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The Pansexual Atheist
Then this is your lucky day.
lucifuge 101
Context, please. That just reads as gibberish to me.
Team Builder.
Part 26
Rivendell. Eriador.
With the new Rings of Power now supporting the two elvish kingdoms I was allied with, things had gone back to what could be considered normal around here.
Thanks to spring having claimed the land the many trees here bloomed again and the elves were able to grow all the food that they needed despite it not being the season for harvesting.
Winter would not touch Rivendell again as it had last year. Something the elves were very grateful for and I'd been rewarded for my efforts by being gifted with my own lesser ring of power crafted for me by Dammion using the methods I'd developed.
No further greater rings of power would be forged due to the dangers involved. There was simply too great a risk of them being subverted or one of them falling into the wrong hands.
My lesser ring was called Finweya, the ring of creation, meant to help inspire a craftsman, and while it was a simple band of gold and mithril, and might not even work once we left this world, I already treasured it greatly.
Dammion had not made it all fancy and I was grateful for this as I had no desire to wear something I deemed gaudy. My tastes were more simple than an elf's when it came to wearing decorative items.
The current situation also benefited me as it meant Lord Elrond had some free time that he was using to personally educate both Hermione and me in a sort of magical art. What she would call legilimency
Legilimency was the act of magically navigating through the many layers of a person's mind and correctly interpreting one's findings. It wasn't telepathy like what people like Professor X could do in the X-Men franchise.
The most powerful of the elves had the time and the skill to perfect the art to such a degree that they could speak to people telepathically and over a distance depending on how well they knew the person they were trying to reach.
They could send words to you to a person as if were part of a verbal conversation even if they couldn't read your thoughts.
You could also learn to defend your mind. Mental shields aren't really a thing because any wall you put up can be broken down by someone stronger than you. As such it was better to learn to hide thoughts and memories you didn't wish to share.
Hermione knew the basics of this art as she had researched them in an attempt to help Harry who just didn't have much talent for the mind arts and with a Horcrux in his head, it wouldn't have helped anyway.
In my view, Harry Potter was more the kind of person who learned by doing rather than reading and he performed best under pressure. As such just giving him a book on the subject wouldn't help much.
Hermione and I didn't need to worry about protecting our minds as the CYOA did that for us thanks to me making a smart purchase with my points.
Mental Sheild - You and your team are protected from brainwashing, mind reading, and any attacks that target the human mind.
Without that defence, I was sure that I would have tried to dominate the One Ring and I would have become corrupted by it.
"As I have mentioned before, to reach into the mind of another takes great focus and strength of will," said Elrond "There is also danger as when you allow your mind to reach out, something unexpected can always reach out to you".
At least Hermione and I didn't have to worry about that.
"Elrond, you mentioned that Gandalf learned the mind arts from the elves," said Hermione "If that's true then it seems odd that while we were taking the Ring to Lothlórien that Gandalf didn't use it to question an orc prisoner we captured. Marek used his powers to subvert the orc's will so it would talk to us".
The elf lord didn't need long to think over what my witch had just spoken about.
"You see Mistress Granger, orcs are not without their own power," he said "Granted most are barely above beasts, however, some are stronger than others, smarter and crueller, more like their master, and they were driven by the will of Sauron. Mithrandir would have needed to overcome not only the will of the orc but also he would have needed to overcome the driving will of Sauron".
The orc we'd questioned had been a leader and even my Bend Will Shout hadn't lasted for long. I'd been impressed by the orc's strength of mind at the time, now I was wondering how much of that had been Sauron's influence.
I recalled how in the Shadows of Mordor games how Celebrimbor was able to dominate orcs. Assuming that could actually happen he must have overridden Sauron's influence and replaced it with his own.
The Dark Lord did seem to be able to break their control, but that involved the orc having a reason to betray the Bright Lord. It was also possible for an orc to resist any attempt by Talion to dominate its mind.
I wondered if I could learn to dominate any being like that. Would the CYOA allow for it since I was supposed to be claiming people to build a team with not building an army?
Thinking about it I figured that building a team and making allies as needed seemed like a far better idea than trusting dark creatures. I would be far less likely to be stabbed in the back that way.
I pushed aside such thoughts and focused on the lesson. We were told that few humans could ever master this art because many men lack a strong enough spirit.
Basically, you had to have some magical power to do this even if that magic just is a source of energy to help fuel the process.
"Now since you two have some strange power guarding your minds you will both attempt to reach into my mind and view the memory I will focus on" Elrond instructed "It is a powerful memory due to the emotions I was feeling at the time. Memories of great sadness and joys are always the easiest to reach, more so if they are fresh".
I did my best, but this subtle art was going to take quite a bit of practice.
"You're holding a baby," said Hermione "You're very happy in the memory".
Elrond smiled at Hermione. This wasn't the first time we'd tried this, but only she'd had any success. I wondered if the ring I'd made her helped as while it was meant to boost her spells she might see the mind arts as wandless magic and therefore Gulya should enhance her efforts.
"Well done" he praised "That is the memory of the birth of my daughter. Few of my kind have large families. Fathering my twin sons was a blessing few elves will ever know, to have a daughter as well filled my heart with joy, and still does when I think back to that day".
I felt sure that I would get the hang of this if given enough time to practice, however, that practice would not happen today I guessed as another elf came over to our study area (which like everywhere else important around here was outside) and whispered in the ear of Lord Elrond.
"Gandalf has arrived sooner than expected," our host told us "And with a large party of dwarves. I must attend to my duties".
We all went our separate ways. Knowing that we'd be leaving soon meant that Hermione was more determined than ever to record all the knowledge of this world she could find.
As for me, I soon headed back to the forge as I was working on my new set of armour and I'd rested enough to be comfortable imbuing a little of my spirit into the armour while forging it.
My lesser ring of power was helping with this as I could feel my desire to create be strengthed as I worked.
This set of armour offered far more protection than what I'd worn when setting out to destroy the One Ring. I'd time to work on it and my skills had greatly grown since I'd destroyed the One Ring.
Being made from a mithril alloy the armour was much lighter than it should be and easier to forge into shape. Mithril really was an amazing metal and it was a shame that there was little of it even with performing alchemy to produce more.
"So you're the craftsmen" someone stated.
Normally I was more aware of my surroundings, but when crafting I gave my project my full attention as such when Thorin Oakenshield entered my workspace I'd not noticed his presence or that it was getting dark.
If I were anywhere other than Rivendell I would not let my guard down so easily.
"That's me" I replied "I am Marek Dovahkinn".
For some unknown reason, that name just felt right for me.
Thorin was tall and handsome for a dwarf, not that I'd seen enough dwarves to get a proper sense of that, and he looked strong, he wore his armour well, and he'd put on the ring I'd made for him.
