The decaying leaves of Mirkwood burst with sticky pulp beneath Bilbo's feet. Five spiders the size of calves cornered him into a hollow at the base of an ancient tree, their chelicerae opening and closing, spewing venom that corroded the tree trunk into a honeycomb pattern.
"Come on! The Shire never had stew ingredients with eight legs like you! If the other hobbits saw you, they'd definitely make you into stew!"
Bilbo brandished his brass short blade, bluffing, and the tip of the knife pierced the lower jaw of the first spider to lunge at him.
But the next moment, his hand was struck away by the chelicera of another spider, and the brass short blade flew out of his grasp, landing somewhere near the roots of a tree.
"Gah-ji— (Catch him!)"
The second spider let out an excited cry and tackled Bilbo to the ground.
But the excited cry quickly turned into a shriek of pain as Bilbo, with all his might, kicked away the large spider that had pounced on him, now holding a sharp, silvery-white Elven short blade in his hand.
"Arthur didn't just give me one dagger." Bilbo even smugly waved the Elven dagger at the dead spider.
Then he saw even more large spiders surrounding him.
"Of course, when he gave me the dagger, he didn't expect me to fight you big guys." Bilbo used words to mask his nervousness, constantly turning to try and force back the surrounding large spiders with his dagger.
But the large spiders were completely unmoved; the entire tree canopy above Bilbo suddenly tilted, and a rain-like sticky silk glued his left leg to the ground.
Then three spiders lunged simultaneously from different angles; he instinctively raised his Sting to block but was struck away again.
A single strand of spider silk wrapped around his wrist, and a large spider clamped his waist with its chelicera, swinging Bilbo towards the trunk of a nearby tree.
Bilbo's back of the head hit a tree knot hard, and his vision was instantly stained with blood.
He vaguely saw the Elven short blade stuck in the mud nearby, but his right hand was too weak to pull it out.
The spiders' piercing cries enveloped his ears, viscous spider silk layered over his chest, and the stench blocked his nose and mouth.
Before completely falling into darkness, Bilbo used his last ounce of strength to bend his knees and kick the spider's abdomen.
A sudden roar erupted in the forest, and Bernal's silvery-white figure cut through the vines.
His knight's greatsword swept with the force of a storm, and three invisible sword qi burst forth in a fan shape.
The three spiders in the front row were instantly dismembered, and before their fluorescent green blood could hit the ground, the sword's edge had already pierced the skull of the fourth.
The remaining large spiders angrily raised their chelicerae, but Bernal spun, pushed off a tree trunk for leverage, and lunged through the air like a heavy arrow released from a bowstring.
"Clang!"
The sword tip precisely wedged into the chelicera joint of a large spider, and Bernal twisted his wrist; the three-finger-thick carapace burst open with a crack. Amidst the spider's desperate shriek, he pressed the sword down, slicing open a five-foot-long gash along its chest and abdomen.
As the spider's internal organs cascaded onto the decaying leaves, his knight's boots had already stepped on the dying body, leaping towards Bilbo.
Though Bernal wore his usual faint smile, his voice was colder than the blade in his hand: "You dare to touch Arthur's friend? I can't even imagine how furious he'd be if he knew about this."
The remaining five spiders cowered backward, their compound eyes reflecting his silvery-white armor.
Bernal took this opportunity to check on Bilbo's condition; only half of the hobbit's pale face was exposed from the spiderweb cocoon, and beads of blood seeping from the wound on his left forehead congealed into dark red amber on the spider silk.
"Bilbo?"
Bernal tried to call his name but received no response.
Poisoned?
Bernal's pupils suddenly constricted, his sword-gripping knuckles turning pale, and when he turned back to face the spiders, his knight's greatsword had already stirred up a bloody wind.
He fiercely smashed the head of the spider on his left with the flat of his sword, and the splashing fluid startled the compound eyes of its counterpart on the right.
Then Bernal spun around, sweeping to cut off the spider silk attempting a sneak attack, and in the same motion, slammed the sculpted pommel of his sword into the mouthparts of the last spider.
When Bernal finally stopped in front of Bilbo, the corpses of the spiders that had surrounded Bilbo were spread out radially around him, each corpse's fatal wound clean and precise, a single strike to kill.
He knelt on one knee, re-examined Bilbo's condition, and, finding that the hobbit was still breathing, he let out a sigh of relief, gently using the tip of his sword to pry open the cocoon of spider silk.
