After a brief mental assessment, Igris turned his gaze to Thorin and asked,
"By the way, what do you know about Framsburg?"
Thorin paused for a brief moment to search his memory before replying.
"I don't know much, actually. We had some trade relations with them back in the day. The most solid piece of information I know about them is that they have excellent warriors. Balin would know more about this than I do."
Hearing this, Igris turned his head to look at Balin. Slowly stroking his beard, Balin spoke in a remarkably calm tone.
"I think we shouldn't discuss this matter at all for now, Igris. I understand perfectly well why you're asking, but your priority should be retaking Dale. Do not rush. The only point you need to focus on is taking Dale and securing it. We will look into the rest later."
Listening to this advice, Igris nodded in agreement. He popped a piece of potato from his plate into his mouth and stood up.
"Alright, I'll leave you to it, then. I should go and inform Halt and Gilan as well."
As the dwarves nodded in acknowledgment, Igris turned and strode toward the table where his own group was eating, taking a seat in an empty chair. Gilan and Halt greeted him while quietly eating their meal. Gilan smirked mischievously.
"Don't forget to prepare my cookbook."
Igris smiled faintly and nodded.
"It seems Dwalin took care of it."
Gilan nodded with satisfaction.
"It turned out to be a highly profitable venture for me."
Igris shrugged with a helpless expression, showing there was nothing he could do about the situation.
"I'm happy for you."
Then, his tone turning serious, he got straight to the main point.
"I've learned some new information regarding Mirkwood and the vicinity of Erebor."
Halt swallowed his bite slowly and looked at him with curious eyes.
"What did you learn?"
While preparing a new plate for himself, Igris relayed all the details he had learned. A thoughtful expression settled on the faces of the two senior Rangers as they listened intently. When Igris finished his words, he asked curiously,
"Do you think we should proceed through the forest, or should we steer clear of it?"
The pair remained silent for a while, weighing the possibilities in their minds. Finally, Halt asked with interest,
"Well, will the Woodland Realm support us?"
Igris nodded.
"Yes, we have an advantage in that regard..."
Igris calmly explained to them what the twin elves had said. After Halt and Gilan listened carefully and conducted a brief analysis between themselves, Gilan stated his conclusion. "Mirkwood is definitely the better option; our chances of receiving outside support are much higher there."
Halt nodded, agreeing with his former apprentice.
"Yes, furthermore, the elves could guide us through shortcuts they know, allowing us to traverse the forest much faster."
He paused briefly before adding,
"That is, of course, if the Silvan Elves actually help us."
Igris nodded.
"That's exactly what I thought... I hope we suffer very few casualties on this journey, or none at all. The dark elves getting involved in this hasn't been good at all. The ambushes set by those bastards are a massive headache."
Halt offered a calm piece of advice.
"Don't worry so much about the future, Igris. There's nothing you can do other than be as prepared as possible. No matter how flawless you make your plans, there are far too many unknown variables that will catch you off guard."
Igris sighed and nodded.
"Believe me, I'm well aware of that... It's just..."
Gilan nodded with an expression of understanding.
"For the first time in a long while, you're leading a group, and you feel the full weight of responsibility for everyone here on your shoulders."
Igris nodded in agreement. "The road is very dangerous, and every single person following me is here just so they can see their families again at the end of the day..."
Gilan spoke in a soothing tone.
"Every one of them is fully aware of the risks they're taking, Igris. There's no need for you to stress yourself out like this."
Igris sighed again.
"...I know..."
Halt asked calmly. "The situation you're in shouldn't trouble you this much. After all, it's not your first time leading. In your old world, there were many who followed you as well."
Tossing a potato into his mouth, Igris replied.
"It's not the same thing. They were my own people, my comrades-in-arms, my brothers. We were prepared for everything on the path we took. But the people here aren't like that; these people are strangers to me. Our ideologies and beliefs are vastly different; they can't think the way I do..."
Then, he took a deep breath and chose to push those heavy thoughts aside.
"Anyway, let's drop it. We can talk about this later."
Following those words, the group silently focused on their food. However, there was a detail Igris hadn't noticed: Ciri, with her heightened senses, had been secretly eavesdropping on everything said since she entered the room. When Igris finally rose from the table after the meal, which lasted a couple of hours, it was already well past midnight. He wanted to shake off the heavy exhaustion clinging to him and get some rest.
"Alright, I'm going to go get some rest now. New members will be joining us at dawn; would you like to come with me to welcome them?"
Gilan thought for a brief moment and nodded.
"Sure."
Halt, on the other hand, shook his head.
"You go ahead; I have things to do."
Gilan rolled his eyes at the excuse.
"Ah~ Yes, yes. Sleeping, right?"
As Halt shot Gilan a dirty look, Igris watched the two of them, unable to make sense of the situation. Noticing Igris's bewildered expression, Gilan explained. "Well, let's call it a lingering side effect of retirement on my master. Under normal circumstances, he would never sleep past dawn, but now he sleeps like a baby."
