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"Did it fall over there just now?"
"Yes, I saw it. Right over there!"
"Hurry, hurry! Jimmy needs our help!"
Thorin's voice echoed through the mountains.
"Hey, Thorin! Over here!"
Jimmy waved from below.
"I do need your help this is a huge chunk of meat. Can you help me carry it?"
"Jimmy?!"
Relief flooded Thorin's voice.
The next moment, Jimmy saw the round-bodied Bombur rolling down the slope, with Thorin sliding down behind him.
"You're alright! That's great! What about Smaug? I saw it fall. The ravens already flew back. Is Smaug dead?"
"You're not injured? Where's your armor? Your sword..."
"Bombur, catch!"
Bombur had just managed to sit up when Jimmy tossed the dragon meat straight into his arms.
"Oof!"
Bombur collapsed back onto the ground.
"Thorin, you're asking so many questions it's hard to know where to start."
Jimmy chuckled.
"Smaug is dead. Let's head back first. Oh, right I've got a gift for you once we're back."
"A gift you absolutely cannot refuse."
"Come on, I'm also curious whether dragon meat tastes good... if it does, I'm in for a treat."
Jimmy picked the dragon meat back up from Bombur and walked alongside Thorin.
"Hey, Jimmy. Is that piece Smaug's meat? Then where is Smaug?"
"I'll tell you once we're back but yes, he's dead."
...
"Smaug was a fire dragon; trying to burn him with molten gold is like trying to drown a fish."
Jimmy spoke calmly as they walked.
"That's why I hid on the beam ahead of time. When he flew past, I dropped straight onto him."
"I destroyed his wings. Once he was grounded, he wasn't my opponent."
"But now Smaug is dead... and that changes your plan completely."
"Fourteen dwarves, one burglar, and me we can't hold the Lonely Mountain."
"You need to gather your forces as soon as possible."
"And the Wood Elves."
"Even if an agreement exists, with numbers this small, they might not honor it."
"And Lake-town."
"Those opportunistic mobs won't stay quiet either."
"So we prepare first."
"I suggest sealing the main gate."
Jimmy laid out his strategy step by step.
Thorin listened but his expression grew heavier.
They still hadn't found the Arkenstone.
Without it, he wasn't yet the true King Under the Mountain.
If even dwarves arrived now, he wouldn't dare open the gates let alone Wood Elves.
...
"Smaug is dead?"
Balin asked the wall.
"Of course!"
"Oh! Oh! Oh!"
...
They returned to the former king's hall.
The gold had already cooled; the golden floor still radiated heat.
"Everyone, make some room."
"I'll take Smaug out and show you."
Boom.
Smaug's corpse appeared.
The dwarves froze, stunned into silence.
"This..."
"Heh."
Jimmy smiled.
"I'm a veteran adventurer. If I didn't have a few tricks up my sleeve, how would I dare challenge Smaug alone?"
"And Thorin."
"I told you I had a gift for you."
"Look."
Jimmy reached into his pocket and took out the Arkenstone.
"The Arkenstone?!"
Thorin stared at the gem in shock and joy.
For a brief moment, Jimmy thought his eyes were playing tricks on him; when the stone appeared, a faint electric arc seemed to flicker across its surface.
The Arkenstone was different now.
It looked as if it had been purified.
This...
Thorin held the Arkenstone in his hands.
There was only excitement in his eyes no greed at all.
"Good! Good! Good!"
"With the Arkenstone, I can now summon them openly and rightfully!"
"Thank you, dependable Jimmy!"
"You will forever be a friend of the Dwarves remembered for generations!"
Baggins' expression changed slightly.
He instinctively reached into his pocket.
He knew this very well.
The Arkenstone had been in his pocket before, so how did it end up...
...
What followed was cleanup and preparation.
Smaug had been slain, but danger had only just arrived.
Fourteen dwarves, one burglar, and Jimmy were nowhere near enough to stop greed-fueled forces.
The Wood Elves might smile and nod while secretly plotting otherwise.
The people of Lake-town watched with hungry eyes.
Other dwarven clans might arrive not to support Thorin, but to challenge his claim.
Jimmy chewed on roasted Smaug meat.
It was dry, with a faint burning sensation lingering after each bite.
Aside from Jimmy, no one else could eat it.
Bombur had tried earlier... and ended up with his mouth covered in blisters.
Jimmy, however, felt fine.
Energy surged through his body with every bite.
...
The dwarves gathered to discuss defenses.
They decided to seal the rear gate first, abandon the outer city and watchtowers, and block the only entrance Smaug had smashed open.
Every usable resource in the mountain was collected.
The Lonely Mountain would be fortified.
Wealth truly stirred hearts.
Jimmy's shattered armor was placed aside.
Both blades were warped.
The helmet rested in his hands.
Inside it was a burnt-out arc coil.
This had to be Tony's backup plan.
If Jimmy had guessed correctly, the helmet contained tracking, positioning, and audio monitoring...
Possibly even visual recording.
And indeed, it did.
Not only did it record video it transmitted it in real time.
The only thing Tony had not anticipated was the Horadric Cube and dungeon rules.
No level of technology could bridge that signal gap.
As for the arc generator inside the helmet, it did more than supply power.
It had an emergency safeguard.
When destruction was imminent, it first released low-voltage electricity to form a protective barrier around Jimmy, then discharged a massive burst of power electrocuting every bio-electric organism within fifty meters.
Due to rule suppression, the output was weakened significantly.
Even so, it was enough to make a top-tier creature like Smaug collapse instantly.
And that was not all.
The Arkenstone, embedded in Jimmy's chest armor, had carried a faint curse.
That curse had been completely cleansed by the overwhelming lightning.
Tony's first long-distance god-tier assist.
A narrow win.
Jimmy stared at the chip-like integrated module pulled from the helmet.
He did not know whether to laugh or cry.
Tony meant well there was no doubt about that.
But that kind of goodwill, applied to kids these days, could easily be misunderstood.
This world's youngsters screamed about freedom all day long.
With something like this watching them, freedom was questionable at best.
As for Jimmy, he did not mind much.
He was not dating anyone, and Tony's worrying about his safety was not exactly sinister.
...
"Jimmy."
Thorin approached personally, watching as Jimmy butchered dragon meat.
"We've discussed it."
"We can take several major dragon bones, mix them with metal, and with the metal from your original armor to reforge a new suit and two blades."
"If we wait longer, we could gather more craftsmen and create even better weapons and armor."
"The Wood Elves have something valuable here."
"I'm willing to trade a promise to have them help refine the armor and weapons' flaws..."
Jimmy stopped cutting.
"This can wait."
"Forge the blades first."
"I have a feeling we'll need them soon."
"War... is coming."
He was certain of it.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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