Even a righteous gang-up couldn't win

"They also captured Little Peach and Mint." Bilbo glared angrily at the Ogre walking past. "They're going to eat the horse. We need to figure something out."

"You need to think of something." Kili and Fili turned their attention to him simultaneously. "You're small enough that they're too slow and clumsy to see you."

Bilbo paused for a moment, then understood Kili's meaning: he was to use his smaller size to sneak into the troll Ogre and release the pony.

"I... no, no, I can't..."

"It's alright, we've got your back," Kili said confidently.

"Stop talking like that!" Aaron rolled his eyes. "That's not a good idea."

"Yes." Bilbo nodded in deep agreement. "That's a terrible idea."

"I think it's a good idea." Kili frowned slightly. "The Golden Snitch can release the horses Silencio, and then we can safely retreat back to camp."

"What if Bilbo gets discovered? Are you sure the three of us small guys can protect him?"

"If we had that kind of ability, we wouldn't be hiding here," Aaron said seriously. "My suggestion is to inform Thorin; fifteen and a half against three has a better chance of winning."

"Fifteen and a half? It should be fourteen and a half, right?" Bilbo thought of the number of people in the expedition: thirteen dwarves, Hobbit, human children, and Gandalf the Grey Wizard.

Thirteen dwarves and Hobbit make fourteen, Gandalf, the Grey Wizard, makes two, and the human child... makes half.

But now that Gandalf is not here, they can only muster fourteen and a half men.

"No, I mean the dwarves count as thirteen, I count as two, and you count as half."

Bilbo's lips twitched. "That's... a really bad description."

"This is not the time to discuss this. I'll go and inform Thorin. You all stay here and keep watch."

As soon as Aaron turned around, the three of them called out to him in unison.

"What's wrong now?"

"What if they attack the pony?" Fili said with some concern. "Ogre don't care whether the pony is alive or not."

As soon as the words were spoken, the voice of the Ogre troll Benx reached the ears of the three of them.

"We ate mutton yesterday, we ate mutton today, and it looks like we'll eat mutton tomorrow too."

"Stop complaining, this isn't sheep, it's fresh horse meat."

"I've never liked horses; their meat isn't fatty enough."

"It's better than being a dry, hard farmer, all skin and bones. I'm still picking my teeth now."

Aaron sighed deeply, "Try to stall for time as much as possible!"

But I must remind you: horses are important, but our lives are more important.

Prioritize your own safety above all else. Avoid direct confrontations with them. If all else fails, try to lead them towards the camp.

A draw is always better than a futile effort, isn't it?

Fili and Kili exchanged a glance and nodded in unison.

"That's good. I'll be back soon."

Seeing Aaron run off into the distance, the two dwarf brothers turned their attention back to Bilbo. "Golden Snitch, it's up to you now."

"Hey, hey, hey, you're not going to make me go again, are you?" Bilbo asked incredulously. "Wasn't what he said clear enough?"

"But our method can also buy time," Fili said. "You go first, and if you can't rescue Little Horse, then the two of us will go."

The expedition camp isn't far from here; Thorin and the others will be here to help soon.

"This, really, I..."

"Believe in yourself." Fili patted him on the shoulder. "You don't want Little Peach to be eaten by Ogre, do you?"

Bilbo swallowed hard, looked at the reddish-brown pony trembling behind the three Ogre, and made up his mind. He then took a small step forward.

Aaron ran swiftly through the jungle, but soon ran into Thorin and the other dwarves, who were carrying their own weapons.

"Thank goodness, it seems you've noticed something's wrong too."

"It was just delivering food, anyone would know something was wrong if they hadn't come back for so long," Thorin said bluntly. "Where are Fili, Kili, and Bilbo?"

"Follow me." Aaron led the way while telling Thorin and the others what had just happened.

But as he got closer, his expression immediately darkened.

Bilbo was surrounded by three Ogre, while Fili and Kili were struggling to hold them off with swords in the middle.

"Damn it, it's obvious he didn't listen to what I said."

Thorin, you must listen to me. Troll —no, Ogre— may be a little slow, but they are incredibly strong and have thick skin.

I suggest we use our strength to kill one first, then figure out how to deal with the other two. If we're facing all three head-on, then we...

Before he could finish saying "the odds aren't high," Thorin roared and charged forward, followed by a group of dwarves who were not to be outdone.

Damn it! A bunch of brainless brutes.

Aaron did not join them in the attack, but instead hid in the bushes to watch the battle.

This might be a bit unfair, but it's a great opportunity for him to gain a firsthand understanding of the fighting capabilities of the world's native inhabitants.

