The Splendor of That Arrow

"Caslo! Pass the word—have everyone harass the dragon and create an opening for Bard."

"Oh, right! Tell the lads... they were very brave. Make sure they protect themselves." Roland grabbed Caslo, who was about to leave, and added worriedly.

"Tell them to focus on the lower part of its left wing. Some scales are loose there. And remember to tell them not to hold back—use the best Star Silver Steel Armor-Piercing Arrows!" Roland shouted after Caslo's retreating back.

"To be honest... you don't look like a lord. You look like an old lady with endless instructions to give." Bard looked at Roland strangely.

"As the last lord of Lagrange... I have to be responsible for my people!" Roland said firmly.

"But where exactly is Lagrange?" Bard could not help asking curiously.

"In the distant east... it has already perished..." Roland clearly did not want to continue the subject.

Seeing Roland fall silent, Bard assumed he had stirred up painful memories. He knew the pain of losing one's homeland. But Roland kept quiet because he had no way to explain it! Was he supposed to tell Bard: Hey, brother, the Lagrange Empire appeared in Middle-earth at the end of the Fourth Age, and its territory encompassed all of Rhûn and more than half of Rhovanion?

"Let's hope your aim is accurate enough. Otherwise... we'll have to chop him down." Roland looked at Bard and drew the Dragon-slaying Sword.

"What is that?" Bard stared at the gleaming Dragon-slaying Sword in astonishment.

"A family heirloom... this sword has slain countless giant dragons. A mere drake like Smaug is nothing compared to them!" Roland looked at Bard as though he were some country bumpkin.

"Come on! Let's take down the Dwarven Spear Thrower," Roland suddenly said.

"Otherwise, how are you planning to use that thing? Throw it by hand?" Roland pointed at the Black Arrow in Bard's hand.

"Heave!" Roland and Bard strained to lower the Dwarven Spear Thrower with ropes.

"Hide it well. Don't let it get destroyed. If it does, we'll have no choice but to run." Roland patted the Heavy Crossbow with its four bow arms.

"I am fire, I am—death!" The enraged Smaug flew toward Lake-town.

"The dragon is coming!" a watching Bannaria Archer roared.

"Fire!" Several nearby archers shouted at once.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—" Star Silver Steel Armor-Piercing Arrows whistled from their bowstrings toward the dragon.

"Clang! Ting! Sss!" Several Armor-Piercing Arrows were knocked away. Only one lucky shot struck the gap between two of Smaug's scales.

"Roar! Damn insects! You can actually hurt me!" Smaug raged. The roughly meter-long Armor-Piercing Arrow could not reach any vital point even after piercing dragonhide. To the enormous dragon, it was like being pricked by a needle. But to Smaug, it was utterly humiliating—his proud defense had been ruthlessly trampled by puny human archers.

"Whoosh—" Blazing Dragon Breath swept over them, and a pillar of fire dozens of meters long crashed down from above.

"Run!" Several archers flipped off the wooden tower. Some plunged into the water, while others darted into narrow alleys.

"Fire!" Smaug skimmed over Lake-town, and more than a dozen archers along his path seized the chance to attack.

"Raar!" Several more Star Silver Steel Armor-Piercing Arrows pierced the hard Dragon Scales, but after entering less than three inches of flesh, they lost their momentum and hung from the dragon's body.

"Damn it! Fall back! Its hide is too thick! We can't punch through!" A Bannaria Archer waved at the archers around him as Smaug turned back to dive at them.

"Boom!" They had barely left when overwhelming Dragon Flame engulfed the spot where they had been standing.

"My lord! This thing is way too hard to kill! This is a drake? Damn, isn't this even more shameless than a giant dragon?" Caslo came back covered in soot. The black scorch marks on his armor showed that the young man had just taken a blast of Dragon Breath head-on.

"Should I go up and fight it?" Caslo asked quietly.

"Do you think the size difference between you two dragons is proportional? You want to go up there and become a target?" Roland looked at him like he was an idiot.

"Tell the brothers! Once they've fired all their arrows, they can withdraw!" Roland ordered.

"They'll only get in the way if they stay. The Armor-Piercing Arrows are too short..." Roland sighed helplessly as he watched Smaug ravage the sky.

"Bard! Don't do anything reckless!" Seeing Bard push out the Heavy Crossbow, Roland hurriedly shoved him back.

"Do you think this is the right moment?" Roland grabbed him and roared.

"We only have one chance, Bard!" Roland said heavily.

"We need to make him land! Think of your ancestors! We only have a chance once he lands!" Roland sighed.

"Damn it!" Bard punched the wall.

"Look at what we've done..." Bilbo stared at the burning Lake-town in anguish.