"I am Thorin son of Thrain," he said "According to Gandalf you can slay Smaug".
That was the plan. Sort of.
"We will slay Smaug" I corrected "I have certain skills that will make it possible, but I can't do it alone".
The Dragonborn of legend always had their Blades, warriors fighting with them to slay dragons and to found empires.
"What skills would that be?" I was asked
Before speaking I reached into my pouch of holding and pulled out a spear. I'd forged it using ebony and iron to create a type of steel that I'd later enchanted Skyrim style. It had an absorb health enchantment on it and even dragons were only resistant to magic so it should weaken the creature.
"I can forge magical weapons and armour, create objects of power" I stated, "As I did with that ring you wear".
Thorin looked at the Ring of Power.
"It is powerful" he admitted "The moment I put it on I felt more confident of our quest than ever have before. It is as if I have made a strong ally".
It would help to protect him, and a king had many dangers to worry about.
"But can you fight?" Oakenshield "I don't need another smith on his quest".
This was a valid question and one easily answered.
I took the staff and spun it as I moved. Then I drove into one of the mannequins I used to display my work. The spear went right through it.
Thorin was clearly impressed by what he saw, he eyed the spear as he knew a well-crafted weapon when he saw one.
"Dragons have few weaknesses," I told the dwarf "The eyes are vulnerable, and Smaug had a scale missing on his underside. Even with that, it would take a mighty blow to pierce his hide. I intend to strike that blow".
Thorin listened attentively.
"Aye I've heard of that vulnerable mark," he said, "And the eyes, an arrow, sword or spear driven into the beast's eyes could slay it".
Hopefully, Dragonrend would work or we'd be stuck trying to hit a small part of a massive moving target that could breathe fire and squash us like bugs with just its bulk.
Dragons are far too OP for anything other than a highly experienced group of adventures. What I wouldn't give for heavy weapons from my world.
"Lord Elrond wishes to send his sons to aid us and asks for nothing in return," said Oakenshield "I do not trust elves".
Thorin had his reasons for not liking the older race.
"Don't make the mistake of thinking that one group of elves is the same as the others" I warned, "I've been to Lothlórien and I've stayed in Rivendell for many months. They are not like the Greenwood elves who abandoned you when Smaug came, and we will need their help".
I had more to say about this.
"Elrond would not risk sending his sons with us unless he thinks we can win and that Smaug is a danger to us all" I informed the dwarf "The safety of Middle Earth means far more to him than any treasure in your mountain".
"Besides, elven archers are the best in the world," I stated, "And we will need them to blind Smaug for us".
Even if Dragonred worked that would just make the dragon mortal, it would still be an armoured killing machine, but if blinded then there was a chance that I could strike at Smaug's weak spot.
"If the elves come with us they will be your and Gandalf's responsibility," Thorin told me "I will not endanger my kin for an elf".
I felt sure that Mithrandir would convince this stubborn dwarf to accept some help.
"I'm told you have a woman with you with powers of her own," said the dwarf prince "I wish to speak with her. Then we can discuss your contracts".
Hermione's role in this would be a supportive one as even the dumb dragons of her world took a team of witches and wizards to handle. Her magic just wasn't suited for battling the likes of Smaug.
She would be better used to provide us with potions, to distract Smaug if needs be, and to use her powers to make our journey safer.
My magic was different and would win us the day, or so I hoped. Only time would tell.
Team Builder.
Part 27
Rivendell. Eriador.
Hermione and I were often invited to dine with Lord Elrond even when he didn't have important guests, and in my experience, the meals were sedate affairs with music being played, talk and more poetry readings.
For some reason, the elves really enjoyed poetry readings, and there were very long songs performed by an entire choir if it was a special dinner. I'd long since grown tired of such affairs.
This dinner was more to my liking even if the Company of Thorin complained about the food it was nice to hear people having dinner and treating it as if wasn't some stately affair.
Elves can take themselves far too seriously in my opinion, they need a bit of silliness in their lives, and my effort to make them celebrate a version of Christmas hadn't loosened them up much.
At least this time we did have important matters to talk about so Hermione and I sat with Thorin, Gandalf and Elrond at a separate table as we went over the details of the quest.
Terms would need to be agreed upon by all parties before we signed any contracts. I didn't have a lawyer so I would need to check the fine print carefully to spot any details a quick read-through would miss
Dwarves were known to honour their word, but they were an alien race and I could misunderstand their intentions, so it would be wise of me to make sure that I fully understood what they wanted from me before agreeing.
Also, I wanted Hermione to confirm that the contacts weren't in anyway magically binding. I knew enough magic to know that I never wanted to be bound by any bargain that had magic backing it up.
In my view, if you sign a magical contract then there is always going to be some situation when you'll need to break the terms of a deal to prevent something bad from happening. Then you will suffer because the multiverse seems built to create needless drama.
"Rivendell will in exchange for the agreed upon payment provide two of our people to act as guides and protectors," said Elrond "As well as supplies and you can stay here as our guests to rest before you head out on the next part of your journey".
I'd been surprised to hear that my host wanted a share of the treasure, even if it was a very small one, but given what happened last winter it made sense that he might want a little treasure stored away in case they ever had to face that situation again.
Elrond wasn't the leader here just because he had the patience and skill needed to deal with outsiders. He was known for his wisdom and ability to make plans.
"You ask for much and offer little in return," stated Thorin.
This version of the dwarf prince wasn't as hostile towards elves as the movie version, but it was easy to tell that he didn't much care for them. Sadly there was resentment between the two races due to past events.
The lack of trade didn't help. Long ago the dwarves and elves had done a lot of business, but that faded over time as the elves diminished and more of them sailed west.
These days many dwarves exchange the fruit of their labour for actual food with humans who they seem to get along with rather well. It helps that dwarves don't act all superior when they are around humans.
"I am sending my own sons with you and you are facing a dragon" reminded Elrond "They may not come home".
Knowing the twins as I did I doubted that Elrond wanted Elladan and Elrohir going. I was confident that they would be of aid in their quest as they had been in the last one.
Hermione and I would never have made it from the Misty Mountains to Lothlórien without them to guide us. Not after Gandalf was influenced enough by the One Ring to get him to go running off to help his friends.
"Elven archers are the finest in all the world" stated Gandalf.
Something that I had told Thorin earlier.
"I've brewed up a poison that works on the dragons of my world to make them sluggish," said Hermione "If coated on an arrow that hits Smaug in the eye it will at least slow him down".
Smaug might be much smarter and more powerful than the dragons of the wizarding world, but he was still a living being, so can be poisoned even if it wouldn't do more than make him feel ill for a while.
"Fine" agreed Thorin "I'll take the elves with me, but I will not be responsible for their safety".
