What If: Seraph Of Arda P3

The Seraph Of Arda

Chapter: 3

Omake: What If Kai was sent to a different world? 

(The Great Escape)

-{Celebrían}-

Celebrían sat in darkness, her wrists bound with crude rope that burned against her soft skin. 

The air reeked of filth and decay, the stench of the Orc den pressing in from all sides. Somewhere in the blackness, water dripped steadily against stone, invading her hearing and making her pointed ears twitch.

She should have known better. She had lived long enough after all. She should have known better than to trust what she knew about a changing world, especially now of all times. 

The thought circled through her mind as she attempted to ignore the burning of the cuts she had received, the arrow that punctured her body and the pain that was invading her being. 

It has been over a month now since the shift in Middle-earth. 

New power stirred in the air, strange currents of power that hadn’t been there before. 

Unfortunately Celebrían had dismissed this change when contemplating her path. Not entirely, but enough to make this journey, which had proven a fatal mistake. 

Foolish. 

With the world growing stronger by some unknown source she should have known that the forces of darkness would follow. 

She had known this. 

Orc sightings had increased along the mountain passes. Travelers spoke of coordinated attacks, of creatures that moved with intelligence behind them. The old roads weren't safe anymore. 

The certainties of earlier ages had crumbled like autumn leaves. The Redhorn Pass had seemed reasonable with a proper elven escort, of whom she was the only survivor. 

Her own strength hadn't been enough, especially when taken off-guard and the way they had used other Elves as shields. The attack had been overwhelming and it hadn’t just been Orcs… monsters of unknown origin had been commanded. 

She had fought and her blade had tasted Orc blood of dozens and that had only been rising by the second but it had been too much. Before she was disarmed and rough hands overwhelmed her, restraining her for reasons unknown.

Perhaps pure cruelty.

There had been too many. 

Now she sat in some decrepit hole, cold, bound and battling against the pain. It had been a week and there was no sign of change, a particular thought that hadn’t passed in her elven mind before.

Her keen ears could hear them moving in the shadows beyond, their guttural voices speaking in their foul tongue. Occasionally one would venture close enough for her to catch a glimpse of twisted features in the dim light.

They hadn't killed her yet. That was something. Though whether it was mercy or cruelty, she couldn't say.

The times they came in were random and painful, the hours of torture slowly taking its toll. 

The bonds around her wrists chafed. 

She tested them again, carefully, feeling for any weakness. The Orcs were crude, but not stupid. They had bound her well. 

She looked down at her dirtied matted blonde hair and her torn clothing. Her sword was lost and she was in an encampment of hundreds of Orcs. 

In a location that was probably far away considering the day she had spent with a bag over her head. 

Would this mistake truly be her end on Arda? Or better yet how long would it be until she saw her family again? 

The thought filled her with sadness and as the sounds of footsteps became closer, she let out a soft sigh. She would focus on keeping the positive memories of her family at the forefront of her mind. 

For she didn’t know how long she would last otherwise.

-{Kai}-

My fist clenched. 

I was ready.

Three more weeks had passed in quick succession. In that time I had made it my mission to gather information whenever the lazy Dragon woke up.  

From what I had gathered, my conclusion was that this world was certainly crazy. 

Not in a chaotic sense, ignoring the brief mention of a Dark Lord. The word itself seemed to exist on a higher plane than Earth. The basic gravity was stronger. 

Stone was tougher.

From what I'd heard, even the general populace of this world was physically superior. A human here could easily beat the best athletes back on Earth, at least if Smaug’s very questionable words were to be believed. 

I was almost scared to think about what dwarves and elves could achieve.

The even crazier part was that in the month I'd been here, I'd already caught up. With nothing to do but lament on my thoughts and the betrayal that still stung heavily. 

Instead, I trained intensely. 

My progress has been good. Back on Earth, I was certain my strength would be enough to crack stone. 

The cost of travelling to this dangerous world had been off-set by Smaug, almost making me want to stay, if only because I'd just started becoming stronger than human.

I felt the presence of chakra hum against my skin. My magical power had grown with the addition of chakra. 

The Lazy Dragon had sensed it almost instantly, but it didn't seem to bother him. 

I hadn't pushed the limits yet, though. Finally having a chance to use Mokuton, I'd started making small roots. The training drained my chakra while teaching me control.

Creating vines from nothing but the energy inside me was as weird as it was exciting and I had quickly learnt I could make them stronger by feeding more chakra into them.

That along with the assassin combat style I'd been practicing was beyond anything I'd known on Earth. Calling it higher than most martial arts was an understatement. 

