Ori was pulled up, and this dwarf, who was as thin and small as Bilbo, looked at the deep pit with lingering fear, then turned to Arthur somewhat helplessly.
He asked worriedly, "What about Thorin and the others?"
Bilbo also realized what had happened and asked anxiously, "Uh, shouldn't we go down and look for Thorin and the others? Is there another way down here?"
Arthur cast the Glintstone Magic, and with the light of the spell, everyone else could see the situation inside the deep pit.
It wasn't a naturally formed pit, but rather a man-made tunnel.
Not far below, one could still see iron racks for torches and a passage for smaller creatures, though the torches were not lit at the moment.
The knowledgeable Ori immediately exclaimed in surprise, "I remember this shape of passage; these are things only Goblins build.
This isn't a deep pit, it's a passage leading to a Goblin lair, and the place we were just resting was the gate to one of their exits."
Arthur seemed to be deep in thought, mainly because he was embarrassed to tell Ori that he had opened this gate with a tool he usually used to test traps.
However, after hearing Ori's words, he felt a slight sense of relief.
At least this was a passage for Goblins to enter and exit, not some trap, so Thorin and the others would at most suffer some minor injuries.
At this moment, Bilbo tilted his head and asked, "Goblins? What are those?"
Ori explained, "They are actually a type of orc, but they are much smaller than the orcs we encountered before.
They are about as tall as us dwarves and you hobbits.
Goblins, orcs, whatever you want to call them."
Bilbo nodded.
Bernal asked, "So how do we divide our personnel now? We don't know the terrain inside, so this opened door is the only exit we know.
We need someone to guard here to make sure the door isn't closed by those Goblins."
Arthur nodded.
He looked at the people present: Bernal, Millison, Bilbo, and Ori.
How to group them was obvious.
He said, "Bernal, then I'll trouble you to take Bilbo and Ori to guard the gate here.
Millison and I will go through this passage and try to find Igon and Thorin and the others."
Bilbo nodded repeatedly, and at the same time, he drew the Elven short sword he had taken as spoils from the Troll's cave and said, "Of course, no problem, and Gandalf said this sword will glow blue when it encounters orcs, which is perfect for this gate-guarding job."
Bernal nodded, "That will indeed make things a lot easier, so we'll know in advance if those Goblins are hiding in the dark watching us."
Ori also had no objection to this task assignment.
He was not good at fighting anyway and was happy to stay here.
"Then we're going down, and you all be careful too.
Oh, and here, take this.
If the door closes again, use this to open it."
Arthur instructed, then tossed Margit's shackles to Bernal, and then, with the help of the Starlight, jumped into the narrow passage.
Arthur himself had another shackle with the exact same effect, so he wasn't worried about not having one if he needed it.
Arthur stepped back a few paces, opened his arms, and caught Millison as she jumped down.
Then Arthur's hands released from Millison's slender but strong waist, and he looked up at Bernal above the deep pit, giving an "OK" gesture.
"I'll go first, my back is in your hands," Arthur said to Millison after retracting his gaze.
Millison earnestly promised, "Of course, no enemy can cross the blade in my hand to harm you."
Arthur nodded, and while canceling the Glintstone Magic, he took out two wads of white cotton from his spatial backpack and handed one to Millison.
Soft Cotton: Can stick to the bottom of the feet, temporarily reducing fall damage and landing sound.
Since the Goblins who dug this passage hadn't discovered them yet, Arthur thought it best to avoid exposing themselves as much as possible.
Millison naturally understood how to use this wad of cotton and skillfully stuck it to the soles of her shoes, quietly following behind Arthur as they explored downwards.
As Arthur walked, he suddenly stopped and extended his hand backward, signaling Millison to stop as well.
He looked at the small creature not far away, its back to him, and changed his weapon to the Misericorde, then silently crept over.
This small creature had pale skin, only a dirty loincloth on its body, and other parts of its body seemed to be covered in disgusting red bumps, like a skin disease.
But apart from the difference in size and skin color, it was very similar to the orcs Arthur had seen in other respects.
Clearly, it was the Goblin, or orc, that Ori had just mentioned.
If Bilbo were here at this moment, his sword should be glowing blue as a warning.
This Goblin seemed to be attracted by some movement and didn't notice Arthur crouching and sneaking up behind it at all.
By the time it reacted, Arthur had already lunged forward, covering its mouth, while the Misericorde fiercely pierced from its anus, penetrating its spine.
The sudden, intense pain instantly made this Goblin lose its ability to resist.
