Chapter 239: One vs. Two, Negotiating with the Ogre
Pfft!
Black blood shot skyward.
Aaron pulled out his short sword, performed a beautiful backflip, and landed like a superhero.
The thin Troll let out a huge cry of Pain! and casually threw Bombur away.
He clutched his head, stumbled a few steps, rolled his eyes, and collapsed to the ground.
This scene stunned everyone present.
The Dwarves were dumbfounded, but the next moment they cheered.
In their eyes, although Aaron was bigger than them, he was just a child, an unqualified burglar.
But they never expected his combat power to be so high; although it was a sneak attack, killing a Troll was an amazing feat.
Bilbo was even more bewildered, swallowing unconsciously.
He had never seen such a monstrous human before, and a thirteen-year-old child at that. Were all the books lying?
"You killed Tom." The Troll turning the spit reacted, glaring at Aaron with fierce eyes.
"Don't worry, Om, he's not dead." The apron-wearing Trolltapped the barbecue spit with his spoon. "Right, Tom?"
Tom turned his head with difficulty, tears streaming down his face, and said in an extremely weak voice, "Pain!, I'm in so much Pain!."
"See, I told you he wasn't dead!
But he's too badly injured; he probably won't recover for a month or two."
"Such thick health! He can't even die from a pierced skull."
Aaron secretly grumbled, gaining a new understanding of how troublesome Trolls were.
However, his goal was achieved. Although this Troll wasn't dead, he had lost his combat ability and couldn't move for a short time.
"A human, and a child?" The apron-wearing Troll looked at the Dwarves on the barbecue spit. "You're with them."
"No, no, no, don't misunderstand." Aaron waved his hand. "I don't know them. I just simply want to kill you all."
"What are you talking about?"
"Exactly, Gaius, you're our burglar."
"You signed a contract."
...The Dwarves were indignant, expressing considerable anger at Aaron's betrayal of their group.
"A bunch of idiots!" Aaron felt a pang of frustration. Actively admitting his identity was equivalent to providing the Trolls with a dozen hostages.
"You'll get used to it." Bilbo shook his head. "Though it's hard to get used to.
Wait, didn't I tell you to go find Gandalf?"
"Gandalf will definitely come back, but before he does, I have to make sure you're all still alive.
Luckily I didn't leave. This is not how you stall for time, and skinning? Why didn't you mention pulling out tendons?"
"Actually, I was going to say they had worms and would get sick if eaten."
"Are you talking about parasites?" Gloin said unhappily.
"We don't have parasites!" Kili shouted loudly. "You do!"
"You can't stop people from wanting to be eaten." Aaron said speechlessly. "You could have said to take them down, gently massage them to relax their blood vessels, and make the meat more tender and smooth.
Or wash them thoroughly with warm water so they're chewy and won't get stuck in your teeth."
"Really?" The Troll Om wiped his drool, almost untying the bags.
Bang!
A spoon struck him on the head.
The apron-wearing Troll said angrily, "Can't you tell he's lying to you?"
"But I think what he said makes sense."
"Whether it makes sense or not, let's catch him first."
"Indeed." The Troll Om nodded and pounced on Aaron.
"This knife is really awkward to use!"
Aaron flicked the blood off his knife, dodged Om's charge, and slashed his thigh.
As Om stumbled, Aaron, with his amazing physical prowess, jumped onto his back. A flash of silver in his hand, and he cut off a piece of black flesh.
The Troll howled, shook Aaron off, then touched the black blood on his back, and roared, "I'm going to skin you alive, pull out your tendons, and smash your bones to make soup!"
"That's a really crude thing to say, but I shouldn't expect any civility from you."
As his words fell, Aaron attacked proactively, rushing forward with the giant short sword.
Om instinctively made a grabbing motion. Aaron leaned back, the short sword cut through a layer of grayish-white skin, spun around, and returned to his hand.
Black blood gushed from the circular wound. Before Om could react, the second strike powerfully landed behind his knee.
Bang!
Om knelt on one knee, then roared and reached out.
Aaron took the opportunity to jump onto the Troll's arm, thrusting the short sword down with force.
