Game of Thrones: Rise of Kings

The grassland trembles under the hooves of approaching horses. Khal Drake's men mount their horses, staying vigilant as they watch the grassy hills to the east.

Mongo leads the charge over the hill on his fiery red horse, its mane flowing with the wind. The roar of war horses follows, as Dothraki cavalry surge like an unstoppable black wave.

This khas appears no different from other Dothraki: wild, unruly, and making sharp cries to intimidate their enemies. They regard their opponents as prey, occasionally casting fanatical glances at Mongo.

They gallop to within a hundred steps of the camp, expertly reining in their horses to showcase their superior riding skills.

In front of the camp, Khal Drake calmly mounts the war horse brought by his bloodriders. Mongo's khas had been spotted by the tribe's scouts before they even entered the meadow.

Though the Dothraki seem rough and savage, their military prowess is not inferior. When the tribe moves, scouts patrol ahead to search for prey and enemies. Roaring warriors guard the flanks, and a khas acts as the tribe's rear guard.

The Dothraki do not loot during battles. Afterward, "Jakarang" warriors wielding giant axes sever the heads of the dead and dying. Meanwhile, young girls retrieve arrows from the fallen for reuse.

The fiery red glow of the sunset fills the sky, and stars transform into flaming horses to welcome warriors returning to the heavens.

Mongo, facing the afterglow as he rides toward Khal Drake and his bloodriders, sees the sun and stars cast long shadows across the grassland.

A bloodrider attempts to advance and confront the challenger, but Khal Drake halts him. Drawing the arakh scimitar from his horse's back, Khal Drake's fierce gaze and thunderous voice declare:

"Mongo, I will have your body burned to grant you the honor you deserve."

"Fear has no place in a true khal," Mongo replies, setting aside any guilt.

"I will leave your body on the red wasteland, where rain will erode your decaying skin until only your skeleton remains."

As his words fade, Khal Drake tightly grips the horse's belly, raises his arakh, and charges forward, his fear of Horse King Drogo turning to anger and resolve.

Facing the setting sun, Mongo squints, studying Khal Drake's posture. Though capable of defeating him handily, Mongo has reasons to engage.

Sixty steps later, Mongo urges his fiery horse forward, a galloping flame.

The riders pass each other, and Khal Drake's scimitar slices toward Mongo's leaning back.

But the blade feels like it has struck solid rock.

This is the stuff of legend.

Before Khal Drake can comprehend, a powerful force lifts him from his horse, and the weapon in his eyes resembles a branch.

Blood splatters.

A bloody hole appears in Khal Drake's throat, his body crumpling like a ragdoll onto the grass.

Blood gushing from his mouth, Khal Drake's final thought is confirmation of the tribe's legend.

Many of Xikalin's prophecies—

His horse moves like the wind, countless tribes follow him, his arakh is sharp as miscanthus. He will be as fierce as a storm, enemies trembling before him, wives weeping in sorrow. The bells in his bun sing of his approach, the "milkmen" in stone tents fear his name, and the world will bow before his horse's hooves.

The real threat was not Khal Drogo, but...

Sadly, life offers no second chances.

Moments later, the last light of the setting sun casts long shadows over the blood-stained grassland.

Amidst the Dothraki cheers, three more bodies lie beneath Mongo's horse, the fallen bloodriders of Khal Drake.

According to tradition, if a khal is killed in battle, bloodriders must first avenge him, then follow him in death.

Now, Khal Drake's death is forgotten. The Dothraki follow strength, and they celebrate the emergence of a more powerful khal.

"Khal Mongo."

"Khal Mongo."

Faced with the eager khas behind Mongo and the cheering tribesmen, the remaining three kos have no choice but to submit.

Mongo is satisfied with achieving khal status with minimal bloodshed. As for Khal Drake's Karako, Mongo cares little for his fate.

Later, Mongo instructs a herbalist woman and eunuch to inspect the bodies and orders the tribe to build a cremation pyre.

Cremation is a traditional Dothraki custom, the final resting place for warriors.

Under the moon and stars, Mongo finally finds time to retreat to his tent and concentrate on the light screen only he can see.

This light screen is merely a display; his true ability lies in the Noble Phantasm Fantasy.

The treasure is an armament crafted from human imagination, its strength and effectiveness depending on the legends surrounding it.

Mongo's power allows him to create a treasure and build a narrative around it. By fulfilling the narrative and convincing others of its truth, it becomes myth. The most recognized elements of the legend determine the treasure's effectiveness and strength.

The light screen displays the treasure's name and abilities:

**[Knights Do Not Die With Bare Hands]**

**Effect:** Any weapon in your hands can be wielded proficiently. The weapon's hardness becomes like steel, retaining its original hardness if it exceeds steel.

Mongo has repeatedly defeated or killed opponents using soaked linen and hardwood branches.

Initially, the power was simply proficient use, with hardness like bronze. After defeating Khal Drake and his bloodriders with branches, the power increased further.

As the tribe grows, deliberate performance will be unnecessary.

**[Rider's Reins]**

**Effect:** Man and horse become one, commanding magical and mythical creatures.

This world contains magical creatures like dragons and possibly mythical beings like sea monsters and griffins.

When Mongo first arrived, he relied on Dothraki instincts and his strong body to stay mounted.

He smeared grease on a horse, wrapped himself in soaked linen, rode at night, lit a fire, and galloped across the grassland.

The Dothraki believe in the stars and horse god, viewing stars as flaming horses. Now Mongo is blessed by the horse god and stars, able to control the legendary flaming horse.

**[Twelve Trials]**

**Effect 1:** Physical strengthening, body as hard as rock, ignoring all non-fatal damage, whether physical or magical.

**Effect 2:** Physical resurrection, storage: 0.

**Effect 3:** Resistance to known attacks.

The Twelve Trials form Mongo's foundation, granting a stronger physique.

His body, rock-hard, allows him to lean back and evade blades. Remaining force leaves no wound.

Non-fatal injuries leave scars but no blood, though limb regeneration is impossible.

He resists known attacks, dances in flames, bathes in boiling water, and most poisons are ineffective.

The treasure's narrative is Mongo's claim to divine testing, like Hercules in Greek mythology. Completing twelve trials earns divine blessings until immortality.

Hunting the white lion Heraca unscathed was the first trial, activating the treasure's Twelve Trials, allowing him to overpower Khal Drake.

Subsequently, each completed trial increases the resurrection reserve.

He must be killed twelve times to die completely.

As magic revives, consumed reserves will replenish over time.

The next trial: unifying the Dothraki.