The thunderstorm from the previous night had already stopped long ago, but the scene of those mountain-sized stone giants brawling was still lingering in the minds of the dwarves and the Hobbit. Prompted by An Yang's persuasion, they traveled through the night without resting, only stopping now after crossing the mountain beneath a cliff to wait for Gandalf to rendezvous with them.
Having marched for so many consecutive days, combined with watching that heart-pounding battle last night and getting zero sleep, the dwarves, the Hobbit, and An Yang were all physically and mentally exhausted. It was the perfect time to take a good rest.
So An Yang found a spot backed by a mountain pine and collapsed like a useless person, his whole body soft and strengthless.
"Damn it, I'm exhausted!" Dwalin dropped his battleaxe and said.
"We should have rested in the mountains and set off again at dawn," Balin said.
"No," An Yang shook his head and explained, "I heard there are traces of goblins at the mountain pass, and a goblin kingdom is very likely hidden beneath the mountain. If I remember correctly, they've always been enemies with the dwarves, right?"
"Goblins?" Balin was stunned.
The other dwarves also wore thoughtful expressions, no longer complaining about having marched all night.
An Yang nodded, let out a long breath, lay on the ground, and looked at the members of the team one by one.
The overnight ordeal had exhausted them, and even on Thorin's face, obvious fatigue could be seen. Yet he still forced himself to maintain composure and poise, not daring to completely relax. The other dwarves fared much worse; after all, they didn't need to maintain a leader's posture at all times. Right now, most of them were slumped directly on the ground just like An