Then Arthur pulled out the Misericorde, gently placed the lifeless but still twitching Goblin corpse on the ground, and didn't forget to take out the Dexterity Collector to collect its soul.
After doing all this, Arthur waved his hand backward, but Millison appeared a few seconds slower.
Arthur turned around and noticed Millison shaking off the black blood from the curved sword in her prosthetic arm.
Millison said in a low voice, "There was a Goblin hidden behind us that we didn't notice, but it was sleeping and didn't notice us, so I took care of it."
Arthur nodded and quietly blamed himself, "My mistake, I've fallen back into an old habit: only thinking about backstabbing the enemy in front of me and not noticing those hidden nearby."
Millison smiled and shook her head, "That's exactly where I can help you, no need to feel guilty."
Arthur looked at the rugged rock passage around them again, "That being said, the terrain here is too complex for us, I still need to be more careful.
This Goblin I killed must have had its attention drawn by Thorin and Igon suddenly falling in, which is why it wasn't looking towards the entrance of the cave."
As he spoke, he cautiously moved downwards.
As Arthur and Millison delved deeper into the cave, the space suddenly opened up.
Torches dotted the rock walls like a galaxy, their flickering flames illuminating the sinister textures of every rock with lifelike detail.
These Goblins had connected each rock with crude suspension bridges, and currently, a large number of Goblins were climbing from all directions towards one spot.
Arthur cautiously observed his surroundings, his gaze falling on the Goblins scurrying across the suspension bridges.
These creatures were short and hideous, their eyes gleaming with evil, their teeth sharp as knives, their eye sockets deep-set, and their eyebrows as coarse as brooms.
They clutched crude weapons in their hands, their laughter shrill and piercing, mingling with the echoes of the cave.
Any normal person seeing so many Goblins and hearing these cries would only feel an extraordinary sense of dread.
Unfortunately, neither Arthur nor Millison were normal, and such a display was not enough to scare them.
Under the torchlight, the climbing figures of the Goblins seemed to weave dark webs.
Arthur gripped his sword hilt tightly, noticing that the Goblins were moving quickly and nimbly among the rock walls, communicating with each other in a guttural language.
Millison looked at the dense mass of Goblins in the distance, seemingly filling the entire cave, and said in surprise, "Just how many Goblins are there here?"
Arthur shook his head. They no longer needed to deliberately lower their voices, as the Goblins were making even more noise.
He replied, "I'm not sure, but the only thing for certain is that Thorin and the others made a lot of noise to attract so many Goblins. From their expressions, these Goblins are unusually angry for some reason."
Arthur raised his hand, pointing in the direction the Goblins were surging towards; a faint Dragon's roar could be heard from there.
Millison speculated, "Perhaps Igon and the others killed someone very important to these Goblins?"
Arthur nodded, moving closer in that direction: "That's possible. We need to go help. There are simply too many Goblins; even if Igon uses Dragon Communion Incantation, he won't be able to kill all these guys once his magic runs out."
Millison followed closely, her steps light.
A few minutes ago.
"Whoa ah ah ah ah ah—"
Amidst the dwarves' screams, they slid down from the deep pit and landed on a relatively flat large rock.
"Oh—"
The fattest, Bombur, was the last to crash down, landing on the other dwarves, causing them all to groan without exception.
Bofur struggled to push Bombur off him and said, "I think you really need to lose weight... Bombur."
But before he could finish, Igon's figure appeared in his eyes, making Bofur look terrified.
Being crushed by Bombur had already taken half his life; if Igon were to crash down on him again, Bofur felt he could go meet his departed great-grandmother.
So he burst forth with astonishing strength, flipped over, and rolled aside, revealing Dwalin and Fili beneath him.
Dwalin and Fili: "?"
Of course, Igon did not land directly on Dwalin and Fili, as he had jumped down on his own accord.
Igon continuously adjusted his posture along the rock wall, finally landing steadily in an open space on the rock where the dwarves were.
Dwalin and Fili finally breathed a sigh of relief, and so did Bofur.
However, before Bofur could say anything, Igon, with quick eyes and hands, pulled Bofur up from the ground and dragged him aside.
"Tss—"
An arrow hit the spot where Bofur had just been lying, its bone arrowhead scraping sparks off the rock, then falling into the abyss below the rock.
Thorin stood up at this moment, looking at the Goblins suddenly appearing from various rock crevices or rock walls around them, and shouted, "Grab your weapons!"
