Chapter 18: Smaug's Wrath
"Caslow! Pass the word down—everyone distract the dragon to create an opening for Bard."
"Right! And tell the lads... they're brave, so they should take care of themselves," Rynar said, pulling Caslow back as he turned to leave, worry evident in his voice.
"Make sure they focus their attacks on the lower left flank. There's some loose scales there.
And remind them not to hold back; they must use the best star-silver armor-piercing arrows!" Rynar shouted after Caslow's retreating figure.
"To be honest... you don't seem like a lord; you seem more like an old woman with a thousand reminders," Bard remarked, looking at Rynar with a peculiar expression.
"As the last lord of Zaltarion... I must be responsible for my people!" Rynar replied firmly.
"By the way, where exactly is Zaltarion?" Bard couldn't help but ask curiously.
"In the distant place from here... it has perished..." Rynar's tone made it clear he didn't want to continue this topic.
Seeing Rynar's silence, Bard thought he had touched a painful memory. He understood the sorrow of losing a home.
But Rynar's reluctance to speak stemmed from the impossibility of explaining!
Did Bard expect him to say: "Hey, buddy, the Zaltarion Empire appeared in Middle-earth at the end of the Fourth Age, encompassing all of Rune and most of Lothlórien?"
"I hope your archery is precise enough, or else... we'll have to resort to chopping him up!" Rynar glanced at Bard, who had drawn the Dragon-slaying Sword.
"What is that?" Bard asked in awe, staring at the sword shimmering with light.
"It's an ancestral weapon... this sword has slain countless dragons, and it's not comparable to those flying lizards like Smaug!"
Rynar regarded Bard with a condescending look, as if he were a country bumpkin.
"Let's go! We need to dismantle the dwarf spear-launcher," Rynar suddenly announced.
"Or how do you plan to use that thing? Toss it by hand?" Rynar pointed at the black arrow in Bard's hand.
...
"Hey!" Rynar and Bard strained as they hoisted the dwarf spear-launcher down with ropes.
"Hide it well; don't let it get destroyed. If it breaks, we'll have to run for our lives," Rynar said, patting the heavy crossbow with four bow arms.
...
"I am fire, I am—death!" the furious Smaug soared toward Lake Town.
"Dragon incoming!" a lookout among the Battanian archers screamed.
"Loose arrows!" several archers shouted in unison.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" The star-silver armor-piercing arrows whistled as they shot toward the evil dragon.
"Clang! Clink! Tink!" Several armor-piercing arrows were deflected, but one fortunate shot found its mark in the gap between Smaug's scales.
"Roar! Damn ants! How dare you injure me!" Smaug growled, enraged.
Even though the armor-piercing arrow barely penetrated the dragon's hide, it was a humiliating blow for Smaug, who prided himself on his defenses being ruthlessly trampled by mere human archers.
"Whoosh~" A searing breath of fire rushed forth, a fiery column spanning several dozen meters crashing down.
"Run!" Several archers jumped from the wooden tower, some diving into the water, while others dashed into alleys.
"Fire!" Smaug swooped low over Lake Town, and a dozen archers seized the moment to attack.
"Roar!" A few more star-silver armor-piercing arrows pierced through the tough dragon scales, embedding themselves shallowly before losing momentum, hanging limply on Smaug's massive body.
"Damn it! Retreat! The skin's too thick! We can't pierce it!" one Battanian archer exclaimed, watching as Smaug circled back for another dive.
"Boom!" Just as they fled, the overwhelming dragon flames engulfed their previous position.
"Sir! This is impossible to deal with! Is this a flying dragon? This thing is even more shameless than a giant dragon!"
Caslow returned, his face smeared with soot. The dark stains on his armor revealed he had just weathered a breath of fire.
"Should I go take him on?" Caslow whispered.
"Do you really think you two are proportional to that dragon's size? Do you want to become a target?" Rynar looked at him with a fond yet incredulous expression.
"Tell the others! Once they're out of arrows, they can retreat!" Rynar instructed.
"They'll only cause chaos if they stay. The armor-piercing arrows are too short..." Rynar sighed as he watched the rampaging Smaug in the sky.
"Bard! Don't do anything reckless!" Rynar hurriedly pushed Bard back as he prepared to load the heavy crossbow.
"Do you really think this is the right moment?" Rynar grabbed him and shouted.
"We only have one shot at this! Bard!" Rynar insisted heavily.
"We need to bring him down! Think of your ancestors! Only if he lands do we have a chance!" Rynar sighed.
"Damn it!" Bard slammed his fist against the wall.
