—Third-person combat perspective—
The battle between the two sides was intensifying. With Gilan's arrival, the situation once again reached a deadlock, and the orcs had begun to flood the battlefield, throwing everything into chaos. But for Igris, things became a bit more manageable after the death of the swordsman and the retreat of the archer.
Clink! Clink!Thud!
Igris was engaged in a fierce fight with the remaining three. His sword and shield were clashing relentlessly with the enemies' weapons. His arm was on the verge of breaking, barely able to hold the shield. Jim was gasping for breath, having lost one eye, blood streaming from his body—though not yet fatally wounded. Elise stood only by sheer force of will, a deep gash across her chest where the blood flow had visibly slowed. Jumba was in the best condition among them, but clearly suffering from a concussion.
"Gandalf! If we make it out of here alive, I swear I'm going to shove that staff of yours up some orc's ass and unleash a thousand years of pain. Still not ready, huh?" Igris grumbled inwardly.
Elise could hold on no longer. She collapsed, her body drained from too much blood loss—whether dead or unconscious, no one knew. Seizing the opportunity, Igris lunged forward, seemingly charging at Jim, but at the last moment changed direction and slashed at Jumba, leaving a shallow cut on his waist. Jumba cursed and retreated. Jim tried to attack from the side, but Igris was faster. He stepped in close, obstructed Jim's arm mid-swing, and plunged his sword into his abdomen. Jim gasped for air, but his breath caught—he closed his eyes, no longer able to breathe.
Igris turned to Jumba and dashed forward with a vertical slash. Jumba blocked it with the shaft of his warhammer, but Igris kneed him in the head, then followed with a brutal headbutt. As Jumba staggered, Igris pierced his heart. Before dying, Jumba looked into Igris's eyes—and in that moment, saw them shift to a glowing violet with vertical slits.
"Monster," he murmured, and collapsed.
Igris took a deep breath and finally muttered, "At last." But he sensed something and leapt aside just in time. Elise, whom he thought dead, lunged at him with a crazed grin, trying to drive her sword into him. Igris reacted quickly, dodging most of the blow, but her sword still cut into his shoulder. Elise smirked—until Igris grabbed her head from behind in fury and slammed it into the ground repeatedly, smashing her skull to pieces. Blood splattered across his armor, and though he didn't pull out Elise's sword, he secured it in place, scanning the surroundings—then a voice echoed.
"O breath of nature, hear my plea! Destroy my enemies, heed my cry, and protect my allies!" Gandalf shouted as he struck his staff hard upon the ground.
The forest and its trees came to life, lashing out at the enemies, binding and killing them, while leaving the Erebor group untouched. Gandalf had awakened the entire grove, and soon the air was filled with the screams of dying foes—crushed, strangled, and overwhelmed. Half an hour later, silence fell. The trees' roots dragged the corpses deep into the earth.
Only then did Igris finally take a real breath. "Finally."
Igris's Perspective
Ugh! Everything hurts...The enemies I faced were nearly as strong as I was. Every time I tried to finish one, the others blocked me. It was exhausting—especially that damned archer! If Gilan hadn't arrived when he did, things would have turned ugly fast. I've pushed my left arm way too far. If I were just a regular human, I'd be crippled for life right now.
And my armor... riddled with arrow holes! That damn thing cost me 80,000 gold! Bah—once we take the mountain, I'll have Thorin forge me a new one. Maybe even an indestructible mithril armor, who knows?
"You came just in time, brother!" I said, embracing Gilan. But then I noticed—aside from a light smudge of mud, his body was perfectly clean.
"What happened? Why did you arrive late? And how did they bypass you?" I asked.
"I ran into a few assassins," he replied. "Lured them into one of the trap zones. There were eleven of them—well-trained professionals, or at least they seemed that way. Even when I struck them with arrows, they made no sound. Their pain tolerance was insane. Still... it was oddly easy to take them down."
"Forget it. Let's focus on the now. Can you bandage my arm? I think there's a fracture—or a full break. I don't want to push it any further," I said, pointing to the hand I'd been holding tightly to my chest since the fight ended.
"No problem," he said, and pulled out a basic first aid kit—clean bandages, antiseptic, coagulants, pain-killing salves, and the straight, smooth branches we'd gathered from the wild. He splinted my arm and wrapped it tightly, then applied ointment to the cuts on my body. The whole process took about thirty minutes.
Afterward, we cleaned my bloodstained armor in a nearby puddle—just in case. Plenty of people have died from infections. Sure, I'm a hybrid, but precautions never hurt. I whistled, and Shadowmane came bounding over—only to mock me when he saw my condition.
