Orc Ambush

"That...it might just be a coincidence." Aaron slowly raised his right hand. "Don't forget, omens aren't only visible to dwarves."

Upon hearing this, Gandalf and Thorin both calmed down.

"What exactly happened?" Thorin asked coldly.

Gandalf's expression turned solemn. "We are being hunted."

"We have to get out of here," Dwalin said.

"There's nothing we can do, we don't have any ponies," Ori said as he ran over. "They've run away."

"Then we have no choice but to fight to the death." Aaron took a deep breath. "I have twelve arrows here, enough to kill twelve enemies."

"With another dozen or so warriors and two Warlock, we might be able to fight our way out."

"This is a last resort," Gandalf said. "We might be able to eliminate the orc scouts, but what about the main army behind them?"

There's no way we can fight an army; we need to find a way to escape.

"I'll distract them," said the brown-robed Warlock Radagast.

"Those are Gundabad Wargs; they will catch you." Gandalf didn't quite approve of the suggestion. If something happened to the brown-robed Warlock, it would be a huge loss to Middle-earth.

"How about I go?"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone turned their attention to Aaron, and the woods became unusually quiet.

"No," Bilbo said immediately. "It's too dangerous. You can't outrun those wolves on two legs."

"We have to give it a try," Aaron said with a smile. "If we're lucky, we might be able to escape."

"Now is not the time to believe in luck!" Radagast confidently pointed to his vehicle. "These are Roscoburg Rabbits; it's hard to say who will win."

Ridagester drove a sled pulled by the Roscoburg Rabbits, shouting loudly across the green fields, drawing away the Warg scouts scattered in all directions.

The rest of the group hid behind a large rock. Seeing that the Warg scout had been lured away, Gandalf immediately led the group to take a detour from the other side.

Even so, it was extremely dangerous, because they were in a wilderness where only irregular Monolith could provide cover, but any movement would expose them to the orcs.

Radagast was fast, leading a large number of Warg scouts around the plains, but he did not lure all the scouts away.

A half-orc stopped in the pursuit, his Gundabad Wargs sniffing around as if he had discovered the expedition's trail.

The Warg led him to a Monolith, then stopped, indicating that the orc dwarves on its back were nearby.

The orc drew his greatsword from his back, looked around, and searched for a target to hunt.

Beneath the Monolith, the entire expedition team heard the rough breathing of the Warg and pressed themselves against the rock wall, not daring to make a sound.

It wasn't that they couldn't handle the orc, but rather that they were worried about making a scene and revealing their location.

But after a dozen seconds, the Warg was still on it and hadn't left.

Thorin realized it was only a matter of time before they discovered them, so he immediately decided to strike first.

He winked at Kili, signaling him to use the arrow.

Kili nodded slightly, pulled an arrow from his quiver, and shot it into the head of the Warg.

The Warg howled in pain, violently shaking the orc on its back. Kili immediately fired a second arrow, which struck the orc in the chest.

The Warg and the orc on its back fell from the Monolith at the same time, and five or six dwarves rushed forward and killed them in the shortest possible time.

But the screams of the Warg and orcs were particularly clear in the plains. The Warg scouts who had been lured away by Radagast stopped and looked in the direction from which the sounds came.

"That short bastard is over there." The leading orc immediately ordered, "Go after him!"

The howls of wolves continued to rise, and the sound of galloping horses grew closer and closer.

"Run!" Aaron immediately shouted.

Gandalf also realized that something was very wrong, "Follow me, quickly."

Two legs can't outrun four legs, especially four huge wolf legs. Before long, several Warg appeared in front of the expedition, and an orc was watching them menacingly.

More and more Warg arrived from all directions, and the Warg scouts formed a huge encirclement.

"We're surrounded." Aaron let out a long sigh and pulled Bilbo behind him.

"Hold the line!" Thorin roared. The dwarves spontaneously formed a circle, each taking up their weapons, and nervously faced the slowly approaching Warg scouts.

Bilbo frantically drew his short sword. "What do we do now?"

"Of course, we should wipe them out."

As Aaron spoke, he took out two arrows from behind his back and aimed them at the two nearest Warg.

