Lake-Town
I don't own Digimon or The Hobbit
"Such is the nature of evil. Out there in the vast ignorance of the world, it festers and spreads. A shadow that grows in the dark. A sleepless malice as black as the oncoming wall of night. So, it ever was. So, will it always be. In time, all foul things come forth." Thranduil said as he walked around an Orc that Legolas had captured and was holding down on its knees with a knife against its throat.
"You were tracking a company of fifteen people consisting of thirteen Dwarves, a Halfling and lizard. Why?" Legolas asked the Orc who smirked.
"Not fifteen, not anymore." He answered. "The Halfling, the one who helped the others escape, we stuck him with a Morgul shaft. The poison's in his blood, he'll be choking on it soon."
"I do not care about one dead Halfling. Answer the question. Tell us what you know and I will set you free, you have no need to fear us." Thranduil said smoothly.
"You had orders to kill them. Why? What is Thorin Oakenshield to you?" Legolas asked the Orc.
"The Dwarf runt will never be king." The Orc spat out with a growl.
"King? There is no King Under the Mountain, nor will there ever be. None would dare enter Erebor, whilst the dragon lives." Legolas said.
"You know nothing. Your world will burn." The Orc said with an evil grin.
"What're you talking about? Speak!" Legolas told the Orc pressing his knife against its throat.
"Our time has come again. My master serves the One." The Orc said making Thranduil stop and glance at him. "Do you understand now, Elfling? Death is upon you. The flames of war are upon you." He began laughing before with a single swift motion, Thranduil drew his sword and severed the Orc's head from its shoulders and the body began to spasm briefly.
"Why did you do that? You promised to set him free." Legolas said dropping the Orc's head which rolled down the steps.
"And I did. I freed his wretched head from his miserable shoulders." Thranduil said coldly.
"There was more the Orc could tell us." Legolas said.
"There was nothing more he could tell me." Thranduil replied sheathing his sword and walking down the steps.
"What did he mean by the flames of war?" Legolas asked him.
"It means they intend to unleash a weapon so great, it will destroy all before it. I want the watch doubled at our borders. All roads, all rivers. Nothing moves, but I hear of it. No one enters this kingdom, and no one leaves it." Thranduil ordered walking off with several guards moving to obey his orders and Legolas walked off as well.
Meanwhile the large pack of Orcs that were following the company stopped at the edge of the river and one Orc kneeled beside a small pool of blood and stuck its finger into it and licked the blood and growled. "Halfling blood." He told Bolg.
"There is another scent." Bolg said sniffing the air looking around and he growled. "Man flesh. They have found a way to cross the lake."
As Bolg deduced the company were on Bard's barge as it sailed across the lake silently, the mist made it difficult to see anything past a few feet ahead of them. "Watch out!" Bofur warned as ruins appeared out of the mist but Bard avoided them easily.
"What're you trying to do, drown us?" Thorin asked him before being elbowed by Daisuke who glared at him slightly.
"If he wanted to drown us he'd have done it already." She said.
"She is right Master Dwarf, I was born and bred on these waters. If I wanted to drown you, I would not do it here." Bard explained.
"Oh, I've had enough of this lippy Lakeman. I say we throw him over the side and be done with it," Dwalin muttered.
"He didn't have to help us Dwalin, he could have left us for the Orcs to find and kill us." Veemon told the Dwarf as he sat on a crate besides Bilbo who was okay for now. "Besides we paid him half his fee already, once we get to Lake-town we just pay the rest."
"Just a slight problem, I think we're ten coins short." Balin said as he counted the remainder of their combined amount of coins. Daisuke sighed and she dug into her pockets and pulled out the locket that belonged to Gloin.
"Gloin, pay up. I think this is worth more than ten measly coins." She said tossing the locket that she found in Mirkwood to him.
"Aye, thank you lass." He said handing his coin pouch to Balin, it was then the group got their first look at the Lonely Mountain.
"Wow, we're so close." Daisuke whispered before she saw Bard walk over and she coughed to alert the others so they didn't give away their true reason for crossing the lake.
"Give me the rest of the money now," Bard said quickly.
"We agreed on paying the other half when we got to our destination." Daisuke said with a frown.
"If you value your freedom do it now, there are guards ahead." Bard told the group who all looked in front of them to see they were approaching a structure, Daisuke sighed and grabbed the coin pouch and handed it to him and soon they were all hiding in the barrels with Daisuke and Veemon sharing one.
