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LOTR: TMCP Ch. 77
🕑 Added 2025-07-14 21:03:49 +0000 UTCThe prison gate was locked again, and Alfrid, who lay unconscious on the ground, was thrown inside. Before leaving, the dwarves even gathered some trash to block the window so that no one outside could observe what was happening inside.
"Excellent work."
The group stealthily returned to Bard's house to retrieve the Black Arrow.
"This is essentially a heavy javelin. I doubt any ordinary bow could possibly loose it."
"We'll need to use the wind lance at the town center."
Bard raised his head and gazed into the distance. The dwarves followed his sight line.
"That's a formidable weapon indeed. I can tell."
"Are we planning to lure the dragon here to Lake-town?"
"No. That would bring ruin upon the entire settlement."
"Borrow it from the Master?"
"Given the townsfolk's opinion of him, do you truly believe he would lend us the Wind Lance?"
"Blast it all, what kind of folk govern this place?!"
"If you ask me, we should just take it."
"Aye, take it!"
"That's our plan then! Let's move!"
"Wait, hold on! There are a lot of guards stationed at the town center," Bard quickly stopped them.
"We could wait until nightfall. At night, only a few patrol squads remain active, and there are lengthy gaps between their rounds. We'd have ample time to secure it."
"Time is not on our side, Master Bard."
Thorin fixed him with a steady gaze. "We can afford to wait, but the dragon will not. At this very moment, he's likely plotting the destruction of everyone in his path. The sooner this task is completed, the better. Besides, no number of guards can halt determined dwarves."
"Very well then..."
No sooner said than done. Following Bard's directions, the dwarves soon arrived at the base of the watchtower where the wind lance was stored. The surrounding townspeople observed with curiosity, and several showed surprise upon recognizing Bard.
"Weren't you imprisoned...?"
"Shh—"
"I have urgent business to attend to."
The residents exchanged meaningful glances, then began assisting Bard by providing distraction.
"The guards are coming!"
"Oh no, my stall!"
Just as the patrol was about to arrive, one of the merchants cried out and "accidentally" overturned his own cart, conveniently blocking the street.
"Dear me, however long will this take to clear?!"
"Let me help you!"
Other townsfolk rushed forward to assist with the cleanup, forming a crowd around the obstruction. No matter how long the guards waited, the task seemed to drag on endlessly.
Only when the patrol finally grew impatient and prepared to intervene personally did the crowd disperse and return to their affairs.
The guards resumed their patrol, having noticed nothing out of the ordinary.
Within the watchtower, two unconscious guards lay hidden beneath hay bales, while the dwarves had already ascended to the upper level.
"But this thing is enormous, how do we transport it?"
Bard couldn't figure out how to move the massive ballista. Judging by its size and construction materials, even four or five strong men would struggle to lift it.
"Ha! You're underestimating the dwarves. It was built using our engineering, so of course, it can also be dismantled using our methods as well."
In truth, this company contained more master craftsmen than professional warriors.
But at this moment, the artisans proved far more valuable. Soon, the wind lance, larger than any dwarf present, was expertly disassembled into a collection of components, large and small, which the dwarves packed and distributed among themselves.
"Time to depart!"
---
As the dwarves sprang into action... Back at the prison, someone was hammering frantically upon the door, shouting, "Release me! Let me out at once!"
A passing guard heard the commotion from within the jail and snapped, "Silence! Without direct orders from the Master, you're remaining locked up!"
"You fools! Do you not realize that the honorable Deputy of Lake-town is imprisoned here? Open this door immediately!"
What?
The guards quickly cleared away the debris blocking the barred window and peeked inside, indeed, they saw a familiar face with a black eye glaring back at them.
The prison door was opened without delay.
"Quickly! Arrest Bard! He has escaped!"
Under Alfrid's frantic orders, Lake-town was placed under high alert. Guards were dispatched en masse, patrolling every street and alley.
However, no matter how thoroughly they searched, they couldn't find any sign of the man they were after. Instead, they encountered obstruction after obstruction, the local florist's pots had mysteriously toppled over, fishing nets blocked thoroughfares, and other random blockages kept slowing them down. The guards were beyond frustrated.
By the time darkness fell, Bard remained nowhere to be found. He had, naturally, already left the town with the dwarves hours earlier.
---
"Master Bard, I must confess, I underestimated your standing among the people," said Balin, walking alongside the town's most respected archer.
"With such loyalty, I believe you could overthrow that corrupt Master whenever you wished. You wouldn't even need to lift a finger, the townsfolk would act on your behalf."
"Perhaps so," Bard replied with a shake of his head, though his true thoughts remained unreadable.
The weapon capable of slaying the dragon was now en route to the Lonely Mountain.
---
However, Garrett wasn't about to stake everything on that single hope. Even without the Black Arrow, this so-called "prophetic killing stroke," there were still methods to destroy a dragon, particularly one as cunning and restless as Smaug.
Following the route Thorin had provided, he soon tunneled directly into the workshop without alerting the dragon to his presence.
"Whoa—"
As he entered, his eyes widened in amazement.
The sheer quantity of materials, the variety of specialized tools, it was like discovering a treasure vault. His mood couldn't be better.
[Crafting Recipe Unlocked: Flash Bomb]
Within the workshop, he located the explosives the dwarves had mentioned. Though only partially completed casings and components were present, they were enough for him to unlock the crafting recipe.
At first glance, the flash bomb's destructive power seemed decent. It dealt 8 points of damage with a relatively compact blast radius, not nearly as destructive as TNT in terms of raw force.
However, it possessed some advantages. It could be thrown and detonated on impact, making it far more practical than TNT, which required placement and ignition before exploding after several seconds. Additionally, it demanded fewer materials, a single unit of gunpowder was enough to craft one bomb.
Moreover, the flash bomb carried a special effect: Blindness.
Anyone looking directly at it when it exploded would be blinded for a few seconds, rendering them unable to see anything clearly.
All considered, this made it quite a useful tool, essentially a Middle-earth equivalent of a flashbang grenade.
After crafting several flash bombs and storing them in his inventory, Garrett opened a nearby materials chest for a quick look.
Sulfur, saltpeter, charcoal, and quantities of pre-mixed gunpowder, everything needed for explosive manufacture was present.
And since this was a major dwarven workshop, it wasn't merely gunpowder ingredients that were abundant. Other crafting materials were stockpiled as well. If you needed something, you could likely locate it, including sand and paper.
Yes, paper.
With all these resources at his disposal, he proceeded to craft a large batch of TNT, flash bombs, and even some experimental fireworks.
