising his sword high and driving the point down swiftly.

Another jet of foul-smelling blood erupted as the sword pierced the sea monster's mouth, churning the soft flesh inside.

As Rhaegar tried to pull the sword free, the sea monster's fangs clamped down and held it in place.

Without hesitation, Rhaegar summoned a ten-foot spear into his right hand. The spearhead, a foot-long blade forged from Valyrian steel, glowed with a cold light.

"Sneaking up on me, are you? Go to hell!" he growled, ignoring the writhing mass beneath him. He gripped the shaft of the spear with both hands and thrust it forcefully into the sea monster's mouth.

Rhaegar remembered tales from the Iron Islands that said a sea monster's weakness lay in its mouth, connected to its respiratory and nervous systems. A strike there could cause instant collapse.

The sea monster struggled desperately under the attack, black water bubbling from its crimson skin. But its struggles soon faded.

The broken limbs fell limp, twitching weakly. Its torso deflated, and azure blood gushed from its mouth.

"Haha! I finally got it," Rhaegar grinned, his chest heaving. He retrieved his sword and spear, then sat down on the slippery corpse.

"The quest mission is open—the target is the cursed sea monster," the Explorar System announced as he touched the sea monster's skin, triggering a system beep in his ears.

Rhaegar froze, then called up the system panel.

[Cursed Sea Monster

Exploration Progress: 0.5%]

Stunned, he ran his hand over the sea monster's slimy surface. "It was a magical creature?" he mused. But something didn't seem right.

The quest emphasized "cursed."

Rhaegar's eyes narrowed as he noticed black slime oozing from the sea monster's body. He stood and poked at the slime with his lance. A familiar image came to mind, surprising him. "The Shadowbinder's Curse?"

He ignited the lance and set the black slime on fire. It burned with a crackling sound, incinerating the slime and even drying the sea monster's blood.

"It's really tough to deal with," Rhaegar sighed, satisfied. "But it should be fine now."

With the sea monster dead and the black slime burned away, even the most potent curse had lost its host.

"Push them all down!"

"Kill them..."

Having slain the sea monster with his own hands, Rhaegar returned to his senses, the chaotic sounds of battle filling his ears.

On the deck, the remaining mercenaries worked together to push the few remaining stone men into the sea. The blows from the sea monster's soft limbs had left only a handful of mercenaries and stone men standing. Fortunately, the stone men in the water were unable to climb onto the violently rocking sailboat, allowing the mercenaries to gain the upper hand.

Rhaegar watched the scene from his perch on the sea monster's corpse, temporarily removed from the chaos.

"Move, don't let the stone men in the sea climb up!" the squad leader shouted, his helmet askew.

The sailboat had been inching forward, slowed by the earlier turmoil. Now, unhindered by the stone men and the sea monster, it began to make its way past the ruins of the stone bridge and away from the dangerous area.

"Roar..." Cannibal hovered above, unleashing Dragonfire upon the stone men still attempting to pursue them through the water.

Rumble-

The underwater volcano continued its eruption, spewing magma and filling the sky with volcanic ash. Crimson lava splashed high into the air, some of it landing near the southern shore of the ruins of the Stone Bridge.

Rhaegar's face tightened in concern. He called to Cannibal, ready to mount and flee at a moment's notice. The Smoking Sea's reputation for danger was well deserved; the underwater volcano alone posed a significant threat.

Fortunately, only a small amount of lava reached their vicinity, reducing the immediate danger of being drenched in molten rock. However, the black volcanic ash had spread rapidly and caught up with the sailboat.

The ash, carrying high temperatures and mixed with loose minerals, resembled thick black smoke. Cannibal, flying through the air, was the first to encounter the ash, choking and unable to see properly, emitting a low, gurgling roar.

"Cough, cough, cough..." Rhaegar choked and coughed, the ash choking him as he covered his mouth and nose. The heat was unbearable, and the volcanic ash felt like furnace soot, making it impossible to breathe.

The mercenaries fared even worse, already exhausted from the battle. They panted heavily, choking and whimpering in agony.

"Dangerous," Rhaegar muttered, his face covered in ash, his eyes red with irritation.

Buzz...

In the moment of crisis, his space bracelet trembled slightly, emitting a faint red glow. Rhaegar's mind raced, remembering a snowy treasure he had acquired.

He touched the bracelet, and a slender silver necklace appeared in his hand. The necklace itself was unremarkable, but the pendant - anoctagonal crimson ruby the size of a baby's fist - was extraordinary.

"Flaming Red Heart!" Rhaegar exclaimed, astonished.

When the Mountain Clans were burned, the red priestess who carried the Flaming Red Heart had shown no fear of Dragonfire. As an inherited treasure of the R'hllor Temple, it must possess extraordinary properties.

(Word count: 1,876)