The dwarves were several times smaller than the Ogre, but they cooperated well and managed to gain a slight advantage with their numbers being more than four times greater.

They moved quickly around the Ogre, with most of their attacks landing on Ogre legs. The Ogre cried out in pain under the onslaught of swords and Hammer.

However, their skin is so thick that swords and knives can wound them but not deeply; they can hurt them but are unlikely to kill them. Even if a sword pierces their abdomen, it will not cause much damage.

As the Ogre were being attacked, they opened their enormous hands and swung their arms like eagles catching chicks. Some dwarves were knocked away, but they quickly got back up and rejoined the battle.

Some were captured by Ogre, but the next moment another dwarf would leap up and slash their arm, forcing them to release the captives.

Even more surprisingly, Ori actually took out a Slingshot and hit an Ogre in the eye. Although the shot was very accurate, it was no different from tickling the giant creature.

In the chaos of the battlefield, Bilbo dodged the enormous hand and picked up a Ogre's weapon from the ground—a short sword that wasn't particularly sharp to him, but was exceptionally large.

He ran to the rear of the battlefield and cut the ropes with a dagger outside the cage where the four ponies were locked.

But as soon as he released the four ponies, a large hand pulled him to the back.

"Ah..." After a panicked scream, Bilbo finally saw who had grabbed him. "Aaron, you..."

"Shh!"

Aaron made a shushing gesture. "Don't be so loud."

Bilbo angrily threw his dagger to the ground. "Why did you pull me back?"

"Heh!" Aaron sneered. "I'm stopping you from courting death. You're too weak; you'll only be a hindrance over there."

Bilbo realized what was happening, nodded awkwardly, and then looked at the dwarves who were suppressing the Ogre on the battlefield. "Thorin and the others will win, right?"

"It's hard to say!" Aaron said with a serious expression. "On the surface, the dwarves have the advantage, but they haven't been able to inflict any effective damage on the Ogre."

The current situation is a fragile balance. If it drags on, the dwarves can win with difficulty, but if even one dwarf loses a battle, the tide of victory will turn in the Ogre' favor.

Upon hearing this, Bilbo swallowed hard and peered through the bushes at the battlefield.

Dwalin smashed a Ogre's teeth with a single Hammer, Dori then delivered a Thousand Years of Kill to another Ogre from behind.

"The situation is not bad," Bilbo murmured.

However, the next moment, Bombur's scream startled him. The third Ogre pulled out a bag from somewhere and stuffed the fattest dwarf into it.

"It's collapsed." Aaron's expression was grave. "It's really collapsed now."

The first dwarf was put into the bag, followed by the second, and then the third.

The dwindling numbers made the dwarves' situation increasingly dire. Unless they abandoned the three captured dwarves, total annihilation was inevitable. And they clearly wouldn't abandon their comrades.

Within minutes, all the dwarves were stuffed into bags.

Bilbo was frantic. "We have to do something to save them."

"How do we save them?" Aaron shrugged. "Rush out and become the Ogre' meal?"

"That's not what I meant, I meant..." Bilbo grabbed his hair, at a loss for words.

"Calm down, calm down, it's especially important to stay calm in times like these."

"How can I stay calm?" Bilbo was on the verge of tears. "I thought it was just about saving a few ponies, but now I have to add thirteen dwarves to the mix."

"What?" Aaron's mouth dropped open in astonishment. "Don't tell me you want to do it again?"

"There's no other way." Bilbo took a deep breath. "Now we have to take the risk. I hope I can succeed!"

"Didn't you ever think about what would happen if you lost?"

"I'm Golden Snitch, this kind of thing is out of the question." Bilbo was about to sneak out when he suddenly remembered something, turned around and looked at Aaron seriously, "If I lose, you go find Gandalf, if we're lucky he might be able to save us in time."

"I understand, and I wish you good luck."

If you fail, try to stall for time. You're smarter than the dwarves; don't make me lose hope.

Under the cover of night, Bilbo tiptoed into the group of dwarves who were tightly bound.

"Don't speak yet, I'm coming to save you."

"Bagins, are you the only one here?" Balin asked in a low voice.

"Otherwise what? This kind of thing is only suitable for short people." Bilbo smiled wryly. "Although I don't want to admit it, Aaron looks much taller than me."

"I sent him to find Gandalf, just in case...we're not entirely without hope."

"Then he had better hurry," Oin said. "Dawn is coming soon, and if nothing unexpected happens, the Ogre will eat us before dawn."