No wasted motion, no flashy techniques. Just pure lethality which worked if I was fighting for my life. 

My inventory flickered open, displaying the gold I had taken in a window. I'd taken some gold, figuring it would be useful if I had some wealth to me. 

Which had been harder than I assumed since the Dragon was somehow hyper sensitive to missing treasure. The only way to assure him was subtly show I held nothing. 

I glanced towards the sleeping Dragon, then let out a deep sigh. 

[Quest]

Escape the Lonely Mountain

Description: You have awakened in the vast hoard of Smaug the Terrible, last of the great fire-drakes. One wrong move and you'll face the fury of the Dragon. Find a way to escape this dangerous and unfortunate beginning.

Objective: Escape the Lonely Mountain alive

Bonus: Kill Smaug. 

Reward: ?, ?, ?, ?, ?

Bonus Reward: ?, ?

Now came the hard part.

I rose slowly, keeping my breathing steady. 

The hoard around me glittered in the dim light filtering through cracks in the mountain. 

Smaug's breathing rumbled through the chamber like distant thunder. 

I counted the breaths. Looking for any irregularity, any sign he was faking. 

The Dragon was cunning. 

He'd proven that when he'd sneaked up on me three weeks ago, moving with impossible silence for something so massive. I'd only survived because he'd been amused rather than angry.

It had made me realise that the only flaw I could see within him was his pride. Luckily he hadn’t caught me doing anything other than walking around. 

I wouldn't make that mistake again. 

Five minutes passed. Then ten. Smaug's breathing never changed. His massive form rose and fell with each breath, gold cascading off his scales in tiny rivers.

I moved, moving with barely any sound and stepping carefully.My training has paid off and my increased strength gives me more muscle control over my body. 

I'd mapped this route over weeks, memorizing which coins would shift, which treasures would clink. A golden chalice two feet to my left that would ring like a bell if touched. 

A pile of shields ahead that would clatter. 

A gap between a statue and a chest that was just wide enough.

I avoided them all, moving like a shadow through the hoard.

Honestly in a way the assassin fighting style and practising my steps helped as my feet found the quiet spaces instinctively. 

My weight distributed perfectly to avoid sound. 

Finally my careful steps brought me to the edge of Smaug's immediate territory. With the marble-like material leading to a golden staircase that I quickly travelled up.

With a better view I gave Smaug one last glance. 

As far as startings had gone this could have been a lot worse. I had spoken to the Dragon over the last month and it was almost a shame to leave him. But I wasn’t going to settle for being restrained. 

Maybe in my old life. 

I quickly set off, finding the tunnel entrance.

The tunnel I'd chosen was old, half collapsed but still navigable. 

It led toward the eastern side of the mountain. I'd found it two weeks ago while exploring during one of the Dragon's longer sleeps.

I slipped inside.

The passage was narrow, barely wide enough for me to squeeze through. Perfect. 

Smaug wouldn't fit and even if he tried to dig through, it would take time. 

Time I'd use to get as far away as possible.

I climbed over rubble, ducked beneath fallen beams, squeezed through gaps. 

My breathing stayed controlled, even as my heart pounded with a hint of anxiety and… an overwhelming amount of excitement. It hammered in the silence. 

I found myself almost in disbelief. 

Was it really going to be this easy?The thought felt wrong. 

After everything, after weeks of planning and preparation, was I really just going to walk out? It felt anticlimactic. 

All that buildup, all those careful preparations and Smaug just kept sleeping. Part of me had expected some sort of final test. Especially with the quest making it out to be so hard. 

But no. 

Just darkness and stone and the sound of my own breathing. Ten minutes of crawling brought me to a wider section. The air began to feel different. Fresher. 

I could smell pine and earth instead of sulfur and gold. I was getting close.

My pace quickened. 

After a month in a cave, training and developing my powers to pass the time. I was ready to go exploring. The tunnel sloped upward, and I had to use both hands to pull myself forward. 

Finally, I was on the highest floor of the building that was entranced within the mountain. 

I looked around, taking a moment. 

Broad skeletons littered the area, with swords and armour littered around the large room. Hundreds of them. Then I finally found moonlight pooling in from large archways, some of which had been obliterated. 

Just like that I was moving out of an archway into the cold night air. 

I stopped at the entrance and looked back.

No sound of pursuit. 

No angry roar echoing through the mountain. 

Smaug still slept, unaware his ‘prize’ had escaped.

I had almost expected him to be there, silently watching me with those two wicked eyes but to my slight relief he wasn’t. 

It really was this easy.