Something he'd mentioned to me before. I got the sense that he was more concerned about having strangers along because they might endanger his kin rather than be worried about dividing up more of the treasure.
"We'll need to pass through the Greenwood and that means entering the domain of King Thranduil, he isn't as friendly as other elven leaders from what I have heard" I mentioned to Thorin "Perhaps Lord Elrond can assist us in securing passage?".
The elvish lord didn't mind what I was trying to do. I doubted that I was the first human to sit with an elf and dwarf in an attempt to get them working together.
"I can contact King Thranduil and write you a letter that will identify you" Elrond offered "You will need to resupply and the Woodland elves can guide you through their lands".
No doubt Thranduil would want us to pay for his aid. In the movies, he wants some special gems and I'd be willing to make them part of my share of the treasure if it smoothed things over in this timeline.
"What's next?" asked Thorin "Will the men of Laketown want to be paid for letting us pass through their lands?".
That wasn't a big concern since I didn't intend for us to go near that place unless we really had to.
"When it comes to Men, you might want to consider investing in the rebuilding of the Dale" Gandalf suggested, "If only to secure yourself a trading partner".
That was something to be decided on later. No sense in planning for future trade relations until you actually have a kingdom and stuff to trade.
I guessed that once Smaug was gone the humans in the area would be drawn to Dale in the hopes of a more comfortable life. It had been their home before Smaug came south so they had a right to return.
"I have coin if we need to pay a toll" I mentioned, "Or if we need to purchase more supplies".
Due to my lack of expenses I'd amassed quite a bit of wealth thanks to the CYOA and my ability to transmute metals.
Hermione hadn't been eager about claiming a part of the treasure. Partly this was due to practical reasons as we could only transport so much around even with expanded bags, but she had no interest in amassing riches.
I'd pointed out that when we got to her world we'd need a lot of gold as wars aren't cheap.
We'd need to set up safe houses, purchase supplies, and maybe hire some magical mercenaries if such people existed. I imagined that we'd also need to bribe some people, pay for information and so on.
If they had bounty hunters in that world it might serve to place bounties for Death Eaters, if we offered lavish enough rewards we could end up defeating some of our enemies without having to risk our own forces.
I doubted any successful bounty hunter would be foolish to take a shot at Voldemort, but for all his power he couldn't be in two places at once, at least not without a time tuner, and not all of his followers were skilled with a wand.
Then there were the goblins. We'd need them to support us if we wanted to set up a new and more fair Ministry of Magic, and that would require a lot of treasure.
As would the rebuilding afterwards. Taxes are hard to collect during a war so we might need to fund the new Ministry of Magic for a time.
Add to all that we might international support before and afterwards. That could become much easier to acquire if we could bribe the right people and offer generous payment for their aid against the Voldemort-controlled government.
So it just made sense for her to amass wealth in order to fund the war of liberation she desired for her homeland. Even a small fraction of the treasures to be found in that mountain would be enough to fund our efforts.
"By using portkeys we can skip going through the Misty Mountains," said Hermione as she traced our planned route on the map.
Thorin didn't look happy.
"These portkeys are safe?" he asked.
We'd had no problems so far.
"I've used them a number of times" assured Gandalf "It's quite safe and will allow us to avoid trouble in the mountain pass".
The portkeys didn't concern me. Dwarves are hardy folk and Hermione was very skilled at using her kind of magic.
"Once you pass through the Greenwood you won't have to travel far to reach Erebor" stated Elrond "Then will come the hard part. You must aid Master Marek so that he can slay Smaug. Holding Erebor with the aid of the dwarves of the Iron Hills should be simple enough if they arrive before anyone else who wishes to claim those riches".
The orcs might not be driven by the will of Sauron since the Dark Lord had been banished to the void, but there could still be orc warbands in the area and they could be drawn to serve Smaug or they might just want to loot the Lonely Mountain.
"I'll concern myself about holding Erebor once I'm sitting on my grandfather's throne," said Oakenshield "For now, we must focus on Smaug".
A fair point. If we all died then there wouldn't be a dwarven kingdom to protect.
"Short of a siege engine, which we couldn't carry that far..."
That was when I stopped talking and looked at Hermione.
"My dear, how good are you with the shrinking charm?" I asked.
She didn't grasp where I was going with this right away. To be fair it wasn't as if she had experience or much of an interest in medieval warfare. I, on the other hand, had been a wargamer and I'd read about many an ancient battle.
"There would have to be room inside the mountain for them once they were unshrunk," said Hermione "And we'd have to practice firing them first because Smaug isn't going to stand still while we take shots at him".
I knew how to build a ballista. They aren't that complex and we had everything we needed right here.
"What are two planning?" asked a confused-sounding Mithrandir.
I did my best to explain.
"Hermione's magic allows her to take something big and make it so small you can carry it in your pocket," I told the others "I can build a few Ballista, weapons powerful enough to knock down the walls of a castle and Hermione can make it so we can easily carry them to Erebor. Then she can make them big again so they can be fired".
She'd have place charms to deal with the weight as well, but that wasn't much of an issue for a talented witch.
"The Halls of Erebor are massive," stated Thorin, who was starting to get the idea "If we can find Smaug before he wakes and move quickly enough we could strike with overwhelming force before he can defend himself".
I doubted it would be that simple.
"We won't be that lucky," I said, "But we do need to strike with a great deal of force you're right. Arrows in his eyes, a spear in his guts, siege weapons, magic, anything we can throw at him will be needed".
I'd even consider making some bombs if we had the time, but even with all of my world's knowledge that could be as dangerous to us as Smaug. However, I figured that with some practice a team of dwarves could easily load and fire a few Ballista.
"Twelve dwarves, four to a Ballista," I said "Building three should be easy enough".
Anything I can't get from my own supplies or here in Rivendell should be available in Bree which I can use a portkey to reach and quickly return from.
"We only have until Durin's Day to make it to the mountain" reminded Thorin.
That might not be a concern since I owned a special key, but I didn't know for sure if my special key would work.
"There are no better builders than dwarves" I pointed out "With your group, it won't take long".
Elrond stood up and we turned our attention to him.
"It seems you have a way forward," he said "Rivendell will remain open to you all until your preparations are made. Master Marek and Mistress Hermione will help you to prepare and my people will offer what aid they can".
We had a lot of hard work ahead of us and I might come up with other ideas so it would be best to start finalising our plans tonight.
Tomorrow I would start work on another project.
Team Builder.
Part 28
The Woodland Realm. The Greenwood.
Thanks to the use of a couple of portkeys we'd skipped over the Misty Mountains and come directly to the lands on the other side of the range.
