What if: Seraph Of Arda P2

The Seraph Of Arda

Chapter: 2

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

(The Lonely Mountain)

I woke up, eyes flickering at the unfamiliar golden expanse I found myself in. 

It took a brief moment as my mind cleared and the massive Dragon laying behind me registered within my mind.

I blinked, turning to meet the Dragon behind me. 

Its great eye was already open, watching me with interest. Steam curled lazily from Smaug's nostrils as he regarded me without moving his massive head from where it rested atop a mound of treasure.

I pushed myself up, coins sliding away from my movements. The initial disorientation faded, replaced by a cold composure that surprised even me. Without hesitation, I turned to face the dragon fully.

We stared for a moment. 

"You're awake," I stated, deciding to break the silence. 

"I am," Smaug replied, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through the gold beneath me. There was an amused indulgence in his tone, as if my lack of terror delighted him. "Did you sleep well, little one?"

I could tell that the question was foreign, as if he had never uttered those words in his life but thought it was what he was meant to ask. The way he twitched gave it away. 

He looked at me and I could see him practically wondering if he had done it correctly. 

“Relatively.” I replied with a shrug. 

Sleeping on gold coins wasn’t exactly comfortable as it may sound.  

There was a brief moment of silence once more. 

“So… tell me. Where exactly am I?” I asked hesitantly. 

“My kingdom.” Smaug replied instantly.

“Right… Does this kingdom have a name?” I queried. 

“Not a name I have decided upon yet.” The Dragon said after a moment of thought.

“Was this always your kingdom?” I asked. 

"Always? No, little treasure. I took what was rightfully mine when the time was ripe." His massive form shifted, gold cascading around him. "This was once the dwarf-kingdom of Erebor, ruled by the line of Durin.” 

That was the answer I wanted. 

The massive Dragon’s eyes were analysing me sharply. 

“What prompted you to do that?” I asked, keeping my tone casual. 

The dragon's voice grew richer with the memory, almost nostalgic. "They had grown fat and complacent, sitting upon their hoard like brooding hens. The King under the Mountain, they called him, such arrogance. As if any mere dwarf could truly rule over such magnificence."

So he had taken over the place. 

“Did you manage to get them all?” I replied with an amused tone.

“Many managed to flee, I saw no point in giving chase.” Smaug replied.

“When was this?” I asked idily.

“I have not kept a track of time.” Smaug replied, almost thoughtfully. “It would have been well over 150 years ago.”

Ah, that was a relief. I totally thought they would be coming back to take it back. 

I doubted I was ready for what would probably be a pissed-off dwarven army. Then again, I didn’t know what was strong in this world. Only that I was weak.

I wasn’t too bothered about this situation. 

It was a beyond absurd start to my new life, when you considered how mundane my last one had been. I was here, talking to a very powerful Dragon who had presumably killed thousands. Yet, I found myself without a care to that fact.  

Gold slowly clenched under my finger tips. 

I was alive. 

Another question came to the forefront of my mind.

"I don’t suppose you could help some… gaps in my knowledge and tell me what races inhabit this world?" I questioned slowly. 

If there was a Dragon, I was going to guess that there were more races. 

The dragon's massive head lifted slightly, clearly pleased by my directness. "Very well, I shall indulge your curiosity." 

The Dragon titled its head, moving slightly which caused gold to cascade in massive waves. 

"Let’s start with the most basic. The Men, fragile beings who crawl across the lands like insects, breeding in their hovels and cities. Weak, short-lived creatures, though some prove... entertaining in their defiance before they burn."

So humans existed. 

"What else?" I questioned, genuinely curious. 

"The dwarves, the stunted folk who once infested my mountain. Greedy, grasping little miners who delved deep and built grand halls, though they fled squealing when I arrived to claim my hoard." Smaug's voice held a certain disdain that I was used to hearing from my father.

I remained expressionless. He sure does hate them. 

"Continue."

