Huff… Huff… The sound of breathing echoed louder inside the helmet. Robert's breath grew heavier, but he didn't order the chase to stop. He kept on pursuing the vampire.
A vampire, its body aflame, fell from a tree, and Robert urged his horse into another charge toward it.
"Raaagh!!" Robert roared.
The tall warhorse, armored heavily, caused the ground to shake with each heavy step. The rider on its back, clad in green stag armor, held up a golden Valyrian steel warhammer. The golden stag cloak fluttered in the wind, making him resemble a warrior possessed by the Seven.
More knights closed in, and the vampire, seeing no escape, attempted to capture Robert as a hostage. Ignoring the burned skin on its body, the vampire crouched down to prepare a leap toward Robert. Just as it was about to jump, a white-armored knight appeared from behind and sliced through its arm with a single strike.
Lyn Cobray, wielding a Valyrian steel sword, had been guarding Robert from the beginning. Robert was charging too fiercely, and the knights carrying silver weapons were still far behind. Besides the mages, only Robert and Lyn's weapons could deal with the vampires.
Lyn struck again, his sword coming down with immense power. The vampire, unwilling to block the blow head-on, tried to retreat sideways. But suddenly, it felt something coming at the back of its head and instinctively ducked. However, its chest exploded in a mist of blood, as the golden stag warhammer pierced through its body. Robert had altered his strike mid-swing.
"Charge with me!" Seeing the vampire burn to ash on the ground, Robert pulled the reins and his warhorse charged eastward to continue pursuing the other scattered vampires.
Three monsters were being attacked by a large group of knights and mages. They were agile and powerful, easily climbing tree trunks, jumping between trees, and leaping distances of over ten meters. The mages could only predict their escape routes and set fire to the trees ahead to block them, buying time for the knights to close in.
Robert and his knights soon arrived at the scene. As the two groups of knights joined forces, their numbers increased, and they gradually cornered the three vampires toward the swamp.
The three fleeing vampires suddenly turned on each other. Two of them, after injuring one of their own, pinned it to the ground and continued fleeing. The two fleeing vampires' baskets were ripped apart during the struggle, and a small winged creature was tightly gripped in one of their hands.
"The King's son has turned into a little monster!" The pursuing knights and mages all witnessed the scene.
Robert's anger grew even greater. He no longer cared about the formation of the surrounding knights and charged directly toward the fallen vampire.
"Die!" With a roar, Robert yanked on the reins, and the warhorse reared up.
The fallen blue-skinned monster was clearly stronger than the two that had died earlier. As the warhorse's hooves came down, it raised its hands and grabbed both hooves.
It slowly stood up, its immense strength forcing the heavily armored warhorse to rear on its hind legs. With the warhorse lifted, Robert jumped off its back.
"Save the King!" The knights around them, seeing this, were shocked and all charged forward.
"You're Robert!" The vampire shouted. It was Oswell, who had once served as a gold cloak in King's Landing and never saw Robert in armor. Only now, hearing the shouts around him, did he recognize the man before him.
The answer to him was a sweeping strike of the warhammer!
Oswell knew the warhammer was made of Valyrian steel and dared not block it head-on. He twisted his waist, dodging the hammerhead, and with both hands, threw the warhorse toward Robert.
But Robert, clad in heavy armor, displayed unexpected agility. He crouched and darted forward, avoiding the fallen warhorse, and then dodged to the side to evade the vampire's reaching claws, though four gashes were left on his chest armor.
"Ha!" Robert, nearly knocked over by the powerful force, stomped hard on the ground, leaping into the air with a loud roar and swinging his warhammer down at the vampire's head.
Robert stood just over six feet tall, with the stag horns on his helmet barely pushing his height over two meters, whereas Oswell, now in his monstrous form, stood at an imposing 2.5 meters.
The vampire had sharp claws and occasional magic, while Robert relied on his agility and jumping ability, making it a back-and-forth battle between the two, despite the huge difference in height.
In the woods, the screeching sound of claws tearing through metal armor, the buzzing of the warhammer being swung, Robert's roars, and the vampire's shrieks all filled the air.
Screech~ The claws tore through Robert's arm armor, leaving several scratches on his arm.
