Early morning, after last night's wild party, Dwarf King Thorin Oakshield led his expedition out of Lake-town amid cheers from the crowd. Kili was left behind because of his injury, with Fili staying to take care of him. As for Bofur… poor kid missed the boat thanks to being drunk. The dwarves' Lonely Mountain expedition was finally approaching its final stop.
…
"Lake-town's just ahead, sir. What's the plan?" Reno was unsure.
"Play it by ear," Roland shrugged.
"If they resist… we wipe out the rebels!" Roland said after some tough thinking.
"…As you wish, my liege…" Reno froze for a moment, then smiled with relief. At that moment, they finally accepted Roland as their king, their ruler — because Roland had grown ruthless and decisive. He earned his people's respect.
The morning mist saw off the dwarves and welcomed Roland's group. Under the fog's cover, they quietly rowed the boat to the outskirts of town.
"Board!" Caslow's eyes gleamed cold.
The gangplank dropped, and the agile Bardania archers leapt off. They ditched their longbows, drew longswords, and quickly took the nearby wooden watchtowers, holding their swords against shields. The townsfolk nearby were still clueless—some were even frozen when swords pressed at their necks.
"You… you… who… are… you?" an old man stammered, trembling.
"We? We're warriors straight outta hell!" Reno smiled as he dismounted his warhorse.
"We fight for the king!" Reno muttered under his breath.
"Move fast! Get off the ship!" Reno ordered everyone swiftly.
…
They landed before the town guards could react. Roland waved the boat away—no way he'd just toss it to Smaug for firewood, gotta keep it for later.
"Find someone to guide us, we're heading for the town hall!" Roland was clear and composed, knowing well the mayor and his bootlicker Elford weren't exactly good guys. To claim Lake-town, those nuisances had to go.
"Ha!" Several Swift Infantry formed a shield wall, surrounding the arriving guards. Behind them, more infantry stacked caltrops and pikes on their shields, pointing at the confused guards.
You tell me that's not intimidating. The guards didn't dare move, holding their spears awkwardly, unable to decide where to point them. They were pushed back by the pikes.
"Shing!" Roland drew his Dragon Slayer sword. Golden light rippled over the blade as he flicked it with a satisfying snap.
"So, gentlemen, where's your mayor?" Roland grinned devilishly.
…
"Boom!" The shield wall slammed hard on the square outside the mayor's hall, wooden boards cracking under the weight.
The guards gathered at the door, untrained and panicked, trembling hands and shaking legs betraying their fear.
No one stays calm under 200 bows aiming at them. Sure, the knights were lousy shots, but they could still draw a strong bow. If they couldn't even hit a target, Roland might as well take their bows and break them all.
"So, what's it gonna be? War or peace?" Roland raised his sword casually.
"What do you want?" The mayor, flanked by Elford, stumbled out, hands on hips, shouting.
"How's your rule going? Don't you have some clue?" Roland asked, amused by the mayor's thick skin.
"I'm the legitimate ruler of Lake-town! Outsiders like you have no business meddling here!" The mayor forced out.
"Huh? Are you relying on those fighters and recruits around you?" Roland glanced at the guards clustered near the mayor.
"Want to die for him?" Roland pointed his sword at the trembling guards. They were just ordinary folks in armor—putting them in trouble would only shame the nobility.
"Last chance: drop your weapons, and you can go home safe. Otherwise…" Roland smiled, and behind him, knights and archers radiated battle aura. Roland and Caslow's auras flared three feet high, while Reno's was even crazier, shooting past four feet.
Clatter-clatter~ A wave of weapons hit the ground.
"Sergeant… knights…" some were so scared their limbs went numb.
Boom~ The crowd scattered like startled birds, all cursing their lucky stars they had legs to run.
"Alright, no more civilians in the way. Now, my esteemed mayor, I hear your people have been oppressed under your rule, and when they wanted change, you cracked down?" Roland feigned shock.
"N-no…" The mayor was at a loss.
"Hey, hey! Isn't that Elford? Why you shaking like that? Chill out, man." Roland teased.
"Whatever. Kill 'em all, bored anyway…" Roland waved his hand lazily, not even trying to look tough. He expected some resistance, but these guys were pathetic.