I couldn’t say I hadn’t been nervous. 

Even my time in the void didn’t negate an intelligent massive fire breathing Dragon’s presence. 

But it was almost disappointing, in a way.

Before I left, I pressed my hands against the tunnel walls. Chakra flowed through me and roots burst from the stone. They wove together, thick and dense, sealing the passage behind me like a wooden door.

It wouldn't stop Smaug. Nothing could really stop him if he decided to come through. But it would alert me. The wood would splinter and crack, giving me warning. 

If he decided to be quiet again, to hunt me the way he had before, I'd hear him coming.

I stood on a ledge, narrow and precarious. 

The stone beneath my feet was rough, covered in patches of ice that gleamed in the moonlight.

I took a breath and looked down.

The mountain dropped away into darkness. 

Hundreds of feet, maybe thousands. The ground was invisible in the shadows below, lost in a sea of black. From this height, falling would mean death. Instant, unavoidable death.

Yeah…

This was going to be tricky.

It was a good thing I had wings, something that had taken me a stupid amount of time to think about, my mind subconsciously making me think that I was still a human. 

When in fact, I was not. 

I allowed my wings to come free, piercing the darkness they shone and shifted against my back. Two pairs of rings reflected back to my vision. 

I'd been practicing with them in secret, testing their strength whenever Smaug slept deeply enough. 

Short flights across the hoard, learning how to catch myself before I fell. Learning how they responded to my thoughts, how much force they could generate, how to angle them for lift.

But those had been controlled tests. Safe, relatively speaking.

This was different.

The wind tugged at my clothes.

Then, I hopped off the ledge in an almost lackadaisical manner. The air began rushing to my face instantly and for a moment I simply continued to plummet.

Until my wings flexed like I had learnt to do, holding up against the rushing wine and allowing me to glide through the air with glee, along with that small amount of trepidation fading into nothing.

I shot through the air, feeling strangely giddily. 

I didn't know if Smaug would chase me once he realized I was gone, but he had no idea I could fly. That gave me an edge. A much needed boom. 

I shot through the sky, climbing higher and savoring the sensation of flight. Looking back, I saw the massive fortified gate I'd just escaped. The mountain reached above the clouds, its peaks forming natural walls around the entrance.

I pushed myself faster, then dropped back down toward the ground. My eyes scanned around for any sign of life and I tensed slightly as a town became apparent nearby. 

I didn’t want to leave any sort of path for the Dragon and would prefer to get far away if I could. 

After a few seconds of observing, the outline of a city became more apparent. My flight slowed and I considered taking another path, until I realised the city was in ruins. The walls were crumbled in some parts and through the light of the moon I could see the abandoned broken buildings.

I guess it was to be expected. 

Living next to a Dragon couldn’t make rent cheap.

I observed it for a second, considering my next actions carefully. Ultimately I opted on passing by. While it was interesting, if I was Smaug this would probably be the first place I’d look. 

If I suspected my prey was on foot and with the lack of cover anywhere else besides the edge of a forest. But then again, I was quite quick and there was a chance he didn’t wake up for a few days. 

My eyes glanced towards my quest, confusion and anxiousness welling up in me.

Why wasn’t the quest completed? I had successfully escaped the mountain. Shouldn’t that count? The other thought was less appealing, but even as I looked around I found nothing. 

I frowned, but focused ahead as I passed over the abandoned town quickly. Just as it looked on the outside, the place seemed well and truly abandoned… 

That was until I saw a shadow move below me. 

I blinked. Only for my eyes to widen in surprise as another shadow moved on one of the roof tops, it jumped into the air and towards my rapidly approaching form with a growling sound.

I avoided whatever had jumped towards me narrowly, but found myself falling into a building as a result of that action, managing to make a soft impact and quickly rolling into a fighting style.

Only it wasn’t needed.

I couldn’t see anything around me. 

Nevertheless I quickly ducked into a building and surveyed the outside in confusion. 

Good thing I did.

A roar tore through the sky, powerful enough to shake the ground beneath me. In the distance, a massive shape rose into the air. A presence coming to overlay the very air. 

It was that which made me have a revelation. 

Right.

I hadn't actually escaped at all.

-{Smaug}-

A lazy eye opened, surveying the area with a keen sense.

Something was amiss.

Smaug could admit it had been rather strange talking to another living being, or more specially his treasured prize. 

He had once thought the piece to be a statue like no other, one that looked like some sort of being not of this plane had fallen asleep in a way that no being could. Resting as still as stone for so many centuries.