"Elves," he practically spat the word. "Ancient, arrogant tree-dwellers who fancy themselves wise and noble. They think themselves above the concerns of lesser folk, though they bleed and burn just as easily as any other."

“I’m sure they must be horrible with your un-biased opinion of them.” I said, mildly amused. 

What followed was a rather long conversation about all the races in the world and their customs, which was interesting to say the least. 

I wonder.. would the people outside call me racist for saying something wrong I learned from Smaug?

Letting him finish another one of his rants about Dwarves and their greed, I decided to steer the conversation towards something more interesting. 

My voice still remained flat, unimpressed. "What of any… kingdoms? Maybe nearby…”

“I do not bother myself with such things.” Smaug dismissed me while wiggling his impossibly large neck. “The only rules that exist are the ones uttered by those who have the power to enforce their will.”

I absorbed the information. 

“Right… So, what are the current happenings? I’m guessing there’s other beings like you.” I questioned. 

Unless I had truly just been dropped into the layer of the most powerful being in this world. 

Smaug's rumbling laughter filled the chamber. "Such delicious curiosity! There are whispers of darker things stirring once more, shadows gathering in distant lands.” 

That was all he was seemingly willing to share as he stopped once more. 

“Now I have indulged you, I too wish to be indulged. Tell me, what was that bright sorcery you used.” Smaug asked, a noticeable disdain. “You're no elf and I doubt you are one of those pesky Maia.” 

I shrugged, even as I thought about the information. So there were other magic-users. 

“I’m not sure.” I shrugged.

The large dragon’s eyes inspected me lazily. 

“How curious, then I do suppose that you are a treasure in that aspect. A worthy prize among the hoarde.” The Dragon said, his voice rumbling with a pleased tone. As if he was boasting… to himself.

I laid there for a moment. 

My mind simply went through comprehending everything that had led me to the point of laying on a sea of gold, listening to a massive Dragon speak about elves and what we Maiar were meant to be. 

I checked my status screen. 

The void made me used to being accompanied with only my mind. Even with that, I quickly grew restless. 

"I want to explore a bit," I said, stretching as I stood up from the pile of gold.

"No." Smaug's response was immediate and flat.

“Why not?” 

Smaug gruffed. “You are not to wander out of my sight.” 

“Fine, come with me.” I replied. 

“No” his response came again. 

I looked at him. "Come on. Have you even looked around?”

"I have no interest in past makings of lesser beings." He replied deeply. 

“Do you intend on just staying here?” I questioned incredulously, I had to calm my annoyance.

Being restricted was already a sore spot for me. Not again in this life.

He could seemingly sense that. For better or for worse. 

Smaug was quiet for a long moment. Then he began to move. "Very well. A brief reconnaissance."

What followed was a brief explanation of the massive and extremely deep mountain. 

We made our way through the mountain's passages, Smaug's massive form surprisingly graceful in the carved tunnels. The deeper chambers were filled with the remnants of dwarven craftsmanship, broken statues, collapsed mining equipment, empty forges.

"I'm hungry." I eventually states 

"Hungry?" He said the word like it was foreign.

"I need food. To eat."

I wasn’t sure if I actually did but I wouldn’t mind it. 

The dragon stared at me for several seconds. "I... see. Wait here."

He disappeared for about an hour, returning with what looked like a charred boulder in his jaws. He dropped it in front of me with obvious pride.

"What exactly am I supposed to do with a rock? I cannot eat that," I said, staring blankly at the burnt mass.

"Why not?" He really looked confused, and that was more baffling to me than anything else. Did he really not understand that others needed to eat things that were alive?

"It's completely incinerated. There's nothing left but ash and carbon."

Smaug still looked genuinely perplexed. "But fire makes things better."

"You sound like a caveman.”

“What is this caveman you speak of? I hope you do not intend to say I sound like a weakling manling?” Smaug replied. 

“No.” I sighed. “Can you just use less fire? Like maybe just gently roast its flesh?”

Smaug looked curious. Which didn’t bode well.

I didn’t know if I needed to eat with my new body but it wouldn’t hurt to make sure. 