Halt instantly denied the claim. "Don't slander me, Gilan! I'm merely getting some extra rest because we are in a safe zone right now. I suggest you do the same; you won't have much time to sleep once the journey begins." He then let out a mocking chuckle.
"That is, if you even can. Hah!"
Hearing this, Gilan's face immediately darkened. During his years as a commander, he had never had the opportunity to sleep past dawn, and this condition had persisted well into his sixties. Now, no matter how hard he tried, sleep evaded him after daybreak. Igris, meanwhile, watched the bickering master and apprentice with amusement, but there was one point on which he agreed with Halt: resting. He had drained almost all of his energy while fighting the Dread Lord. Shaking his head, he was preparing to leave when his eye suddenly caught on something.
"Well, well, Gilan, mind if I take a look at that new bow of yours?"
Right beside Gilan rested a magnificent bow, bearing all the marks of elegant elven craftsmanship. Hearing this, Gilan smirked proudly, picked up the bow, and tossed it to Igris. Igris caught it deftly in mid-air and began to examine it with curiosity.
"Flawless craftsmanship. Its balance and weight are simply incredible. It feels like a natural extension of my arm... Where did you find this?"
Gilan shrugged.
"We ran into three trolls on the way here; I found it in their cave. I think the beasts were using the bow as a back scratcher. It's an ancient High Elf bow forged in Gondolin. Lord Elrond let me keep it... Though it's practically a full-fledged Ranger bow now! I'm going to make this my heirloom."
Although briefly surprised, Igris didn't let it show much. After drawing the bowstring once to test its flexibility, he tossed it back to Gilan.
"How is its range?"
Catching the bow, Gilan chuckled.
"Well, I haven't measured it precisely yet, but it easily covers two or three times the distance of my previous bow."
Impressed, Igris let out a low whistle.
"Now that is a real surprise. It seems we'll be relying on you far more than before."
Gilan gave a thumbs-up and grinned.
"Don't worry, I'll watch your asses."
Igris smiled, nodded, and stretched lightly.
"Alright then, I'll let you know when we head out in the morning."
Just as Igris was about to turn around and leave, Halt suddenly remembered something and called out.
"Igris."
Igris stopped and turned to Halt with a questioning look.
"Yes?"
Halt spoke in a very calm voice.
"While you were in a coma, some unexpected things happened..."
Without changing his tone, Halt recounted the bizarre events that had unfolded in front of the troll cave following Radagast's arrival. After listening intently to what had happened, Igris was utterly astounded.
"Wait a minute, did I hear that right? The great nature spirit Taurion personally bestowed his mark upon you!?"
As Halt and Gilan nodded in confirmation, Igris continued to ask with a curious and bewildered expression.
"How did that happen? What do the marks do?"
Gilan gathered his thoughts for a moment and tried to explain.
"Well... I suppose you could say we do a bit of magic now. We can infuse wind into the tips of our arrows to increase their destructive power... Honestly, there are a few other things, but even we aren't entirely sure what they all do yet. We'll figure it out in time."
Halt nodded and smirked.
"I can say that the 'Ranger' title—or rather, its connection to the forest—has truly become a reality now... Truth be told, the elves were quite stunned when they sensed these marks on us, because spirits normally have absolutely no love for humans."
After nodding thoughtfully, Igris asked.
"You two are an exception; after all, you can blend in seamlessly with the forest... But what does this nature spirit have to do with me? Why did it show interest in me? I've never had any interaction with spirits in my entire life."
The two senior Rangers shrugged at this question. Gilan answered calmly.
"I don't know. But at first, it thought Gandalf had kidnapped you or something, so it was pretty furious. Then, when it found out you were our leader, it bestowed the marks and left... I think it knew who or what you are."
Igris fell deep into thought for a moment. Honestly, he wasn't entirely sure how he should react to this situation. He took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes, which had grown heavy with fatigue.
"Anyway, never mind. My head is already full enough as it is; let's leave this to time as well. If you'll excuse me."
The senior Rangers nodded and wished him a good night. Igris quietly exited the hall and began walking down the dimly lit corridor. However, he immediately sensed someone following close behind him. Stopping in his tracks, he turned around and asked.
"Is there a problem, Ciri?"
Ciri calmly walked up to Igris and stopped. Toying lightly with her hair, she spoke in a somewhat timid tone.
"Umm... I couldn't help but overhear your conversation inside..."
Igris raised a single eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Amidst the chatter and noise of all those people, you just 'happened' to overhear a conversation between three individuals taking place two tables away from you. Is that so?"
Then, a mocking smirk appeared on his lips.
"Or were you secretly observing your new employer?"
Faced with this direct accusation, Ciri was at a loss for words for a moment. To gather herself and steer the conversation forward, she cleared her throat lightly.
"Ahem... You mentioned you'd be welcoming new people to the team at dawn... Could I come with you?"