"What's he doing?" Dwalin whispered as she looked out the hole in her barrel and saw Bard talking to someone.
"He's talking to someone," she answered before seeing him point at the barge. "And now he's pointing right at us." She then saw Bard and the man shaking hands. "And now they're shaking hands. That lying snake, we had a deal and he's selling us out." Daisuke hissed as Bard walked back to the barge but instead of them being caught fish began being dumped into the barrels onto the company.
"By Durin, this is disgusting," Kili whispered holding his nose. Soon Bard was moving his barge along the river again.
"Keep quiet." He hissed kicking a barrel to silence them. "We're approaching the tollgate." He whispered looking up at a large gate that led into Lake-town.
"Goods inspection, papers please." The man sitting in a small hut by the gate said before he noticed Bard. "Oh, it's you Bard. Anything to declare?"
"Morning Percy. And nothing, but that I am tired and cold, and longing for home." Bard answered handing a slip of paper to Percy.
"As am I." Percy said taking the paper and he stamped it. "Everything appears to be in order." He said but before he could hand the paper back to bard a sleazy looking man snatched it from his hand and Bard frowned at the man.
"Not so fast. Consignment of empty barrels from the Woodland Realm." He said reading the paper before tossing it away. "Only, they're not empty. Are they Bard?" he asked rhetorically. "I believe you are licensed as a bargeman, not a fisherman." He said grabbing a fish from a barrel.
"That's none of your business." Bard said calmly.
"No. But it's the Master's business, which makes it my business." He said with a smirk and Daisuke growled silently.
"Have a heart, Alfrid. People need to eat." Bard told him.
"These fish are illegal. Dump the barrels over the side." Alfrid said tossing the fish in his hand into the water. Four guards stepped onto the barge and began to dump the fish from the barrels slowly.
"Times are hard in this town, people are struggling." Bard said.
"That's not my problem." Alfrid said.
"But it will be when the people learn the Master is dumping fish into the lake. When the rioting starts, will it be your problem then?" Bard asked and Alfrid grimaced.
"Stop." He ordered and the guards stopped and stopped dumping the fish from the barrels thankfully before they discovered the company.
"Ever the People's champion, eh Bard? Protector of the common folk. You might have their favour now bargeman but it won't last." Alfrid told him.
"Raise the gate." Percy said and the gate was raised allowing Bard past.
"The Master has his eye on you. We know where you live." Alfrid threatened Bard who shrugged.
"It's a small town Alfrid. Everyone knows where everyone lives." He replied, soon he docked his barge and began to tip over the barrels and the Dwarves, Daisuke, Veemon and Bilbo fell out.
"Great, now we smell like fish." Veemon groaned as he and Daisuke helped Bilbo stand while Bard handed a man at the dock some coins.
"You never saw them, they were never here. The fish you can have for nothing," he told the man who nodded. "Follow me," he told the company walking off quickly with Daisuke and Kili helping Bilbo walk as he began to limp.
"Once we get to his house, Oin try to fix his leg ok?" Daisuke whispered to the medic of the team who nodded.
"Da, our house is being watched." A teenage boy said running over to Bard who looked back at the others and whispered to his son of a plan and he then told the company.
"That's it I'm gonna kill him." Dwalin grumbled as he and the others waited beneath Bard's house in the freezing cold water.
"If the cold doesn't do us in first." Veemon said through chattering teeth as he held onto Daisuke, they then heard a series of knocks from above and climbed out, through the toilet.
"If anyone speaks of this to anyone, I'll rip their arms off." Dwalin growled as he climbed up first followed by the others who were helped up by Bard's son Bain.
"Noted." Daisuke said shivering as she walked up into the house.
"Da, why are their Dwarves, a girl and two strange people climbing out of our toilet?" the eldest daughter of Bard asked.
"Will they bring us luck?" the youngest girl asked.
"I doubt it little one. Even though my friend here is said to bring good luck, I think he's run out of it." Daisuke answered pointing to Veemon who waved slightly. A few minutes later the company were all wrapped up in blankets and tried to be as close to the small fire as they could be.
"They may not be the best fit but they will keep you warm," Bard told them as his daughter Sigrid began handing everyone cups of warm tea.