"My poor knight! Got your ass kicked again? Can't do anything without me, can you?" he teased.
"Shadowmane, I'm really tired right now. Let's talk later," I replied.Truth be told, if I didn't care about the others, I'd drop right here and sleep. We've been on the road for days, constantly alert—especially since we lost two people. We only rest four to six hours a day, and this routine's been wearing me down. But the real killer was the fight against those four. I pushed my body to its limit, especially after taking three solid hits from Juji. That nearly broke me. I'm still lacking combat experience—I've never faced more than two enemies of my level at once. On top of that, the archer kept targeting me the whole time.
Shadowmane looked at me in silence. I climbed onto his back and let my weight rest on him as we moved forward with Gilan to check on the dwarves. We found them gathered together, looking grim. I moved in and saw Oin lying on the ground—his face pale, eyes shut. Ori sat beside him, stunned. Thorin appeared calm, but the rage in his eyes was unmistakable.
Everyone had injuries, but Nori's wound looked dire. He stood stubbornly, but his pale face betrayed him. Though the wound didn't look deep, he'd lost a lot of blood. Bifur lay a short distance away, Balin and Dori trying desperately to stop his bleeding.
Gandalf arrived, looking utterly drained. An elven wizard could have bonded with nature more quickly—perhaps in 15 to 45 minutes—and animated a dozen tree roots. But Gandalf had awakened the entire grove. That's an incredibly difficult spell. Negotiating with nature is even harder. Nature spirits despise humans—they damage the land. Elves, on the other hand, live in harmony with nature. The spirits love and aid them.
"Thorin! We need to gather and move on," I'm declared, shocking the group.Ori glared. "Show some respect, Igris! Oin just died!" he snapped, and several dwarves murmured in agreement.
"Get ready. We leave as soon as possible," Thorin said firmly. Ori stared in disbelief.
"BUT THORIN, WHAT ABOUT OIN? WE CAN'T JUST LEAVE HIM!" he cried.
"Those who can, bury Oin—quickly!" Thorin commanded. Most of the group, excluding senior members, were stunned.
"Don't you see? These attackers struck us with coordinated precision—but they're too dumb to pull that off alone. Someone else is behind this. If we stay here, Oin dies for nothing!" I shouted, grabbing everyone's attention.
"He's right. We must hurry," Balin said, with Dwalin nodding in support.
I stepped forward and placed my hand on Ori's shoulder, speaking softly."Ori... this is your first loss. As we go on, you'll lose more—but you'll gain just as much."
"He died because of me!" Ori sobbed.
"Then live a glorious life—for him!" I said sharply.Ori looked at me in stunned silence. I urged Shadowmane forward and approached Thorin.
"Thorin, our situation is not good! Everyone's exhausted, even Gandalf. Bifur and Nori are severely wounded, and everyone else has cuts and bruises! Some weapons were poisoned — there might be people in the group who have been poisoned! What should we do?" I said, and Thorin fell into deep thought.
"Gandalf! How far is Rivendell?" he asked, and the group stared in surprise.
"Six days away, but if we push hard with fewer breaks, we can make it in three and a half," Gandalf answered.
Thorin looked around, cursed in Dwarvish, and said, "We're heading to Rivendell! Prepare yourselves!"
Side Quest:Convince Thorin to go to Rivendell willingly!
Reward:50 Battanian Fians, +20 relationship with Thorin(Completed)
I should have been happy, but I felt like crap. I stared blankly at the screen and asked,
"Can I change the system reward?"
System Operator: "Yes, but you'll be penalized. And you can only summon a unit two ranks lower."
"I want to summon a Khuzait tribal warrior!" I said.
System Operator: "Confirmed. You can summon 15 of them."
"WHAT?! Only 15 out of 50?! Why such a huge drop?"
System Operator: "Because you're altering the original reward. You're choosing a different race and a different class. On top of that, the class you've selected is a mounted archer — and they're hard to train. The penalties stacked."
I went silent. But we needed support. I sighed and accepted. I requested the units to arrive by tomorrow. Right now, we need agile and fast troops. The Battanian Fians are excellent, but they're not mounted. And we're not just fleeing — we need to reach the mountain. Once we arrive in Rivendell, we'll get more rewards. So tactically, this is the best option. We can only swap the reward for a similar one — otherwise, I would've picked a healing potion!