Even on the rock they were on, Goblins kept emerging from below, climbing up the rock wall.
Igon, at this moment, drew his bow and shot down a Goblin charging towards them, observing the surroundings and saying, "We can't stay still; we have to run, or we'll be overwhelmed by these creatures."
Thorin nodded, and shouted again, "Run!"
The dwarves, without hesitation, immediately followed Thorin and started running.
Seeing such a large number of Goblins, their hearts were also filled with dread.
When Bombur, the slowest dwarf, finally left the rock, he cast a grateful look at Igon.
And Igon, without hesitation, leaped up, stomped his foot, kicking a Goblin that had just poked its head out of the ground like a broken kite into the abyss below, then caught up with the dwarves.
The Goblin's terrified scream echoed in the air, then was mercilessly swallowed by the abyss.
Thorin used his frozen shell axe to clear the way, and after killing a few Goblins that foolishly charged forward, he turned back and loudly asked Igon, "Where do we run now?"
Huh? You don't know where to run?
The other dwarves widened their eyes, but their hands did not slow down, using their respective methods to kill the Goblins climbing from all directions.
For example, Balin, although he held a sword, could wield it like an axe. Each swing was like a heavy hammer blow, cutting down the Goblins that dared to approach like stalks of wheat in a field.
Or Dwalin, who directly charged into the Goblin horde with his sturdy body, like an indestructible battleship smashing small boats. With a wave of his arm, Goblins flew off like broken kites into the distance, falling straight into the abyss.
But just as Igon said, the number of Goblins was simply too great; no matter how many they killed, more Goblins would fill the places of their fallen comrades.
The dwarves had just endured the ordeal of the Rock Giants and had not yet rested well; their stamina was almost exhausted.
They were now basically relying on the dwarves' innate stubbornness to endure the fatigue brought by exhaustion.
Igon pointed very clearly towards the largest rock in this underground kingdom: "Run there! That must be where the leader of these creatures is. Killing their leader will make them afraid!"
Thorin nodded, then, enduring the fatigue in his body, grimaced and ran in the direction Igon pointed.
On the largest rock, there was a fat Goblin about the size of a Troll.
It also noticed the uninvited guests who had fallen into its kingdom, raised its ram-headed staff, and laughed loudly, "Haha, look who's here! A bunch of dwarves, and a human archer!"
Then its expression changed, and it pointed its ram-headed staff at Thorin and the others: "Capture them alive for me! Someone has a bounty on a certain dwarf's head. See if any of these dwarves are the target of that bounty, Thorin Oakenshield!"
After the Goblin King finished speaking, it began to sway its bloated body, its pimply fat jiggling like waves, and started to sing.
There was even a dedicated Goblin band using scrap metal to accompany their king!
"Crash, crash, all the way down! Just right into my manor~!"
"Just right into my manor~" The Goblins on the surrounding rock walls echoed the Goblin King's song, mocking Igon and the dwarves as they ran.
"Bang, crash, press, hit, clang, crack, tremble, shake. You shout for help, but there's no one there." The Goblin King sang to the end, happily raising its ram-headed staff, pointing at Igon and the others who had drawn a little closer, a hideous and sinister smile on its lips.
It laughed maniacally and shouted, "We don't want the dwarves, kill him, kill that human archer!!"
Then the Goblin King suddenly felt a cold pang in its chest, and its ram-headed staff slipped from its grasp. Its entire bloated body slumped to the ground.
The Goblin King looked down and saw an arrow had accurately pierced its heart.
It slightly parted its lips, lifted its head, feeling the life force draining from its body.
The Goblin King looked at Igon and said, "Oh, I was just joking."
"Whoosh—"
Another arrow, striking the Goblin King's chest again.
"Your archery is indeed impressive, but that's enough."
"Whoosh."
Igon lowered his Dragon-hunting Greatbow, coldly watching the Goblin King whose head had been pierced by his arrow. As the king fell backward, he shouted to the stunned Goblins around him, "Your leader is dead! Those who don't want to die, get out!"
Thorin and the others also stopped, panting heavily.
Kili wiped the sweat from his face and looked at the unusually quiet Goblins around them, asking, "Are we safe?"
The next second, the Goblins suddenly became noisy, their sharp chirping almost deafening the dwarves.
Fili swallowed, answering his brother's question, "Uh, I think they seem to have gotten even angrier?"
Thorin hadn't rested much. Seeing the rioting Goblins, he could only weakly and despairingly shout again, "Keep running!!!"