"Ah!"
Om screamed in Pain!. Aaron's strength was much greater than a Dwarf's, and he was using a Troll's weapon, easily pinning Om's arm to the ground.
"What are you still watching for? Come help!"
The apron-wearing Troll reacted, moving his huge short legs and charging over.
Aaron pulled out the large short sword, ran two steps along Om's arm, and reached the top of his head.
The short sword pierced his spine, then slashed down, leaving a long black bloodstain on his body.
This injury was not fatal to the Troll, but it was incredibly painful.
Om roared fiercely, "You dare to skin me!"
"Well fought!" Kili shouted excitedly.
"That's how it should be!" Dwalin laughed loudly.
The other Dwarves also cheered him on, and even Thorinand Balin had a hint of a smile on their faces.
"Can you shut up?" Aaron said speechlessly. "Don't disturb me at a time like this."
No sooner had he spoken than a huge fist came flying towards him.
Without time to draw his sword, Aaron clenched his own fist and swung it forcefully.
Bang!
Aaron flew back over ten meters before he managed to steady himself, and the apron-wearing Troll also took half a step back.
The Troll blew on his fist, trying to alleviate the burning Pain! on the back of his hand.
Aaron, however, was in a worse state, with one right arm hanging limply.
"Gaius, are you alright?" Bilbo asked worriedly.
"It's nothing." Aaron pressed his left hand against his right arm, pushing down hard.
Snap!
His right arm was reattached. Aaron took a deep breath, briefly moved it around, then picked up the giant short sword that had fallen to the ground.
"You're not human." The apron-wearing Troll helped his companion up, looking at Aaron warily and asking.
"Exactly, humans can't be that fast." Om used what little intelligence he had. "I know! He must be a half-human, half-elf."
"Impossible. If he were a half-breed, he wouldn't have such great strength." The apron-wearing Troll retorted. "Besides, he doesn't have pointed ears."
"Uh... don't just guess randomly. I am a genuine human, not some half-breed."
"The books really are all lies," Bilbo muttered, as Aaron was several times stronger than the humans he had read about in books.
The two Trolls exchanged glances and grabbed Bilbo.
One held Bilbo's head, the other his legs, and then they looked triumphantly at Aaron.
"Drop your weapon, or we'll tear him apart."
"Damn it! My worst fear has come true." Aaron sighed helplessly, then raised the weapon in his hand.
The corners of the two Trolls' mouths had just turned up, but Aaron's next words made them freeze in place, "Drop my weapon? Do you think I'm stupid?"
"What did you say?" The apron-wearing Troll looked somewhat incredulous. "Don't you care about your companion's life or death?"
"Companions are important, but if I drop my knife, will you let us go?"
"Of course not. Do you know how hard it is to get some meat?" Om said as if it were obvious.
"That's why I won't put down my knife. This is my bargaining chip!" Aaron said meaningfully, then walked over to Tom and held the knife to his throat.
"For example, like this.
Put Bilbo down, or I'll send him to meet the..." Halfway through his sentence, Aaron remembered that God might not exist in this world, and immediately corrected himself, "Otherwise, I'll send him to his death."
The two Trolls were instantly dumbfounded; the hostage in their hands seemed to be less effective than they thought.
They both let go at the same time, and Bilbo fell to the ground.
"Very good. Put out the fire."
"This..."
Om was still hesitating, while the apron-wearing Trollpoured a pot of soup onto the bonfire.
"Now release the person."
"Impossible. You only have one hostage. We have fourteen."
Pfft!
Aaron pushed the short sword forward half an inch, and a black bloodline appeared on Tom's neck.
The Troll whose skull had been opened had a moment of clarity, widening his eyes, "Ram, Om, are you going to watch me die?"
"But that's not fair." The apron-wearing Troll (Ram) shook his head. "One person can only be exchanged for one hostage."
Hiss!
The short sword slowly slid across Tom's neck, and the black blood flowed faster.
"I won't say it a second time."
Tom trembled with fear, looking at his two big brothers with pleading eyes.
"Exchange or not?"
