"So. lady Mallory" Gandalf said softly.
"Your magic is… older than most I have seen. Tell me, Lady Mallory — where exactly did you learn such power?"
I stared at him for a moment. Wondering what to say. "I didn't learn it." i said then my eyes darted on the road ahead "I was born with it... I am magic"
'Though technically i still need to learn it from the system'
Dwalin frowned beneath his red beard.
"Begging your pardon, lady… but why would you dress like some evil entity?"
Then I smiled. "Clothes does not make one evil. Actions does"
The group simply nodded, one by one.
The company had stopped beside a narrow stream as evening settled over the road. Ponies drank quietly while the dwarves unpacked their gear.
Mallory stood a short distance away beneath a leaning oak, her dark robes stirring softly in the wind. The fading light caught her pale features and the faint curve of her horns, giving her an almost otherworldly appearance.
From across the camp, Kili nudged his brother with his elbow.
"Are you going to say something," he muttered quietly, "or simply stare all evening like a fool?"
Fili scoffed, though his eyes remained on Mallory.
"I was not staring."
"You absolutely were."
Kili grinned and reached into his belt before pulling out a small dagger with a polished wooden hilt.
"Come on. Let's be polite."
The two approached her together.
Mallory noticed them and tilted her head slightly, curious.
Fili cleared his throat.
"Lady Mallory," he said, trying to sound composed. "We realized something earlier."
Kili held out the dagger.
"Everyone on this road carries a blade," he said. "Magic is all well and good, but steel is useful when things get messy."
Mallory glanced at the weapon, then back at the brothers.
"You believe I require protection?" she asked calmly.
Kili scratched the back of his neck.
"Well… not exactly."
Fili stepped in quickly.
"It is more a matter of travel custom," he said. "Besides, you are part of the company now."
"Wow… that is very sweet of you," she said softly. "But I do not think I would want to carry a weapon that weakens me."
The brothers blinked.
"I appreciate the gesture," she continued gently, "but I must decline."
Behind them, a firm voice spoke.
"And why might that be?"
The three turned to see Thorin Oakenshield approaching from the fire, his sharp gaze fixed on the dagger in Kili's hand.
Mallory met his eyes without hesitation.
"Iron burns my skin," she said simply. "It is my weakness."
A quiet silence fell over the small clearing.
Kili slowly lowered the dagger.
Fili frowned slightly, studying her with renewed curiosity.
From beside the fire, Balin stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"Iron burning the skin…" he murmured. "I recall hearing such things in very old tales."
Before anyone else could speak, a thin stream of smoke drifted through the air.
Leaning against a nearby tree stood Gandalf, his pipe glowing faintly in the dim light.
He had clearly been listening.
The wizard took a slow breath from his pipe before speaking.
"Indeed," Gandalf said calmly. "Very old tales."
His sharp eyes rested on Mallory for a moment longer than usual.
Not suspicion.
Recognition.
"Creatures bound closely to the ancient magic of the world," he continued quietly, "often find iron… unpleasant."
Thorin's brow furrowed.
"You speak as though you know what she is."
Gandalf puffed out a cloud of smoke that curled lazily above the campfire.
"I know many things," he said with a small smile.
Then he added,
"And I know better than to ask questions whose answers may come in their own time."
His gaze briefly met Mallory's.
For just a moment, it felt as though the wizard could see straight through her. But instead of pressing the matter, he simply turned away.
"Now then," Gandalf said lightly, tapping his pipe against a rock. "We have a long road ahead of us, and the night grows cold."
The dwarves slowly returned to their tasks, though several of them still cast curious glances toward Mallory.
As the company turned in for the night, I stood outside the camp, hands resting on my staff as my gaze swept across the dark forest beyond. The wind whispered softly through the trees, carrying the scent of damp earth and distant pine.
Most of the company had already settled beside the dying fire.
A soft voice broke the quiet.
"Is something the matter, Lady Mallory?"
I turned to see Gandalf standing a few steps behind me, pipe-weed glowing faintly in the darkness.
For a moment I watched the smoke curl into the night air.
"I just miss home," I said quietly. "That is all."
Gandalf studied me for a moment, the faint ember of his pipe lighting his thoughtful expression.
"Home," he repeated softly.