Bang! The warhammer struck the vampire's cheek, sending its teeth flying from the left side of its mouth, transforming into blue fire in the air.
Whoosh~ The heavily armored warhorse, unable to rise after falling, was slashed across the belly by a claw.
Bang! Power surged into Robert's body. As the vampire's clawed hand came toward him, Robert swung the hammer once more, smashing its right arm into three pieces.
"Roar!" In addition to its hands and feet, the coldharbour-type vampire also had two auxiliary limbs on its back, which pierced through the armor like spears, driving into Robert's shoulder. Robert let out a painful roar, but if not for his armor...
Bang! With both bodies close, unable to swing his warhammer, Robert immediately raised it and swung the hammer's handle, driving the stag's head at the end of the handle into the vampire's abdomen.
Robert's warhammer could absorb stamina, with each blow taking from the vampire and giving more strength to Robert, slowly turning the tide of the battle. He hammered again and again, and the vampire's body was riddled with wounds, no longer resembling a human.
"Robert! Robert!" The knights surrounding him saw Robert's bravery, and they formed a large circle around him, cheering him on.
"Die!" Robert roared as he stood on top of the vampire's head, raising the warhammer high and bringing it down with force.
With a loud pop, the head on the ground exploded, blood splattering everywhere.
"Stop chasing," Robert said as he walked aside and sat on the dead warhorse.
Hearing that Daenerys had given birth to a son with magical talent, although the Maester said the child might inherit the deadly disease, Robert still hoped to save him. He had chased relentlessly and finally saw the boy, but now he had turned into a monster.
The remaining two vampires fled into the swamp. The water level was high, and there were crocodiles, so the warhorses couldn't follow.
Hoo~ Hoo~ The knights dismounted and gathered around. They could hear Robert's breathing getting heavier.
"Your Majesty, there were five vampires in total, and you killed three of them," said Barristan.
"Hahaha!" Robert took off his helmet and laughed heartily. He had personally killed three vampires today!
"Robert, take the healing potion quickly!" Edmure ran over and handed Robert his potion.
Robert pushed his hand away, looking up at Edmure and slowly saying, "It won't work on me. Edmure, I heard this was personally crafted by Wright. Hoo~ You should keep it for yourself."
After killing two vampires, an immense amount of stamina filled Robert's body. It was like a cup placed under an open faucet, giving him superhuman strength for a short period. However, this strength far exceeded what his body could withstand.
"Barristan."
"I'm here!" Barristan hurried over. The people around them could tell that something was wrong with Robert and quickly crowded around.
Robert raised both hands and placed them on Barristan's and Edmure's shoulders, patting them. "Thank you."
Robert knew well that he was no longer the brave warrior of his youth. It was these knights who first severely wounded the vampires, then willingly allowed him to deal the final blow. When it was his turn to face the last vampire, he was already riddled with arrows.
Hoo~ Taking a deep breath, Robert looked up at the sky. The canopy was thick with leaves, and only a bit of sunlight peeked through when the wind blew.
He adjusted his posture and looked around at the noble knights standing around him, each one so young and full of energy.
Robert lowered his head and gazed at the puddle of blue ash on the ground, slowly saying, "I didn't lie on a woman's belly."
At that moment, light rain began to fall. The raindrops cascaded from the leaves and onto Robert's stag-helmet, slowly washing away the bloodstains on his armor.
Barristan walked three steps forward, drew his longsword, and placed the tip of the sword in the ground. He then clenched his fist and placed it over his chest, lowering his head to kneel on one knee before Robert.
Edmure placed Robert's hands on his knee, then stepped beside Barristan, drew his longsword, and kneeled as well.
Ten, twenty, fifty people—all the knights, soldiers, magicians, and nobles present knelt on one knee, paying the highest respects to the king, using the knight's supreme gesture of reverence.
In the forest, there was no speech—only the sound of raindrops falling on the leaves. The rain grew heavier, washing away the grass and mud from the warhorses' coats and cleaning the armor of the kneeling knights.
---
After receiving the distress letter, Wright arrived at Flowing City, where the castle was already under martial law, with soldiers patrolling everywhere.
When he landed at the castle gates, Edmure was the first to greet him.
"Wright!" He didn't know how to begin.