Another ten minutes passed and I briefly considered if making a break for it now would work? I hadn’t seen the outside terrain and I hadn’t forgotten the quest. 

While the safety of having a massive powerful Dragon was nice and the display of how little my magic had affected him had certainly dissuaded me from more attempts, I didn’t like having my freedom restricted. 

I’d need to find an opportune moment. 

The ground tremored slightly and I sighed. 

He returned with a deer, relatively intact this time, grasped delicately. "I have returned.”

“I can see that.” I commented, though not in a rude manner. 

He dropped the corpse in front of me. 

It was shredded apart and barely hanging together.

I felt nothing as I stared at it but a small distaste. 

"Good. Now, can you use less fire?" I asked, looking up at him. 

"Less fire?" The concept seemed to offend him.

I watched as he attempted to cook the deer. 

For good measure, I cut it up into pieces with my bare hands. Then allowed him to try. 

The first lump of flesh burst of flame turned it into charcoal again. 

The second attempt was slightly better but still ruined. 

It took him another two tries before I managed to get him to produce what could generously be called a controlled flame.

His fire was dangerous… more akin to a liquid combustible force that I could easily imagine ruining cities. 

"There," Smaug said after the sixth attempt, sounding exhausted. "Barely-fire. Be pleased by my attempts and that you are the first to see such a weak display, coming from someone as great as me.” 

The meat was actually edible, though I wasn't entirely sure I needed to eat. At first, I wasn't sure if I even wanted to. Still, it tasted surprisingly good, and the whole process had been oddly satisfying.

Unhuman test buds? I don't exactly have anyone to compare it with.

“Control isn’t weakness.” I commented, soothing his pride. Reading him was becoming easier. 

The massive Dragon paused, actually considering my words before huffing. 

After eating I found… no change. As in I didn’t really feel anything. Perhaps I didn’t need to eat in that case? 

I was technically… an Angel. I was half-tempted to ask the Dragon about it but I didn’t want the obviously evil-aligned creature to suddenly declare me a Saint in need of killing.

Or worse, burning. Thankfully, there was no stake in sight.

Anyway, it wasn't long before I found a clear space in the chamber and began doing basic exercises. 

I could gain stat points right? What did that do? Would I feel it? My mind twisted, the thought of gaining power for myself hitting a deep part of me that felt in constant pain.

My fist clenched and my determination soared beyond anything I had experienced. 

It wouldn’t happen again. 

The workout was simple. 

Push-ups, stretches, movement drills.

"What are you doing?" Smaug asked, watching me with the same confusion he'd shown about eating.

"Training."

"For what purpose?"

"To keep myself fit."

“Interesting. I think your form is fitting enough. Is it a speciality of your kind to increase their beauty through such strange dances? How fascinating.”

I looked at him weirdly and decided to not correct him.

The dragon stared at me like I'd just explained quantum physics to a goldfish, then settled his head back down on his hoard with a rumbling sigh.

By the end of the short session I was sweating, wondering when 

For an Extensive Workout, you have gained:

1 STR

Suddenly, the sweat and pain didn’t matter. That feeling of having your strength increase after a few days of working out hit me. The slight addictive rush and the slightly off-putting grin that formed due to it.

Now how was I going to raise my Magic? I couldn’t ignore it, especially after seeing that I could literally control light with a magical energy that didn’t exist in my previous life. 

While being able to grow physically was nice, the very thought of what magic could do made me buzz with excitement. 

I looked over at the quest I had just gained.

[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: ?, ?

It was too safe such a quest was bound to have amazing rewards right? Or it better do, considering escaping the Dragon wasn’t going to be easy in the slightest, especially if he starts hunting for me. 

If I was getting the situation correctly, the system had granted me ten stat crystals for merely surviving. 

And that was a bit of a cheat considering I was apparently a part of the dragons horde.

Just what would this System give me for the legendary undertaking of escaping an incomparably powerful city-destroying Dragon? 

