[Chapter Size: 3100 Words.]

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Thrid Person POV

Essos, 296 AC.

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The Arctic ship continued sailing across the sea for a moon, heading straight through the Summer Sea, which lay above Sothoryos. It was a tropical sea, very warm, though they had ample ice stores to stay cool.

The fleet of over 400 ships kept on its course across the sea, but they had been ignoring Sothoryos for some time. However, Jon could no longer set it aside.

“Should we approach the continent, my king?” The captain asked Jon for instructions, and he nodded in agreement.

“We are nearing the region of Great Moraq and the Cinnamon Straits. I was planning to move the fleet northward toward the sea by Qarth, but we need to tend to our men infected with greyscale,” Jon explained, trying to manage the infection among his royal guards as best as he could. His own healing powers didn’t work against such an affliction; he needed to eliminate the cause of the infection, which meant testing plants.

Thus, Jon needed to find a cure for them. After all, he wouldn’t let his men, the best warriors of Artica and his royal guards, die like this. He had managed to slow down the infection with his own magic and a few medicinal plants he had grown in limited supply during the voyage since he couldn’t use his powers extensively while at sea.

“So, we’re reaching the tip of Sothoryos and the entrance to Great Moraq. We’ll go ashore, but only one ship from the fleet will accompany me with a small group. After all, there are many diseases there, and I wouldn’t want to cure one only to catch another. That wouldn’t make much sense,” Jon spoke calmly to his men.

His captain nodded. “Understood, my king. We’ll set the ships on this route.”

Jon nodded, his gaze drifting aside, where he saw five creatures standing on the deck, watching. The humans, giants, and dwarves among the crew avoided getting too close to them, while the creatures followed Jon wherever he went, observing him curiously as he spoke in the human tongue.

The dragons had become quite popular among the crew over the past month, which was no surprise, especially considering their habit of breathing fire onto parts of the ship. Jon had been trying to teach them not to do this, but they were in a rebellious phase, now spitting fire at anything they disliked, even attempting to hit the ship’s mast to avoid circling it.

Among those on the ship, the dwarves were the most displeased with the dragons, and they always gathered to comment, with two of them in a corner of the ship at that very moment.

“I still think it’s a big mistake having dragons here. If they grow by the end of this journey and reach Eragon’s size back in Artica, there won’t be enough space for them on the ship. It’ll be chaos!” one dwarf muttered, looking at the scene from afar. But he didn’t dare get closer, as his race seemed to have a natural aversion to dragons.

“I think you’re exaggerating. Dragons don’t grow that fast. Isn’t Eragon several years old?” another dwarf commented.

“Well, I guess you’re right…” the first replied. “But still, I think it’s a terrible idea having dragons here! They could burn the entire deck, and the ship would be a pile of flames. Maybe we should head to the ship with the forge. Seeing that marvel every day must be the best thing,” he grumbled.

“But it’s already packed with dwarves, and they can hardly move around, even if the forge is beautiful… It’s madness to be on that ship with one dwarf on top of another, smelling their own sweat!” the second dwarf responded.

“Either way, it’s still scary having them here!” the first dwarf murmured persistently, looking at the creatures with some trepidation.

Unaware of the dwarves’ conversation, Jon glanced at the young dragons behind him, who were constantly watching him. In fact, all thirteen of them followed him wherever he went, observing him whenever they weren’t tired or with Jaehaerys. While five of them were here, the other eight were sleeping in the cabin; one belonged to Rhaenys, and another to Daenaerys out of the fifteen eggs, as those two were already bonded with them and thus couldn’t stay with Jon like the others.

Jon sighed and looked toward the entrance to the cabin, where Daenerys stood, holding the black dragon and clearly amused by the scene unfolding.

Jon merely sighed. “Let’s head back inside,” he said to them as he passed by the dragons. They began to move across the deck, crawling and spreading their wings to follow him as quickly as possible, like cats.

“They look like dogs. Nephew, I never imagined dragons would act like this,” Daenerys commented, laughing.

“You think that’s funny, do you?” Jon murmured, gaining a bit of humor himself.

“They certainly do!” Daenerys replied, flashing him a smile.

The dragons were growing quickly. In just one month, they had reached the size of a medium-sized dog.

“How are you taking care of yours?” Jon asked, and Daenerys grinned wider.

“He’s been eating a lot. Soon he’ll be so big he won’t fit on the ship,” she joked. “That’s why I named him Balafur!”

“Honestly, I hope that doesn’t happen. After all, we need to get back to Artica,” Jon said. Of course, he didn’t truly believe that would happen, as it took Aegon years to reach a size capable of destroying a ship.

In the end, he entered with his aunt, finding Arya and Wind talking while reading some books in the ship’s corridor. Wind smiled and greeted them with a hello. Arya looked up at Jon but didn’t say anything before returning her attention to her book.