"From the banner hanging on the castle, I can guess what happened. Take me inside," Wright said, removing his helmet and signaling Odahviing, still circling in the sky, to land wherever it could.
Following Edmure into the castle hall, the banquet table in the center of the room had been turned into a dais. The dais was covered with thick golden carpets, and stag motifs hung down from every side.
On the dais, Robert lay flat according to the Seven Gods' rules, having removed his armor and changed into his favorite fine clothes. His hands were clasped together over his stomach, with two coins symbolizing communication with death placed over his eyes.
The five Breken sisters stood on one side of the hall, huddled together, crying. A few priests were preparing something, and other nobles were in line, keeping their thoughts on Robert.
At this moment, Qyburn walked over to Wright and gestured. Wright followed him into a corner, and once the silence magic was cast, Qyburn whispered, "I privately advised the king. I suggested that if he were to turn into a vampire, it might cure his illness. He refused, saying he'd rather drown in a river than become that kind of monster."
"Qyburn, you know that the blood of a human who's fallen ill is like poison to a vampire. The conversion would provoke a strong rejection. Do you think I didn't try this in Tyrosh?" Wright replied, referring to the experiments Tyene had done on prisoners.
After reviewing the report, Wright agreed that if the conversion into a vampire could indeed cure all diseases, granting superior physical attributes and magic without side effects, then why would otherworldly demon gods even bother pushing this idea? Humans could all be converted, turning every world into a vampire utopia.
"You need to be cautious with your research, Qyburn. It cannot be exposed. People may accept your research on corpses, but vampires are a different matter," Wright cautioned him.
Qyburn responded, "Right now, I only have blood samples, no living subjects. Many experiments cannot proceed. After the king's funeral, I'll go back to Tyrosh."
After their conversation, Wright approached the table. "Priest, when will the king's body be transported back to King's Landing?"
"We cleaned the king's body today. We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning," the priest replied as he sprinkled water from a bottle around the table.
Robert's death had been anticipated by the Baratheon brothers, including the council ministers. But now that it had finally arrived, Wright stood before Robert's body with mixed emotions.
He raised his hand to Robert's forehead, purple magic glowing. Those around had seen this before; Wright was reading the remnants of Robert's soul.
"Perhaps this is the best way for Robert to end," Varys said as he stepped beside Wright.
Wright shifted the magic, and ice crystals began to form on the table, slowly covering Robert's entire body. It gradually formed a rectangular transparent ice crystal encasing the corpse.
"His first half of life was wise, but the second half was filled with indulgence, extravagance, and illegitimate children, like a second King Aegon IV. But the history books will record that Robert died in battle, not on a woman's bed."
Varys, unusually without a smile, asked, "Lord Wright, how long will this ice block last without melting?"
"One month, or until I choose to cancel the magic," Wright replied.
"King's Landing will take about half a month to reach, and the funeral will last seven days. With your magic, the king's appearance can be preserved for the public to see," Varys said.
"Has the news of the king's death been spread?" With Robert gone, Wright now had the say. He didn't want anyone causing trouble.
"It's been sent out via ravens. The capital's guard is preparing for the funeral. However, there are still some details to discuss, like where Robert should be buried," Varys answered.
"The Targaryen family funded the construction of the Great Sept of Baelor in King's Landing. Their ashes are buried under the church or on Dragonstone. Robert, as king, should receive the same treatment. He will be buried in the church," Wright said. He originally considered having Robert buried at Storm's End, but after thinking about it, he felt the royal identity wasn't quite fitting for that.
"Should we cremate him?" Varys asked again.
"Of course! House Baratheon are also a House of dragonlords!" Wright didn't want Robert's remains to be summoned by some mage and used for experiments, so cremation was the best option.
"Any news on the escaped vampires?" Even though Robert might have sought relief, Wright would not let them go. He tapped his fingers on the table, waiting for an answer.
"The nobles from the Riverlands have sent knights to patrol the area. There's still no clear news."
"Wait until Renly comes to Storm's End, and then notify all the council members. We're having a meeting," Wright commanded directly.
No one dared to object. Varys accepted Wright's orders, glanced around at the crowd, and then said, "I suggest you visit the fourth floor to check on Daenerys."