Smaug, a giant dragon, had just reveled in his treasure, breathing comfortably, about to take a long nap after conquering Erebor. But as he closed his eyes, they widened, his pupils shrank, and a wave of information entered his draconic mind.
He raised his claw and held his head, feeling suffocated, but then relieved. His eyes wandered around, and his lips parted before closing again, at a loss for words.
"It's right that I be reborn as a dragon, but you still make me an evil dragon?" The dragon sighed heavily, deep in thought.
Staring at the light screen in front of him, he was silent for a moment before clicking on the single flashing icon shaped like a gift box.
--x--
[Ability: Devour Acquired]
[Function 1: Devourer Space -> Has infinite space within itself through its mouth, and can place whatever it desires inside, but everything placed within dies, except for special items, such as a ring.
Function 2: Equivalent Exchange -> Can devour compatible items in the devourer space to exchange for random powers.
Function 3: Inorganic Devour -> Can use compatible inorganic material to enhance itself.
Function 4: Devour Life -> Absorbs vitality through devouring. It can absorb vitality, increasing strength and lifespan, and regenerate by consuming matter from living beings. The stronger the living being, the stronger the effect.
Function 5: Devour Energy -> Can devour any external energy to enhance itself, including Morgoth's corruption. It no longer affects the user, but makes them stronger.]
--x--
Smaug looked at the skill carefully, thoughtfully, reading it over and over again. There was nothing more after that, no status or any other function. After delivering the knowledge, the screen of light disappeared and never appeared again, no matter how he called it.
Sighing, the dragon looked at the endless treasure around him and began swallowing. As soon as it passed through his mouth, everything that entered was sent to an internal space. He could feel everything inside. The space itself seemed limited, but whenever he put something in, the space grew to accommodate it.
He swallowed, and swallowed, until he stopped for a moment. He felt a compatible item!
Spitting out the item, he looked at it: a dwarven helmet! Looking closely, he noticed: Mithril!
Smiling, he tossed the helmet back inside, refraining from using it. For now, he continued swallowing. He felt a few more pieces of Mithril, but didn't use them yet. It was when he felt something else that he stopped, spitting it out. He saw a stone that seemed to emit its own light, transparent as a diamond, but its light exuded like a rainbow contained within.
"The Arkenstone." He spoke calmly, then swallowed it again. He sensed the stone had a different effect than Mithril. While the latter could enhance it, the stone seemed to be used for bartering.
A third item was found. Spitting it out, he looked at the smooth black orb with interest.
"A palandir... one of the lost ones?" He said in surprise. "It seems like the Arkenstone, used for bartering." Keeping it, he continued, unfortunately, nothing else seemed to have the same effect on him.
Even after devouring all the mountain's treasure, be it the gold in the barrels, the jeweled golden statues, or even the weapons, nothing seemed to work. Sighing, he was content; after all, he had received plenty of Mithril.
He first used the exchange, exchanging the Palandir with interest, and the screen of light reappeared before him.
[Acquired Ability: Eye of the Sky]
[You can use your magic to create a spiritual eye in the sky, seeing everything for tens of kilometers. Even passing through matter, the eye has a physical form, so it is visible in the sky.]
After reading, the screen quickly disappeared, and he felt he had another ability.
Concentrating, he felt the energy within him pulse, and soon his angle of vision changed. A huge draconic eye appeared above Erebor. He observed everything around him, even seeing an ant a kilometer away as if it were in front of him. He continued to move his vision, seeing the frightened humans fleeing from Dalle and the dwarves running as well. Everyone who saw the eye was shocked and fled even faster.
Observing the dwarves, his eyes fell on Thorin, who would arrive here much later.
As he watched, he felt his magic rapidly depleting. Within minutes, his magic seemed to have almost dried up. He stopped with a sigh, tired from the action. This eye is very exhausting to maintain...
Sighing, he shook his head and now exchanged the Arkenstone with interest. While the eye wasn't very useful in combat, it was still useful for reconnaissance, of course, if not very subtle.
With the Arkenstone disappearing from his inventory, he sensed something, and the screen of light reappeared.
[Ability acquired: Shapeshifting.]
[Can assume the form of all living beings. The more different the form, the more magic is used. The species' weaknesses are also acquired, as are its strengths. Furthermore, it is necessary to devour a member of the species before acquiring its form.]
Smaug's dragon eyes gleamed excitedly. This was the ability he wanted; he wanted to use it right now! But as he tried to use the skill, his gaze became strange. He had eaten many things in his life, but it seems that only what he ate recently counted. The funny thing is that perhaps due to eating dwarves while attacking, he could feel that he could transform into one.
The dragon was silent for a moment, but shrugged and transformed, only for the transformation to stop as he shrank back into a dragon.
The confusion didn't last as exhaustion overtook him; he had consumed too much!