This had made the journey so far much safer and shorter, something I felt grateful for as I knew that the mountains were still home to many goblins and even worse things.
Getting us this far was something that Hermione had been able to do as she'd been in these parts last year when we'd been dealing with the One Ring.
The difference this time was that we had not needed to take any efforts to avoid orc camps as there didn't seem to be any around. There was no need for them to be here looking for the Ring in the river as the One Ring was gone.
I wondered if they retreated to Mordor or headed up into the mountains so as to hide. If the latter was the case then it was another good reason to be thankful that we'd been able to bypass them.
We'd not arrived directly at the Greenwood, but we'd been close and Gandalf knew of the path that we needed to take.
To my pleasure the forest didn't seem to be sick even though it was a bit spooky, either Sauron hadn't corrupted it much due to not having enough time to spread his foulness, or his final defeat had lifted some sort of curse from the land.
Once we entered the woods it wasn't long before some of the local elves found us and brought us to their home.
Despite being under guard, I was pleased to be here as I wanted to visit as many of the elven kingdoms as I could while staying in this world.
This was the kingdom of the Silvan Elves, which was located deep within what some called the Mirkwood, otherwise known as the great forest of Rhovanion, and it had been since its beginning all the way back in the Second Age.
I'd researched Thranduil, the ruler of the Woodland Realm carefully because I knew that he was not as easy to work with as the elven leaders I'd allied myself with.
There were good reasons why he didn't stand with his peers and the wizards when they went to drive the Necromancer from these lands.
In the past things had been different with many famous elven kings carving their names into the history books, but these days most elves were ruled over by lords and ladies who were followed because they were respected leaders rather than because they inherited some title.
The elves of the Woodland Realm were known to be less wise and more dangerous than other elves, and by this age, they were the only remaining elves to be ruled over by a king.
Thranduil's father, King Oropher, died in battle during the Last Alliance when men and elves rallied together to fight Sauron. Following the War of the Last Alliance, Thranduil of the Sindar ruled over the Silvan Elves.
While Thranduil was no friend of Sauron, he'd been rather lacklustre in his dust as a defender of Middle-Earth. Pulling back his forces, rather than using them to drive out the evil spreading out from the heart of Mirkwood
Despite the heavy losses their people had suffered during the War of the Last Alliance, the Elves of the Woodland Realm survived and continued living peacefully in the forest for the next millennium.
Over time the forest became dark and tainted, infested with Orcs, great spiders, and other evil creatures. Rather than fight them off the elves withdrew to the northeastern region of the forest.
Thankfully I'd not seen any sign of spiders when we'd passed through the woods. Perhaps Shelob had pulled them back? I was unsure if they'd been under Sauron's command or if they had their own agenda.
Due to Thranduil not having his own Ring of Power and the elves of the Greenwood not being as wise as their kin, these elves needed to regularly trade with the other races.
They'd had ties to the dwarves of the Lonely Mountain and men of the Dale. Which allowed them to acquire what they needed.
This state of affairs was not to last, as when the dragon called Smaug came down from the north and destroyed both the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain and the city of Dale the elves lost their trading partners.
They did still do some business with the men of Laketown, and I assumed others, although I hadn't been able to find out much about that while in Rivendell due to a lack of contact between Lord Elrond and King Thranduil.
That had changed recently as Elrond had sent one of the communication mirrors enchanted by Hermione to this kingdom and he'd done what he could to ensure that when we passed through the Greenwood we would be treated as guests.
Legolas, a key member of the Fellowship of the Ring was one of the elves who escorted us to meet with his father, and I remembered that one of my sisters had always been a big fan of the elf, she'd been seething with envy if she knew about this.
In the main timeline, when Thorin and Company came through the Woodland Realm on their way to the Lonely Mountain on The Quest of Erebor. Thranduil considered them trespassers and had them imprisoned save for Bilbo Baggins, who remained invisible with the use of the One Ring he later released the Dwarves.
Since Bilbo didn't have the One Ring it was good that we weren't being taken captive, as if nothing else I'd make an awful mess of this place when I started using my Shouts to ensure that we did escape any unjustified captivity.
After the death of Smaug, Thranduil offered relief to the Men of Lake-town and he assembled an army to claim part of the treasure, but Thorin Oakenshield refused to share it and so both parties prepared for war.
Bilbo tried to help the situation by delivering the ancient artefact known as the Arkenstone to the Elves and Men so that they could use it to make a deal.
I'd considered taking the Arkenstone for myself, but it would be better served as a symbol to rally the dwarves when the next Dark Lord began his conquest. No need to break my contract even if it wasn't magically binding.
Besides, I didn't even know if the Arkenstone had any special properties. For all, I knew it was just a pretty rock. Also, Thorin was offering Hermione and me a share of the treasure so there would be plenty to pick from.
I was hoping to claim a supply of gemstones since I could transmute metals and the CYOA supplied me with basic materials for crafting, even a set of horns recently that I'd used for my new armour. As such, I didn't need lots of silver and gold, nor did I need to raid the dwarven armouries.
The battle between the Dwarves under the command of Dáin Ironfoot and the elves led by Thranduil could not be allowed to happen as it did in the books/movies.
This was why it was so important for Thorin to sit down with the elven king and hash out a deal that would see the woodland elves offer some support to the quest.
Unlike in the canon timeline, the armies of elves, men, and dwarves would not be forced to join forces and fight a common enemy.
With Sauron gone, there was no driving force behind the dark forces and no Orc army was likely to turn up. As such a deal had to be made now so as to avoid a lot of fighting later.
"Greetings, Mithrandir, Thorin son of Thráin, grandson of Thrór, and Elrond's new allies," said Thranduil.
The king of the Woodland realm had not been told about the new rings of power, but I was sure he'd figured out that I'd been involved in dealing with Sauron he was still a powerful elf and must have been able to sense some of it.
I wouldn't be surprised if he also suspected the existence of the Rings of Power as well as their forging must have been sensed by some.
Rivendell was shielded so I didn't think anyone outside of those I'd gifted the rings to and those living in Rivendell would know about them. At least not yet, in time things would change and my legacy in this world would be known to many.
I wondered if this would be more like the books or the movies.
The Elves of Mirkwood are a minor element in the novel, and Thranduil in particular has no quarrel with Thorin or his company of Dwarves, who are only imprisoned because they are trespassing on the Elvenking's territory and refuse to tell him why.
This time we all knew why we were and just had to sort out what price the king of the Woodland realms wanted in exchange for his help. We would need elves who knew these lands as guides at the very least.
"Greetings King Thranduil," said Gandalf.
We all remained standing before the ruler of this realm even his own son as Mithrandir began to bargain with the elf leader.
Being the nearest major power to Erebor meant that when, or rather if, the dwarves retook it they would need Thranduil's support if only so he wouldn't get in the way.
