Today was undoubtedly a day worth celebrating, though the Dwarves held differing opinions about certain aspects of it.
At least there was one thing they all agreed upon: compared to having their homeland occupied by a Balrog, this outcome was already a tremendous blessing.
At the very least, they had not been forced to lose their home again.
As for Erebor's reconstruction, Dale had not merely stood by and watched. With the considerable support provided by their neighbors, the rebuilding of the Lonely Mountain had proceeded at remarkable speed.
Of course, that was all a matter for later.
"In any case, the problem of the heat underground has been solved. Now it's simply turned into scorching flames everywhere."
Reading the reports from the miners, Thorin shook his head inside Dale's great feast hall and poured himself another cup of ale.
The hall was filled with revelry, but to him it all felt rather overwhelming.
According to the miners' accounts, a massive collapse had occurred at the bottom of Erebor's deepest mines. Fires still burned in many chambers, the temperature inside was unbearably high, and unless a solution was found soon, mining operations would have to cease for an extended period.
"Don't worry yourself, it's nothing we can't handle. Haven't you still got me here?"
Garrett clinked his cup against Thorin's and drained it in one smooth gulp.
The cold, refreshing brew slid down his throat with ease.
"Ahh, that's good."
"You don't need to fret over those flames. Worst comes to worst, I'll simply head down there myself and extinguish them with a few buckets of water."
"Now that I hear you say that, I feel reassured."
Thorin's brow smoothed, and even his appetite seemed to improve.
Clearly, he was not an ungrateful soul.
For all the destruction Erebor had suffered, the aging King under the Mountain might grumble and complain, but to truly lay blame upon that steadfast companion beside him, that was something he could never bring himself to do.
"Bard."
At this moment, Garrett beckoned to the man nearby.
"It was truly impressive. After all these years, your arrows fly as true as ever, and your hand is even steadier than before."
Bard smiled, feeling reinvigorated as well.
"It's been a long time since I've had such exertion. I'm glad I could still be of use to you in battle."
"That's no feat an ordinary man could achieve, my lord."
A somewhat aged yet familiar voice rang out from nearby.
"Alfrid," Bard called as he turned his head.
The man who once boasted that 'not all men possess the courage to wear women's garments', the former deputy to Lake-town's corrupt Master, was now completely transformed. Not only had his bearing changed entirely, but his reputation had been thoroughly restored as well.
Back in those dark days, his name had sunk to the very bottom of respectability. Clearly, in the years since, he had worked tirelessly to redeem himself.
"I don't know if you still remember him, Garrett," Bard said with some pride. "But whether you do or not, allow me to properly reintroduce him: this is Alfrid, Lake-town's model citizen for five years running."
"Well now..."
Garrett looked at the man before him, now radiating masculine vigor, and for a moment felt quite surprised.
"I do recall there was such a fellow, but if you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have recognized him at all."
Seeing how drastically this man had changed, he was intrigued.
"You're practically a different person from who you were before."
There's a quality called true grit, a person's fundamental nature that doesn't simply shift overnight. Clearly, there had been many stories along the way to this transformation.
"My lord."
Alfrid's expression grew solemn and earnest.
"Please don't be surprised, my lord. I simply chose to live rather than perish in shame."
"I wanted to survive, and Lord Bard granted me that opportunity."
"Before, I had squandered chances again and again. Each time I failed to grasp one, it nearly cost me my life. Yet each time, by fortune's grace, someone extended a hand to me once more."
"When I finally faced that outstretched hand for what I knew might be the last time, I think I finally understood. It was not mockery, nor someone taking pleasure in my downfall. It was truly an offer of redemption."
"My lord, you provided the very conditions that allowed me to have that chance, and Lord Bard extended that saving hand."
He closed his eyes and gave the two men a respectful bow.
Garrett nodded approvingly.
"Being able to change yourself is what truly matters. I'm pleased to see you've transformed like this."
"You've become a man of genuine character."
Alfrid straightened his shoulders. "That is the most valuable praise I've received in all these years."
After saying this, he looked at Garrett's face, fell silent for a thoughtful moment, and then spoke again:
"Time is always merciless, my lord, yet it hasn't taken anything from you. You remain as strong and full of vigor as you were all those years ago."
Ha...
Garrett didn't answer immediately. He only chuckled softly and took another sip of ale.
As time went on, more and more people had begun to notice something peculiar about him.