His magic, usually used to produce fire and bewitch the mind, was greatly consumed by the eye of the sky. The transformation itself seemed to use even more magic, leaving him silent, and his MP seemed a little low...
Sighing, he thought he should start devouring soon to strengthen himself.
He also seemed to think of something and remembered that the king of Erebor seemed to have one of the rings of power. Could it be used?
Excited, he wanted to chase the dwarves quickly, but he stopped. He was exhausted and couldn't even breathe fire now, not to mention the scale missing from his chest, a fatal flaw. He sighed and didn't think much about it. They would attack Moria next; it would take several days to get there; he could fly that distance in a few hours.
Speaking of Moria... Mithril...
Smaug remembered Mithril now and immediately used it all to enhance himself!
Then... Smaug roared. Pain! So much pain!
Every bone and scale on his body seemed to burn. He was a fire dragon! He'd never even felt heat! But now he was burning.
His body glowed like boiling lava, as did his teeth and claws. He roared weakly as he writhed across the floor of the treasure room. It was only several minutes later that he stopped, his skin beginning to cool as his body smoked.
Smaug breathed heavily, then struggled to look at his scales.
They were still reddish, but now they had taken on a strong silver hue!
They shone like metal. Smaug looked at his claws and lightly cut a pillar. A large gash, riddling the stone, appeared, and he didn't even use much force.
When he lowered his gaze, he noticed that the scale over his heart had also grown! Not only that, but it was more silvery than the others, pleasing him. He nodded happily.
Now, he needs food to strengthen himself!
Thinking this, he looked toward Mordor and hesitated. He can't go against Sauron yet; he needs more strength and an army!
But how can he get an army? The righteous abhor Smaug, and the wicked are upon Sauron!
Smaug lay down, waiting for his magic to regenerate, thoughtful.
After a while, he had a brilliant idea!
Morgoth created dragons, Balrogs, and other creatures of darkness. Sauron and Saruman did the same, albeit on a smaller scale. Couldn't he do the same?!
Thinking about how to create loyal followers, he began to consider which races to use. Glaurung made Nienor have a child with his own brother by making her forget herself, even if unintentionally. This shows the power of the dragons' mental magic. Even if he is far from Glaurung, he will become stronger!
Making an elf and an orc sleep together shouldn't be difficult, right?
With him devouring the corruption of the orcs, he only needs a few strong females to breed with elves and create his own subordinates!
Why elves and orcs? Elves for long life, orcs for savagery; he hopes to create fighters, not flowers in an orchard.
Not just orcs, maybe trolls? A giant elf hybrid?
Breeding orcs with dwarves can have his own miners; breeding orcs with hobbits can have his own farmers; orcs with humans... no, humans aren't very useful, and they're easily corrupted.
Satisfied, he was already planning to raid an orc settlement and ensnare a male elf; why not a female? It would take too long to give birth; it would be dangerous if the elf didn't return.
It would be good to use different elves too, to avoid genetic problems...
Even if he doesn't have the magic of Sauron and Saruman, he can make it happen the old-fashioned way.
Pleased with himself, he began to fantasize about his future kingdom. His subordinates could find Mithril for him, as well as other useful items. Besides, who said there was only one Arkenstone in this mountain? They only found one, but it's not impossible there could be a second or third!
A jet of smoke escaped his dragon nostril as he grew emotional.
He sighed a little and went to sleep to recover faster, dreaming of a better future.
He woke a few days later. This was because he forced himself to wake up, or he would have slept for months or years. With his magic recharged, he didn't attempt the Shapeshifting, but spread his wings and flew out of the mountain, heading towards the Dwarf Route, soaring so high he could have been mistaken for a bird.
His vision was good even without the sky eye, so he found the dwarves easily. Searching carefully, he spotted Thror. He also saw that they were wearing some Mithril equipment, making his eyes glow.
But he didn't attack, not yet. He had already earned enough hatred and hoped not to change the plot too much. He had plans to sneak up on Sauron, after all. To do so, he needed a guarantee that Sauron wouldn't return before then.
They say the flap of a butterfly's wings can change the fate of the world. The giant sky eye has already done its part, so he hopes to get something before that changes too much: the One Ring, currently in Gollum's possession.
Gollum is hard to find, living in the tunnel network of the Grey Mountains, so how can he get the One Ring from the creature?
Smaug is too big to search, but that would be before! Now he has the sky eye!
Don't forget he can see through mountains!
But he hasn't done it yet, not yet. He's too big, and it would be difficult for him to stay long enough as a dwarf to catch Gollum, especially after using the Eye of Heaven.
So, he changed his mind. Before creating his wonderful minions, he'll first recruit some handymen.
Smiling, he flew toward a part of the mountains where he knew orcs lived. They were just stunted orcs, but they would do; after all, Gollum isn't very strong.
--x--
A week later, in a dark cave in the Grey Mountains, Smaug lay down and watched the group of minions he had enchanted.