He stepped beside me, looking out toward the trees.
"Even the bravest travelers feel the pull of it," he said. "The road may promise wonders, but it often takes us far from the places our hearts would rather remain."
I shifted my grip on the staff.
"You speak as though you know the feeling well."
A small smile tugged at the corner of the wizard's mouth.
"Oh, I have walked many roads," he said. "And left more homes behind than I care to count."
For a while we stood in silence.
The forest beyond the camp was dark and still.
Then Gandalf spoke again.
"You are far from your home, I think," he said quietly. "Farther than most."
I glanced at him.
"What makes you say that?"
The wizard exhaled a thin stream of smoke that drifted upward through the branches.
"Let us say," he replied calmly, "that Middle-earth has many strange paths… and sometimes they bring strangers to places they were never meant to find."
His eyes flicked briefly toward me.
Not accusing.
Simply curious.
"But," he added, tapping the ash from his pipe, "every traveler has their secrets."
He turned toward the campfire.
"And I have learned that the road is far more pleasant when one allows those secrets to unfold in their own time."
With that, he began walking back toward the sleeping dwarves.
Before he reached the fire, he paused and glanced back at me.
"Try to rest, Lady Mallory," Gandalf said gently.
"The road ahead grows more dangerous with every mile."
Then he disappeared into the warm glow of the campfire.
I remained by the edge of the trees, staring into the darkness beyond.
Home suddenly felt very far away.
While the company slept soundly.
Beyond the outer ring of trees, something moved.
Not the wind.
A shadow detached itself from the darkness between the trunks.
Yellow eyes glinted in the night.
An orc crouched low in the brush, its grey skin slick with mud and old blood. Beneath it, a massive warg shifted restlessly, its breath steaming in the cold air as it watched the sleeping camp.
The beast's lips curled back, revealing rows of jagged teeth.
The orc raised a clawed hand, silencing the growl before it could escape the creature's throat.
From its hidden perch, the spy watched the travelers.
The dwarves.
The hobbit.
The wizard.
And then its gaze lingered on the horned woman standing alone at the edge of the trees.
The creature's pupils narrowed.
A low hiss escaped its teeth.
"Strange one…" it muttered in the Black Speech.
The warg sniffed the air again, uneasy.
The orc leaned forward slightly, studying the faint glow still lingering around her staff.
Magic.
The creature's scarred lip twitched.
That would interest the Pale Orc.
Slowly, it turned its head toward the deeper darkness of the forest where several other riders waited silently among the trees.
The spy raised two fingers and made a sharp clicking sound with its tongue.
Shapes stirred.
More wargs shifted in the shadows.
The orc spoke in a guttural whisper.
"Go."
It pointed a claw toward the north.
"Ride hard."
Its yellow eyes gleamed with cruel satisfaction.
"Tell the others."
A grin spread across its broken teeth.
"Report to Azog."
The riders vanished into the darkness, wargs slipping through the forest like hunting wolves.
But the spy remained behind.
Watching.
Waiting.
———
The next morning we continued on the road.
"So where are going next?" Biblo asked.
"We will visit the prancing pony for a short rest and gather supplies for the road ahead"
Gandalf replied.
After arriving in Bree, people walking through the streets slowed and stopped, staring openly at the unusual company… and then at me.
"—what is she—"
"—I had never seen someone like her before—"
One human whispered to another.
I simply gave a faint smile.
The wooden sign of The Prancing Pony creaked softly in the evening wind as the company approached the warmly lit building.
Inside, laughter and music drifted through the windows.
When the door opened, conversation slowly died.
Thirteen dwarves stepped inside first, their boots heavy against the wooden floor.
Behind them came Bilbo Baggins, nervously adjusting his coat.
Then Gandalf ducked through the doorway.
And finally Mallory entered.
Her dark robes brushed the floor, the faint curve of her horns catching the lantern light.
The room went completely silent.
Behind the counter, Barliman Butterbur blinked twice.
"Well now," he muttered.
He wiped his hands on his apron and walked over.
"Evening, good travelers! Welcome to the Pony!"
His eyes slowly scanned the group.
One wizard.
A hobbit.
Thirteen dwarves.
Then they stopped on Mallory.
Butterbur froze.