Ram was silent for a moment. "We'll exchange at most four, no, three."
"No." Aaron said very firmly.
"Human, don't push your luck. This is already the bottom line."
Aaron rolled his eyes. Negotiating with not-so-smart Trolls was definitely a mental workout; prying their food from their mouths was uncommonly difficult.
He was hesitating whether to use magic when he saw a figure in a gray robe running over, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.
"Okay, I agree."
"No!" Thorin immediately spoke. "I will not abandon any of them."
"Thorin, at a time like this, you should trust me. I have a plan." Aaron said speechlessly. "All you need to do is lie there obediently and not provoke them before the deal is done. You know they don't have brains."
Thorin was about to say something else when Balin secretly kicked him and gestured for him to look behind the Trolls.
When he saw a pointed hat sweep across in the dawn, he immediately realized Gandalf had returned and promptly shut his mouth.
"Have you chosen?" Ram said.
"Wait a moment, let me think!" Aaron feigned deep thought, his eyes sweeping between Bilbo and the Dwarves.
At this moment, the gray-robed Wizard finally climbed onto a huge rock, and in the light of dawn, his figure appeared particularly sacred.
"Let the dawn take you!" Gandalf shouted loudly, holding his staff.
"Who's that?"
"I don't know, can it be eaten?"
Gandalf raised his staff and struck it fiercely against the giant rock.
The giant rock split in half, and the light of dawn streamed into the dark hollow, also shining on the Trolls.
The Trolls seemed to be scorched by flames, their skin cracking open, and the parts of their bodies exposed to the sunlight turned bluish-gray, eventually transforming into stone amidst their agonizing screams.
The dawn's first light shone on the Dwarves' faces, and they immediately cheered.
Aaron dropped the weapon in his hand, tapped the stone form of Tom, and couldn't help but sigh, "Although I was mentally prepared, it still feels a bit incredible to see it with my own eyes."
"I also didn't expect you to be so powerful." Gandalf walked over, looking at Aaron with a half-smile. "The sensation that day was indeed correct.
An ordinary-looking human child could actually fight two Trolls. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it."
Aaron:...This old bastard must have arrived long ago. Luckily, I resisted using magic.
"Don't worry, I won't ask what I shouldn't." Gandalf gave Aaron an 'I understand' look. "I just need to know that you are a reliable teammate, that's enough."
Aaron pouted. He didn't expect Gandalf to be so understanding; he didn't even need to make up an excuse.
"Um... can you untie us first?" Bilbo said. "Being tied up in these bags is really uncomfortable."
"Got it." Aaron picked up the Dwarves' weapons and rescued them one by one.
Gandalf tapped the stone statue formed by the Troll, and while smiling, a hint of solemnity flashed in his eyes.
"Where did you go?" Thorin walked over and asked.
"To scout ahead."
"Why did you come back?"
"To check back." Gandalf said. "Luckily everyone is safe."
"Your burglar... wasn't entirely useless.
Bilbo, though not very useful, showed commendable courage."
"And he knew how to stall for time; none of the rest of you thought of that."
"Perhaps!" Thorin shrugged. "But the other person's strength was something I didn't expect."
"I told you, their contributions will exceed your imagination." Gandalf said with an air of sagacity. "This is the Wizard's foresight."
"Gaius." Thorin looked at Aaron. "Who exactly are you?"
"Uh... anyway, I have no relation to Elves."
"Of course you have no relation to Elves." Balin walked over and said. "Thorin is asking about your identity. You're so strong, you hardly seem human."
"Slander! This is blatant slander!" Aaron said indignantly, patting the petrified Troll. "This is disrespectful to my human parents."
"Then how is your strength so great? You can even punch a Troll."
Aaron proudly raised his head, and four words popped out of his mouth, "Naturally divine strength."
"What about your swordsmanship?" Thorin asked. "Such skilled footwork and swordsmanship, even among Elves, few can achieve it."
"My ancestors included knights. As a descendant, it's not too much for me to learn a trick or two, is it?"
Balin and Thorin exchanged glances, knowing that the other party was very likely making things up, but they couldn't find a reason to refute him.