Bilbo's eyelashes, matted with mucus, fluttered twice. Bernal's taut jawline relaxed slightly, and he then pulled out his red dew holy grail bottle from his waist pouch.
Bernal said, "If you're awake, open your mouth and drink this."
Bilbo weakly opened his mouth a crack, and Bernal helped him pour the liquid from the red dew holy grail bottle into his mouth.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
The blessing contained within the liquid immediately replenished Bilbo's lost strength and healed his injuries, making the hobbit, who had just been somewhat weak, instantly full of vigor again.
After seeing Bernal's face clearly, Bilbo relaxed: "Sir Bernal…"
"Shh… It looks like you've met a lot of new 'friends'." Bernal put a finger to his lips, listening to the faint rustling sounds coming from above and around them.
That was the sound of spider legs tapping on tree trunks.
Bilbo showed an apologetic expression, and Bernal patted his shoulder reassuringly: "Tell me anything you want to say when we get back to Lake-town. Arthur must be worried now…"
Before Bernal finished speaking, he suddenly threw his knight's greatsword backward.
Above their heads, a large spider, which had crept close unnoticed, using the environment for cover, was impaled through the head, its eight legs twitching into a grotesque posture as it fell.
"Take your weapon and stay close to me," Bernal said curtly.
He was confident he could kill all the attacking large spiders, but he couldn't guarantee he could protect Bilbo perfectly.
Bilbo retrieved the sharp Elven short blade from the decaying leaves and mud, nodding nervously.
"Run!"
More and more large spiders, sensing the commotion, were rapidly crawling through the trees towards Bernal and Bilbo.
Just as the nearest spider was about to catch up to Bilbo, several whooshing sounds suddenly echoed through the forest, and an arrow, shot from an unknown direction, precisely pierced the spider's compound eye.
"Get down!"
A clear female voice rang out.
Bernal instinctively crouched, and a rain of arrows grazed his armor.
Several spiders descending from the tree canopy were pinned to the tree trunks, the white fletching of the arrows still trembling.
Tauriel leaped from a tree, drawing two arrows backward and nocking them, aiming at the remaining large spiders, but she did not shoot, for Legolas's figure had already swept across the battlefield like a whirlwind.
The Elven Prince's toes tapped on the spiderwebs, and with each leap, an arrow was released from his bowstring.
When he landed beside Bernal, the last three arrows simultaneously pierced three beating spider hearts.
Legolas lowered his bow, his fingertips brushing away a strand of spider silk that had fallen on his shoulder. Fragmented sunlight shimmered in his golden hair, as if even the recent slaughter had become an elegant dance.
He commanded the Elves around him, who had raised their bows and aimed at Bernal: "Put away your weapons."
Bernal shielded Bilbo behind him, looking at the Elves who appeared one after another from nowhere, and said to Legolas and Tauriel, "Mirkwood's welcoming ceremony has become increasingly unique. Have even Elves learned to snatch other people's prey?"
"Snatch?" Tauriel raised an eyebrow and kicked away the spider corpse at her feet. "These little darlings should have been cleaned up three days ago. My squad members and I have been chasing them for a long time. Just as we were about to make our move, the hobbit behind you attracted them, making our meticulously planned encirclement useless."
Bilbo reacted quickly and said, "So you saw me a long time ago, but you just watched me being chased by these big spiders?"
Legolas glanced indifferently at Bilbo: "Watched? No, you don't know how many spiders you provoked by running around. Why do you think you lasted so long? If it weren't for Tauriel and her squad members, you would have been submerged by a sea of spiders long ago."
Bernal raised his hand: "Alright, the bickering time is over. So why have you chosen to reveal yourselves to me now?"
Legolas and Tauriel exchanged glances, and the latter spoke: "Because I was looking for you, to give you a warning, a friendly warning."
"What warning?" Bernal raised an eyebrow.
Tauriel pointed to the large spider corpses lying on the ground nearby: "It's about these spiders. They are disappearing from Mirkwood little by little. These here are almost all that's left."
Bernal hummed, then said: "Isn't that a good thing for your Woodland Realm? I remember when I visited you not long ago, your King said these spiders were troubling your Elves. Now that these spiders are disappearing from Mirkwood, you shouldn't have to worry about them attacking you anymore. Why do you call it a warning?"
Bilbo's ears twitched, catching Tauriel's unspoken meaning.