Strictly speaking, he was indeed human, a perfectly ordinary Man with a modest health of no more than twenty points.
The only difference between him and others was that his condition seemed somehow fixed.
Though this peculiarity had been observed by many, it never drew excessive attention.
Some speculated he was a young Dúnadan who would not show his age even after a century had passed. Others theorized he possessed some secret art to preserve his youth indefinitely.
But all such talk remained no more than idle rumors shared in passing, with nothing ever proving them true.
There were many possible explanations, none truly worth making a fuss over.
The celebrations lasted for many days in Dale.
When they finally concluded, the Dwarves immediately threw themselves into the demanding work of rebuilding their halls, while the people of Dale offered friendly assistance at every turn.
Life returned to its normal rhythm for all, though whenever folk found themselves at leisure, they couldn't help but speak of the fiery demon that had emerged from the mountain's depths.
In the year 2962 of the Third Age, the ancient evil that had awakened from underground and surged upward in wrath was brought to its final end, slain by Garrett's own hand.
After he defeated the Balrog once and for all, its massive head was mounted above Dale's city gates as a trophy and warning.
Everyone who passed beneath those gates could not help but look up at that huge, horned, terrifying visage and marvel at the truth behind the tales they had heard.
"The very rivers were boiled away, the sun's light was blotted out, and Erebor was nearly destroyed from within."
"It was mightier even than the dragon, its power greater still than Smaug's."
"But there exists one who proved stronger than both."
The scribes set their quills to parchment.
Another grand event was added to the chronicles of Dale and Erebor, the pages of history growing ever richer.
---
After spending some additional time in Dale, Garrett returned to his stronghold at Wayfort, descending into his private forge beneath the fortifications.
There, he carefully placed the Flames of Udûn and iron ingots into his alloy furnace, smelting them together to create a glowing, fiery-orange metal that radiated intense heat.
Blazing Ingots.
With these precious materials, his netherite chestplate was significantly upgraded: its armor rating rose from 8 to 10, and its toughness increased substantially as well.
Once that enhancement was complete, he retrieved his elytra, and at the master forge he successfully fused it with the chestplate using advanced dwarven techniques, creating what the system identified as the Blazing Winged Chestplate.
When he donned this new armor for the first time, the air around him seemed to brighten noticeably. His traveling cloak suddenly caught fire from the heat, and within moments had burned away to ash.
In its place appeared two magnificent wings of living flame, glowing flight appendages that sprouted from his back like those of some mythical phoenix.
From that moment forward, he could soar and glide through the skies even while wearing full armor.
However...
Glancing up and down at his current appearance in a polished mirror, he scratched his head, feeling the entire ensemble was far too ostentatious for everyday wear.
The Blazing Chestplate possessed a somewhat fearsome and imposing design, loud and flamboyant in its aesthetic.
It burned and glowed constantly with inner fire, bright enough to be dazzling even in daylight, and the heat it radiated made it impossible for ordinary folk to safely approach within several feet.
Add to that the massive protective spikes adorning the pauldrons, the vivid orange flame patterns across the breastplate, and the two magnificent flame-wings trailing fire and embers from his back...
It was simply far too dramatic and attention-grabbing. Even Garrett himself found it somewhat excessive for normal circumstances.
Not to mention potentially dangerous to those around him. If he wore it during his daily activities, no one in his territory aside from Little Pink would be able to come near him without risk. Anyone approaching would face being scorched by the ambient heat.
He would have to constantly warn people to keep their distance just by walking past them. That would prove far too inconvenient for regular life.
After some consideration, he decided to reserve the Blazing Armor as an extraordinary combat form specifically for aerial battles and extreme environmental conditions, while continuing to use his trusted Dragonflame Steel set for land-based activities and everyday wear.
In terms of pure protective capability, the Dragonflame Steel actually surpassed the Blazing set, its overall armor rating a full six points higher and toughness eight points greater.
The true advantage of the Blazing set lay instead in its specialized functions: the seamless integration of flight capability through the elytra, powerful special effects for combat in fiery environments, and enhanced resistance to knockback effects.
It was superior in versatility and mobility, but somewhat inferior in raw defensive strength.
All things considered fairly, it could only serve as a backup option, kept carefully stored in his inventory until circumstances specifically called for its unique capabilities.
But when the day finally came that it was truly unleashed in battle, it would surely leave all who witnessed it in awe.