In the long term when trading with Erebor started up again and the dwarves spent some of the treasure on rebuilding the elves were going to want a piece of the action as they controlled trade in this area.
If an agreement wasn't made the Woodland elves could make it very difficult for the dwarves of the Lonely Mountain to prosper as they once had.
A few guides and some more archers wouldn't go amiss either. Being able to blind Smaug was important to many of my plans to slay the dragon.
As Thorin, Gandalf and our host talked I looked around. I'd noticed that this kingdom wasn't as grand as Lothlórien or as welcoming as Imladris, but it had its own charms.
It was certainly secure and defended by many guards. The elves here were expecting trouble or at least remaining watchful for it.
On the way in it hadn't been hard to see that this home of the elves was far more defensible than Rivendell. It was partly underground and the trees here had grown in such a way that their branches had become like walls.
Roots had become walkways that snaked around buildings. If any outsider invaded they'd have a hell of a time getting anywhere. Above us, there were plenty of places for an elven archer to stand as he rained arrows down on any invaders.
"My son, Legolas wishes to go with you" informed Thranduil
A surprise, but a pleasant one to be sure. Legolas would be very useful should we run into any orc warbands. On the downside, it would mean that Thranduil would learn that Hermione and I have magical talents unknown to this world. Simply unshrinking the siege weapons would lead to Legolas asking all sorts of questions.
Perhaps it would be time to leave once Erebor was secure.
Thinking more on the matter, it seemed odd that the elf king would risk the life of his son like this even if restoring Erebor could help his own kingdom to prosper more than before.
Was he worried about Smaug coming out of the Lonely Mountain one day and seeking out more treasure?
"We welcome his help," said the wizard.
I didn't think the dwarves agreed with this, but when you're going up against a dragon it's foolish to refuse any help you can get.
As for the dwarves since many of them might die
so I'd not bothered to get to know any of them and Biblo kept his distance from me.
I wondered if he was scared of me for some reason. If he did I felt no motivation to reassure him as I had other matters on my mind.
"We'll set a feast for you tonight and you can leave tomorrow" stated the king "My warriors will escort you to the edge of the Greenwood".
This was taken as a dismissal and soon we were escorted to somewhere we could rest until the evening meal. Which was much better than being locked up. Not that their cells could have held me.
Team Builder.
Part 29
Erebor. The Lonely Mountain.
When I first saw the Lonely Mountain I called it massive, because that was the one word that came to mind when thinking about its sheer size. It simply dominated the landscape because it was massive.
The Hobbit movies did a good job of giving you an idea of the real thing, but it was even more impressive in person because no amount of CGI and model-making can compare to the real thing.
Even from a distance, I'd been able to see the statues and the main gate. The sheer amount of time and labour that went into something like this was staggering. Yet it was only a taste of the splendour within the mountain.
How many generations had laboured away to build the kingdom of Erebor?
Geologically the mountain was also impressive in ways other than mere size, it was rich in metals and jewels. Not just gold I'd been told, silver, iron and other minerals had been found in great amounts.
Not all of the treasure came from inside the mountain, a lot of it had been traded for by selling well-made tools and weapons forged by the dwarves who were each a master of their crafts.
Wealthy humans were known to pay the dwarves well for things simple things like toys and they would pay well to secure apprenticeships for their sons.
I'd been told that the inside of the mountain was filled with dwarven-made passages along with natural tunnels that you could follow to find huge cellars, feasting halls and homes that could be considered mansions due to their living space and decorations.
It was claimed by a member of the Company of Thorin, that even the poorest dwarves living in Erebor would never spend a single day hungry or lack a home large enough to comfortably house their family.
If the Dale was anything to go by the dwarves of Erebor sure knew how to build homes, and I hoped that the people of Lake Town were able to move back soon as this place would provide them with a much better standard of living.
Spoken about most often were the great forges where in the past great amounts of the gold dug up had been melted and then shaped into coins, plates, rings, amulets, necklaces, goblets, as well as many other things.
I would have admitted if ever asked that the craftsmen in me longed to see those forges. I couldn't help imagining what wonders I could forge with such tools and the help of hundreds of dwarves.
The main entrance into the mountain was the Gate of Erebor on the south side, which opened up into a valley, however, we were going to avoid that entrance and try to sneak in around the back, as part of a plan to surprise Smaug.
We planned to find somewhere that overlooked the main chamber which overlooked the treasure horde and then set up the siege engines.
"When King Durin VI was killed by the Balrog and the Dwarves fled Moria in the following years. The Dwarf capital was relocated to the Lonely Mountain which quickly became a stronghold in the north" I heard Gandalf saying to Bilbo Baggins as we began looking for the back door "The Dwarves mined into the depths of the mountain, gaining many riches and the Arkenstone was discovered, becoming the King's jewel".
Bilbo was supposed to go and secure the Arkenstone and take it to Thorin's cousin who was king of the Iron Mountains if we all died as the stone could be used to rally the dwarves and unite them for a common cause.
Tempting as it was to take the Arkenstone for myself it might be needed as a unifying symbol when the next dark lord began his conquests.
This was why we didn't simply try to kill Smaug first and then look for the stone. If we all died then Bilbo was to run away and get the Arkenstone out of there. Not that I planned on dying, but few do.
"The Dwarves left Erebor for a period but would return after a war with the Cold Drakes which saw the death of Frór" the wizard rambled on "Thrór took a colony back to the Lonely Mountain and re-
established it as a stronghold".
Mithrandir spoke of Erebor's prosperity to the Hobbit as we sought out the backdoor. It should be invisible until the last light on Durin's Day, but I had my special key so it wasn't just a matter of breaking the ward that kept the door hidden.
I proved to be correct as I found the keyhole and before long I had the door open. We headed inside and soon came across a room that looked as if it had been a meeting place.
We began to set up and I showed everyone my map again. By the looks of things, Smaug hadn't moved. We might remain undetected for a while longer.
"With that key, you could have come to Erebor without us, slain the dragon and claimed as much of the treasure as you wished" pointed out Thorin.
There were reasons why I'd never tried that.
"I wouldn't have been able to hold the mountain," I said "Even if I could keep the people of Lake Town out, your cousin would have turned up with an army. I don't fancy taking on a few hundred dwarves, or worse a thousand".
Even if I could have beaten them then larger armies would just turn up. Not to mention orc raiders, or maybe some assassins.
"I was wondering something," said one of the younger dwarves "If we actually manage to kill Smaug what's to stop another dragon from trying to claim the treasure?".
Judging by the looks on people's faces no one had considered that.
"I better build you some more siege weapons" I decided "Just in case".
It wasn't as if I planned to rush off after this.