While the group was preparing, I checked my body. That damned hammer-wielding idiot had landed three solid hits that fractured my ribs. The guy's physical strength is real — and his aura is wild. Every hammer strike felt like getting hit by a freight train. I'm in no shape to fight. I can still stand, sure, but if a bone fully breaks, not even Elven healing could fix me instantly — it'd just speed up recovery by a month or two. But I'm still on this quest. And we have to fight a dragon — and after that, orc armies! I can't afford to be crippled. Especially since Oin is dead.
This isn't a movie. In the films, the group reached the Woodland Realm without even a scratch. We haven't even encountered trolls yet, and already we've got two severely wounded, one dead, and plenty of scars. That's part of why I summoned mounted archers. Direct combat is becoming too risky. Mounted archers can fire while riding — we can keep moving forward. Even if it's only 15, they'll be enough. Under Gilan and Halt's command, they'll work wonders. If only I could summon Kha'an Guardians — two of them would've made this whole journey a breeze.
Two hours passed. Everyone's wounds were treated. Gandalf brought some rare herbs to counteract poisoning — said it would buy us time. Thorin gave the order, and we began moving swiftly. As we marched on, I looked back and saw that lonely grave.
Alone in the middle of nowhere — no one would ever visit it. I sighed and murmured,"Rest in peace, old friend. We will reclaim your home. Just watch over us… and lend us strength."
I moved on. I looked over at Ori — he was still grieving. I said quietly,"Ori, pull yourself together. Oin came here because he wanted to reclaim our home. That dream is in your hands now. Focus, and look ahead. When we take back your home, Oin will be proud and happy."
I saw some of the other dwarves gathering themselves as well. Embarrassed, I scratched my head… wait, no — my helmet. Motivational speeches aren't really my thing.
I turned back to Ori again and said,"I've seen others lose loved ones like you did. They died protecting someone — and the ones they saved did foolish things to prove themselves. Don't make the same mistake. Always think. Always plan. Don't rush in, don't take reckless risks. If you're careless and end up dead, Oin would be furious with you."
I kicked my horse forward. The looks I got from the others made me feel awkward.
I sighed and rode up beside Thorin. "How are you holding up?" I asked.
"Like shit," he said, gritting his teeth and grabbing his side. He looked back.
"We're feeling the same, then," I said with a deep sigh.
"I didn't think we'd suffer our first loss so soon," he muttered.
"…Me neither. That ambush was unexpected. But how did they find us so quickly? We're not using main roads. Every 30 kilometers, we zigzag either north or south of the path, and Gilan and Halt personally erase our tracks. They shouldn't have found us this easily."
Thorin went quiet, thinking."Maybe they're using wargs… or wolves. Dwarves have a strong scent," he said.
I shook my head."Impossible! Thorin, I have special mixtures and scents designed to mask us from wargs and wolves. There's no way they could've tracked us directly like that."
Thorin fell silent again. I turned to Gandalf.
"Gandalf, could they be tracking us through magic?"
Gandalf looked at me and said, "No. I have a talisman — personally given to me by Lady Galadriel. Magic tracking won't work on us."
I thought hard, but nothing made sense. Did they find our location by chance? And then coordinate an attack? But even if they stumbled on us, the way multiple groups converged so precisely… that would be too much of a coincidence. Gilan was ambushed by eleven men, and they knew exactly where he was. That means they'd seen us much earlier.
But how?
Bilbo's Point of View
When adventures and legends are told, they always talk about heroism and nobility, but never about the hardships and sufferings faced by those who write these stories. I've always wanted to go on an adventure, but now I see that I was just a naive child. Don't misunderstand, I'm happy I went on the adventure, and it was very exciting, but Oin's death was completely unexpected, and we have two seriously injured members. I didn't spend much time with them, but I traveled with them, and since our group is small, there is much conversation. I formed a small connection with them, and when someone you know suddenly dies, it leaves a strange void inside. I didn't get wounded, just a few cuts, but for the first time in my life, I killed someone, and I did it multiple times, all at once. After the excitement inside me faded, the first thing I did was vomit, everything! Halt said that it's normal to react like this the first time, and not to be ashamed.
"Are you okay, Bilbo?" Kili asked, offering me his water bottle.
"I don't know, Kili, and thank you," I said, drinking the water. Normally, I wouldn't drink someone else's water, but I'd gotten used to it in the last week. Kili is the dwarf I'm closest to, followed by Bofur, Bombur, Fili, and Balin. It's enjoyable to chat with each of them, but Fili is more of a fighter, still, he's a good guy.