"Those poor people..." Balin murmured softly.

Behind them, a group of dwarves either slumped on the ground or leaned against the battlements, all wearing pained expressions. The blaze rising from Lake-town illuminated their faces. But because of Roland, Lake-town was in far better shape than it had been in history. At the very least, no civilians had perished in the sea of flames beneath the Dragon Breath.

Only Thorin stood facing Erebor, lost in thought. Bilbo looked at Thorin, frowned slightly, and said nothing.

"I'm out of arrows!" A Bannaria Archer who had been drawing his bow frantically reached into the quiver on his back out of habit, only to grab empty air.

"I only have two left!"

"I'm out too!"

"I still have five! Split them up!"

Scenes like this unfolded throughout Lake-town. The archers who had exhausted their arrows moved toward the edge of town, pulled out the small boats they had hidden in every corner, and rowed into the lake under cover of darkness.

"Looks like the archers have mostly run out of arrows..." Caslo said helplessly as he watched the increasingly sparse flashes of arrows in the sky.

Smaug was still venting his rage in the air, arrogantly spewing breath in every direction. The scorching Dragon Flame boiled the water in many of the town's canals.

"My lord! The archers should have all withdrawn!" Caslo found Roland and Bard.

Roland looked closely and saw that only three Bannaria Archers stood behind Caslo. The rest had either left or perished beneath the Dragon Breath...

"Bard! String the bow! We'll draw Smaug's attention!" Roland patted Bard on the shoulder and led the group out of the alley.

At that moment, hundreds of arrows were embedded across Smaug's body, and the membranes of his wings had been riddled with holes... Though he looked utterly battered, none of it amounted to more than superficial damage.

"Shoot him!" Roland ordered.

"Clang, clang, clatter—" Crisp impacts rang across Smaug's scales. Smaug was immediately enraged by this resistance and turned his head toward Roland and the others.

"Boom!" He landed heavily, crushing a row of houses beneath his massive body. He strode toward Roland's group in fury.

"Whoosh—"

"..." Several Bannaria Archers stood before Roland and Caslo, continuously firing arrows. Then they all stopped at once. Touching their empty quivers, they helplessly slung their longbows over their backs and drew their Longswords or Armor-Piercing Hammers.

"Shing!" Roland drew the Dragon-slaying Sword and stood with them.

"Oh? Puny humans? Now that you have no bows and arrows, what will you do?" Mockery filled Smaug's slit pupils.

"Are these people your Squires? I'll burn them to charcoal right before your eyes!" Smaug snarled.

Roland quietly waved his hand, signaling Bard, who was hiding in the shadows. Bard silently rolled out the Dwarven Spear Thrower, while Smaug, advancing toward them, had no idea that a tiny human beneath him was aiming the Black Arrow at him!

Suddenly, Bard spotted the missing scales beneath Smaug's left wing. Overjoyed, he quickly aimed the Black Arrow beneath Smaug's left wing.

"For the honor of the Lord of Dale! For mankind! Die, Smaug!" Bard suddenly shouted.

"Move!" Roland hurriedly led everyone into the alley as flames swept across the place where they had just been standing.

"Whoosh!" The Black Arrow flashed coldly as it flew toward Smaug.

"Aaagh!" Smaug, who had been happily breathing fire, suddenly choked off.

"Aaagh!" Intense pain burst from his heart, making Smaug struggle violently. He staggered into the sky, but after only a few beats of his wings, he wailed and crashed heavily back down...

"He fell?" Bilbo looked toward the distant Lake-town.

"I saw him fall with my own eyes!" Balin said excitedly.

"Smaug is dead!" Everyone on the lookout platform cheered.

"Nicely done!" Roland crawled out of the ruins with a smile and patted Bard on the shoulder.

"He's dead?" Bard could hardly believe it.

"You did it! You have restored your family's honor!" Roland praised him.

"But Lake-town is destroyed..." Bard sighed as he looked at the inferno before him.

"But at least the townsfolk are safe, aren't they? As long as people are alive, everything will get better!" Roland smiled and stepped into a small boat.

"Want to come along?" Roland asked.

"Of course. Wait for me!" Bard jumped aboard as well.

"Oh! I nearly forgot! I need to make use of Smaug's corpse!" After telling everyone else to go ahead, Roland ran toward Smaug's body. A drake that large could yield plenty of precious materials.

"Congratulations, Host, for completing the scenario: Battle of Smaug! Reward: Temple Priest ×1."

Note: Priest ranks are divided into Novice priest, priest, Temple Priest, High priest, Grand High priest, and the highest titled professional soldier—Saint.

The second update is here. The Battle of Five Armies is about to begin, so readers, please have your recommendation votes ready.