"Tarnes, something's happened."
There was a trace of panic in Thorin's voice as he burst through the mayor's house door, stumbling inside.
Tarnes had just finished his morning training and was sitting in the living room resting, not sleeping.
He immediately heard the sound of the door being burst open, and almost instinctively, his hand drew a dagger suitable for indoor combat from his spatial pack, gripping it tightly.
However, upon seeing that the intruder was Thorin, Tarnes silently put the dagger back.
He noticed the panic on Thorin's face, his brow furrowing slightly before quickly smoothing out.
Tarnes pointed to the seat across from him, speaking gently to calm him: "Don't panic, Thorin. Sit down and explain clearly."
At this moment, Thorin simply couldn't calm down immediately. He stood anxiously by the seat without sitting, speaking urgently with a trembling voice, his eyes full of worry and unease: "Dain's army was ambushed by Azog."
Tarnes' previously calm expression immediately became serious upon hearing this, realizing the gravity of the situation.
He looked directly at Thorin, asking gravely: "What exactly happened?"
"I noticed a gray pigeon fly into the inn this morning but didn't expect it to bring such unfortunate news." Gandalf's voice came from another room, carrying heaviness and helplessness.
Then the old wizard emerged from that room, coming to Thorin's side, his face also full of gravity.
Tarnes frowned, looking at Thorin, asking again: "Where's the letter?"
Thorin took several deep breaths. He knew these two before him were currently his most reliable allies, so he forced himself to calm down.
Thorin spoke, though despite trying to remain composed, his voice still trembled slightly from anxiety: "The letter is at the inn, written in Khuzdul. You can't read it. So I rushed over to relay its contents: Dain was ambushed by Azog three days ago. That hateful, cunning Orc used were-worms to destroy Dain's war chariots. Then Orc armies launched surprise attacks on Dain's forces through holes left by the were-worms."
"Dain fought valiantly but suffered heavy losses. Currently only less than two thousand Dwarf heavy infantry and just over a hundred war-goat riders remain. They're retreating toward Lake-town. Dain has separately requested aid from both me and my father. I'm unclear about my father's specific situation, but Dain hopes I can convince Lake-town's human guards to help intercept him. Now Dain is leading his remnants toward Lake-town from the northeast."
Thorin finished speaking all this in one breath, his Adam's apple bobbing. He looked at Tarnes and continued: "Though Bard promised to be our Dwarf ally, I don't hold much hope for Lake-town's human military strength, which is why I came to find you first."
Tarnes nodded slightly, saying steadily: "I understand. I'll do everything possible to handle Dain's situation. But Thorin, I think you should set aside your prejudices and at least tell Bard about this matter in detail and see what he plans. Time is urgent now. You should grasp every available strength. In such emergencies, every bit of additional strength brings more hope."
Thorin was silent for a moment, seemingly seriously considering Tarnes' words.
Then he nodded firmly: "You're right, Tarnes. I'll follow your suggestion to seek Bard's help, asking him to fulfill his sworn oath."
Thorin briefly bid Tarnes farewell and hurriedly left the mayor's house.
Tarnes kindly reminded him tactfully: "Thorin, watch your wording. Don't let Bard misunderstand."
"I will."
After Thorin's brief response, his short, stocky figure disappeared from the mayor's house doorway, leaving only the wooden door he'd broken lying quietly on the ground, letting cold wind continuously blow into the house.
Gandalf sighed softly, his staff gently tapping the floor.
As the staff tip touched the ground, though the door broken by Thorin still lay unrepaired, Lake-town's bone-chilling wind no longer raged indoors, and the interior air seemed to become slightly warmer from this action.
Having completed this small task, Gandalf turned his gaze to Tarnes.
At this moment, his eyes no longer held the heaviness from when Thorin was present, as if some burden had been lifted, his tone becoming more relaxed: "Seeing no particularly panicked expression on your face regarding Dain's predicament, do you already have a solution?"
However, Tarnes' expression remained very grave. His brow was slightly furrowed, as if contemplating something extremely important or worrying about some unknown variable.
Gandalf's voice brought Tarnes back from his contemplation. He pondered briefly before slowly speaking: "Since what happened to Dain has already occurred, all we can do now is try our best to intercept them. Actually, intercepting them could be handled by having Bernahl accompany Lake-town's guards. But I keep feeling something's strange..."
At this point, Tarnes' frown deepened. He paused, seeming to struggle to organize his thoughts, then continued: "It's precisely this strange feeling that makes me constantly feel something bad is about to happen, as if some danger we haven't yet perceived is approaching."
After listening, Gandalf asked puzzledly: "What exactly makes you feel something's wrong? By all accounts, don't you already have confidence in resolving Dain's troubles?"
Tarnes shook his head slightly, then raised his eyes, looking at Gandalf with some confusion: "Were-worms. I don't know much about these creatures. But do you think Dain encountering the combination of were-worms and Orc armies was really as simple as suffering defeat and fleeing?"
Gandalf explained to Tarnes: "This is indeed possible. Though were-worms are massive, they're not skilled at combat. They're more like nature's destroyers rather than battlefield warriors. Though I'm unclear how Azog managed to control these were-worms, their greatest use is gnawing wide tunnels underground, allowing Orcs to quickly reach battlefields and launch attacks."
At this point, Gandalf's face showed a pained expression as he said regretfully: "What a pity for those Iron Hills Dwarf soldiers. Given the strength under Dain's command, they must have encountered Orcs several times their number to suffer such devastating results."
Tarnes suddenly slammed the table and stood up, saying: "Yes! That's it!"
"What did you think of?" Gandalf didn't understand why Tarnes was suddenly so startled.
Tarnes' expression became even more anxious than Thorin's earlier, saying: "Since Dain was surrounded by Orcs several times their number, do you think Dain really had the opportunity to send carrier pigeons requesting Thorin's rescue? Or rather, did Dain really have time to write letters on such a brutal battlefield?"
Gandalf's expression also darkened as he asked: "You mean to say?"
Tarnes jumped up from his seat, grabbing Gandalf's wide sleeve: "Go now, quickly! Immediately call your Great Eagle friends and have them rush to help Thrain. Azog's target isn't just Dain, but also the Dwarf coalition led by Thrain! Thorin mentioned that Dain sought not only his aid but also his father's rescue. Think about it. The reason Dain could successfully send distress signals from such an intense battlefield must be because this is what Azog hoped for. He's definitely set up ambushes along Thrain's march route too!"