"Your first kill is always tough, Bilbo, but you'll get used to it. When I killed my first orc, I was nauseous, but I didn't feel much because it was an orc. But you killed a human, and human, hobbits and dwarves are so alike, that's why it affected you so much," he said.
"I don't know, Kili. I've always lived in the Shire, at peace in my home and garden. But I was always fascinated by the stories told in inns and at festivals. Now, when stories are told, the hardships and sufferings of the heroes are always left out, and I've experienced it firsthand. Yes, I've seen death. I saw my grandmother and grandfather dead, but I was always mentally prepared, because either they were sick, their condition was worsening, or their time had come. But Oin? He still had many years ahead of him, he was so strong, he only had trouble with hearing. But his life was taken by an arrow and poison," I said, sadly.
"Don't say that, Bilbo. Igris was right. If we succeed in this journey and take back the homeland, Oin will be a hero. If we fail, he'll be a warrior who died with faith. Dwarves always remember their honorable warriors, they sing songs about them!" Kili said, with excitement and sorrow.
"I hope we succeed, Kili, but leaving Oin alone here unsettles me. No one will come here to visit him," I said.
"Don't worry, Bilbo, Oin will always be watching us, giving us strength. We just have to move forward," Kili said.
"Okay," I said, looking around and noticing something.
"Kili, that hawk is watching us. Didn't we see it before, before the ambush?" I asked.
Kili looked and said, "Spotted hawks, there are a lot of them here, Bilbo! Don't worry."
"Maybe you're right," I said, but a nagging feeling crept up inside me. I kept glancing at it, but I carried on. We walked for about 40 minutes, and the hawk didn't leave us. My suspicion grew.
"Kili, this hawk isn't normal," I said quietly, pulling my hood tighter and moving my mouth as little as possible. The feeling of being watched is disturbing!
"Don't do that, Bilbo. You're exaggerating," he said, smiling.
"Kili, please, just watch the hawk's movements with me. Something's going on, please!" I urged.
Kili thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Alright, I don't have anything else to do!" he said.
"Thank you," I said, and we both quietly observed the hawk, making sure not to show it. Teacher Halt had once said, "If you suspect something, stay alert and observe. Don't let it show, or you'll pay the price."
We walked for another hour, and Kili, who had been relaxed at first, was now on alert.
"Bilbo, you're right. That hawk is definitely up to something. It's only watching us, especially Igris, Thorin, and Gandalf. It sees prey like mice, snakes, and rabbits, but it's focused only on us," he said.
"What do you think is going on? You're more experienced than I am," I asked.
"I'm not sure, but it looks like we've found our follower! If I'm not mistaken, this is the work of a druid. I once worked with one on a mission with my brother, and they can use animals to track targets," he said.
"What should we do, Kili? Should we tell Thorin and Igris?" I asked.
"No, let's be sure. If it's still following us, then we'll tell them. If we're wrong, we'll spread unnecessary worry. Keep your eyes on the hawk!" he said, and I nodded.
Igris' PerspectiveI'm kept thinking and I continued to look around. Four hours had passed, the group was still gloomy but alert. Gilan and Halt were constantly scouting the area, positioned far from the group but in visible spots, on opposite sides."AHH! I CAN'T THINK! WHAT AM I MISSING?" I said angrily, and my sudden outburst startled those around me.
"Igris?" said a young voice from behind me. I turned and looked.
"Yes, Bilbo?" I said unhappily, the thought of being followed disturbed my mood.
"Igris, this may sound silly, but both my teachers always told me to consider every possibility and pay attention to the smallest details," he said, his voice very quiet. Thorin and Gandalf were also curious.
"What's wrong, Bilbo?" I asked, intrigued.
"Igris, the hawk on our left seems strange and odd to me," he said.I looked, and it was watching us from a distance, but hawks are commonly seen in this area, so it wasn't unusual.
"It's just a hawk, Bilbo. Why does it scare you?" I asked, curious.
"No, Igris! That hawk is strange. I saw it before the attack started, and it had white spots just like this one! And the spots were the same! At first, I didn't pay attention, but for the last 3 hours, Kili and I have been watching it, and it is definitely watching us! Kili suspects it's a druid!" he said, and I was startled. I focused on the hawk but didn't take it seriously.
"Forget about it, Bilbo, it's just an ordinary hawk! You're on your first journey as a hobbit, don't overthink it!" I said seriously, but then quietly added,
"Well done, Bilbo, now I understand how they are following us. Tell the dwarves to stay alert, but don't let them show it. Only tell Balin, Dwalin, Gloin, and Fili. Have them observe the hawk at different times, but not at the same time! And don't directly inspect the hawk, but glance at it while watching a dwarf. Look at it every 4 minutes, but don't look for more than 3 seconds, we don't want to wake the snake!"