Boom! A Holy Knight's signature skill, Holy Sword Judgement, struck from above, burning the wooden floor to charcoal and piercing through. The bodies fell into the water, disappearing.
"Wow, you incinerated them? Ashes to ashes, huh?" Roland eyed Reno, impressed by the flashy move.
…
"So you're Bard?" Roland looked at the rugged man before him.
"Yes, sir. What brings you here?" Bard eyed Reno warily.
"I'm Roland," he introduced himself.
"Bard the Sharpshooter! The last heir of King Girion of Dale? I'm curious how you ended up a fisherman and hunter?" Roland joked, noticing Tilda and Sieglit hiding scared behind a pillar.
"My ancestors' glory is just fleeting smoke. We live peacefully now," Bard glanced at his family behind him.
"I just took out the mayor and his cronies here. Got any advice?" Roland asked.
"What about the ordinary guards?" Bard seemed more concerned for the people.
"You really are noble blood—a true lord," Roland praised.
"No no, I'm just a commoner now…" Bard waved him off.
"But one day, you'll wear the crown," Roland said meaningfully.
Why did Roland say that? Because after seeing the scene here, it was way worse than he imagined. The people looked pale, the population sparse. Not to mention Smaug's winterfire and the orc atrocities during the War of the Five Armies… So Roland decided to dump the responsibility on Bard and let him become King of Dale, just like history says. Bard was loyal and honorable—a good neighbor to have. As for Roland, with his system, he could build a castle and be a lord anywhere. No point sticking around Lake-town. Smaug was coming tonight to roast everything. Roland didn't think he or Caslow with his wyvern could hold the northern winds and a dragon that basically spits fire and tanks hits like a dragon. Better leave it to Bard the Dragon Slayer. He was out.
…
"Orcs!" Bardania archers shouted, shooting an orc spotted.
"Alert!" The town alarms blared.
"Elves?" Caslow spotted Legolas fighting orcs, surprised.
…
"Oh! Fili! Kili!" Hearing the noise, Roland rushed to Bard's house, relieved Bard wasn't locked up. Man, facing Bard and Tauriel's orc warriors head-on… the mess would make even capitalists pity them.
"You guys okay? Hey, dwarves, good to see you again!" Roland greeted warmly.
"Bard, you gotta clear out. Smaug's coming…" Roland remembered the dragon would come to torch the town.
"The dwarves have entered the Lonely Mountain! You know what that means…" Roland pulled Bard aside.
"I need you to lead the townsfolk out of Lake-town, to the valley below the mountain… or Smaug'll turn them into candles! You know the dragon's waking up!" Roland said seriously.
"What about you?" Bard squinted at Roland.
"I'll settle my troops. My archers will stay to hold Smaug back!" Roland said firmly.
"Come back… I believe your ancestor shot Smaug! This grudge's got to end with you," Roland turned suddenly, smiling at Bard as he said.
…
"Reno, lead the knights and infantry out! Archers stay to snipe, Caslow, you come with me!" Roland ordered.
"Sir, I wanna stay!" Reno was anxious.
"Don't worry. I trust you with the troops. Plus, Caslow and I have mithril armor with magic runes that'll block the dragon's breath. Bardania archers are wicked skilled. Smaug can't touch us," Roland patted Reno's shoulder.
"War's started…" Roland sighed watching the residents being evacuated or driven out. Would Lake-town burn in flames after all?
…
"Hey! I'm back, Roland!" Bard returned after arranging his family and dwarves' escape.
"Right, bring out the Black Arrow. Might be one of our few chances to kill a dragon," Roland said, curious what it looked like.
Bardania archers' star-silver armor-piercing arrows could pierce dragon scales, but they were too short and lacked the punch to reach vital spots inside the dragon.
"Whoa! That's long! Could've sworn it was a spear!" Roland took the Black Arrow from Bard, amazed.
"Look at Lonely Mountain!" Bard suddenly pointed ahead.
In the darkness, the mountain was lit by fiery clouds—not a sunset glow, but Smaug's dragon breath…
"The dragon's coming," Roland squinted.
The dragon slaying battle was about to begin.
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