Orc Town

The Misty Mountains were the longest mountain range in Middle-earth, stretching more than eight hundred kilometers from south to north.

In the Elder Days, Morgoth had used his own power to wrench this mountain range up from the earth.

It was said that Morgoth had committed this mad act to protect his followers from Oromë, the hunter among the valar.

To the north, they bordered the Grey Mountains, Mount Gundabad, and the Mountains of Angmar.

They stretched south to the Fords of Rohan, where Saruman's Isengard stood.

The two main passages across the range were the High Pass and Redhorn Peak.

Now the company was traveling along the High Pass.

In fact, the High Pass had two routes, one high and one low. The lower route was relatively broad and easy to travel. At the end of the Second Age, armies had passed through it during the War of the Last Alliance.

The higher route was treacherous, generally impassable for large groups.

But half-orc activity had been frequent in recent years, making the lower route extremely dangerous.

So, at Gandalf's suggestion, the company had taken the upper route through the High Pass.

Yes, because of Allen's influence, the White Council had not convened in Rivendell.

That had allowed Gandalf the Grey to enter the Misty Mountains alongside the dwarves.

By now, the horses could no longer follow them, so everyone divided up the supplies they carried and sent them back.

Bilbo Baggins was worried about them, but according to Gandalf, they would return safely to Rivendell and live there.

At the moment, Allen was more concerned about the company's safety.

The tunnels of Orc Town already reached this far, and a pivotal moment of fate would occur here. He did not know whether he should prevent it.

Anxious, Allen could only keep his head down and scout ahead of the company.

Without a horse, however, Allen could not stray too far from the others, making his scouting far less effective.

Fortunately, they spent more than a week trekking through the mountains without encountering any mishaps or enemies.

The weather remained pleasant, too. Allen's mood gradually improved, and he abandoned the idea of interfering with anything.

Although the trail was difficult, everyone was in fairly good spirits, chatting as they went.

After all, they had rested well in Rivendell and fully recovered their strength and energy.

But all of that was ruined today. Rain poured down, and even with their rain capes on, the icy water soaked their clothes.

The mountain trail became slick and treacherous in the rain. From time to time, loose stones washed down the slopes with muddy water, threatening to land on anyone's head.

Allen keenly sensed that something was wrong and asked the whole company to slow down. Thorin Oakenshield glanced at the dreadful weather and agreed.

Even at a slower pace, danger lurked at every turn.

The others managed well enough. The dwarves were steady on their feet, and the two members of the Big Folk had plenty of wilderness experience.

Only Bilbo Baggins, with a small sword hanging at his waist, struggled terribly.

The hobbit had spent his whole life around Hobbiton and had never traveled such a treacherous trail.

Their present predicament was painfully difficult for this hobbit who had never ventured far from home.

In a short span of time, his life had been endangered repeatedly, and various members of the company had helped him.

Otherwise, he would have long since lost his life in these perilous mountains.

Their sharp-tongued leader, Thorin Oakenshield, was deeply displeased with the hobbit, privately believing that Bilbo Baggins was holding the whole company back.

Even when he saved Bilbo's life, he never forgot to add a few cutting remarks.

The dangerous surroundings and hurtful words kept changing the thoughts in Bilbo Baggins's heart.

Allen could tell that the hobbit's longing for Rivendell was growing stronger.

Then something even worse happened. A boulder that looked bigger than Allen hurtled toward him as he walked at the head of the company.

The boulder was not deliberately aimed at Allen. Instead, it slammed into the ground right in front of him.

The thunderous crash rang in Allen's ears, and flying fragments even sliced his sweat-covered cheek.

Death had never been so close. Allen stopped in his tracks, stunned for several seconds, then turned and shouted for everyone to retreat.

The company fell into chaos for a moment, but under Thorin Oakenshield, Gandalf, and Allen's direction, they quickly ran back the way they had come, away from the stone-giants' battlefield.

Even then, deafening crashes kept sounding behind them, driving them to run faster.

Soon, they reached the far side of a mountain peak. The rumbling continued on the other side.

Everyone stood panting, their faces ashen, with no desire left to speak.

The downpour never stopped, but after an hour, the thunderous crashes finally subsided.

They had no choice but to drag their heavy feet back onto the mountain trail.