He peeked out from behind Bernal, looking at the valiant female Elven warrior: "Wait, madam, the word you just used was 'disappeared,' not 'eliminated,' right?"
Tauriel gave Bilbo a kind smile, then looked at Bernal: "It seems your hobbit friend understood my warning before you did."
Bernal wasn't stupid either. Prompted by Bilbo, he frowned and asked, "Where have these spiders disappeared to?"
Legolas answered for Tauriel: "Tauriel said these are what's left, and we've been tracking these spiders for the past few days."
Bernal suddenly looked up, looking behind him, which was outside Mirkwood, in the direction of Lake-town.
He smiled: "Interesting. These spiders aren't staying in the forest; instead, they want to go to inhabited places. Thank you, Elves, for the information. If you ever have a chance to visit the Erdtree's territory, I'll buy you two a few drinks."
Then Bernal paused and asked, "Elves can drink alcohol, right?"
Legolas subconsciously nodded, and Bernal said, "That's good."
He then patted Bilbo's shoulder: "Come on, let's hurry back."
Bilbo, however, shook his head: "Wait a moment, Sir Bernal, the dagger Arthur gave me is lost. I have to find it."
Then he habitually reached into his pocket, but felt only an empty inner pocket. Cold sweat instantly soaked the back of his collar, and his expression changed when Bernal and the Elves weren't paying attention.
The Ring he had put into his inner pocket had disappeared at some point.
Bilbo suddenly looked up and said to Bernal, "And I've lost something very important to me. I must find them."
But to Bilbo's surprise, Bernal simply reached out, and the brass dagger and the golden ring appeared ordinarily in his palm.
"Important things? Are you looking for these?"
Bilbo's mouth slightly agape, he stared at Bernal.
Bernal very straightforwardly handed the two items gently to Bilbo, saying, "Next time, remember to hold your weapon tightly, and remember to wear clothes with sealable pockets, so things important to you won't get lost."
Bilbo took the brass dagger and the Ring. When he heard Bernal mention "important things," his eyes subconsciously looked at the brass dagger first, but then quickly shifted to the Ring.
"Bilbo?" Bernal called out, seeing Bilbo in a daze.
Bilbo jolted, quickly putting away the brass dagger and the Ring while asking, "Thank you very much, Sir Bernal. Where did you find it… them?"
Bernal shrugged: "Because they happened to fall together. Besides you, I can't think of anyone else who would have the leisure to bring a dagger and a ring into Mirkwood."
Bilbo put the Ring back into his pocket. This time, the ring was no longer hot, returning to its usual coolness.
Bilbo thanked him again: "Thank you."
Bernal said, "No need to say it so many times. Oh, by the way, Bilbo, about that ring, I have a few words to say."
Bilbo's heart jumped to his throat, but on the surface, he showed a smile, then it vanished: "What is it?"
"Your ring seems to have some magic. It's been chattering in my ear since I picked it up. Because I've experienced some things, I find what it says quite amusing, but since you think this ring is very important, I think it's better to let Arthur take a look. He's very good at handling these magical items and ensuring they become harmless," Bernal said.
Bilbo breathed a sigh of relief. He nodded: "Of course, of course! I will, but isn't he busy discussing how to attack the Lonely Mountain with Thorin and them recently? I'll tell him once he's done."
Tauriel called out to Bernal at this moment: "I think you need someone who knows those spiders very well."
Bernal turned around and looked at the female Elf: "You want to come back to Lake-town with us? But I don't think those spiders are much of a threat. A well-trained Storm Soldier can take care of one of them."
Tauriel nodded: "Yes, that's why these creatures never confront enemies head-on. They will patiently lurk in the darkness until their prey shows a moment of fatigue. You can't guarantee that your soldiers can concentrate every moment, can you?"
Legolas heard Tauriel's words, walked over, and whispered beside her: "Are you crazy, Tauriel? My father will lock you in a dungeon if he finds out about your actions."
"He's always wanted to do that," Tauriel said without turning her head. "Rather than being locked in a dungeon by your father at some unknown time, I'd rather eradicate those spiders first."
Legolas took a deep breath and said, "Then I'll go too."
Now it was Tauriel's turn to look at Legolas with a "Are you crazy?" expression.
Bernal looked at the two Elves in a stalemate, grinning: "Then I'll welcome you two on behalf of Arthur."