"…Right." He cleared his throat loudly.
"Well! We get all sorts here in Bree!"
He leaned closer to Gandalf and whispered,
"…though I admit that's a new one."
Gandalf smiled calmly, smoke drifting from his pipe.
"Nothing to worry about, Master Butterbur," he said.
"Just travelers in need of supper and a warm fire."
Butterbur nodded quickly.
"Of course! Of course!"
He turned and shouted toward the kitchen.
"Rosie! We'll be needing a great deal more stew!"
Behind them, Kili leaned toward Fili and whispered,"I think we may have startled him"
Fili glanced around the stunned inn.
"I think we startled everyone."
Meanwhile, several Bree locals were staring openly at Mallory.
One man muttered into his mug,
"First a wizard… now a horned lady."
Mallory simply smiled faintly and took a seat beside the fire.
———
I sat there quietly minding my own business
when suddenly my ears twitch hearing the whispers behine me.
"Heard there are strange lights in the hills east of the road."
"Aye… and sheep going missing too."
"That is strange" I muttered to myself.
A voice suddenly cut through the noise of the crowded room.
"Lady Mallory"
I turned to see Gandalf standing beside the table, his pipe already extinguished.
"What is it gandalf?" I asked.
"Will you accompany me for a moment"
Without waiting for an answer, the wizard turned and walked toward the door.
Curious, I rose and followed him outside.
The cool evening air of Bree greeted us as the door of The Prancing Pony closed behind us.
"Is something the matter?" I asked tilting my head slightly.
"There's are troubling rumors" he said quietly.
"People have gone missing after passing through the woods east of the road."
His grip tightened slightly on the staff.
"We must investigate"
I took a step forward
"But what about Bilbo and the others?"
Gandlaf's eyes met mine briefly before returning to the distant treeline
"They can continue on the road for a time,"
he said calmly. "We will rejoin them shortly."
I then waved my hand towards the roof.
Rowan descended from the roof of the inn and landed lightly on my shoulder.
I stroked the feathers on his neck.
"I am counting on you, Rowan," I said softly. "Watch over them while we are gone."
The crow gave a small caw and spread his wings.
With a powerful flap, he launched into the night sky.
"He will watch over our friends while we are gone," I said.
Gandalf nodded slightly.
"Then we should not delay."
Without another word, we turned away from the warm lights of the inn and began walking toward the dark forest beyond Bree.
The forest beyond Bree grew darker with every step.
The sounds of the town faded behind us until only the wind moving through the trees remained.
Branches creaked softly above our heads as we followed a narrow path deeper into the woods.
Gandalf walked ahead, his staff glowing faintly at the tip, casting pale light across the forest floor.
"Something is wrong here," I said quietly.
The air felt heavy.
Unnatural.
Gandalf stopped.
"Yes," he replied. "I feel it as well."
A foul scent drifted through the trees.
Rotting meat.
I covered my nose slightly.
"What is that smell?"
Gandalf moved forward cautiously.
"It would appear," he said grimly, "that we are close."
The light of his staff revealed broken branches and deep footprints pressed into the mud.
Huge footprints.
Far too large to belong to any man.
I knelt beside one of them, studying it closely.
"Trolls," Gandalf said quietly.
In the distance, a low rumbling voice echoed through the trees.
Another voice answered it.
Then a third.
The sounds of crude laughter drifted through the forest.
Gandalf's expression hardened.
"Three of them," he murmured.
"These must be the creatures responsible for the missing travelers."
The voices grew louder as we crept closer.
Through the trees, a dim fire flickered in a clearing ahead.
Silhouettes moved around it.
Massive shapes.
One of them lifted something in its hand.
A sack.
And from inside the sack came the faint sound of struggling.
Gandalf's eyes narrowed.
"Well," he said quietly, gripping his staff.
"It seems we arrived just in time."
The trolls' fire crackled loudly in the clearing.
Three enormous figures loomed around it, their rough voices echoing through the forest.
One of them poked at the sack beside him.
"Blimey, Bert," one of the trolls grumbled, "this one's still wrigglin'."
"Course he is," another snarled. "We ain't cooked him yet."
Beside me, Gandalf's grip tightened slightly on his staff.
"We must act carefully," he murmured.