The Dragon had found him after taking the mountain from the detestable stinking pests, whose only good trait was the fat that he enjoyed smelling as he burnt them into puddles of ash. 

He had been ever so startled… even considering burning it until he had really stared at it.

It was flawless. Not in the way those elven beasts attempted to be. Blonde hair, smooth skin and a face that appeased his eyes. The aura it possessed was nothing short of relaxing and comforting, something that shouldn’t be possible. 

Nothing in this lowly world should be able to hold back the sea of rage he contained. 

He had been so surprised when it awoke, simply staring uncomprehendingly for many moments as those hazel eyes looked around curiously. The being didn’t know where it was. 

He had let it wander his halls as he gained his bearings, until he had begun heading towards an area that would lead outside. He had announced his arrival, surprised when the being used some sort of light magic so easily.

The light magic seemed to rely on heat and something else that had tickled a little painfully, other than that it was no threat. 

After speaking with the being, he came to one unbelievable conclusion. The being didn’t even realise how special it was. In Smaug’s opinion, it had only boosted the creature's appeal in his eyes. 

Over the next of… however much time had passed, he had gotten to learn more. The being possessed that annoying magic, but had kindly refrained from using it in his presence. 

Indeed, he was very special. He remembered when he had awoken. The shockwave of energy that had been released into the world and what would come with such a thing.

Even Smaug himself had felt more energetic, which meant the monsters that hid underground and those nameless creatures would find themselves drawn to the world once more. 

Indeed. 

He loved the chaos it would bring on everyone outside of his kingdom. 

Now, though. 

Something was amiss.

He sensed it in the air, the smell of his scent felt like it was fading.

His eyes landed on his figure, Kai. He called himself, was lying down as if nothing was wrong with that look on his face.

His nose flared.

His lips drew back, showing teeth that could cut through stone and flesh with an ease that would scare a troll into fright. 

Lesser.

This version felt lesser.

It was still beautiful to look at. It’s hair glittering like his gold. But… that aura. It was gone. Lost and unpleasingly in its absence. While that was annoying, it wouldn’t be a problem… if this wasn’t.

A fake.

The ground rumbled. 

Rage passed by undiluted without anything to stop its ascent and his claw whipped out.

It passed by the unphased Kai. 

A lone cut tore through his cheek.

Not enough to kill or truly mere its beauty, a show of control with such a deadly sharp nail that it would leave most gobsmacked a Dragon could achieve such a thing.

The being deformed and exploded into a ball of water, the imagery failing and a small puddle left in its wake.

His eyes glared wickedly, scanning around for the being. Hoping to see a bashful expression on what had become his only companion, an apology for experimenting with magics unknown. 

No such thing occurred.

“Trickery.” He roared.

The mountain shook. 

Gas formed and spewed out of his mouth, followed by a click and in moments the entire chamber was bathed in liquid fire. His body moved, every step a tremor and every obstacle erased.

Had someone stolen him away? A nasty Maiar? A group of those ghastly elven snacks. 

He supposed it wouldn’t matter in the end.

He exploded out of the mountain, letting out one last roar to announce his return. 

If the world insisted on interrupting his rest then they would suffer the weight of his presence. 

-{Kai}-

Shit.

I pressed myself against the wall, heart pounding. That roar had been way too close. I was glad I'd already ducked into cover the moment I sensed something was off.

The water clone trick hadn’t lasted long.

I hadn't expected Smaug to figure it out this quickly. 

The ground shook. Another roar, closer this time, and I felt the heat wash over the ruined buildings. Fire lit up the night sky, turning everything orange and red.

I moved deeper into the structure, keeping low. The walls were crumbling stone, old and weathered. 

Through the gaps I could see outside.

Then Smaug landed.

The impact sent tremors through the ground. Dust rained from the ceiling. I froze, barely breathing as the massive form settled onto what had once been the town square.

He was enormous. 

I'd seen him in the mountain, but out here in the open, the sheer scale of him was different. His wings spread wide enough to cast shadows over entire buildings. Each claw dug into the stone like it was soft clay.

"Come out, little treasure," Smaug's voice rumbled. 

I didn't move. 

My hand rested on the weapon I'd taken, though I knew it would be useless against him and most of all useless in my hands. 

Smaug's head swung toward the building next to mine. His neck extended, serpentine and fluid. Fire built in his throat, visible through the gaps in his scales.

He had a careful look, before the building exploded into flames. A sea of liquid fire punching through stone and wood with ease. 

I used the roaring noise to move, slipping through a gap in the back wall and into an alley. 

