Forced Amnesia

South Bank Port of Gondor!

Russell and his three companions staked out the docks, confirming that the elite Corsairs of Umbar force had not yet passed through the area. Aragorn decided to wait and see what would happen.

He came to the south with two missions: first, to eliminate the Sauron's naval forces, which are human pirates; and second, to find reinforcements from the south, though he has no leads yet.

Aragorn ordered the Army of the Dead to conceal their tracks; they were too conspicuous, sending chills down their spines wherever they went, and their wailing and howling had terrified many along the way. Now they were all buried in the river, ready to scare the pirates back to their homeland once the pirate ship was out.

The success rate wasn't very high, but Russell thought it was feasible. If the Army of the Dead failed, he would personally step in, put on a show, and help Aragorn drown these rebels.

"Should you wave your left hand or your right hand? Which pose looks cooler?"

After talking to himself, Russell was slightly stunned. He had never deliberately shown off before, but now he was actually preparing in advance.

The fault couldn't be his own; it must be... Gandalf. As the saying goes, "One is influenced by one's company," and by following Gandalf, one begins to mature without even realizing it.

Russell discovered the truth, but it was too late; he had become the adult he hated most as a child!

At this moment, a cavalry unit of about 30 men galloped in, each with two riders, covered in dust but unable to conceal their murderous aura.

Russell raised an eyebrow. This cavalry force was no ordinary unit. Although it was smaller in number, it was definitely the elite of the elite. He just didn't know whether they were friend or foe.

Legolas reached out and stopped the arrow, and Gimli gripped his battle axe tightly. It was clear that the cavalry was coming for the four of them.

Upon seeing who it was, Aragorn's face lit up with joy. He gripped Legolas's bow and charged forward, laughing loudly, "Herubal, what a coincidence that it is you!"

As they spoke, all 30 riders dismounted and embraced Aragorn one by one. The leader, named Herubal, said, "Aragorn, it is no coincidence that we have come to find you."

Looking for me?

"Yes, Elrond told us you needed help, so we went to Helm's Deep first, and then turned back to the Paths of the Dead ..." Herubal laughed, "You run really fast, we almost lost you!"

These 30 riders were all from Dunedain, the same people as Aragorn. They had traveled all the way from the north to find him when they learned he needed help.

"This is something Elrond asked me to give to you; you will need it."

Herubal solemnly handed over his backpack, presenting it to Aragorn with both hands. The latter opened it and was immediately stunned.

The flag of Gondor!

The black banner is embroidered with the White Tree, adorned with seven eight-pointed stars, and also features the crown symbolizing Elendil.

Touching the banner, Aragorn's eyes welled with tears. He could feel the Magic Power on the banner; it was embroidered by Arwen himself.

With her beloved away on a campaign, Arwen could not be by his side, so she embroidered this banner to express her longing and determination; if Aragorn were to fall in battle, she would follow him.

The scene was somewhat melancholic. The rough men of Dengdan couldn't bear it. The 30 riders whistled and stepped aside, while Herubal walked towards Russell with a smile.

"Russell, it's been a long time!"

"Uh, who are you?"

"What? You don't even remember me?" Herubal in surprise. "Think again. We went on an adventure together. It was you, me, and Aragorn. Back then, you were terrible at the game and almost died during a mission. I saved your life and you cried and begged to recognize me as your older brother. At the time, I thought you were too bad and didn't agree."

Russell: (one-one)

Upon learning of his assigned identity and this dark past, Russell immediately wrote Herubal down in his notebook, but as a mature mage, he simply smiled and didn't seem to care.

Legolas and Gimli turned pale upon seeing the smile, and with a whoosh, they ran to the wall and began banging their heads against it.

What happened to them?

"Who knows..." Russell said gently, "Maybe he heard something he shouldn't have heard and is pretending to have amnesia."

"What do you mean by 'shouldn't listen to'?" Herubal was completely confused.

You'll understand later.

The 30 Northern Rangers are incredibly powerful. As members of the Dunedain, they are exceptionally talented, possess explosive martial prowess, and each of them can take on ten opponents.

With the help of his people, Aragorn's confidence soared, and he raised the Gondor flag on the flagpole in the harbor, awaiting the arrival of the Corsairs of Umbar.

He showed Russell what it meant to be a 'son of the world': the moment the flag was hoisted, the town by the port stirred, and burly men carrying weapons emerged one after another.

Upon learning Aragorn's identity, these people immediately bowed down and swore to fight for Gondor. By late at night, Aragorn's army had grown to three digits.

At this moment, Aragorn also understood what Gandalf meant by the southern reinforcements. In reality, the reinforcements were the hearts of the people. Gondor had been waiting for its king for far too long!

In the dead of night, the harbor was shrouded in a hazy gray, and under the moonlight, the rushing river shimmered with a greenish glow. Upon closer inspection, one would discover that the light originated from the underwater surface, rather than from the moonlight reflecting off the river's surface.

In this eerie gray fog, the Gondor flag fluttered in the wind, radiating a rainbow of light that pierced through the mist.

Countless spirits lay submerged in the water, guarding the coastline. Thirty northern rangers and other warriors lay in ambush at the port, awaiting the arrival of the pirates.

With a change in strategy, Aragorn decided to exterminate all the traitors among the humans.

Splash—

Fifty black ships approached from afar, their sails billowing and hulls splashing in the water.

The pirates lit torches and slowly docked at the port. They had received Sauron's orders to rush to Minas Tirith as quickly as possible. But what kind of people were pirates? Bloodlust, greedy, and lecherous. They couldn't keep going without having some fun while passing through the port.

"Charge into the town and kill all the old people and children!!"

Upon seeing the port unguarded, the pirates roared with excitement.

There's a reason why only the elderly and children are killed. Women are useful and can be sold for money. Young and strong men are also useful, not in the way that men are separated from their male counterparts, but because some cannon fodder are needed to attack Minas Tirith.

When they return in triumph, these cannon fodder will become slaves and be sold for a good price.

Ten minutes later, all the pirates disembarked, their faces contorted with rage as they carried their weapons. However, before they could rush out of the harbor, a huge wave suddenly surged up on the river, sweeping away all 50 pirate ships.

The sudden scene left the pirates bewildered; after years of burning, killing, and looting, this was the first time they had encountered such a strange occurrence.

"That's strange, I remember it broke down."

"They must have broken anchor. Even if one ship didn't break anchor, how could all of them be..."

"Could it be a ghost?"

"Haha, what nonsense are you talking about? How could there be ghosts!"

"But then again, we're lucky today. If the Gondor had laid an ambush in the harbor, we would have been doomed without our ships!"

"That's right, that's right."

"Haha... wait, who are you?"