Chapter 94: The Dragon-Slaying Black Arrow

The appearance of Kael and Gandalf brought a wave of pleasant surprise to everyone. Even Thorin Oakenshield showed a rare look of happiness. Ever since the two had temporarily left the group, the company had suffered greatly upon entering Mirkwood. First, they were made dizzy by the poisonous air in the forest and lost their way. Then they stumbled into the lair of giant spiders and were nearly eaten. After finally escaping from the spiders' clutches, they were captured and imprisoned by the Elves. After escaping the Elven dungeons, they were hunted by Elves and pursued by Orcs... a journey fraught with peril. This was a stark contrast to the situation when Kael and Gandalf were present. Thorin, seeming to forget the unpleasantness of their earlier separation, proactively walked up to the two and said solemnly, "Welcome back, Kael, Gandalf. With you rejoining us, I am sure this journey to the Lonely Mountain will be a success!" Hearing this, Gandalf shook his head. "I'm afraid we can't go to the Lonely Mountain, Thorin. The quest ends here." As soon as his words fell, the room fell silent. The smile on Thorin's face froze instantly, quickly turning ugly. His sharp eyes stared fixedly at Gandalf. "What are you talking about, Gandalf? What do you mean, the quest ends here?" Gandalf glanced around at everyone's astonished expressions and sighed. "We just received accurate information from the Orcs. The dragon in the Lonely Mountain has awakened and has already allied with Bolg, son of Azog." "If we go to the Lonely Mountain now, we'll be lambs to the slaughter, walking to our deaths! Therefore, the plan to steal the Arkenstone and rally the dwarves is no longer viable. We must reconsider and find another way!" At these words, the house fell into an even deeper silence. The dwarves looked as if they had lost their parents. The awakened dragon was something even the dwarven kingdom of the Lonely Mountain at its strongest couldn't withstand, let alone a mere dozen dwarves like them. They probably wouldn't even be enough for a single bite from the beast. Thorin was also deeply struck by this, but a wave of unwillingness surged in his heart, his eyes filling with a feverish madness. "No! I can't possibly give up!" "So what if the dragon has awakened! I must get the Arkenstone, at any cost!" Then, as if talking to himself, he muttered, "We can split into two groups. One group will attract the dragon's attention at the front gate, perhaps even lure it out. The other group will enter through the back door and secretly retrieve the Arkenstone." "Are you mad?" Gandalf tried to snap the crazed dwarf out of his delusion. "Don't you know what kind of disaster you'll bring by provoking the dragon? The dragon will burn everyone with its fire! Your companions and the people of Lake-town will all suffer!" Thorin's eyes were filled with a cold fire as he said, "War always requires sacrifices." Everyone looked at him in shock. Even the other dwarves couldn't believe he would say such a thing. "You've truly gone mad!" Gandalf was so angry his heart felt tight. He gripped his staff, seemingly wanting to knock some sense into the frenzied dwarf. Seeing the atmosphere grow increasingly tense, Kael finally spoke up. "Alright, there's still over a month until Durin's Day. There's plenty of time. Everyone, let's calm down first and discuss this slowly." Seeing Kael speak, the eldest dwarf, Balin, also chimed in. "That's right, there's still plenty of time. We can make a new plan. We'll surely think of a solution!" As the master of the house, Bard also invited everyone to sit down. Gandalf and Thorin sulked at each other, sitting at opposite ends of the room. One smoked his pipe furiously, and the other sat with his head down in stony silence. Bilbo and the dwarves saw this and looked at each other, not daring to speak. Kael was unconcerned by the atmosphere, instead focusing more of his attention on Bard. This was the man who, in the original course of fate, had successfully killed the dragon Smaug. He was a descendant of Girion, the former Lord of Dale. But now, he was just an ordinary resident of Lake-town, making a living as a ferryman. When the dragon Smaug invaded the Lonely Mountain, the city of Dale at its foot was also destroyed. Girion, as the Lord of Dale, had once shot off a scale from the dragon's chest with a giant black arrow. And that Black Arrow, capable of killing the dragon, had been passed down to Bard. Kael scanned his surroundings and soon locked his gaze on a black iron arrow hanging on the wall. It was an all-metal arrow over two meters long, looking more like a spear or a harpoon. Kael walked over and examined it from top to bottom. It was unknown what kind of metal this giant arrow was forged from. It looked heavy and dusty, but it was the only known weapon that could pierce dragon scales. "Guest?" Bard noticed Kael's actions and walked over with a puzzled look. "May I take a look at this Black Arrow?" Kael asked. Bard showed a surprised expression. "You know of this arrow, guest?" Kael nodded. "I've heard of it. It's said to be a powerful weapon forged by the dwarves to deal with dragons, capable of piercing their hard scales and inflicting fatal damage." Bard shook his head at this, a bitter smile on his face. "If it could really pierce dragon scales, the former kingdom of Dale wouldn't have been destroyed by the dragon! My ancestor once used it to shoot the dragon, but the dragon was unharmed, and my ancestor ultimately perished in the beast's flames." He wasn't entirely unharmed, Kael remembered. Bard's ancestor had successfully shot off a scale from Smaug's left breast, creating a fatal weak spot. This was the reason Bard was later able to successfully kill the dragon Smaug with the ancestral Black Arrow. Their conversation was overheard by the others in the room. The dwarf Balin said in surprise, "You are a descendant of Girion, Lord of Dale? No wonder I found you familiar... you have some of your ancestor Girion's look about you!" Bard's face was full of self-deprecation. "Then your eyes must be sharp indeed, for I am now just a fisherman." Thorin, who had been silent for a long time, now stood up, his gaze fixed on the Black Arrow, his expression a mixture of excitement and greed. "Is this the Black Arrow that can kill the dragon?" Gandalf, as if guessing his thoughts, threw cold water on the idea. "There's only a slight possibility! Thorin Oakenshield, you cannot count on using this Black Arrow to kill the dragon! The dragon is extremely cunning. He won't just foolishly stand there and give you the chance to kill him! If you don't have a chance for a fatal blow, what awaits you will be the dragon's frenzied retaliation!" Thorin paid no attention to Gandalf's words, his gaze fixed on the Black Arrow with stubborn determination. "No, this is a sign from fate! Fate has brought this Black Arrow before me because it wants us to use it to accomplish the great deed of slaying the dragon!" He then turned to look at Bard. "How much?" "What?" Bard didn't understand. "How much for this Black Arrow? I'll take it!" Bard was taken aback, then immediately shook his head. "Sorry, this is a family heirloom. It is not for sale." "You will sell it!" Thorin said with certainty. "You are a descendant of Girion. You should know of the treasure within the Lonely Mountain. As long as you are willing to hand over this Black Arrow, I promise to give you one-fourteenth of the Lonely Mountain's treasure in exchange." [Chapter Complete] *** Want more? 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