Jon greeted them and continued on with Daenerys until he reached his cabin door. Upon entering, he found the other eight dragons curled up around his bed, wrapped around each other while Rhaenys watched, holding her dragon, whom she had named Pyraxis, which means Heart of Fire.

Meanwhile, Ygritte stood holding little Jaehaerys in her arms, gently rocking him, seemingly trying to soothe him.

“Now you’re going to join your brothers!” Jon instructed the five dragons, pointing to the bed. They really did look like dogs, obeying Jon and moving closer to the other dragons as they clung to the bedding and climbed up.

Jon walked over to Ygritte, taking Jaehaerys in his arms.

“What’s the plan?” Rhaenys asked, approaching and leaving the dragons. After they all settled beside the others, she held her dragon close to her chest alongside Daenerys.

“Well, first, I need to save my men before heading to Yi Ti, but it won’t be a simple task… I need solid ground, and I believe it’s an opportunity for me to set foot on Sothoryos,” Jon said, spending some time with his family.

The journey continued, and a few days later, they finally reached the edge of Sothoryos, just before the region of Great Moraq and the Cinnamon Straits.

“Wind, I would like you to come with me,” Jon requested of the Child of the Forest. This was due to the plagues they might encounter on that land; she could offer protection with her magic.

Not even the magic of the Children of the Forest had any effect against greyscale, and though Jon could remove affected parts and use magic to regenerate the skin of his men, he wanted to find a definitive cure for the disease, as it would help many people.

“Be careful,” Jon heard someone murmur, looking over to see Arya nearby.

Jon nodded. “You’ll stay here this time, Arya, but it’s a simple task; I won’t be in any danger there. The fewer of us who go to Sothoryos, the better, given the risk of spreading disease.” Jon spoke, and Arya nodded, though she tried to insist on going along. This time, however, Jon wouldn’t allow it.

In the end, Jon transferred to another ship and left the fleet with the new vessel while the rest of the Articans awaited his return on the open sea. He needed to make this journey alone, along with Wind, his infected men, and a small crew, to work on developing the cure.

Since they were close, Sothoryos appeared on the horizon. The ship sailed toward the coast at full speed, which looked like a green line in the distance. The tropical forest revealed itself gradually, and the beach soon appeared as the ship finally anchored nearby after a few hours. Jon took advantage of the time to set up his small laboratory on the ship.

Jon finally stepped outside as his men prepared the boat to row ashore. He couldn’t stop thinking about everything he might encounter there—primitive tribes, cannibals, and even more civilized people, not to mention the unique animals found only in this region.

Almost no one knew this place, as few dared to venture onto this continent due to the infamous plagues, such as the feared Green Fever and other natural dangers in the jungle.

The Child of the Forest quickly began reinforcing a protective shield around some of the men who would accompany Jon. Without wasting any time, they boarded the boat and started rowing toward the island, heading for the beach.

“We’re finally here. I’ll make sure to set up some security around us in the forest against the local wildlife… just stay alert for any attacks from the tribes; they tend to frequent this area,” Jon said, and his men nodded in acknowledgment.

They moved into the forest, passing by coconut palms, as Jon needed solid ground to begin cultivating various types of medicinal herbs and plants. He planned to combine the ingredients and attempt to find an antidote for his men on the ship.

They ventured into the jungle, finding a suitable spot to start planting several herbs on a good patch of land conveniently close to the beach. Jon asked everyone to step back, and, using the power he had acquired from the Old Gods, he began placing seeds in the ground and creating plants that grew at a remarkable speed, as if by magic, right before everyone’s eyes.

“Start harvesting,” he instructed, asking his men to gather everything they could take back to the makeshift lab on the ship.

As he worked, Jon noticed they were being watched. In the distance, a man held a bow, preparing to aim an arrow in his direction. When the stranger saw that Jon had spotted him, meeting his gaze easily, he looked visibly frightened and raised his bow.

Before he could act, a lion leaped out of nowhere from the jungle, knocking him to the ground. The man screamed in terror as all Jon’s guards quickly stood up, raising their swords in the direction of the commotion.

“I’ve got it under control,” Jon said, reassuring his men. The lion didn’t bite the young man; it merely pinned him down, showing its teeth in a way that clearly terrified him.

With a command from Jon, the lion took hold of the man, gripping his short garments by the leg and dragging him over to where Jon stood. The young man tried desperately to grab onto anything to escape, but the lion was far too strong and pulled him easily.

“What do we have here?” Jon approached, examining the man, who was dressed in typical garb of a primitive tribe. Given the tropical environment, he wore minimal clothing suited to a warm region, very different from the people beyond the Wall. He looked up at Jon in fear as the lion released him onto the ground.

“I hope you weren’t planning on shooting that arrow. If so, things won’t go well for you, boy,” Jon said, surprisingly using a few words from the common tongue of Sothoryos, which he had studied a bit but never mastered since he hadn’t found much use for it.

