Chapter 238: Even the Justice Beating Can't Beat
They also captured Peach and Mint." Bilbo watched the Trolls walk by, indignant. "They're going to eat the horses. We need to figure something out."
"You do need to figure something out." Kili and Filisimultaneously turned their gaze to him. "You're small enough, and they're stupid and slow, so they won't see you."
Bilbo was stunned for a moment, then understood what Kilimeant. They wanted him to use his small size to sneak into the Troll camp and release the ponies.
"I, no, no, I can't…"
"It's fine, we'll cover you from behind," Kili said confidently.
"Save it!" Aaron rolled his eyes. "That's not a good idea."
"Right." Bilbo nodded in agreement. "It's a terrible idea."
"I think it's perfect." Kili frowned slightly. "The Burglar silently releases the horses, and then we safely retreat back to camp."
"What if Bilbo gets discovered? Are you sure our three small bodies can cover him?
If we had that ability, we wouldn't be hiding here." Aaronsaid seriously. "My suggestion is to notify Thorin. Fifteen and a half against three still gives us a better chance."
"Fifteen and a half? Isn't it fourteen and a half?" Bilbothought of the Expedition's numbers: thirteen Dwarves, a Hobbit, a human child, and Gandalf the Grey Wizard.
Thirteen Dwarves and the Hobbit counted as fourteen, Gandalf the Grey Wizard counted as two, and the human child… counted as half.
But now Gandalf was not here, so they could only muster fourteen and a half combat power.
"No, I mean the Dwarves are thirteen, I'm two, and you're half."
Bilbo twitched his mouth. "That description… is too much."
"Now is not the time to discuss this. I'll go notify Thorin; you all stay here and keep watch."
As soon as Aaron turned around, all three of them called out to him.
"What is it now?"
"What if they start on the ponies?" Fili said with some worry. "Trolls don't care if it's raw or not."
As he finished speaking, the heavy sounds of the Trolls reached their ears.
"Mutton yesterday, mutton today, looks like mutton tomorrow too."
"Don't complain. These aren't sheep, they're fresh horse meat."
"I've never liked horse; it's not fatty enough."
"Better than those dry, tough farmers. All skin and bones. I'm still picking my teeth."
… Aaron sighed deeply. "You all try to stall for time!
But I must remind you: horses are important, but our lives are more important.
Everything must be done with self-preservation in mind. Don't confront them directly. If it comes to it, lead them towards the camp.
An even fight is better than hitting a rock with an egg, understand?"
Fili and Kili exchanged glances and nodded in unison.
"Good then, I'll be back."
Seeing Aaron run off, the two Dwarf brothers again turned their gaze back to Bilbo. "Burglar, it's up to you."
"Hey, hey, hey, you guys still want me to go?" Bilbo said, somewhat incredulous. "Was what he just said not clear enough?"
"But our method can also buy time." Fili said. "You go first. If you can't rescue the ponies, then we'll both go.
This isn't far from the Expedition's camp. Hold out for a bit, and Thorin and the others will be here to support us."
"This, really, I…"
"Believe in yourself." Fili patted his shoulder. "You don't want Peach to be eaten by the Trolls, do you!"
Bilbo swallowed with difficulty, looking at the reddish-brown pony trembling behind the three Trolls, and immediately made up his mind, carefully shifting his steps forward… Aaron sprinted through the jungle, but after running for a short while, he ran into Thorin and the other Dwarves, who were carrying their respective weapons.
"Thank goodness, it seems you all noticed something was wrong too."
"Just delivering a meal, and not coming back for so long, anyone would know there's a problem." Thorin got straight to the point. "Fili, Kili, and Bilbo? Where are they?"
"Follow me." Aaron led the way, telling Thorin and the others what had just happened.
But as they got closer, his face immediately darkened.
Because Bilbo was already surrounded by three Trolls, while Fili and Kili were in the middle, struggling to hold on with their swords.
"Damn it, they clearly didn't listen to me.
Thorin, you must listen to me. Trolls—no, Trolls, although a bit slower in movement, are immensely strong and have thick skin.
I suggest we concentrate our strength to kill one first, and then figure out how to deal with the other two. If we face all three head-on, we…"
Before he could finish 'won't have much of a chance,' Thorinroared and charged. The Dwarves behind him also followed suit, unwilling to be left behind.
Damn!
Holy cow! A bunch of brainless hotheads.
Aaron did not follow them into the fray but hid in the bushes to observe the battle.
This might be a bit ungenerous, but it was a great opportunity for him to directly understand the combat power of this world's natives.