...
"Look at what we've done," Bilbo lamented, gazing at the burning Lake Town.
"Poor people..." Balin murmured softly.
Behind them, a group of dwarves sat or leaned against the walls, all showing signs of distress. The distant fire raging in Lake Town illuminated their faces.
However, thanks to Rynar, Lake Town fared better than in history, with no civilians perishing in the dragon's flames.
Only Thorin faced the Lonely Mountain alone, lost in thought. Bilbo observed Thorin, his brow furrowing slightly, but he said nothing.
...
"My quiver is empty!" a frantic Battanian archer instinctively reached into his quiver, only to find it void of arrows.
"I have two left!"
"Mine's gone too!"
"I still have five; let's share!"
Such scenes unfolded throughout Lake Town as archers who had exhausted their arrows moved toward the outskirts, pulling out small boats they had hidden away and rowing toward the lake under the cover of night.
"It seems the archers have nearly run out of arrows..." Caslow remarked, watching the dwindling light of arrows in the sky helplessly.
Smaug continued to vent his fury in the sky, demonstrating his power by spewing fire everywhere, boiling the water in many of the town's waterways.
"Sir! The archers should have all retreated!" Caslow found Rynar and Bard.
Rynar took a closer look; only three Battanian archers remained behind Caslow. The others must have either left or fallen to the dragon's fire...
"Bard! String your bow! We need to attract Smaug's attention!" Rynar patted Bard's shoulder and led the group out of the alley.
At that moment, Smaug was riddled with hundreds of arrows, his wing membranes torn to shreds... Although he appeared battered, he was far from seriously injured.
"Shoot him!" Rynar commanded.
"Cling, clang!" The sharp sounds rang off Smaug's scales, immediately enraging the dragon. He turned his head and lunged toward Rynar and the others.
"Boom!" He landed heavily, crushing a row of houses beneath his massive weight as he angrily approached Rynar's group.
"Whoosh~"
The Battanian archers surrounding Rynar and Caslow continued to fire arrows, but suddenly several of them stopped, realizing their quivers were empty.
They reluctantly slung their longbows over their shoulders and drew their longswords or armor-piercing hammers instead.
"Clang!" Rynar drew the Dragon-slaying Sword and stood shoulder to shoulder with them.
"Oh? Tiny humans? What will you do now that you've run out of arrows?" Smaug's slitted eyes gleamed with mockery.
"Are these your followers? I will turn them to cinders right before your eyes!" Smaug snarled.
Rynar subtly waved a hand, signaling Bard, who quietly pushed the dwarf spear-launcher into position.
Smaug, unaware of the tiny human aiming a black arrow at him from below, continued his advance.
Suddenly, Bard noticed the missing scales on Smaug's left wing and felt a surge of excitement. He quickly aimed the black arrow at the exposed area.
"For the glory of the Vale lord! For humanity! Die, Smaug!" Bard suddenly shouted.
"Run!" Rynar urged, diving into the alley just as flames engulfed the spot where they had been standing moments before.
"Whoosh!" The black arrow gleamed as it flew toward Smaug.
"Roar!" Smaug, who had been spewing fire, suddenly fell silent.
"Roar!" A sharp pain gripped Smaug's heart, causing him to thrash violently. He struggled to ascend into the sky, but after just a few flaps, he let out a wail and plummeted heavily to the ground.
...
"Did he fall?" Bilbo asked, staring at Lake Town in the distance.
"I saw him fall with my own eyes!" Balin exclaimed excitedly.
"Smaug is dead!" The crowd on the watchtower erupted in cheers.
...
"Well done!" Rynar crawled out from the rubble, smiling as he patted Bard on the back.
"He's dead?" Bard could hardly believe it.
"You did it! You have restored your family's honor!" Rynar praised him.
"Too bad Lake Town is ruined..." Bard sighed as he looked at the flames before him.
"But at least the villagers are safe, right? As long as people are alive, everything will be alright!" Rynar smiled as he stepped onto a small boat.
"Are you coming along?" Rynar asked.
"Of course, wait for me!" Bard leaped aboard as well.
"Oh! I almost forgot! I need to make use of Smaug's remains!"
After letting everyone else leave, Rynar dashed toward Smaug's corpse, knowing that such a massive dragon could yield many valuable materials.
"Congratulations, host! You have completed the quest: The Battle of Smaug! Reward: Shield Priest*1."
*Note: The hierarchy of priests includes: Apprentice Priest, Priest, Shield Priest, Minister, High Priest, and the highest title—Saint.