"We need to locate the stone" reminded one of the dwarves "Then we can worry about defences".
It was important to stick with the plan.
"The Arkenstone is there, right next to Smaug," I told everyone "We must have stirred in his sleep".
This was not good news. When I'd last checked on the stone via the map it hadn't been so close to the dragon.
"I'll not send our burglar to certain death," said Thorin "Getting that close to Smaug is madness".
Or was it? I'd given this some thought before now and as planned I took out my cloak of invisibility, which I could lend to people, and it wrapped itself around Bilbo as it wanted to protect him.
It even resized itself much to my amusement. I'd spent weeks trying to figure out that trick for the new Rings of Power and the cloak could just do it.
"This cloak will render you invisible and will help to protect you," I stated "Once you have the stone, the cloak will fly you back to us".
Mr Baggins looked shocked.
"What do you mean by...?" he started to ask.
The cloak lifted him a few inches off the ground.
"It can fly and make you invisible" I explained "Don't worry about it, it's a magic thing, just trust me".
He still looked skittish around me, but he had no reason not to trust me, and Gandalf did his best to reassure the Hobbit.
"Use this map so you don't get lost" I insisted.
Items provided by the CYOA get restored to you if lost from what I understood so I should get the map back even if Bilbo got incinerated.
Aside from that, this version of the halfling hadn't been toughened up by his journey so he would need some help. The cloak would provide that aid.
"Take this as well" insisted Hermione.
It was just a silver coin, it didn't look at all special.
"If you get into trouble hold on to it and say 'danger'" my witch told him "It will transport you back here".
Emergency portkeys were always a good idea.
"We'll get set up for the attack," I said.
Bilbo Baggins went on ahead as the rest of us moved with as little noise as possible to locations that overlooked the main chamber that contained Smaug.
We didn't need much time to set up as the siege weapons were unshrunk by Hermione who just teleported herself from one site to another and then waved her wand.
The weapons were loaded just as practised back in Rivendell and they were each capable of breaking down a castle's walls thanks to my craftsmen skills.
Then came the waiting, and I was just starting to worry when I heard Bilbo shouting as he flew past. No one saw him, because he was invisible, but we all
heard him warn that Smaug was awake.
By the sounds of things, the dragon had woken up on the wrong side of his treasure hoard.
"Thief!" yelled Smaug "A curse on all dwarves!".
The dragon opened its mouth so as to breathe fire as the elves tried to hit Smaug's eyes. A poison-coated arrow hit the dragon, striking its left eye, and the potential dark lord of Middle Earth screamed in pain.
I felt sure that it had been Legolas who had hit the target as he seemed to have supernatural skill with that weapon.
Two of the bolts fired by the dwarves missed despite the creature's size, due to the dragon thrashing about, but the third hit one of Smaug's wings and pinned the wing to the wall of the cavern.
Smaug did not like that one bit and if not for the fact that elves are so agile, Elrond would have lost his twin sons to the beast's fire.
"Reload!" I shouted as jumped down into the pile of treasure below me.
I wasn't as graceful as I would have liked even with the Featherfall spell I cast just before jumping. It slowed my fall, but the treasure didn't make for the most stable of ground, so I ended up rolling down a small hill made mostly of coins.
Knowing that I need to move fast I got up and I Shouted at Smaug.
"Joor Zhal Frul!"
It worked as Smaug began to scream in what I could only call terror rather than pain. I was forcing the dragon to experience mortality, a completely foreign concept to the ageless and immortal dragons.
I'd known that the dragons of this world could be slain, but I'd not been sure if they ever died natural deaths like mortal animals did all the time.
Smaug at least was immortal in some sense, only he wasn't right now, and he did not like this at all, he was scared of what being mortal meant.
Some sort of spell cast by Hermione, most likely aimed at the dragon's still-working eye, struck the beast and it roared again even as I pulled my spear from inside my expanded bag and went in for the kill.
"Tidd Klo Ul!"
Smaug was thrashing about too much for me to strike at the weak spot on his lower body so I slowed down time as I ran at him.
While the Shout lasted I felt as if I was trying to run through liquid rather than air, but I managed to drive the spear into the dragon's flesh.
Smaug didn't simply drop dead, mortal or not, he was a massive creature, however, he did soon die as he'd already been badly wounded and I'd driven the spear deep inside him.
Mostly what did it was another bolt ramming into the dragon's mouth as he tried to breathe fire one last time. It sounded as if Smaug died while drowning in his own blood as I drove my spear deeper inside it.
The dragon fell, tearing its own wing as it did, and for a moment nothing happened aside from Hermione teleporting herself to my side no doubt to check up on me as I'd nearly been crushed by the sheer bulk of the creature.
Normally, I would have moved faster to avoid danger, only my spear had gotten stuck inside Smaug. I'd twisted the spear and it had caught on something.
Sadly I'd had to abandon the weapon. I hoped I would be able to get it back. A lot of effort had gone into making the spear.
When the body of Smaug began to burn up I ordered her to back off. I'd not known if this would happen because I wasn't a child of Akatosh, being the creation of something else, but it looked as if was going to take the dragon's soul.
Smaug burned up leaving only bones behind as his soul, lifeforce, spirit, whatever it was called, flowed into me. Soon I became overwhelmed by new knowledge and power.
I am Smaug, the greatest fire-breathing dragon in this world. I came to life in the Northern Wastes and took the skies as I pleased while lesser creatures were confined to the ground.
Time passed, I slept and I hunted for decades as I grew strong. I fought wars in the grey mountains against those who would invade my lands.
Orcs and dwarves tried to claim those mountains and they burned. They were vermin, fit only to cower from me.
The wealth of Erebor drew me south. The wealth in the mountain draws me to it. Men and dwarves flee before me as I arrived like a hurricane, destroying all between me and the treasure that is mine.
I burn some of the vermin as they flee, letting many of them go so that all we know what it is to fear me. This day would live long in their memories.
Once the vermin are gone I break open vaults and gather the treasure into one place. The hoard is such a beautiful sight and I will guard it.
It is mine I will not part with a single coin. The dwarves will come to claim what is mine one day, but for now, I rest in my new home.
It took some effort, but I was able to come back to myself as I heard Hermione calling out my name. I was Marek Dovahkiin, Vanquisher of Sauron, and the true Lord of the Rings.
Now I could add dragonslayer to my list of titles.
"Give me some time and I'll recover," I said to Hermione.
I was recovering fast. I could feel myself growing in power as what remained of Smaug's spirit became a part of me.
As for his bones. I would claim them and fashion myself a set of armour worthy of the Dragonborn. I will forge myself a new sword as well, one better suited to killing things other than orcs.
But first I was going to eat. Killing dragons makes you hungry.
