Lost [Seeking Recommendation Tickets]

"Woooooo!"

The Orc warg-riders let out strange cries, charging excitedly toward the members of the Company.

The tall, slender Gundabad Warg ran across the rolling, barren hills with incredible speed.

In just a short time, the distance between them and the group had closed significantly.

"Faster, faster!"

Gandalf roared, turning his head as he ran.

There was still a considerable distance to the stone forest ahead; if they were caught by the Orc troops, the consequences would be dire.

"Faster, move faster!"

As the Orc army closed in rapidly, Thorin Oakenshield also shouted.

At a time like this, the gap in speed and stamina between each individual became apparent.

They had just fought a fierce battle in the forest not long ago.

Following that, they had been sprinting at high intensity for nearly an hour.

Although none of the members of the Company had fallen behind, the differences in physical strength and endurance were easy to distinguish.

At this moment, Gandalf and Morgan were at the very front of the group.

It was understandable that Morgan was fast; he was young, and having undergone system enhancement, his Level 2 Agility was no joke.

But when it came to stamina, while Morgan ranked among the top of the Company, he was certainly not the best.

Thorin Oakenshield and the dwarf Dwalin, the two most formidable warriors among the dwarves, might not have been as fast as Morgan, but their stamina was surely equal to or greater than his.

Of course, as long as Morgan continued to enhance his physique, surpassing those two would be a simple matter.

Morgan running fast was understandable.

But Gandalf, who looked quite elderly with his white hair and beard, was still able to run so quickly, and he even appeared calm and collected throughout this frantic dash.

This left the others somewhat baffled.

However, considering the abilities of a Wizard, it was not surprising.

Right behind Gandalf and Morgan were the dwarf brothers Kili and Fili, along with Bilbo, who were among the younger members.

As for the other members, they were all roughly the same.

Bombur, the largest dwarf, and Bofur, who usually had the most to say, were running at the very back.

Although Thorin Oakenshield also appeared to be running further back at this moment.

Judging by his composed expression and his constant urging of the other dwarves, it was clear he was doing so intentionally.

"Faster, faster."

With a large group of vicious, hideous Orc troops following close behind, the members of the Company were sprinting with every ounce of strength they possessed.

Each of them was red-faced and gasping for air.

Yet, the group's speed ultimately could not outrun the wargs.

As they drew closer and closer to the vast stone forest ahead, just as they were about to reach it.

The lead scout riders of the Orc army finally caught up.

Thorin Oakenshield, seeing the warg-riders closing in rapidly from behind and about to overtake them, shouted urgently, "Morgan, Kili!"

Morgan, already in a full sprint, had reached for the quiver on his back the moment he heard Thorin Oakenshield's voice.

In the blink of an eye, he turned, drew two arrows, and nocked them onto his longbow.

"Swish! Swish!"

The two arrows shot rapidly toward the rear.

The next second.

One arrow struck the ugly head of the Orc who was leading the charge and howling the loudest.

The other arrow struck the head of the vicious Gundabad Warg beneath the hit Orc.

In an instant, the leading warg and its rider tumbled to the ground.

The few wargs following closely behind immediately piled into a chaotic heap.

At this moment, Kili's arrows arrived as well.

He shot down an Orc scout who had managed to dodge the initial chaos, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Blocked by these few arrows from Morgan and Kili.

The Orc warg troops, which had already caught up, were immediately forced to drop back once more.

Because of this delay.

The Company finally managed to charge into the vast stone forest as they had hoped.

Large, small, shattered, round, square, triangular, and even malformed—stones of every size and shape were everywhere.

Gandalf charged into the stone forest without a word, his pace showing no sign of slowing or stopping.

The members of the Company had no choice but to follow close behind, sprinting wildly.

"Faster!"

"Keep moving!"

Thorin Oakenshield, at the rear of the group, kept glancing back, urging everyone to pick up the pace.

Dashing into the stone forest would only delay the Orcs for a short while.

It did not mean they were safe just yet.

Although Thorin Oakenshield was unsure of Gandalf's plan, or how he intended to shake off the Orc pursuit this time, he remained uneasy.

This left Thorin Oakenshield, who was accustomed to having everything under his control, feeling quite uncomfortable.

But based on Gandalf's performance throughout the journey.

He trusted Gandalf, and he had no choice but to trust him.

"Faster!"

"This way!"

Gandalf led the way with agility, weaving the group through the heart of the stone forest.

The stone forest was vast and expansive, and the Company was led through a series of sharp left and right turns.

The Orcs following behind fell slightly behind, losing sight of the Company.

They could only rely on the keen noses of their Wargs and the sounds they heard to determine the direction of the chase.

Unable to see the Orcs behind them, the sense of urgency in the hearts of the members eased slightly.

Yet, Gandalf continued to lead them in zig-zags through the stone forest.

The others still assumed this was Gandalf's way of shaking off the pursuing Orcs.

But only Morgan suspected that Gandalf might be lost.

He noticed that every time Gandalf turned, he was clearly scrutinizing the surrounding stones.

Morgan knew the old man was likely trying to get his bearings.

But when Gandalf began to frown repeatedly, his aged face creasing with wrinkles and a flash of anxiety appearing in his eyes.

Morgan realized then that he must be lost.

However, Gandalf was an excellent actor; aside from Morgan, who was running alongside him and paying close attention, the Dwarves noticed nothing amiss.

Fortunately, the Orc forces slowed down significantly after entering the stone forest.

The forest was large enough that, despite Gandalf leading them in circles, the Orcs could not catch up for the time being.

However, the Orcs had Wargs; if Gandalf could not find the way out in time, being caught was only a matter of time.

Morgan understood Gandalf's intentions.

But he had no way to speak up.

Moreover, this vast, boundless stone forest was far different from the sparse, rocky hills he remembered from the story.

Morgan could not help; he was powerless.

The Company continued to follow Gandalf, circling through the stone forest.

The howling of the Wargs behind them grew closer and closer.

Perhaps they had found the right path, perhaps the Company was just lucky, or perhaps it was destiny.

After rounding a corner, Gandalf finally spotted a small hill formed by three boulders several meters high stacked together.

Gandalf's eyes lit up; he hurried forward, quickly scanning the surroundings.

He finally confirmed that this was the place he had been looking for.

"Quick!"

"In here!"

Gandalf pointed to a narrow, deep, and dark crevice between the boulders, shouting to the others.

Morgan did not enter immediately; instead, he stood beside Gandalf with his longbow drawn and an arrow nocked, taking a defensive stance.

The Dwarves trusted Gandalf implicitly and, without hesitation, slid into the stone crevice one after another.

As Kili followed Thorin Oakenshield into the cave.

Just as Morgan was about to enter.

Suddenly, a deafening sound of hoofbeats echoed from outside.

The Orcs' mounts were not horses.

Morgan realized what it was and was about to speak, but Gandalf shoved him from behind: "Get in!"

Immediately, he slid into the dim cave.