Chapter 128: Injury
Shooting at a moving target—and dodging while moving—was a completely new type of training for both the Unsullied and Viserion, and a far more difficult one as well.
With Daenerys watching from nearby, the three Unsullied soldiers operating the ballistae were visibly nervous. They feared that if they aimed too poorly, their queen might be displeased.
At Drogon's current juvenile peak, his speed was approaching the speed of sound, and his reactions were even faster. He could predict the direction of a bolt and Viserion's evasive movement in advance, deciding whether he needed to intercept the shot.
Because of that, this kind of training was both safe and practical.
It would also help Viserion and Rhaegal quickly adapt to this type of attack so they wouldn't be caught off guard if they ever faced ballistae in real combat.
After watching Viserion dodge several shots in a row, Daenerys finally began to relax.
At the same time, she silently felt grateful to Drogon.
If he hadn't been training the younger dragons since the day they were born, how could Viserion now evade a weapon specifically designed to kill dragons?
While Viserion trained, Rhaegal's initial worry gradually turned into eager excitement. Especially after seeing Daenerys clap for Viserion, she could hardly contain herself.
She wanted to try dodging the bolts too.
Drogon had already sensed Rhaegal's impatience. After letting Viserion practice a few more times, he signaled for them to switch.
The moment Rhaegal arrived above the ballistae, she was practically buzzing with excitement, staring eagerly at the weapons below.
Such a show-off, Drogon thought silently.
Yet despite being female, Rhaegal's performance was no worse than Viserion's.
Watching from the ground, Daenerys was extremely pleased and applauded again for Rhaegal's performance.
Since she wasn't in a hurry to return, she remained there, watching the training together with Drogon as Rhaegal soared up and down through the sky, lightly dodging bolt after bolt.
Once Rhaegal had grown accustomed to the rhythm of the ballista attacks, Drogon allowed her to rest and called Viserion back in.
Excited to play the "dodging game" again, Viserion eagerly took to the sky.
But while he was thrilled, Daenerys—who had been watching calmly—felt her heart tighten again.
Viserion easily dodged the next bolt and began circling in preparation for the next one.
Out of the corner of his eye, however, he suddenly noticed another familiar black dot racing toward him.
Without time to think, he arched his body backward.
The massive bolt grazed the scales on his neck and flew past.
Viserion blinked in confusion.
He cautiously glanced down.
The Unsullied soldier standing beside the second ballista, which had previously been idle, was now loading another bolt into its firing rail.
Only then did Viserion realize why Drogon had briefly flown down earlier to gesture to the soldiers before returning to the sky.
Two ballistae were now firing at him simultaneously.
Realizing this, Viserion silently complained about his boss while immediately focusing with full concentration, staring intently at the two ballistae below.
Soon another freshly loaded bolt shot toward him.
He saw the direction clearly and twisted his body sideways, dodging it.
But immediately afterward, another bolt shot toward his abdomen.
Viserion beat his wings sharply, barely slipping past the bolt at the last moment as it brushed by him.
After dodging the previous bolt, Viserion had just stabilized his body when another one came whistling toward him.
The firing rhythm of the two ballistae was becoming faster and faster. Despite twisting left and right in the air, Viserion could no longer avoid every shot.
"Roar!"
A painful cry burst from his throat as a massive bolt scraped across his back, carving a shallow groove in his flesh. The wound was not deep, but the pain was intense.
"Viserion!"
Hearing his cry, Daenerys shouted anxiously.
From the moment the two ballistae began firing in quick succession, she had clenched her fists tightly.
She knew Drogon possessed incredible speed and defense, but the ballista bolts were fast as well. She feared that if Viserion were truly in danger, Drogon might not reach him in time.
And sure enough, under the relentless barrage of the twin ballistae, Viserion had finally been struck.
The moment Viserion was hit, the Unsullied stopped loading new bolts.
It wasn't only Daenerys who had been tense— even the famously steady nerves of the Unsullied had nearly cracked under the pressure of those rapid shots.
They had been terrified that one mistake might seriously injure—or even kill—the queen's dragon.
Just as they stopped, a sharp, slightly angry hiss echoed from the sky above.
Viserion was still hovering in the air rather than landing.
The Unsullied exchanged glances before looking toward Daenerys.
They guessed that Drogon was displeased that they had stopped firing. But after already hitting Viserion once, how could they dare continue without permission?
All they could do was look at their queen for guidance.
Watching Drogon and Viserion still suspended high in the sky, Daenerys suddenly understood something.
Viserion's injury had not occurred because Drogon had failed to intervene in time.
It was likely that he had never intended to intervene at all.
In Drogon's eyes, that wound probably wasn't serious—and perhaps Viserion could still continue training.
Daenerys knew Drogon was pushing them this hard so that when they faced real ballistae in the future, they would avoid injuries—or even death.
She thought back to the many ballistae Drogon had faced when he burned the cities of Ghis.
One day, Rhaegal and Viserion might face the same situation.
Grinding her teeth slightly, Daenerys finally nodded to the Unsullied.
They began loading another bolt, but Daenerys quickly added,
"Increase the interval between shots."
Viserion was already injured and no longer as agile as before. If the firing speed remained as intense as earlier, he might suffer a much worse wound.
With the queen's approval, the Unsullied resumed firing.
Drogon noticed immediately that the rate of fire had slowed.
But he did not fly down to correct them.
He knew it must have been Dragon Mother's decision.
The reason he had allowed Viserion to be injured—and even forced him to continue training afterward—was simple.
He wanted the young dragon to experience the true feeling of battle.
In real combat, injuries were inevitable.
A warrior could not leave the battlefield simply because he had been wounded.
Having been trained by Drogon since birth, Viserion had already figured out his boss's training philosophy:
He never made things comfortable.
The carefree dodging from earlier had now turned into a relentless storm of bolts from two ballistae, forcing Viserion into constant desperate evasion.
This only confirmed what he had learned.
Gritting his teeth against the pain, Viserion continued dodging cautiously.
But even with his utmost focus, fatigue gradually set in.
His attention began to slip, and with the injury slowing him down, he was soon struggling to keep up.
After narrowly avoiding two more shots, a bolt suddenly shot straight toward his wing.
This time, he simply didn't have the strength to evade.
Just as the bolt was about to strike—
Drogon shot forward like lightning.
He placed himself between the bolt and Viserion, grabbing the incoming projectile with all four claws.
Even so, the tremendous impact still drove Drogon's small body backward until he slammed into Viserion before the bolt finally stopped.
Though Drogon's juvenile form possessed about two-thirds of his adult strength and defense, and his body density was extremely high, he was still technically a young dragon.
The force of the impact still affected him considerably.
Seeing Drogon block the attack for Viserion, Daenerys finally let out the breath she had been holding.
She immediately ordered the Unsullied to halt the training.
Once the ballista fire stopped, Drogon also realized that Viserion had nearly reached his limit.
He signaled for Viserion to land and rest.
Then he called Rhaegal, the little she-dragon, to take her turn in the sky.