The bonus definitely wasn’t happening. My light magic had done basically nothing and the Dragon’s sheer power suggested he could probably end me faster then I could blink. 

But still, escaping was doable. And the rewards seemed like a good bonus. 

The question I was left with. 

How could I do it without upsetting the massive Dragon to the point of killing me? 

-{Gandalf}-

Gandalf barely acknowledged the road that stretched before him, winding through the familiar hills of Eriador, his thoughts were far from the path beneath his feet. 

Perhaps it was part of what made him supposedly wise as he routinely thought about the current age and all that was transpiring. 

His staff tapped a steady rhythm against the worn stones as he walked.

The Fading Years, they called this age. 

How apt a name.

He had lived through the glory of the elder days, watched the light of the Two Trees reflected in the eyes of the Firstborn when the world was young. 

Now he walked roads that grew ever more mundane. Slowly the Elves were beginning to depart, one by one, sailing west to escape the weight of time that pressed upon them in these mortal lands. 

And Gandalf was sure the dark times he sensed on the horizon would not light a desire to stay in them.

Even the great kingdoms of Men showed cracks in their foundations, their bloodlines thinning, the memories of older times fading. 

And in the North, the dwarves found themselves in a dire situation. With their home Erebor having been taken by Smaug the Terrible, as they named him and well earned was that epithet.

A giant lizard reigned over the hills, while the rightful heirs of Durin wandered homeless.

For nearly two hundred years, the wyrm had dug itself a lair in the Lonely Mountain and in all that time, none had mustered the strength to challenge him. 

The Dwarves were scattered.

It didn’t bode well for the dark times. He could feel it as the doom encroached ever the closer, the divides between the races only furthering its coming.

Gandalf's grip tightened on his staff. 

The dominion of Men was inevitable, decreed in the Music itself. 

Yet, would they inherit a world stripped of wonder? Bereft of the enchantment that had once made Middle-earth a reflection, however dim, of the Blessed Realm? He didn't know if that would be a blessing, or a curse to the men.

The thought troubled him more than he cared to admit, even to himself.

The Three Rings still held some power, preserving what they could. 

Rivendell, Lothlórien, the Grey Havens... islands of the elder days in an encroaching sea of mortality. But even that was a holding action, a desperate attempt to slow the inevitable. 

And it was that action that had brought about Sauron gaining the one ring. Gandalf would never say it aloud, but it was almost as if the attempts to slow the dying of magic had a cost. 

A cost that outweighed the gain. 

When Sauron returned and Gandalf's bones told him that the Dark Lord would return, the final accounting would come. Either the Shadow would triumph utterly, or it would fall and with it, the last of the old magic would fade from the world.

He let out a sigh. 

It would not do good to dwell on such thoughts. 

He paused at a crossroads, gazing east toward the Misty Mountains. 

Somewhere beyond those peaks lay Dol Guldur, where darkness had been growing for the last few years. 

The Necromancer.

Gandalf suspected far more sinister truths, but he needed proof, before he presented this to the white council. 

He took out his pipe from his staff, taking a puff as he considered his next move with no haste. 

Then a shake pulsed through his entire body and the world around him shifted.It was not a physical sensation, not exactly. 

Rather, it was as though the very fabric of Arda had suddenly taken a deep breath after centuries of shallow, labored breathing. The air itself seemed to shimmer and akin to the clouds of ash a volcano released when erupting, magic began pouring into the surroundings.

Gandalf nearly dropped his staff, his knees giving out in pure surprise. His eyes widened beneath his bushy brows as he gasped, a sound of pure astonishment torn from his lips.

Magic.

Not the subtle, carefully preserved enchantments of the Elven rings. 

Not the slow, deep power of the earth that the Dwarves occasionally touched in their delving. 

This was something else entirely: raw, primal, alive in a way that Middle-earth had not been alive since…Since when? The drowning of Beleriand? The fall of Númenor? 

Further back still?

He spun slowly in place, his keen gaze sweeping across the landscape as though the very hills might reveal the source of this transformation. The grass at his feet seemed greener, the distant trees more vibrant. 