The stone-giants' battle had damaged parts of the path, but it was still passable if they were careful.

It merely took a great deal of time, leaving everyone even more exhausted.

Thorin Oakenshield asked Allen to find somewhere suitable to rest. Allen nodded and set off.

Before long, Allen finally discovered a cave in a somewhat concealed spot. It was spacious and very dry, perfect for making camp.

Allen did not know whether this was the cave from the film. Either way, he no longer cared.

What he did know was that everyone in the company was in terrible shape. Without rest, their exhausted bodies and frayed nerves might cost them their lives.

When Thorin Oakenshield heard the news, he asked whether the cave was safe.

Allen frowned. "There isn't a single safe cave in the Misty Mountains. You'd better sleep with one eye open."

Thorin Oakenshield smiled at that and said nothing more.

Because of Allen's earlier suggestion, Thorin Oakenshield had spent a long time in Rivendell.

Lord Elrond had shown no opposition to their quest and had given the dwarves considerable help.

That had improved Thorin Oakenshield's attitude toward the elves of Rivendell and made him sincerely grateful for Allen and Gandalf's efforts.

So after leaving Rivendell, Thorin Oakenshield had subtly expressed his gratitude to Allen, who recognized it and responded in kind.

This greatly eased the tension between Allen and Thorin Oakenshield, making their conversations less restrained than before.

Everyone was utterly exhausted. Hearing that there was somewhere to rest, they quickened their pace, and before long, Allen led them to the campsite.

They lit a fire, ate a simple meal, and settled down to rest. Far too much had happened that day.

Bofur stood watch, Bilbo planned his escape, and Allen stayed close beside Gandalf, not daring to sleep.

He was worried that this cave also connected to Orc Town. He even suspected that every cave near the High Pass led to that half-orc lair.

Sure enough, while the others rested, the half-orcs attacked right on cue.

Although Bilbo, who had been preparing to leave, raised the alarm, the others were still caught in the sudden confusion. Gandalf and Allen, however, remained undiscovered.

With Allen's earlier warning, Gandalf had cast a spell that made both himself and Allen, who stayed close beside him, inconspicuous.

Once the commotion died down, the two jumped into Orc Town before the crack in the stone closed.

It was damp and gloomy, with only a handful of torches providing a little light. Allen could barely make out the path beneath his feet.

The ruler of this place was Allen's old enemy, the Orc King.

His followers often used this method to capture passing caravans.

So the company had not been deliberately ambushed. They had simply stumbled into a half-orc trap.

Large numbers of half-orcs rushed along the wooden suspension bridges into the depths of the caves.

They wanted to see who had been lucky enough to catch prey today.

After all, no travelers had come through the High Pass for a long time.

Allen hid in the darkness. He did not have the hobbits' gift for slipping silently away in a crowd, so he needed to stay well concealed.

Once all the half-orcs had left, Allen drew his longsword and followed the route they had taken.

Gandalf?

Allen had lost sight of the old man after jumping down. Perhaps the wizard's magic was affecting his vision, or perhaps Gandalf had plans of his own.

In any case, Gandalf's safety was hardly Allen's concern. After briefly putting himself in order, Allen followed the half-orcs' route.

Just after rounding a bend, Allen saw a faint blue light tumble into the depths of the darkness. It was Bilbo Baggins and his Sting.

Allen knew the wheels of fate were turning, and the ring that would shape Middle-earth was about to find its new master.

What the ring had not expected was that passing from one homebody's hands to those of another strong-willed, Buddhist-minded player was hardly a good thing.

Throughout their journey, Allen had considered telling Gandalf about the ring early. The question had troubled him for a long time.

In the end, however, Allen decided to say nothing.

Allen had many concerns. In fact, Sauron had already recovered most of his power by this point.

His shadow had fallen over Middle-earth again long ago.

In ten years, Sauron would openly declare his return in Mordor, then keep Gondor on the defensive.

It was easy to imagine how formidable his power already was.

Allen's other concern was Saruman, the White Wizard.

If Gandalf learned the whereabouts of the One Ring now, he would inevitably summon the White Council to discuss what to do with it.

Then the One Ring would be highly likely to fall into the hands of Saruman, the head of the White Council. Allen could never accept that outcome.

