Dawn was slowly approaching.
Above the Summer Sea, four enormous shadows cut across the sky.
At the front, Tristan rode Bahamut.
A short distance behind him, Aegon flew atop Ignil, Arya atop Lucerion, while Tyrion soared upon Gulderon.
They had no army with them.
There were no thousands of ships.
They carried nothing but their weapons, Tyrion's intelligence, and the four dragons.
But that was more than enough.
From a distance, the walls of Yunkai began to appear.
A massive yellow city, surrounded by fortifications and towers, stretching all the way to the coast.
Yunkai's soldiers stood atop the walls, watching the sky.
At first, they thought they were birds.
Then the shadows began to grow.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
The soldiers froze in place.
"Dragons…"
The word spread among the soldiers like wildfire.
"Four dragons!"
One of the guards ran toward the captain of the guard.
"My lord! Dragons are approaching from the west!"
The captain stepped onto the top of the tower and looked toward the sky.
His face went pale.
"Send word to the council."
"And what do we do?"
The captain was silent for a moment.
Then he said:
"Open the signal towers. Let everyone know that Tristan's army has arrived."
One of the soldiers hesitated.
"But… there is no army."
The captain looked at him.
Then returned his gaze to the sky.
The dragons were approaching rapidly.
"Then… four dragons are his army."
Inside the palace of Yunkai, the city council had gathered in haste.
The high lords sat around a long table, while soldiers stood at the doors.
One of them said:
"He's here."
Another replied:
"Tristan?"
"Yes."
"With his army?"
The messenger fell silent.
"He has no army."
Silence filled the room.
Then one of the lords burst out laughing.
"Four dragons?"
The others looked at him.
"Does he really believe he can bring down Yunkai with four beasts?"
An old man said:
"Dragons are not an army."
One of them smiled.
"They are merely creatures that can be killed."
But the old man said nothing.
He had lived long enough to know that grand words could not stop fire.
Suddenly, a terrifying roar echoed above the city.
Everyone raised their heads.
One of the dragons reached the palace.
Then the second appeared.
The third.
And the fourth.
Several guards stepped backward.
One of the lords said:
"Send a negotiator."
Tristan landed on a hill near the city.
Aegon, Arya, and Tyrion dismounted from their dragons.
Tyrion looked toward the walls.
"They've prepared themselves."
Tristan looked at the city.
"Can you identify the locations of their command centers?"
Tyrion pulled out a map.
"The main fortress is here. The weapons stores are on the eastern side. The harbor is to the south. Most of their forces are stationed inside the city."
He pointed to several locations.
"If we destroy the towers first, they won't be able to use the archers against the dragons."
Aegon asked:
"And if they try to flee?"
Tristan looked at him.
"The leaders won't escape."
Then he turned to Arya.
"You and Lucerion take the harbor."
She nodded.
"Understood."
"Aegon, take Ignil and strike the watchtowers."
Then he looked at Tyrion.
"You're with me."
Tyrion smiled.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
A knight approached the city gates.
He carried a white banner.
He raised his hand.
"Tristan!"
No one answered him.
"I've come on behalf of the Lords of Yunkai to negotiate!"
Tristan looked at Tyrion.
"Go."
Tyrion stepped forward.
"What do they want?"
The man said:
"They want to know your terms."
Tyrion laughed mockingly.
"You were given the terms days ago."
"We want to hear them again."
Tristan stepped forward.
"Fine."
He looked directly at the man.
"Open the city gates."
"And then?"
"Hand over those responsible for the attack on Astapor."
The man's expression changed.
"And what will happen to the city?"
Tristan said:
"I will not burn it."
The man breathed a sigh of relief.
But Tristan continued:
"If you surrender now."
Silence returned.
The man asked:
"And what if we refuse?"
Tristan looked at the four dragons.
"You know the answer."
The man returned to the city.
Several minutes passed.
Then the gates of Yunkai closed.
Tristan raised his eyes.
He did not become angry.
He did not shout.
He simply said:
"They have chosen."
The attack began.
Bahamut rose into the sky.
Ignil launched himself beside him.
Lucerion and Gulderon split off toward the south and east.
Yunkai's towers began firing arrows.
The soldiers shouted:
"Fire!"
Hundreds of arrows were launched.
But the dragons were faster.
Ignil dove.
His jaws opened.
Fire erupted.
The flames engulfed the first tower.
Soldiers screamed as they fell.