This wasn’t possible. 

Even the stones of the road appeared more solid, more real, as if they had been but shadows of themselves a moment before. 

The change was too much. 

Without any sort of warning or signs, as if something had merely woken up up with a blink of the eyes. This was an event that hadn’t even been considered. 

"This cannot be," he murmured, but even as he spoke the words, he felt the truth of it thrumming through his very being. 

As Olórin, one of the Maiar, could no more mistake this awakening than a man could mistake the sunrise.Magic true magic, the deep power that had once threaded through every stone and stream of Arda was flowing back into the world.

But how? By what mechanism? 

The Valar had not intervened so directly since the remaking of the world at the end of the Second Age. Even then, their actions had been to remove, to separate, to diminish the enchantment of Middle-earth, not to restore it. 

This was… unattainable.

Gandalf's mind raced, sifting through centuries of lore, seeking any prophecy, any hint of such an event. 

The rings? No, they preserved, they did not create. 

Sauron's return? The Dark Lord's power was of domination and corruption, not this wild, clean surge of primal energy.

Had Morgoth returned?

It was an absurd line of thought, but it had to be considered. 

Then what?

He became aware that his hand was trembling on his staff. For if magic had returned to Middle-earth, what else had changed? 

The careful plans he had laid, the long strategies designed for a world of fading enchantment... would they still hold true? 

The Elves who had been preparing for their inevitable departure might now find reason to remain. The creatures of legend that had retreated into hidden places might emerge once more.

But not all was well. 

Sauron, he would have no doubt sensed this change and good always came with the evil that latched to its workings. 

"What has happened?" Gandalf whispered to the wind. "What power has entered the world?"

The wind had no answer, but the magic roiling in the air around him was undeniable. It sang in his blood, called to the Maiarin spirit housed in his mortal frame. 

He straightened. 

Gandalf turned eastward, toward the Lonely Mountain, though he could not have said why. 

The magic had no direction, no source he could pinpoint. Yet something drew his attention that way, some instinct honed over thousands of years.

He took a step forward, then another, his pace quickening. The staff in his hand seemed to hum with renewed vitality, as if it too felt the change in the world. 

The power that rang through the staff was shocking and he had no doubt this was being felt by… everyone. From the lady of Lothlórien to the lowest orc. 

The Age of Fading had been overturned in a single moment. 

The question now was whether Middle-earth stood at the threshold of a new dawn... or a deeper darkness than any he had yet known.

What had entered Arda or better yet, what had awoken?

-{Kai}-

[Download Completed!] 

I perked up.

It had been well over a week since I'd been reborn, though counting the days in this place wasn't exactly easy. 

Still, I was certain at least seven days had passed, and things had been mostly peaceful. If you could call constantly training under the watchful gaze of a massive dragon "peaceful," anyway.

I'd focused primarily on physical conditioning during this time, mainly because my light magic seemed to agitate the dragon. Beyond that, I didn't want to reveal the full extent of my abilities just yet.

My days followed a simple rhythm: training, occasional conversations with the enormous wyrm, and sleep.

It wasn’t exactly an eventful week, but my stats had grown…

{Name: Kai}

{Power level: 2000}

{STR: 36 

{DEX: 31 

{VIT: 27 

{MAG: 22

{CHA: 20 

My supposed power level had grown massively, though I could already find it getting harder. 

Which I suspected would happen the higher my stats got. 

It was an annoyance that my magic was lagging behind, but the large Dragon was a threat I felt I couldn’t currently take. That was to say he was insanely powerful. 

In the time I had been training my body to this extent, the conclusion I had come to learn from Smaug was that he was most definitely evil. Like, his death count was probably beyond thousands, maybe even beyond. 

Which didn’t bother me much besides the chances of my own survival. 

The fact he wasn’t outright killing me was still a mystery, 

From my place laying on the slightly uncomfortable golden pile, I looked at my first download. 