"Got it!" he said, disappointed, and pulled back. I raised my eyebrows, Halt and Gilan had trained him well, and this was just an accelerated first-week training!
"Gandalf! Is that hawk a druid or a shapeshifter? Or is it connected to a druid?" I asked.
Though Gandalf didn't look directly at the bird, he was analyzing it carefully. "If it were a druid or shapeshifter, I would recognize it, they would unintentionally give themselves away. Most likely, it's a druid linked mentally to the hawk. The hawk is watching us through its eyes, and I feel a bit of magic, but druids are individuals who are at one with nature, and nature hides them, so I haven't noticed it until now!" he said.Thorin was paying close attention. "What should we do? Should we take it down?" he asked.
"Yes, but not us. Gilan or Halt should do it. If it runs away, it'll be a problem. If we kill it instantly and it's still mentally connected to the druid, we'll cause mental damage to the druid," I said.
Gandalf nodded and said calmly, "Yes."
We walked for half an hour more, and I called Bilbo and Kili over. "Listen carefully. Go to Halt and Gilan, tell them about the hawk and the druid, and show them the hawk. Don't reveal yourselves and have them strike it after 15 minutes," I said.
"Igris, I saw a horned snake, but I'm sure I've seen it seven more times. Do you think it's connected to a druid too?" said Kili.
"I think another hawk is watching us, just like this one, but it's only focusing on the group. Do you think we're being paranoid?" he said, and I was stunned. I looked at Thorin and Gandalf.
"What do you think?" I asked.
"It's better not to take risks. Let's take all three animals down," Thorin said, shrugging.
"I agree. Normally, I wouldn't accept this, but I don't want to risk the group," Gandalf said.
"Gandalf, can't you detect them? What if there are more?" I asked.
Gandalf sighed and said, "Reviving the grove has drained my mana! After all, that grove was 12 kilometers in radius! So I am an old man now, but I can look at the animals Bilbo showed me and try to feel them."
"Please, Gandalf, but be careful and don't reveal yourself!" I said. We continued walking, not making exaggerated reactions. I was already wearing my helmet, and we were riding at a steady pace, trying to cover a long distance without tiring the horses too much.
Gandalf laughed and said, "Dear Bilbo! So you're curious about wizardry history? Then let this old man tell you! Thorin and Igris have things to think about! Let's talk in the back!" He slowed down, and Bilbo looked stunned. He glanced at Kili, who shrugged and slowed down too, and Bilbo followed suit.
Wow! That was quite a quick change of mode! Amazing."Thorin, the eyes watching us, what should we do?" I asked.
Thorin fell into thought and looked at me."Nothing. Right now, everyone is tired and wounded. Two of us are seriously injured! And your left arm and ribs are either cracked or broken. Our priority is to get to the Rivendell! Let's hope Elrond will help us as you said!" he said.
"Don't worry, Lord Elrond will welcome us and heal us!" I said.
"Are you still not going to tell me about the big uncle thing?"
"Never! You'll see when we get there!" I said and chuckled.He looked at me with a sharp glance and continued on his way.
"Thorin, I've sent word to some of my friends. Reliable people, 15 of them will join us tomorrow!" I said.
"What!? When did you send the message? Don't let them slow us down, we're already a crowd!" he said, astonished.I chuckled and said,
"They're mounted archers! And their quivers will be full! I specifically called them, so we can keep up our speed while we take down the enemy coming toward us!"
"Mounted archers? And they sent them to you? Training mounted archers is very difficult. Even the Eastern barbarians shoot from carts, they don't prefer horseback!" he said, astonished.
"Connections, my dear brother! Trust me," I said.
"Brother? When did we become brothers?" he said sternly.
"During today's battle! We read each other's body language!"
"You're talking nonsense again! We haven't sworn brotherhood!"
"What does it matter? We fought side by side!"
"If a dwarf swears brotherhood, it means they have a bond even closer than blood brothers!" he said.
"OH COME ON, WHY ARE YOU SO STUBBORN? I DECLARED YOU MY BROTHER, IT'S OVER!" I said.
"I don't accept it!"
"I don't accept that you don't accept it!"
"Igris! DON'T DRIVE ME MAD!"
"YOU USED TO BE THE MOST REASONABLE ONE, NOW YOU'RE SAYING DON'T DRIVE ME MAD!"
"IGRIIIIISSSSS!"
"THORIIIIINNNNN!"