Then Ignil turned toward the second tower.
He unleashed his fire again.
The tower collapsed.
Above the ground, Aegon raised his sword.
"Keep going!"
Ignil roared.
Then he dove toward a group of soldiers attempting to operate one of the siege engines.
The flames gave them no chance.
On the other side, Arya flew above Lucerion.
"There! The ships!"
Lucerion looked down.
The harbor was filled with warships.
Arya gave him the command.
The dragon dove.
Fire struck the first ship.
Then the second.
Then the third.
Flames spread across the surface of the water.
The sailors attempted to flee.
But the ships were packed tightly together.
The fire began spreading from one to another.
Arya said:
"Don't let a single warship escape."
Lucerion released a deafening roar.
To the east, Gulderon reached the weapons stores.
Tyrion had identified their location precisely.
"There!"
Gulderon dove.
The stores of arrows, swords, and shields exploded.
Wood and stone flew in every direction.
Tyrion looked down.
"And now… they don't have enough weapons to defend themselves."
Bahamut was flying above Tristan.
Tristan raised his head.
Then he heard a voice inside his mind.
[Ding!]
[Warning.]
[A large military gathering has been detected near the northern gate.]
Tristan smiled.
"Bahamut."
The dragon turned.
"Yes."
Bahamut descended rapidly.
The soldiers began screaming.
"He's coming!"
"Fire!"
Arrows were launched.
But they bounced off Bahamut's scales.
He opened his mouth.
Flames erupted.
The front ranks were reduced to ash.
The others retreated.
Bahamut landed in the courtyard.
Tristan jumped from his back.
He drew his purple sword.
The soldiers stared at him.
One man standing before dozens of soldiers.
But the man did not retreat.
One of the soldiers shouted:
"Kill the Targaryen!"
They charged toward him.
Tristan moved.
One strike.
Then another.
Then a third.
His sword moved through the soldiers' armor with terrifying speed.
Bahamut advanced behind him, and whenever a soldier tried to approach, the dragon's claws sent him crashing to the ground.
There was no army.
But there was also nothing an army could do against this.
In the center of Yunkai, chaos erupted.
The towers were falling.
The harbor was burning.
The weapons stores had exploded.
And the soldiers had begun fleeing.
One of the commanders rushed into the palace.
"My lord!"
The ruler of Yunkai turned.
"What is happening?"
"They've broken through our defenses."
"How many troops do they have?"
The commander fell silent.
"Answer me!"
"There is no army."
The ruler froze.
"What?"
"It's only the dragons."
The ruler could not believe it.
"How can four dragons do all this?"
The commander said:
"Because we have nothing that can stop them."
Outside, a scream rang out.
The ruler stepped onto the balcony.
He saw Bahamut.
The dragon was still far smaller than the size he would eventually reach, but he was already an enormous beast.
Tristan stood before him.
Then three more dragons appeared in the sky.
Ignil.
Lucerion.
Gulderon.
The ruler stared at the scene.
Then he understood.
Tristan had not come to threaten them.
He had come to fulfill his promise.
After hours of fighting, Yunkai's resistance began to collapse.
Some soldiers surrendered.
Others fled.
But a large group gathered around the final fortress.
Aegon said:
"I can finish this."
Tristan looked at him.
"Do it."
Aegon mounted Ignil.
The dragon rose into the sky.
Then dove.
He did not strike the city.
Instead, he struck the wall in front of the fortress.
Most of it collapsed.
Yunkai's remaining forces rushed out.
But Arya was waiting for them.
Lucerion dove in front of them.
They retreated.
From the other side came Gulderon.
Then Bahamut.
The soldiers found themselves surrounded by four dragons.
They dropped their weapons.
One after another.
Tristan reached the ruler's palace.
The door was open.
He entered.
The ruler stood in the hall.
"I want to negotiate."
Tristan looked at him.
"Negotiations are over."
"I can surrender the city."
"You will surrender it."
"And I will give you gold."
"We will take what we need."
"And I will acknowledge your rule."
Tristan stepped closer.
"You will do more than that."
The man trembled.
"What do you want?"
"Names. Everyone involved in the conspiracy against Astapor."
The ruler fell silent.
Then he said:
"I don't know."
Tristan stepped closer.
"Then I'll find them myself."
Tyrion entered the hall moments later.
He was carrying a collection of documents.
"I found something."
Tristan took the papers.