{Template - Ezio Auditore da Firenze - age 17}

{PERKS} - 

[Eagle Vision]

[Noble Heritage]

[Natural Athlete]

{SKILLS} - 

[Swordsmanship]

[Freerunning]

[Stealth]

[Freeform Combat]

[Social Navigation]

{SUB-SKILLS} - 

[Climbing]

[Pickpocketing]

[Counter-Attacks]

[Throwing Knives] 

[Lock-picking] 

[Observation]

[Basic First Aid] 

[Italian Noble Etiquette]

[Horse Riding] 

I looked over the skill list excitedly.

The immediate focus was the perks… 

So I could even download perks? That was good to know. 

[Eagle Vision] (Passive)

Enhanced perception to identify targets, allies, and clues

Not flashy but I could see the use in it. 

My eyes excitedly scanned through the skills on display and I finally landed on a hand-to-hand combat skill. 

[Freeform Combat]

A fighting style based on quick lethal strikes and using your opponent’s attacks against them. 

This was what I was after, even if the other options were tempting I felt this was probably the biggest priority along with my magic. Though that had been put on hold. 

I selected the ability cautiously, expecting some grand. This ability was honestly the most absurd thing I had heard about. It was a conceptual power that in time could allow me to develop any power with the only cost being time. 

Despite that, only a slight shimmer of knowledge entered my mind. A few basic moves. 

Skill Gained.

[Freeform Combat] (LVL: 1/25) {Novice}

A fighting style based on quick lethal strikes and using your opponent’s attacks against them.

My fingers twitched. 

That left what to get for my next download… I didn’t want to waste a second more than necessary. 

My thoughts trailed to my Mokuton. I had tried using that as well, figuring that while my light magic was obviously going against something within the Dragon. Surely Mokuton would be okay? I didn’t want my magic to go to waste…

Unfortunately that thought process had come to an abrupt halt. 

Apparently whatever magical power I had now wasn’t able to use it. I needed chakra. 

The realisation that without download I'd probably be unable to use it was annoying. 

I decided to hold off for now, sending a glance up to the sleeping dragon. I stared for a moment, making sure he was asleep before stretching my limbs slightly and rising to my feet.

I stood up carefully, making sure each movement was slow. 

The gold barely shifted under my feet. A week of practice had paid off.

I had found my new body was much easier to control than an average human body. I had spent this last week getting more used to that and becoming lighter on my feet. Performing small tests on Smaug and seeing what worked. 

Unfortunately the Dragon’s senses were powerful and it was quite hard to confuse him when he was awake. Which was to say, if I didn’t execute this while he was asleep I’d probably not be able to escape. 

I listened closely. 

Smaug's breathing was deep and even. 

His massive chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. The dragon had been sleeping more lately, seemingly content that I wasn't going anywhere.

Good.

That gave me an opportunity. 

I had been slowly trying to get a feel of where I was and the best path that would lead to freedom. 

Perhaps it was silly and maybe the best option could truly just be sitting here, slowly growing in physical strength. And being protected by a powerful Dragon.

But I couldn’t use magic and I was being greatly restricted. There was also a deep part of me that wouldn’t stand for being chained up like this. 

I moved away from my usual spot, which had become a crater surrounded by gold. staying light on my feet and the gold barely moving underneath me. 

As I got out of that little area, the Great Hall stretched out before me, bigger than any building I'd seen in my old life. Piles of treasure rose like small hills, catching the dim light from some source I couldn't identify. 

The ceiling was so high I could barely make it out.

I picked a direction that I had memorised a pathway within and started walking, watching Smaug the whole time. 

His tail was curled around one of the larger treasure mounds, the tip twitching occasionally. 

Each step I took, I paused and listened. 

If his breathing changed, I'd head back immediately.

Nothing. 

He was deep in whatever dreams dragons had.

The edge of the Great Hall had several passages leading out. I'd noticed them before during our brief tour, but Smaug hadn't been interested in showing me much. 