But before we could move, a sudden snapping sound echoed through the trees.
A branch broke.
Both Gandalf and I froze.
The trolls' heads slowly turned toward the dark forest.
"Wot was that?" one of them growled.
From the shadows, several familiar voices whispered urgently.
"Careful!" hissed Balin.
"I am being careful," muttered Dwalin.
Then a small figure stepped into the faint firelight.
Bilbo Baggins.
He froze the moment he saw the trolls.
The trolls froze when they saw him.
For a brief moment, no one moved.
Then one of the trolls squinted.
"…What's that?"
Bilbo swallowed nervously.
"A—ah—good evening?"
The troll's eyes widened.
"DINNER!"
The clearing erupted into chaos.
From the trees, the dwarves burst forward, shouting and drawing weapons.
Fili and Kili rushed in first.
"Bilbo, run!" Kili shouted.
But the trolls were already moving.
One reached down and grabbed two dwarves at once.
Another swung a massive club, scattering the company.
From the shadows, Gandalf sighed quietly.
"Well," he muttered.
"So much for subtlety."
"I think we should help," I whispered.
Just when we were about to move.
Rowan descended from the sky, claws outstretched.
The dark bird struck like a falling arrow.
His talons raked across the face of the nearest troll.
"GAH!" the creature roared, stumbling backward. "Blasted bird!"
Rowan circled once in the air before diving again, pecking furiously at the troll's head.
"Get it off! Get it OFF!" the troll bellowed, swatting wildly.
The distraction was enough.
Several dwarves slipped free from the troll's grasp and scrambled away.
Across the clearing, Thorin Oakenshield regained his footing and raised his sword.
"Form up!" he shouted.
Axes flashed in the firelight as the dwarves regrouped.
But the trolls were furious now.
One grabbed a fallen tree branch and swung it like a club, forcing the dwarves back.
Another reached upward, trying to snatch Rowan from the sky.
Rowan narrowly dodged the grasp, beating his wings hard as he climbed higher.
"Well," he said thoughtfully, "that certainly sped things along."
I stepped forward, gripping my staff.
Green light pulsed faintly within the crystal.
"We cannot let them capture the others," I said.
Gandalf nodded slightly.
"Indeed."
His eyes flicked toward the eastern horizon.
"However," he added calmly, "we do not
need to defeat them."
A faint pale glow was already beginning to creep along the edge of the sky.
Dawn was not far away.
The wizard's lips curled into a knowing smile.
"We simply need to keep them busy."
(New quest: Defeat the troll x3)
Gandalf and I moved stealthily behind the large stone, unnoticed while the dwarves continued fighting.
It gave us just enough time.
The first faint light of dawn was beginning to creep over the distant hills.
Then we waited.
I lifted my hand slowly.
Golden light shimmered between my fingers.
Suddenly — Vines burst from the earth.
They slithered on the ground like living serpents, coiling tightly around the trolls large legs.
Both the troll, and the company jerked in surprise.
"Wot is this!" One troll roared.
"Get it off." Another one bellowed, desperately tearing the vines.
But more vines kept rising from the soil, twisting around their arms and torsos until the creatures were nearly bound in place.
Axes lowered.
Even the dwarves paused to stare.
Only Bilbo Baggins blinked in stunned silence.
That was when Gandalf and I stepped out from behind the stone.
For a moment, everyone—dwarves, hobbit, and trolls alike—simply stared.
Then Gandalf raised his staff.
With a commanding voice he cried out,
"The dawn will take you all!"
He lifted the staff high before slamming it down against the boulder beside him.
A thunderous crack echoed through the clearing.
The stone split apart with a deafening sound.
At that exact moment—
The first rays of sunlight spilled across the forest.
The trolls froze.
Their rough skin hardened instantly.
Expressions of confusion and anger remained on their faces as their bodies stiffened.
Within seconds, the creatures stood motionless.
Three towering statues of stone.
Silence fell over the clearing.
After a moment, Fili slowly lowered his axe.
"Well," he said, staring at the stone trolls.
"That was… unexpected."
Bilbo looked between the statues and Mallory's still-glowing staff.
(Quest successful)
Level up 17→20
HP +90
MP +90
Transformation form unlocked: Horse/Wolf MP cost: 25