Two arrows were fired simultaneously, each piercing the skull of the Warg, and the orcs on their backs fell to the ground.

Kili immediately followed up with another arrow, killing the two orcs.

"Well shot," Dwalin praised.

"No matter how good they are, it's useless. There are too many of them, several times more than us." Aaron gave a bitter smile. "Kili, give me your arrows."

"Later, concentrate your forces and break out in one direction. I will try my best to cover your retreat."

"Then what will you do?" Bilbo asked worriedly.

"I will catch up with you. These orcs can't kill me," Aaron said in a deep voice.

He won't use magic unless absolutely necessary, but when that happens, he won't hold back. He'll kill all the Warg scouts, and then no one will know his true strength.

"Where is Gandalf?" Oin asked Yu.

"He abandoned us," Dwalin said.

The lead orc, riding Warg, slowly approached. Upon seeing his prey all there, he laughed triumphantly, revealing sharp, disgusting yellow teeth.

"That's fucking disgusting." Aaron curled his lip in disgust.

Ori took out a bullet and fired a pebble.

The stone hit the Warg on the head, but it didn't hurt or itch.

Aaron fired an arrow, and the lead orc immediately ducked to avoid it.

But in that instant, Aaron's second arrow struck the Warg in the waist, and the lead orc fell to the ground as the dire Warg shook violently.

"Damn scum." The lead orc roughly pulled the arrow from the Warg and said in a hoarse voice, "I'll kill you first."

"To catch the thief, first catch the king." Aaron walked to Thorin's side and whispered.

"This principle doesn't apply to these beasts. Regardless of whether the leader is dead or not, they won't give up hunting us."

"I know, but the leader is still needed."

When I kill him, you lead the charge and break through from his direction.

Thorin looked at Aaron intently, utterly astonished by the thirteen-year-old boy. "How confident are you that you'll survive?"

"Well... if nothing unexpected happens, even if you all die, I'll still be perfectly fine."

"I understand." Thorin nodded thoughtfully. "I never imagined I would entrust the safety of the expedition to a child."

"Kili, give him your arrow."

"Thorin, this..."

"Give it to him."

"Yes."

Kili put the remaining ten or so arrows into Aaron's quiver, saying, "You must come back alive."

Aaron took a deep breath and quickly drew back the bowstring.

An arrow shot toward the lead orc at incredible speed.

The lead orc immediately dodged, but was still hit in the arm by an arrow. In pain, he dropped his spear to the ground.

"Ah!"

The lead orc screamed in agony, but as soon as he opened his mouth, an arrow pierced his throat.

"Kill!"

Thorin roared, and the twelve dwarves and Bilbo followed closely behind him in Thorin charge.

Just then, Gandalf's voice suddenly rang out, "This way, you fool."

The crowd's charge came to an abrupt halt, and they were momentarily at a loss.

Thorin turned around and saw Gandalf lying under a Monolith less than ten meters away from them, where it looked like a cave entrance was hidden.

"What are you all standing there for?" Aaron said angrily. "Run!"

"Hurry, everyone!" Thorin led the way and ran over, then guarded the entrance to cover his teammates' retreat.

One by one, the members of the expedition jumped into the cave entrance, and the Warg scouts quickly surrounded them.

Thorin killed a Warg that pounced on him with a single sword strike, and after making sure no one was missed, he was the last to jump into the cave.

Several orcs looked around the entrance. It seemed that the Warg couldn't enter this cave; even they could only enter one by one.

Aaron returned the Kili to him, saying, "Keep guarding for now!"

The two men each fired an arrow, killing two orcs and intimidating the other orcs, preventing them from approaching.

Without their leader, the remaining Warg scouts, despite their numerical advantage, were at a loss as to how to proceed with this easily defensible cave.

Waaah...

The sound of horns came from afar, followed by the sound of horses' hooves.

The sounds of arrows piercing the air, sharp weapons cutting into flesh, the howls of Warg, and the screams of orcs mingled together, filling one with curiosity about what was happening outside.

Although it is unknown which righteous person came to their aid, their crisis has been temporarily resolved.

Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, the corpse of a half-orc rolled down.