“Who… who are you, man of metal?” the young man murmured in the same language Jon had just spoken, terrified at the sight of Jon in his armor.

“I’m only here to gather some plants. That’s all,” Jon replied calmly, as his royal guards kept watch over the jungle. He noticed there was no one else nearby, as he was also in control of most of the animals around them.

“I saw you make trees grow from the ground… how is that possible?” he murmured, still in shock. “Do you control the animals as well?” The young man couldn’t take his eyes off the lion standing beside Jon, awaiting further commands.

“That doesn’t concern you much,” Jon replied before continuing, “However… I do need a bit of peace here, and I think you could help me…” Jon said, offering a slight smile.

“What?!” the young man murmured, his voice tinged with fear.

“Simple. I want you to warn your people that I’m not here to play games… so I’ll ask you to stay away from here… and if I sense any threat from your people, it won’t just be one of those creatures attacking you… whatever you call lions here,” Jon said, trying to maintain the native tongue.

The young man was released and immediately ran off into the forest, while Jon continued with his men, gathering more plants. By the end of the day, Jon had cultivated nearly everything he needed, leaving some plants to mature until the next day, when he would begin his tests.

Back on the ship, heading to his makeshift lab, Jon examined his infected men, who winced as he removed small gray patches from their infected skin to test his formula.

Jon worked on creating a compound to treat greyscale, using a vision enhancer—a telescope—he had developed, inspired by models Yi Ti had tried to create in the past. He observed the decayed layer reacting with various combined substances extracted from the plants.

Jon spent hours trying to develop antidotes, though he had not yet achieved any significant results, despite some progress. He instructed his companions to rest afterward and then headed to his cabin.

Just before reaching it, he was approached near the hour of the wolf. “My king, there’s movement on the beach and in the forest…” a man informed Jon.

“Yes, I know. They’ve been watching our ship for the past two hours… I saw through the animals,” Jon replied, noting that the people were observing the ship and trying to understand the terrarium he had created on the island. But he wanted to leave this for tomorrow, realizing the warning he’d asked the young man to convey to his tribe had backfired, attracting even more eyes.

Without giving much thought to the wild group, he went to sleep, as he began to dominate the minds of all the crows in the forest, searching for anything interesting there.

The next day, Jon and his men returned to the beach, where they found several natives wielding spears, trying to ward off four lions that surrounded them. Jon looked at the group, who stared back at him in fear. This time, all the men were adults, dressed similarly to the young man they had encountered the day before.

“I believe I’ve made it clear for you not to meddle in our affairs, correct?” Jon commented, approaching them without fear.

“I-Iron Man, we came to meet you!” one of the men said, trying to remain firm while looking at Jon and the lions, bracing for a possible attack.

“Then tell me, what do you want with me?” Jon asked, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.

“Our leader wishes to welcome you to the tribe!” the man replied. Jon shook his head.

“Why would I go there? I’m leaving soon and only need one more day here…” He knew he could find a cure for his men and felt confident he only needed one more day.

“Once again, I’ll ask you not to interfere in my affairs…” He spoke with authority and a hint of warning as the lions began to push them back. The four men retreated into the forest, and Jon shrugged, returning to his work on strengthening the plants for his experiments.

He followed the same routine and awoke the next morning, still encountering setbacks but inching closer to a breakthrough. He had found a combined substance that reacted well against greyscale, though it wasn’t yet potent enough to eliminate it quickly—it was too slow, and Jon didn’t have time to wait for a prolonged effect. He needed it to work faster. So he decided to stay one more day.

Once again, he was approached by the tribe, now led by an elderly woman dressed in bones and plants. She carried a staff and appeared to be about 55 years old. Accompanied by eight men, she approached Jon cautiously.

“Are you the man who makes plants grow from the ground and controls the animals?” she asked, observing him closely.

“How can I help you?” Jon responded, crossing his arms as he faced them.

“May I know what you’re doing in this place, traveler from the north?” she inquired, assuming Jon was from Essos, though he was from a much farther and colder northern land than she imagined.

“I am trying to cure my men, who have been afflicted by a disease,” Jon explained calmly.

The woman’s eyes widened in surprise. “You can heal people?!” she asked in the local language, and Jon nodded.

The elder immediately knelt before him. “Please, heal my granddaughter!” she pleaded, while the other men watched the scene with curiosity, waiting for Jon’s response.

“Your granddaughter? What is wrong with her?” Jon asked, looking at the woman.

“She has severe pain in her stomach; she is close to death. I need help, sir, and as the tribe’s leader, I will do anything!” the woman replied, distressed.

Jon observed her for a moment, seeing an opportunity there. “I will do my best!” he said, intrigued by the chance to see how his abilities would work in this case.

“Take me to your tribe, then,” he said finally, beginning to follow her along with his men toward the woman’s village.

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Note from Raccoon: 

I am adding two chapters to write a bit more about Sothorys. I hope you all enjoy this setting.

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