"That went much better than expected," said Gandalf "You truly are a dragon slayer".
I'd told him about Dragonborn taking power from slain dragons so only he and Hermione weren't standing around in shock.
They could stare all they wanted I had dragon bones to secure and a meal to eat. After that, I was going to find somewhere to set up the tent so that I could fuck Hermione until her legs stopped working and her mind turned to jelly.
Team Builder.
Part 30
Erebor. The Lonely Mountain.
Days had turned into weeks and then into more than mouth rather rapidly as we stayed as guests in the restored Dwarven kingdom.
By my calculations, we'd been within the borders of Middle Earth for nearly a year. Much of that had been spent travelling, researching and learning from the elves who so generously shared their knowledge.
Gandalf had departed already, he and Bilbo only took what treasure they could carry with them as they returned to The Shire. It would have been far less if not for Hermione's ability to create what I called pouches of holding.
Before leaving, Mithrandir had gifted me with his old Ring of Power, Narya, which was now just a fancy-looking ring since it had lost its power, but I understood that he wanted me to have something to remember him by.
I might reuse some of the mithril when forging my own ring when we reached the next world. I would not forge my ring here in Middle Earth in case it interfered with the others as the One Ring had.
Before he'd left I'd forged another lesser ring of power for Bilo Baggins to give to Frodo should his nephew end up having his own adventure.
It was a ring that would enhance a Hobbit's natural ability to remain unseen. A mere trinket compared to the One Ring, however, it might come in useful one day.
As the men and women of Laketown had quickly migrated over to Dale and taken back what their ancestors had stolen from them, others had come to the mountain and Dwarves now secured it from the Iron Mountain as well as the siege weapons I'd provided just in case another dragon turned up.
Hermione had spent some of her time helping the local humans to settle in when not in the archives of the dwarves trying to copy out what information she could read.
The dwarves had recorded much of their history. Along with a lot of records about mining and smithing methods. Her hunger for knowledge could never be satisfied.
Amazingly, one of the first things she'd done after Smaug was slain was brew a hair-growing potion for Legolas whose lovely locks had been almost burnt off by the dragon.
Legolas seemed to be a bit like Samson in that without his long hair he lost his power, although in his case it was because he'd been depressed rather than his hair acting as the source of his power.
I'd spent much of my time forging what might be my single greatest creation, a set of dragon bone armour as would e worn by high-level Dragonborn in the Skyrim game.
The armour wasn't made totally from dragon bone so it was good that I had access to so much in the way of materials as well as a proper forge.
I'd used all my skills to make it and it was a powerful set of armour. Imbued with spirit it would endure for centuries, always be light in weight, and fit me perfectly.
Smaug had been so big that aside from the armour, I'd been able to make a shield, sword, mace and axe without even needing to break the skull apart, although I'd removed quite a few fangs.
The sheer quality and my new gear put my earlier efforts to shame. As an added bonus dragonbone offers more protection against magic than even enchanted steel.
No one cared that I used Smaug's remains, or they didn't care enough to comment, and the be fair to the dwarves, the dragon had killed a lot of their people before driving the dwarves from their home.
Hermione had a dragon's heartstring as the core of her wand so she couldn't exactly judge me for making use of dragon parts.
Gandalf might have been put off by the idea, but until he'd left he'd been busy acting the role of diplomat and hadn't spoken to me much. He'd worked to ensure that this mountain was secure.
I could tell that his mind was on the future, and how it needed to be prepared for. No doubt he saw Erebor as a mighty fortress in the war to come.
Despite having originally intended to make this set of armour in the next world it just made a lot more sense to do so here in Erebor where I had access to dwarven tools, forges and resources.
It just made more sense and I quickly learned dwarven methods of smithing, and I never commented on how similar they were to elven ones since dwarves are prideful about their crafts.
"Why are boys always so messy" Hermione commented as she entered the tent.
With my armour and weapons now forged, it was time to start packing everything away. My tools, what I'd created with those tools, and all the treasure we'd been given made up most of the mess.
We had a lot of chests lying around as Thorin had been very generous with our share of the treasure and since we might need to fund a war we'd let him share the wealth.
"If we weren't so messy you'd have less to nag us about and we'd one less reason to like having a girl around," I told the witch "Besides, you can clean up by waving your wand. I actually have to put effort into it keeping things tidy".
Hermione smirked at me.
"I can't argue with that," she said "And I suppose someone has to stop you from living like a dragon".
For some reason, my eyes had turned a purple colour after I took in Smaug's spirit and I felt different than before. Mostly I was stronger now, and Hermione thought I looked bigger, in terms of presence, not physical size.
More than that I felt like I really was the Dragonborn now, were as before it seemed more like I was just playing a role.
Due to taking in some part of Smaug, I'd gotten into the habit of having my treasure close to me. It was a good thing that no one other than Hermione ever touched my stuff or I might have ended up giving them a taste of Fus Ro Dah so as to express my displeasure.
Lucky for my hosts I didn't feel like claiming all of the treasure and while it was weird to be able to remember the taste of roasted dwarf I didn't dwell on it for the sake of my sanity.
I might have some of Morgoth in me, and that was not something I liked to think about even if it made me more powerful than before.
Holding my new love of hoarding treasure was easy enough when I reminded myself that I would other chances to acquire riches.
I hadn't acquired my own pocket dimension yet, but when I did it was going to be filled with a massive treasure and I'd forge some of those Princess Leia golden bikinis for my harem.
As I daydreamed, Hermione waved her wand and the small chests were each filled before they locked themselves. Then they each flew into larger containers that in turn moved into a chest the kind of which Mad-Eye Moody had been stored in.
"Did you finish setting up the plan for the next world?" I was asked.
This involved using the CYOA book to figure out how many points I'd get to spend when setting up in the next world and writing out my choices on some paper before I entered them in the book since there was no going back after that.
"Yes, Professor" I joked "I hope I get an Outstanding for my essay".
My witch smiled at me.
"Actually I was hoping you'd play the teacher and I could be the student who wants to bump up her grade" she teased.
We'd not gotten into roleplay despite having been together for a while. We really did get distracted.
World
ASOIAF
Danger Level 2
It might seem odd for me to choose to go to that world given all the options, however, I knew the setting very well, I knew the players in the Game of Thrones, and I wanted a Valyrian steel sword for my treasure horde.
Also, I might try capturing a few of the more attractive ladies so they could warm my bed. They'd be treasures of a different kind.
Derp
-1 Danger Level
Everyone here is a moron. The world is terrible only because of stupid and terrible people.
Keep the budget of a world but lower the danger level by 1.
"I'm hoping that will dumb down the book characters more to the level of the show characters" I mentioned.