The passage I chose was wide, easily big enough for the dragon to fit through. It would probably be best if I could find a way that Smaug would struggle with… just in case.

The passages were strange, some larger while others were more like caving systems. I made my way through each nevertheless, looking around for a way out. 

I made sure I was quick.

The passage I was currently walking through curved gently, leading up and around. More passages branched off to the sides, but I ignored them for now. 

Getting lost would be stupid and I didn't have anything to mark my path with.

The climb was longer than I expected. My legs started to burn, but I pushed through. 

My stats are higher now 

I stopped every few minutes to listen. 

Still nothing but silence behind me.

Eventually the passage opened into another hall. This one was smaller, but still huge. Pillars rose up to support the ceiling. 

There was what looked like old workshop spaces along the walls. Forges, maybe. Long cold now. Tools lay scattered on benches, covered in dust and cobwebs.

It reminded me to take a few items before I left. 

I moved through quickly, searching for anything useful. 

An exit. 

A window. 

Some sign of the outside world.

The hall had three other passages leading out. 

I picked the one that seemed to angle upward the most and kept going.

It was a while of this going, my footsteps quick and essentially sprinting around which probably made for a funny scene. 

Honestly this place was a maze and I was pretty sure it had been made that way on purpose.

Fucking annoying midgets.

The dwarves had seemingly carved out the entire inside of the mountain, creating a city underground. Halls connected to passages, passages led to chambers, chambers opened onto more halls. Some areas had collapsed, forcing me to backtrack. 

Others were so dark I had to feel my way along the walls, moving slowly to avoid tripping over debris.

Then I noticed something. 

The passages I'd been following were all finished, smooth and decorated. But there was one branching off that looked different. Rougher walls. Less polished. And it was narrower than the others.

I followed it, my heart beating faster.

The air smelled different here. 

Less stale.

At one point I had to turn sideways to squeeze through a particularly tight section. 

Smaug definitely couldn't fit in here. Even his head would be too big. His flames, however, definitely could.

The freshness in the air was stronger now. I was definitely getting closer to something. 

I found myself walking out into an open area, a cold breeze coming to blow over me as I stared up from a high-perched area overlooking a massive wall that dropped down an obscene distance. 

For a moment, I was stunned. 

I stood on a truly large stone balcony, multiple large arches hanging overheard, staring out at a large landscape. 

With a large floating town that could barely be seen in the distance. Lands stretched to the horizon and the sun seemed to be setting.

It was with that magnificent view that I finally realised that I was truly within another world.

Since the scene before me couldn’t be seen in my old world, where humanity had forsaken mother nature for their own greed.

I spent a few minutes pinpointing the details, the forest I could see and the massive lake not too far outside of that before a low, rumbling groan that vibrated through the stone, subtle and barely noticeable.

Smaug was waking up.

I didn't panic. 

Instead, I moved, quickly retracing my steps through the narrow passage. I had to squeeze through a tight section again, scraping my shoulder on the rough stone.

Once I hit the wider passages, I ran. 

My enhanced stats kicked in and I covered ground faster than I ever could have in my old life.

The Great Hall came into view. 

Smaug was raising his unbelievably long head, his eye starting to crack open.

I forced myself to slow down. Made my footsteps casual as I walked back to my usual spot and settled down onto the gold like I'd just gotten up to stretch my legs.

My heart was pounding. My breathing was faster than it should be. I focused on controlling it, keeping my expression neutral.

Smaug's eye opened fully, sweeping across the hall. It landed on me.

I met his gaze calmly. "Did you sleep well?"

The dragon rumbled, still half-asleep. His head lowered back down. "I did."

He stared at me, his enormous eyes narrowing slightly. It remained that way for a few infinitely long seconds, before he closed his eyes again.

I let out a slow breath, careful not to show any outward reaction.

But I had finally found a way out.

I had tried this yesterday and had found myself coming up with nothing. 

However, there was a way out. 

I just needed to figure out how to open it.

My mind was already working on the problem when the system notification appeared.

I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face as I pulled up my next download.

-END-