They contained correspondence between several merchants and Yunkai's commanders.
And names.
Names of men.
Names of families.
And the names of people who had helped finance the attack on Astapor.
Tyrion said:
"There's more than we expected."
Tristan looked at one of the letters.
Then handed it back.
"Keep it."
"Why?"
"We'll need it later."
Tyrion looked at him.
Then smiled faintly.
"I knew you'd say that."
At sunset, Tristan's banner flew above the highest tower in Yunkai.
The battle was over.
The city no longer resisted.
The harbor was no longer military.
And there was no army left capable of fighting.
Tristan stood atop the tower.
Aegon, Arya, and Tyrion stood beside him.
The four dragons stood behind them.
Aegon said:
"It has fallen."
Tristan said:
"No."
Aegon looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
"It hasn't fallen yet."
He pointed toward the city.
"The city will need administration. Food. Security. Trade. Taxes."
Tristan looked at Tyrion.
Tyrion smiled.
"I knew this would come back to me."
Tristan said:
"Yunkai is under our control from this moment onward."
Then everyone heard the familiar sound.
[Ding!]
Tristan stopped.
A System window appeared before him.
[First Objective Completed.]
[The main military and political power of Yunkai has been destroyed.]
[Control of the city of Yunkai has been established.]
[First Objective Reward Granted.]
[+350 to all of the Host's attributes.]
[+10,000 System Points.]
[System Shop unlocked.]
[Lightning Manipulation unlocked.]
Tristan's eyes changed.
Then another message appeared.
[Lightning Manipulation unlocked for Bahamut.]
Tristan looked at the dragon.
Small sparks began appearing around his scales.
Bahamut raised his head.
Suddenly, lightning struck the sky.
Thunder echoed over Yunkai.
Everyone stepped back.
Even Aegon, Arya, and Tyrion stared in shock.
A spark approached Tristan's hand.
He closed his fingers.
Then it disappeared.
Tyrion said in shock:
"What the hell is happening here?"
Tristan looked at his hand.
"Lightning."
That night, the four gathered in the palace hall.
Tristan sat at the front.
Tyrion stood before a map of Essos.
He pointed at Yunkai.
"This is ours now."
Then he pointed east.
"But Meereen knows what happened."
Aegon said:
"Do you expect them to flee?"
"No," Tyrion replied.
"Meereen is larger. Stronger. And more arrogant."
Arya said:
"Then they'll try to fight."
Tristan replied:
"Let them."
The three looked at him.
"We will bring down Meereen after Yunkai."
Then he looked at the map.
"But this time… we won't give them a chance to prepare."
Aegon asked:
"When do we move?"
Tristan raised his head.
"Tomorrow."
Elsewhere, inside Meereen, a messenger was running through the corridors.
He threw open the doors to the council chamber.
"Lords of Meereen!"
Everyone turned.
His face was pale.
"Yunkai…"
One of the lords said:
"What about it?"
The man swallowed.
"It has fallen."
Silence filled the room.
"How?"
The messenger said:
"Four dragons."
One of the lords said:
"Impossible."
"I saw them with my own eyes."
One of the commanders stepped forward.
"Did they have an army?"
The messenger shook his head.
"No."
The commander laughed.
"Four dragons cannot bring down Meereen."
But no one laughed this time.
Because they all knew that Tristan was now closer than ever.
In Yunkai, Tristan stood before Bahamut.
The sky was dark.
Blue sparks moved across the dragon's scales.
Tristan extended his hand.
A small bolt of lightning approached his palm.
Then disappeared.
He said:
"This is only the beginning."
Bahamut raised his head.
He roared.
From a distance, the other three dragons answered.
Aegon stood beside Ignil.
Arya stood beside Lucerion.
Tyrion stood beside Gulderon.
Four people.
Four dragons.
But behind them now stood an entire city.
Aegon asked:
"Do you think Meereen will surrender?"
Tristan answered:
"No."
Arya asked:
"And will that stop us?"
Tristan smiled.
"Quite the opposite."
He looked east.
"It will make things easier."
Then he said:
"Tomorrow… we go to Meereen."
Above them, the four dragons rose into the sky.
They had not yet reached their future sizes.
Their strength had not yet reached its peak.
But they were enough.
Enough to bring down a city.
And enough to change the balance of power in Essos.
And that night, Meereen understood one truth:
Yunkai was not the end.
It was only the first message.
The second message…
would arrive with four dragons.