The War of the Ring would surely begin early. The forces of good would have to face not only Sauron, but also Saruman, already corrupted by power and now possessing the Rings of Power.

The world would enter an age of the War of the Two Towers. That would be nightmare mode.

Allen dared not imagine what disasters his people would suffer then.

Allen had also wondered whether Gandalf might head straight for Mount Doom upon learning where the One Ring was, but he soon dismissed that idea.

In the original course of events, even after confirming the One Ring's whereabouts, Gandalf had asked Frodo to bring it to Rivendell, where they sought Lord Elrond's advice.

So Gandalf would indeed change course if he learned about it now, but he would more likely go to Lothlórien and arrange a meeting to discuss how to deal with it.

Saruman had already succumbed to the lure of power, but he had not been exposed. He would have plenty of opportunities, all perfectly legitimate.

After much deliberation, Allen decided it was better to do nothing. He needed to find more opportunities to strengthen himself and bring a new possibility to the War of the Ring.

As for keeping it to use himself, Allen scoffed at the idea.

That was without even considering whether Allen could control the power within the Rings of Power.

He certainly did not possess Bilbo Baggins's lack of worldly desires.

So when he saw that faint blue light, he did not hesitate. He went straight ahead.

Eventually, he came upon a bright, spacious cavern crawling with half-orcs.

They were packed together, at least a thousand of them.

An enormous half-orc was singing heavy metal with several smaller half-orcs, while the captive dwarves stood before him.

Allen crouched low and slowly approached the concert.

As he drew closer, Allen spotted Gandalf hidden in a corner, preparing something.

Gandalf noticed Allen as well. He raised an index finger to his lips, signaling him to keep quiet.

Knowing what would happen next, Allen deliberately narrowed his eyes.

He knew it was almost time to make their getaway.

Soon, Gandalf unleashed the spell he had been preparing.

A blaze of light and a fierce wind swept toward the surrounding half-orcs.

The light blinded every half-orc, while the wind extinguished almost all the nearby flames.

Then Gandalf's loud, commanding voice echoed through the cavern.

"Take up your weapons! Fight! Quickly!"

Spurred on by his voice, the dwarves, who recovered faster, seized their weapons.

Gandalf called, "Follow me! Quickly!"

Everyone ran after him.

Soon, the cavern descended into chaos. The dwarves fled along the narrow paths, fighting the half-orcs closing in around them.

The half-orcs seemed endless. Brandishing scimitars and clubs, they frantically tried to block the company.

In little more than ten minutes, over a hundred half-orc corpses lay along the dwarves' route.

Allen brought up the rear, running swiftly while killing the scum that tried to stop him.

As the company kept running, half-orcs armed with bows soon appeared throughout the cavern.

Arrows whistled over the dwarves' heads, putting the company in danger.

Allen decisively put away his longsword and took out the Noldor Rune Bow.

He moved into the middle of the company and, under the other dwarves' protection, shot down the half-orc archers.

After all, he did not know Legolas's flashy bow-fighting techniques, which let him slaughter enemies in every direction with a bow alone.

Under Allen's precise attacks, the half-orc archers suffered heavy casualties, and no more arrows flew toward the company.

Everyone seized the opportunity to quicken their pace again and catch up with Gandalf.

Just as they stepped onto a wooden bridge, its deck suddenly broke open, and the Orc King appeared before them.

He swung his scepter at Gandalf, forcing Gandalf the Grey back with his tremendous strength.

A seething mass of half-orcs stood behind them, while the Orc King alone blocked the path ahead.

Allen had no intention of waiting for the brute to speak. He raised his rune bow and fired an arrow into his head, pinning him to the bridge deck.

It also avenged the soldiers who had fallen over the past few years.

But Allen had forgotten that the wooden bridge beneath them could not withstand the punishment of the Orc King's corpse.

It swayed and broke apart. Caught off guard, he fell into the deep pit along with all his companions.

Fortunately, plenty of dwarves cushioned Allen's fall, leaving him uninjured.

Unfortunately, the dazed Allen had only just regained his senses.

The Orc King's enormous corpse slammed down on top of everyone, injuring them a second time.

Although Allen had sensed the danger beforehand and struggled to roll over,

His left arm was still pinned beneath the body, and waves of agonizing pain shot through Allen's mind.