The heat was intense even from here. My skin prickled with it. For someone trying to search for me he wasn’t being very subtle or careful. 

Something growled to my left.

I spun and my eyes widened.

A creature stood at the end of the alley. Wolf-like, but wrong. Its proportions were off, too large and heavily muscled. Its eyes glowed with an intelligence that normal animals didn't possess.

Another one appeared behind it. This one was different. Smaller, with mottled grey fur instead of black.

A third emerged from a collapsed doorway. This one had scars covering its face and moved with a limp.

Not wolves. 

Damn it. 

I moved before they could close in, vaulting over rubble and sprinting toward a side street. Behind me, the creatures gave chase. Their claws scraped against stone, impossibly fast.

They spread out, flanking me with a coordination that sent alarm bells ringing. These things hunted as a pack.

What the hell were these? 

Just where was I?!

Above, Smaug's shadow passed overhead. 

I ducked under an overhang just as another gout of flame turned the street I'd been on into an inferno.

Was he trying to kill me?!

The creatures scattered, yelping. Smart enough to avoid the fire. I briefly saw something trying to jump on the Dragon before it was pulverised into paste against a building. Smaug’s tail whipping around is dangerous. 

I kept moving, using the chaos. 

The town was a maze of ruined buildings and collapsed walls. Unfortunately it wasn’t very big but at the same time, luckily these creatures weren’t many in number. 

I weaved through it, always keeping something between me and the sky.

Smaug landed again, closer this time. The building I was hiding behind groaned under the force of his arrival. I climbed through a window into what had once been someone's home. 

The furniture was rotted, the walls covered in moss. 

Through another window. Across a courtyard. Into a building with half its roof missing.

One of those wolf creatures was waiting.

It lunged. I dropped low and kicked. My body moved on instinct, redirecting its momentum. 

The creature crashed into the wall behind me.

I clicked my tongue. 

More of them were coming. I could hear them, that strange growling echoing through the ruins.

Smaug's roar shook the air again. He lifted off, wings beating with enough force to knock loose stones from nearby structures. His shadow passed over and the cluster of monsters were burnt by a liquid explosion that destroyed the entire road. 

After a few minutes of more searching, the dragon became agitated. As if worried that he was wrong and I had somehow escaped further. With a roar he took off and headed toward the forest edge.

Good. 

He thought I'd made a run for the trees or perhaps thought I had been captured? I wasn’t too sure. I watched him go, then turned my attention back to the immediate problem. 

The creatures were still hunting. I could hear them moving through the ruins, their claws clicking against stone.

What the hell was this death town? 

I moved carefully now, even then I couldn’t keep the grin off my face. The excitement thrummed through me. This was dangerous, genuinely life-threatening and part of me loved it.

A flash of movement ahead. I stopped, pressing into a doorway. Two of the creatures prowled past, not ten feet away. They were searching, sniffing the air. One of them paused, head tilting.

Then something erupted from the shadows.

Tentacles. Black, writhing, impossibly fast. They wrapped around the lead creature before it could react. The wolf thing yelped, thrashing, but the tentacles pulled it into the darkness of a collapsed building.

The sound it made was cut off abruptly.

The second creature backed away, turned and fled.

I stared at where the first one had disappeared. 

What the hell was that?!

This wasn't what Smaug had described. He'd mentioned creatures, sure. Wargs, he'd called them. Used by orcs as mounts and hunting beasts. Dangerous but straightforward.

But that didn’t sound like whatever these were and nothing about shadow tentacles that grabbed things from the dark.

I filed that information away and kept moving. Whatever those tentacles were, I wanted nothing to do with them.

The next street was clearer. I could see the edge of town from here, where the ruins gave way to open ground. 

Beyond that, the forest.

I paused. 

Did I want to go there yet? 

What rush was I in? 

Smaug would outfly me, covering more distance than me regardless. It had made sense when he was asleep, but now he had awoken and found out my plan in less than twenty minutes.

It would be best to stay put. Then once he starts searching further or decides to take his losses I could sneak out tomorrow, giving me a better chance of actually escaping.

The cover of the trees was all well and good but it wasn’t full proof. But staying here wasn’t ideal either. 

Something was amiss, about this entire place.

I wasn’t told of any monsters just casually hanging out in an abandoned city.

My eyes spotted a watch post, still relatively intact and most of all it was elevated. 

It looks like I had a relatively safe place to hide out for now. 

Perhaps staying put was the best choice. 

With that in mind I climbed up the watch post and barricaded myself in.

The distant silhouette of Smaug kept me alert.

I’d stay here for a little while until he began spreading out further.

-END-

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