Thorin pulled a silver arrow from the corpse, his face immediately darkening. "An elf."

"Are those elves up there?" Aaron looked at Gandalf, seemingly understanding why the other had left the party midway.

"Can't see where the passage leads? Do we need to go?" Dwalin noticed a light deep inside the cave, turned around, and asked the group.

"Of course we have to go," Nori said directly. This was the only way; there was no other way.

"That's the wise thing to do," Gandalf said with a smile.

"You know where this road leads, right?" Aaron asked.

"Well... you'll understand when you get there."

The group walked along a narrow, steep path that could only allow one person to pass at a time, and stopped at the exit.

"This place...is beautiful." Aaron stared at the valley before him, his eyes widening in disbelief. "If the Shire is a place to retire, then this is definitely a vacation paradise."

Nestled in the valley is a beautiful city, with pine trees covering the high ground and beech and oak trees growing in the lower areas.

Several waterfalls cascade down the mountainside, invigorating the city before flowing into the river below.

"Where is this place?"

"The Imratri Valley," Gandalf explained with a smile, "Which is what people generally call..."

"Rivendell," Bilbo said involuntarily.

You know?

"This is the territory of the elves. The books describe it as a fairyland. I never thought I would actually see it with my own eyes."

"This is the last refuge of the Eastern Sea," Gandalf continued.

Thorin impatiently approached Gandalf and said in a questioning tone, "You have been plotting to lure us here to seek refuge with our enemies."

"Your so-called enemy just saved us!"

"Who knows if they have ulterior motives?"

Upon hearing this, Aaron was speechless. Thorin's resentment towards the elves was truly extraordinary.

"You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield. The only hostility in the valley comes from you," Gandalf said.

"Do you think the elves will bless our expedition?" Thorin shook his head. "They will try to stop us."

"Of course, but we have questions that need to be answered."

Thorin was speechless for a moment. The map his father had left him contained a way to enter Lonely Mountain, but few people could decipher it. There was one such person in Rivendell.

He considered the elves his enemies, and asking them for help would naturally feel humiliating, but he had no choice but to do so in order to unlock the secrets of the map.

"Success in this matter will require some skill, sir." Gandalf looked at Thorin meaningfully, meaning, "When you get to Rivendell, you better stay calm and don't cause trouble."

"We also need a captivating charm, so I'll take charge of the negotiations."

"Charming charm?" Aaron curled his lip in disdain. "You're shameless. Could you at least change your clothes before saying that?"

Honestly, if you go in with an empty bowl, you'll probably come out with a full one.

"Gaius," Gandalf rolled his eyes at him. "I remember saying that you should at least know the most basic manners."

Following a rugged path down into the valley, and crossing several narrow stone bridges, the group arrived at a spacious platform.

Two elven warriors stood at the entrance to Rivendell; apart from their pointed ears, they were almost indistinguishable from humans.

"Mithrandir".

A male elf descended the stairs and bowed to Gandalf.

"Lindir," Gandalf greeted with a smile.

"You're still called Mithrandir?" Aaron asked.

"Don't mind, that's what the elves call me." Gandalf shrugged, then looked at Lindir. "I need to speak with King Elrond."

"King Elrond does not stay here."

"Not here? Then where is he?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the melodious sound of a bugle came from behind.

Upon hearing this voice, Gandalf seemed to understand something, and turned around with a smile.

A group of elven cavalrymen crossed the stone bridge back to Rivendell. Thorin, seeing this, thought the elves were about to attack them and immediately ordered everyone to assemble and prepare for battle.

The thirteen dwarves warily picked up their weapons and immediately surrounded Bilbo, leaving him bewildered and completely confused.

Aaron slapped his forehead and turned his face away speechlessly.

Where is the respect? With this attitude, you expect to ask for help?

The moment they arrived, you acted as if they were facing a formidable enemy. Is that any different from provocation?

And can't you be a little wiser?

This is someone else's territory! Even if you're unhappy with the elves, you should at least be mindful of the situation!

Gandalf was also quite annoyed. Fortunately, he was the one in charge of the negotiations; if it had been someone else, they would definitely have been treated as an unwelcome guest and kicked out.