Although Igris noticed Ciri evading the main question, he simply shrugged; it wasn't something he particularly cared about. He answered Ciri's request calmly.
"Sure. Let's meet at the stables at sunrise."
Slightly surprised because she hadn't expected such a swift and direct acceptance, Ciri silently nodded. Thinking the conversation was over, Igris turned back around and resumed walking. Seeing this, Ciri startled briefly before quickly quickening her pace to catch up with him, matching his stride side by side. Igris looked at her with curiosity.
"Do you have more questions?"
Continuing to walk calmly down the corridor, Ciri asked.
"I heard you talking about monsters inside... What do the monsters in this world look like?"
Hearing this, Igris more or less understood the situation; her inquiry stemmed entirely from the professional curiosity instilled by her Witcher training. After pondering for a brief moment, he answered.
"There are quite a lot of them, but to give a general description: besides flying, undead, or spectral forms, there are also species similar to the ones in your world, like Griffins or Manticores."
Ciri remained silent for a while at this response.
"That wasn't a very enlightening explanation."
Igris looked at her with an exasperated expression.
"Because the question you asked me is too broad. There are dozens of different types of creatures in this world; which one should I explain to you one by one?"
After contemplating for a moment, Ciri narrowed down her question.
"Alright, aside from dragons, what are the most powerful creatures known?"
Igris thought about the question for a bit before answering.
"Hmm... I suppose Balrogs, Nazgûl, Hydras, and Liches... Though, those are just the ones I know of..."
Clasping her hands behind her back, Ciri continued to ask with intrigue.
"I saw 'Balrog' mentioned in the lore regarding dwarves. Just how powerful are they?"
Igris pursed his lips thoughtfully.
"I'm not entirely sure... But probably stronger than that man... You know, that..."
Igris strained his memory for a moment. His recollections regarding the Witcher world had grown hazy; it had been quite a while since he played the games related to that universe. He turned to Ciri and asked.
"You know, there was that sick mage who was after you, a pretty powerful guy. His name started with a V, but I can't quite remember."
Ciri nodded in confirmation.
"Vilgefortz."
Igris nodded.
"Yes. A Balrog is likely much stronger than him."
Then, he added with a pensive look.
"When it comes to brute strength and pure fire magic, of course."
To be frank, Igris had never fought a Balrog in his life, and he certainly had no desire to do so. After all, for someone clad head-to-toe in metal armor, clashing with a creature made of pure fire, no different from living magma, would be an incredibly exhausting and scorching ordeal.
Ciri continued her inquisitive questioning.
"And what about the Nazgûl?"
Igris calmly carried on explaining.
"They are the walking undead servants of the Last Dark Lord. You can think of them as a kind of immortal ghoul, as they aren't much different from mindless undead puppets."
At that moment, a crucial detail came to his mind; he stopped and looked directly into Ciri's eyes.
"A piece of friendly advice: if you ever come across a strange, unusual-looking ring, never put it on your finger. No matter how much it tempts you, stay far away from it."
Trying to grasp the reason behind this sudden and grave warning, Ciri looked at Igris with intrigue. Igris explained in a deadly serious tone.
"There are strange rings in this world that grant their bearers special powers. However, they come at an immense cost; those who wear these rings run the risk of becoming slaves to that Dark Lord. That is exactly how the Nazgûl came to be. In short, if you do not want to sacrifice your freedom to become a mindless, leashed pet or a hound, do not ignore what I'm telling you. And if you ever interact with such a ring one day, tell me directly without wasting a second. Do not hide it from me."
Hearing this harsh warning, Ciri knitted her brows. Frankly, she wasn't pleased with this at all, and she felt as if her own willpower against cursed objects was being underestimated—insulted, in a way. She opened her mouth to object, but Igris cut her off.
"Do not assume you are overly strong or strong-willed when it comes to this matter, Ciri; that would be the biggest mistake you could make. The main reason I'm warning you so sternly is that those trinkets have an incredibly potent allure, and you are, in every respect, a highly vulnerable and weak target against such temptation. You harbor too much emptiness, unresolved trauma, and deep regrets inside you. Believe me, an entity like Sauron is a master at exploiting these dark voids within people."
Subjected to Igris's uncompromising, resolute tone and his piercing gaze, Ciri, though deeply displeased by the situation, grasped the gravity of the warning and nodded. Finally, they reached a fork in the corridor, the point where they would part ways. Igris spoke calmly.
"You should go and get some rest now as well; you've exhausted yourself more than necessary today. I'll see you at the stables at dawn."
Excusing himself, Igris headed toward his own room. Ciri remained where she stood, quietly watching the man's retreating back. Then, she too began to walk her own path, though a few questions still swirling in her mind were waiting to be answered...
---
It has now reached 100 chapters, and the story has hit the 360,000-word mark; so, many of you likely have a clear opinion by now. Those who haven't yet reviewed or rated the story might want to consider doing so.