To be fair the show characters weren't stupid per se, even if they were terrible people it was more that in the books you get a better understanding of their motivations and so it's easier to understand their actions even if were morally wrong.
They had to keep things simpler in the show due to their having limited screen time and therefore fewer chances for a character to be explored.
Polyamory
Cost: 1
Your teammates agree to share you. They will not fight one another due to jealousy or the need for attention.
"I don't like the idea of sharing you" stated Hermione "But, you're right about us needing a team".
She didn't have a choice in the matter and once I activated Polyamory she wouldn't care much about it. Mostly I just wanted to make sure that my harem would get along well enough to work together.
SELF-IMPROVEMENT
Safe Space
Cost: 5
A small can-sized idol that projects a barrier that prevents any hostile action done to you or your team in an area the size of a city block.
"You decided against the pocket dimension?" she asked.
I had my reasons. One of which was that I only had so many points to spend.
"With only three of us we can make do with the tent and the idol to keep us safe" I answered "We can always buy a house and I can upgrade it to modern standards".
WEAPONS
Stormbreaker
Cost: 7
A powerful aracano-tech hammer that grants godlike strength and control over lightning.
"Boys and their toys" commented Hermione "Don't you have enough weapons?".
Again I had good reasons for my choice.
"There's a dark lord in that world who can only be killed with a certain kind of weapon" I explained, knowing that she needed this information "Remember, I told you about the Night King. The hammer is for him in case dragon bone doesn't work".
Assuming that there even is a Night King. My hope was to get something close to the show version of Planetos, but I wasn't betting on it, so I wanted a weapon with divine power that could handle anything that reality could throw at me.
Granted I already had a lot of weapons. Aside from the basic armoury I had been gifted dwarven shields and weapons suited for use by humans by Thorin who knew that we intended to return to Hermione's homeland to liberate it from a dark lord.
MISCELLANEOUS
Privacy
Cost: 5
A lifetime subscription to our Privacy Program. No supernatural method of tracking or predicting your movements will work on you. Customer Satisfaction is Guaranteed!
MISCELLANEOUS
Soul Shield
Cost: 5
You and your team are protected from spiritual corruption and damage. It also includes attacks on the soul and life force.
MISCELLANEOUS
Causal Shield
Cost: 7
You and your team are immune to reality-altering effects as well as hostile action taken against you through altering the timeline.
"All those defences are needed," I said "They do have some powerful magic users in that world who can do some funky stuff".
Bran can mess with the timeline when he becomes the Three-Eyed Raven. That Red Woman might be able to find us with visions in the flames and there was bound to be magic stuff that I didn't know about.
SPECIALIST
Ciri
Cost: 7
"So you went with the girl who can teleport around really fast and cut armoured men in half," said Hermione "Is she really worth the expense?. She'll be stronger than you if the points spent mean anything".
Ciri being worth more than the Dragonborn did sting my pride because I was the Dragonborn. However, there were good reasons for picking Ciri. She was a very powerful woman and an experienced fighter.
I knew about her powers, and enough about her personality to know what could motivate her. She wanted to be a Witcher and there would be plenty of evil for us to fight in the future both human and not.
As for me. Once I forged my own Ring of Power I figured that it combined with my godly weapon and awesome armour would make her equal.
"Ciri can move people even further than a portkey and more easily," I said to Hermione "She can singlehandedly turn the tide of even the largest battles and we need a devoted warrior on our side. I'm too much of a jack of all trades to devote myself to becoming a full-time warrior and while you can kick ass with the best of us, in your heart you are more of an academic than a fighter".
Which wasn't a criticism. I needed someone to handle R&D.
"I can't help thinking that the pocket dimension would be a better investment" commented Miss Granger once she'd taken in my words "But that's just my opinion. I can see why you made these choices".
Between the wards and the idol, we'd be safe enough.
"If we get more missions I might be able to purchase one soon," I said "I left a point spare in case we need to purchase some medical supplies or some support staff".
Before we could discuss this further there was a knocking at the door to the room we'd set the tent up in. We went out of the tent and when I opened the door I found Thorin Oakenshild carrying a box.
"I heard you were leaving soon so I wanted to give you both something to help in your own quest," said the King Under The Mountain.
Of course, Hermione had to point out that he'd been more than generous already.
"It is not mere treasure I offer, Mistress Granger" explained Thorin as he came into the room and placed the box on a stone table "These are items to aid you and you did gift me with Orcist for my people's future".
While I'd wanted to keep the sword it wasn't going to be as useful elsewhere since it was made for fighting the orcs of this world. So I'd parted with it and presented it to Thorin with a warning about the dangers to come.
Letting it go had been hard, but I needed to be sensible and I could forge my won elven blade if I wished, one meant for foes other than orcs, and it helped that Thorin had lavished me with treasure.
The new king took out the mithril shirt that should be the possession of Bilbo Baggins. I hoped that Frodo never needed it. He presented it to my witch.
"Thank you, your majesty," said Hermione "But I have armour already".
She didn't understand what was being offered to her.
"Mistress Granger there is no armour like this in the whole world," said Thorin "This was forged for a prince of the elves. It is far too slender for a dwarf or a man, but perfect for one of your frame. It will protect you when you go to free your people".
I encouraged her to take the gift.
"That vest is of far higher quality than the one I made for you," I told her "Trust me you want that kind of protection".
She accepted the gift and the leader of Erebor took out his other gift. It was an ornate helmet of steel that was decorated with gold. It had a model of a dragon resting on top of it.
"This the Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin" said Thorin Oakenshield "Forged by the dwarves of the First Age and it somehow made its way to the vault of my grandfather long before I was born. No one has been able to unlock the magical properties of this ancient helm for centuries. Legend says it has the ability to protect the wearer from any harm or wound. I heard from Grandfather that only a dragon slayer could ever make true use of the helm and I don't intend to set eyes on another of those cursed creatures".
Legends tend to exaggerate such things, but there is always some truth behind them.
"I don't think there are words to describe the value of this gift," I said "So all I can do is say thank you, your Majesty".
Thorin didn't need to hear more.
"Use them well my friends," said the king as he left "I have other matters to attend to far less pleasant than handing out gifts".
I put the helm away with the intent of studying it later.
"Do you think we'll ever come back here?" asked Hermione.
I'd given this some thought already. Given the way, the CYOA worked it might be possible. It depended on the whim of the R.O.B who funded our points and organised our missions.
"We can choose custom worlds so I suppose we could request to come to this world when the next Dark Lord begins trying to conquer Middle Earth" I mused "And it would be nice to see Elrond again. If we return in less than a century he might not have even noticed that we've left".
It would be interesting to see how things changed and how they didn't. Something to consider in the future when we were more ready for such a conflict.
For now, we needed to finish packing up and make our preparation for the next world.