The Dwarves were several times smaller than the Trolls, but with good coordination and a numerical advantage of more than four times, they could barely gain some upper hand.
They moved quickly around the Trolls, with most attacks landing on the Trolls' legs. The Trolls frequently cried out in pain under the assault of swords and hammers.
However, their skin was incredibly thick; swords could wound them but not deeply, could hurt them but were rarely fatal, and even when a sword pierced their abdomen, it didn't cause much damage.
While being attacked, the Trolls also opened their huge palms, constantly swinging their arms like eagles snatching chicks. Some Dwarves were knocked away but quickly got back up and rejoined the battle.
Some were caught by the Trolls, but the next moment another Dwarf would leap high and wound the Troll's arm, forcing it to release its captive.
Even more surprising was that Ori actually pulled out a slingshot and hit one of the Trolls in the eye. Although the aim was accurate, for such a giant creature, it was no different from a tickle.
In the chaotic battlefield, Bilbo avoided the giant palms, picked up one of the Trolls' weapons from the ground—a short sword that wasn't sharp for him but was exceptionally large.
He ran to the back of the battlefield, outside the cage where four ponies were tied, and used the short sword to cut the ropes.
But just as he released the four ponies, a large hand dragged him backward.
"Ah…" After a panicked scream, Bilbo finally saw who had grabbed him. "Aaron, you…"
"Shh!"
Aaron made a shushing gesture. "Not so loud."
Bilbo unhappily threw the short sword to the ground. "Why did you pull me back?"
"Heh heh!" Aaron sneered. "I'm stopping you from courting death. You're too weak; you'd only be a hindrance out there."
Bilbo realized, nodded awkwardly, then looked at the Dwarves in the battlefield who were suppressing the Trolls. "Thorin and them will win, right?"
"Hard to say!" Aaron's expression was serious. "On the surface, the Dwarves have the advantage, but they haven't inflicted any effective damage on the Trolls.
The current situation is a fragile balance. If it drags on, the Dwarves might win with great difficulty, but if even one Dwarf loses combat capability, the scales of victory will tip towards the Trolls."
Hearing this, Bilbo swallowed and looked at the battlefield through the grass.
Dwalin smashed a Troll's tooth with a hammer, and Dorigave a Troll a 'thousand years of pain' from behind.
"The situation isn't bad," Bilbo murmured.
However, the next moment, Bombur's scream made him jump. The third Troll, from who knows where, pulled out a sack and stuffed the fattest Dwarf inside.
"It's over." Aaron's expression was grave. "It's really over now."
The first Dwarf was stuffed into a sack, followed by the second and the third.
The dwindling numbers made the Dwarves' situation increasingly grim. Unless they abandoned the three captured Dwarves, total annihilation was only a matter of time, but they clearly wouldn't abandon their companions.
Within a few minutes, all the Dwarves were in sacks.
Bilbo was burning with anxiety. "We have to do something, save them."
"How to save them?" Aaron shrugged. "Charge out and become extra food for the Trolls?"
"I don't mean that, I mean…" Bilbo clutched his hair, at a loss.
"Calm down, calm down. Especially at times like this, you need to be calm."
"How can I be calm?" Bilbo was on the verge of tears. "I thought it was just rescuing a few ponies, but now thirteen Dwarves have to be added."
"What?" Aaron's mouth dropped open in astonishment. "Don't tell me you want to try again?"
"There's no other way." Bilbo took a deep breath. "Now I can only take a risk. I hope I succeed!"
"Have you not thought about what would happen if you failed?"
"I'm a Burglar; I don't even need to think about such things." Just as Bilbo was about to sneak out, he remembered something, turned around, and looked at Aaron solemnly. "If I fail, you go find Gandalf. With luck, he might be able to save us in time."
"Understood. Good luck.
If you fail, try to buy as much time as possible. You're smarter than the Dwarves; don't disappoint me."
Under the cover of night, Bilbo tiptoed to the pile of tightly bound Dwarves.
"Everyone, don't speak yet. I'm here to save you."
"Mr. Baggins, is it just you?" Balin asked in a low voice.
"What else? This kind of thing is only suitable for small people." Bilbo said with a wry smile. "Although I don't want to admit it, Aaron looks much taller than me."
"I sent him to find Gandalf. If… we're not completely without hope."
"Then he'd better be quick." Oin said. "Dawn is coming. If nothing unexpected happens, the Trolls will eat us before dawn."