He caught two hundred orcs from the outside, trying not to alert their leaders. He was on a stealthy mission, after all. There could be no mistakes if Gollum hid, thinking something was wrong.
The dragon's magic was powerful; he made them believe they were his most loyal followers, capable of killing each other for his favor. Even so, he didn't know if they would escape through the power of the one ring, so he hoped to catch Gollum himself, using the orcs to send him to him.
So, he waited during a cloudy night, where the rain would hide his eye, and when that day came half a month later, he already had three hundred orcs upon him.
Luckily, there were too many orcs on this mountain for his absence to be taken seriously.
He devoured the corruption of these orcs, increasing his power and magic slightly, but not much. The orcs also seemed calmer, not wanting to fight all the time. This relieved him, but even devouring their corruption, they still looked hideous, so they were still expendable.
Then, during the rainy night, he used his power. The giant eye appeared in the sky, and he wasted no time, quickly passing through all parts of the mountain around him, searching for tunnels and hidden passages. He saw more and more. He encountered hundreds of thousands of orcs and many other creatures throughout the mountains. But Gollum was too small, and there were too many tunnels. He expended almost all his magic until he found him!
His eye fixed on Gollum, in a narrow cave, munching on a fish with relish.
Smaug's lips curled into a smile, and he used mental magic to send the location to his subordinates, as well as where they should take him.
Half the orcs ran, the other half followed him and stood ready. He flew first, obscured by the rainy night, and hid near the forest, at the only exit available to Gollum.
He waited about an hour until everyone was in position. He used the sky eye again and saw Gollum a little further away, but still in a place with no exits.
Then he roared. The roar was heard throughout the mountain. The orcs on the mountain understood and attacked.
Gollum, startled by the roar, heard the sound of footsteps through several passages and quickly ran in fright toward the passage he was waiting for.
Every time he wanted to bow, he heard footsteps in those passages, frustrating him, but forcing him to run forward. Smaug remained silent, not using the sky eye. He had too little magic for that. He could only hope it would work or he would have to wait for another opportunity.
He also let some of the orcs stay behind and search for the ring in case Gollum dropped it.
Half an hour later, an exhausted Gollum ran out of the gorge and was caught by a huge claw. He screamed and tried to struggle to escape, but when he saw Smaug's face close to him, he trembled so much he almost urinated.
Smaug pulled off Gollum's loincloth, leaving him naked. His eyes fixed on the loincloth and tore open a small inner pocket. From there, a golden ring was removed.
Smaug smiled. He felt the corruption of the ring. He opened his mouth to suck it in, but the ring fought back, seeming fixed and impossible to pull out. He groaned in irritation. Only a few fragments emitted from the ring itself were sucked in, but when the ring realized what he wanted, it quickly stopped emitting, afraid of being sucked in.
Finally, he snorted in irritation and threw it into his mouth, retreating to his inner space.
He felt he could use it for exchange, but when he tried, he failed too. The ring was bound to this world; he couldn't remove it, not yet. He groaned in frustration, but accepted it. At the very least, the ring wouldn't return to Sauron now, and he didn't need to worry for nothing.
But thinking of cutting off the ends, he crushed the still-screaming Gollum in his claw and tossed him aside like trash.
Snorting, he roared again, giving an order to the orcs he'd recruited, and flew away.
On the other side of Moria's eastern gate, the dwarves were preparing for battle. Upon hearing the roar, the group of dwarves quickly panicked, recognizing the roar anywhere.
(A/N: Yes, I know the attack was much later, but I decided to jump ahead. Consider it the butterfly effect of the giant dragon's eye in the sky.)
"Smaug! It's Smaug! He chased us all the way here!" a dwarf shouted.
Everyone panicked, and Thror had to step in to stop the group from scattering.
But just as he was thinking this, Smaug himself descended from the sky. The dwarves roared and raised their weapons, even in fear, ready to attack.
Thror, enraged, shouted, "Smaug! What more do you want! We've already left the Lonely Mountain!"
"Ah... dwarves, yes, you did, but you took what belongs to me, the ring on your son and the mithril in your armor. They belong to me. Hand them over and you may live to fight again. Resist, and Durin's dwarves will die today." Smaug spoke with leafy calm.
The dwarves went mad, but Thror stopped them. He had an extremely angry and frustrated look on his face, but when he saw the light on Smaug's lips, he shouted. "Stop! We surrender!"
The group of dwarves looked shocked and angry, but in the end, Thror had made his decision. The man looked extremely angry, but he still smiled. When all the mithril was collected, just as Thrain also placed the ring on the mithril, Smaug nodded in satisfaction, swallowed them, and flew away with a roar.
Only the dwarves remained, their heads bowed, very angry, but too frustrated for anything.
Smaug didn't care, he had gotten the one ring and the ring of the dwarves, as well as Mithril, so he returned to the lonely mountain, there he could grow stronger again.