"Thank you," Daisuke said taking a cup and she took a sip before she saw Thorin looking out a window.
"A Dwarvish wind lance." He whispered.
"You look like you've seen a ghost." Daisuke said walking over to him with Balin.
"He has. The last time we saw a wind lance, a city was on fire." Balin explained softly. "It was the day the dragon came. The day that Smaug destroyed the city of Dale. Girion, the Lord of the City, rallied his bowmen to fire upon the beast. But a dragon's hide is tough. Tougher than the strongest armor. Only a Black Arrow fired from a wind lance, could have pierced the dragon's hide, and few of those arrows were ever made." He explained. "The store was running low when Girion made his last stand."
"Had the aim of Men been true that day, much would have been different." Thorin told Daisuke.
"You speak of it as if you were there." Bard said walking up behind them.
"All Dwarves know the tale," Thorin replied.
"Then you know that Girion did hit the beast, he loosened a scale under its left wing, one more shot and the dragon would have been killed." Bain said causing Dwalin to chuckle.
"That's a fairy story, lad. Nothing more." He said softly.
"We've given you our money, now we need transport out of here." Thorin told Bard who nodded.
"Wait here." he said walking off as Balin, Dwalin, Daisuke and Thorin walked down to the others.
"Tomorrow begins the last days of autumn." Thorin whispered.
"Durin's day begins the morning after next, we must reach the mountain before then." Balin added.
"And if we do not? If we do not find the hidden door before that time?" Kili asked.
"Then this quest has been for nothing." Fili answered.
"We're not going anywhere without Bilbo, Oin how soon can he be able to move?" Daisuke asked the medic as he checked Bilbo's wound.
"I don't know lass; the wound should have stopped bleeding by now. It's nothing like I've seen before." he answered.
"Do what you can. We need him," Thorin said.
"Why do you care so much for a Hobbit?" Bard asked.
"He's a friend, and he's proven himself many times. Now tell us where we can find a boat." Thorin told him and the rest of the company nodded agreeing with him.
"You're not going anywhere, not until nightfall at least. There are spies watching this house, and probably every wharf and dock in town."
"Then we wait until nightfall, Kili, Fili you two and I are going to secure some boats for us. We need to get out of here before we're caught," Daisuke told the brothers. "Oin get Bilbo onto a bed, try and heal his wound or at least stop the bleeding. Veemon you help him and do whatever he asks, the rest of you keep quiet and stay hidden."
Once night had fallen, Daisuke, Fili, Kili, Thorin and Dwalin snuck out of the house and headed for the docks. "Fili once we get the boats head back and tell the others, don't let anyone spot you." Thorin whispered and his nephew nodded as they waited for a guard to pass before running across a small wooden bridge.
"Do you think this plan is going to work?" Kili asked Daisuke.
"We need to have hope. And luck on our side," she whispered as she peeked around a corner and spotted two boats in decent condition tied to the dock. "Bingo, there is our ride. Fili go tell the others." She whispered and the Dwarf nodded and ran off quietly while the others ran to the boats and began untying them.
"Let's hope these will hold all of us across the lake." Thorin muttered.
"At least we have our weapons, and not some rusty makeshift stuff that we would have gotten if Daisuke didn't take them back from the Elves." Dwalin said and Daisuke smiled back. They finished untying the boats and saw the rest of the company arriving with Bilbo being helped by Bofur and Bifur and he began looking pale.
"I tried everything lass, nothing was working." Oin told Daisuke who frowned.
"There has to be something, what could the Orcs use to poison an arrow?" she whispered.
"The only thing I know of…no it can't be a Morgul arrow." Oin whispered his eyes widening in worry.
"A Morgul arrow?" Veemon asked.
"Aye. The only thing that can cure something like that is Elvish magic or Athelas." Oin answered.
"Athelas?" Daisuke whispered having not heard the name before as Bilbo stumbled and landed on the ground with a thud and he shouted in pain before he could stop himself making everyone tense as they heard guards shouting in the distance.
"Run!" Dori shouted but before they could the guards arrived with their weapons pointed at the company before they could draw their own weapons.
"Did someone break a mirror or something?" Daisuke whispered. "First, we were attacked by spiders, then the others were caught by Elves, then Bilbo was hurt by an Orc arrow and now we've been caught by the guards of Lake-town, what's next?" she thought.
The end of the chapter
Read and review