Bilbo tried to untie the sacks, but after trying for a long time, it was futile.
The Trolls had tied the sacks very tightly. The Dwarves only had their heads exposed for breathing, and their hands and feet were bound with rope.
"I should have found a knife," Bilbo sighed.
"Our weapons are piled up behind the Trolls," Balin said. "But it's very dangerous."
"I'll try!" Bilbo took a deep breath and carefully snuck behind the Trolls.
He had just picked up a sword and hadn't even had time to turn around when a huge, light-colored handkerchief wrapped him up.
The skinnier Troll wiped his nose, then opened his palm. A Hobbit, baptized by his snot, lay bewildered on the handkerchief, looking utterly resigned to his fate.
Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?
Three big question marks appeared in Bilbo's mind.
A scholar can be killed but not humiliated! Even if he was about to become Troll food, he shouldn't be cleaned with snot!
"It's you again." The skinnier Troll said in surprise. "I thought you ran away!"
"Stop talking nonsense, tie him up first." The Troll wearing an apron tapped his brother's head with a spoon. "Dawn is almost here. Save him for tomorrow's meal!"
Thud!
Bilbo was stuffed into a sack and piled up with Thorin and the others.
"I'm sorry, I've disappointed you."
"Honestly, Mr. Baggins." Kili said, struggling vigorously against the ropes on him, while turning his face away. "I really want to curse, but the words just won't come out."
"I think so too." Dwalin said. "That blob of snot…"
"Can we please not talk about snot?" Bilbo said, on the verge of tears. "Now we can only rely on Aaron and Gandalf."
The Trolls tied Nori, Dwalin, Fili, Bofur, Dori, and Gloin to a stake, set up a tripod, and began to roast them.
"It's hot, help, it's hot…"
"Don't bother cooking them; just mash them into a paste," the skinnier Troll said.
"Help…"
"You could sprinkle some sage and fry them a bit," suggested the Troll turning the spit.
"Is that really necessary?"
"Help… untie me, sir… go eat someone your own size…"
"Forget the seasonings, it's almost dawn, we need to hurry." The Troll wearing an apron slowly said, "I don't want to turn to stone."
Dawn?
Aaron, hiding in the bushes, muttered the word, a cold smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
So that's it, they turn to stone when they see sunlight?
Aaron twirled the magic staff in his hand, but after a moment's thought, he put it back. magic should not be used until the critical moment.
Thinking of this, Aaron's gaze fell on the large short sword Bilbo had dropped.
The Trolls' weapons were unusually crude, but for now, they would have to do.
"Wait." Hearing 'seasoning,' Bilbo seemed to remember something and shouted, "You've made a big mistake."
"You can't reason with them; they're all idiots," Gloin said from the spit.
"If they're idiots, then what are we?" Nori inexplicably felt his intelligence insulted, as they were currently being roasted and eaten by three idiots.
"I mean the seasoning." Bilbo crouched and stood up, hopping in front of the spit.
The Trolls stopped turning the spit and asked curiously, "What's wrong with the seasoning?"
"Have you smelled them? You need something more fragrant than sage to make them palatable."
Hearing this, the Dwarves looked at him angrily, calling him a traitor.
"What do you know about cooking Dwarves?" the skinnier Troll asked suspiciously.
"Shut up," said the Troll wearing an apron. "Let the Burglar Hobbit speak."
Bilbo put on a fawning smile. "The secret to cooking Dwarves is…"
"Is what? Quickly tell us the secret."
"It's… the secret is…" Bilbo thought for a few seconds. "You have to peel them first."
"What, peel them?"
The Dwarves cursed loudly, and even Thorin's face became somewhat unnatural.
They weren't afraid of death, but this kind of death was beyond their psychological expectation.
Especially since the Troll in the apron believed it, and soon pulled out a skinning knife.
"I'll skin you first," Bofur cursed.
"I won't forget this debt!" Dwalin on the spit roared, pointing angrily at Bilbo. If conditions hadn't prevented it, he would have surely killed this Hobbit.
"You're talking nonsense." The Troll continued to turn the spit. "I used to eat them with their skin on, even swallowed their clothes and shoes."
"He's right." The skinnier Troll nodded in agreement. "Dwarves are also good raw, fragrant and crispy."
Saying this, he lifted Bombur, intending to bite off his head in one go.
"This really can't wait any longer." Aaron wiped the large short sword in his hand, rushed out of the bushes at an extremely fast speed, and in the blink of an eye, leaped onto the Troll's head, aiming at its crown and stabbing down with all his might.