Bilbo tried to untie the bag, but after trying for a long time, it was all in vain.

The Ogre tied the bags tightly, leaving only the dwarves' heads exposed for breathing, while their hands and feet were bound with hemp rope.

"I should go find the one who's good," Bilbo sighed.

"Our weapons are piled up behind the Ogre," Balin said. "But that's dangerous."

"Give it a try!" Bilbo took a deep breath and cautiously crept behind the Ogre.

He had just picked up a sword and hadn't even turned around when a huge, light-colored handkerchief wrapped him up.

The slightly thinner Ogre wiped his snot, then opened his palm. A Hobbit, bathed in his snot, lay bewildered on the handkerchief, looking utterly dejected.

Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?

Three big question marks popped into Bilbo's mind.

A scholar can be killed but not humiliated. Even if he is about to become food for Ogre, he shouldn't be washed with snot!

"It's you again," the thin Ogre said with delight. "I thought you'd run away!"

"Stop talking nonsense, tie him up first." The Ogre wearing an apron tapped his younger brother on the head with a mortar. "Dawn's almost here, let's save him for tomorrow!"

Bilbo was stuffed into a sack and piled up with Thorin and the others.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Honestly, Mr. Bagins." Kili, turning his face away as he struggled to break free of the ropes binding him. "I want to swear, but the words just won't come out."

"I think so too," Dwalin said. "That blob of snot..."

"Stop talking about snot, okay?" Bilbo said, on the verge of tears. "Now we can only rely on Aaron and Gandalf."

The Ogre tied Nori, Dwalin, Fili, Bofur, Dori, Gloin to a wooden stake, set up a grill, and began to barbecue them.

"It's so hot! Help! It's so hot..."

"Don't bother cooking them, just mash them into mincemeat," said the skinny Ogre.

"Help..."

"You can sprinkle some sage on it and grill it again," suggested the Ogre as he turned the grill.

Is this really necessary?

"Help... untie me first... go eat something as big as you..."

"Forget about the seasonings, it's almost dawn, we need to hurry." The Ogre wearing an apron slowly said, "I don't want to turn into stone."

dawn?

Aaron, hiding in the bushes, muttered the word, a cold smile appearing on his lips.

So that's how it is. They turn to stone when exposed to sunlight?

Aaron shook his Wand, pondered for a moment, and then put Wand away. Magic was something that couldn't be used in a critical moment.

Thinking of this, Aaron turned his gaze to the large shorts that Bilbo had thrown down.

The Ogre ' weapons were extremely crude, and for now, he had no choice but to make do with them.

"Wait a minute." Hearing the condiments, Bilbo seemed to have thought of something and shouted, "You've made a huge mistake!"

"You can't reason with them, they're all idiots," said Gloin on the barbecue grill.

"If they're idiots, then what are we?" Nori felt inexplicably insulted, after all, they were being roasted and eaten by three idiots.

"I meant the seasonings." Bilbo stood up, hunched over, and jumped in front of the grill.

The Ogre stopped turning the grill and asked Yu curiously, "What's wrong with the seasonings?"

"Have you smelled them? You need something more fragrant than sage to eat them."

Upon hearing this, the dwarves glared at him angrily and cursed him as a traitor.

"How would you know how to cook a dwarf?" the skinny Ogre asked suspiciously.

"Shut up," said the Ogre wearing an apron. "Let the Hobbit Golden Snitch."

Bilbo grinned obsequiously, "The secret to cooking dwarves is..."

"What is it? Tell us the secret!"

"Yes... the secret is..." Bilbo for a few seconds, "You have to peel it first."

"What, skinning?"

The dwarves cursed loudly, and even Thorin's expression turned somewhat unnatural.

They were not afraid of death; this kind of death had exceeded their expectations.

The Ogre, especially the one wearing an apron, believed it and soon brought out a skinning knife.

"I'll skin you alive first," Bhikkhu cursed.

"I will never forget this debt!" Dwalin roared angrily at Bilbo on the grill. If circumstances allowed, he would have killed the Hobbit.

"You're talking nonsense." The Ogre continued turning the grill. "I used to eat it all the time, skin and all, even my clothes and shoes."

"He's right." The thin Ogre nodded in agreement. "Dwarf jelly is also delicious, it's fragrant and crispy."

As he spoke, he lifted Bombur up, intending to bite off his head.

"I really can't wait any longer." Aaron wiped the large short sword in his hand, rushed out of the bushes at lightning speed, and in the blink of an eye, he jumped on the head of the Ogre and stabbed it with all his might at the top of its head.