Chapter 244: Poking the Orcs' Nest
Away from the battlefield of the Stone Giants, the expedition began to look for shelter from the rain.
After walking for a while, they were lucky enough to find a cave.
"It looks safe enough," Thorin said. "Go check the back; caves usually have something living in them."
Dwalin carefully inspected the area with a lantern. "It's empty here."
Gloin threw down a pile of wood. "I'll start a fire."
"No, don't start a fire here," Thorin stopped him. "Go to sleep! We leave at dawn."
"We should wait for Gandalf to meet us in the mountains," Balin said, somewhat puzzled. "That was the plan."
"Plans change.
Bofur, you take the first watch."
"Bear with him!" Aaron patted Balin's shoulder. "Durin's Dayis getting closer, so his eagerness is understandable.
Besides, Gandalf is the famous Grey Wizard; he'll catch up."
As everyone fell asleep, snoring echoing, Bilbo quietly opened his eyes.
He packed his bag, slung his blanket over his shoulder, picked up his staff, and tiptoed out of the cave.
However, what Bilbo didn't know was that Thorin had woken up when he stirred, but he said nothing and didn't stop Bilbo from leaving.
Bilbo had just reached the entrance when Bofur, who was on watch, spotted him. "Where are you going?"
"Home, of course." Aaron walked up to Bilbo. "I suppose I guessed right!"
Bilbo nodded, a little guiltily. "Thorin said I shouldn't come, and he was right.
I'm not a Took; I'm a Baggins. I thought too much."
"I understand," Aaron chuckled. "This journey is indeed a bit too exciting for a Hobbit who has enjoyed decades of peaceful life."
"But you're part of our expedition!" Bofur said eagerly. "I understand you miss home..."
"No, you don't understand.
You are Dwarves, used to this life, traveling everywhere, wandering, with no sense of belonging..."
Bilbo suddenly saw Bofur's expression turn a little grim and realized his words had been hurtful.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
"No, you're right." Bofur was silent for a few seconds, then looked back at the dozen sleeping companions. "We have no home."
"But you are now finding your home," Aaron said meaningfully. "Losing one's home is terrible, but having the courage to reclaim it is more precious than rebuilding it."
"Thank you." Bofur smiled with relief, then looked at Bilbo. "I wish you all the best."
Bilbo was stunned, as if he hadn't expected Bofur to bless him, the 'deserter'.
"Wait a moment." Aaron Took out a rolled-up dark blue blanket. "This is for you. No, to be precise, I'm lending it to you."
"I have a blanket."
"Mine is different, Bilbo Baggins.
Open it when you're in danger; it might save your life." Aaron said in a low voice, "Don't forget, my ancestors were Wizards, so it's normal to pass down some special items."
Bilbo hesitated, realizing this blanket was far more precious than he had thought.
"This isn't appropriate."
"No, it's very appropriate.
Firstly, I'm only lending it to you; you'll have to return it to me when I come back from Erebor.
Secondly, don't forget the dangers we've encountered on this journey—Trolls, Wargs, Orcs. Without something to protect yourself, whether you can return to the Shire alive is an unknown."
Aaron had made his point, and Bilbo couldn't refuse. He tucked the blanket into his pack. "You're always welcome to visit my home."
"Took might have been a great adventurer, but Bilbo Bagginsmight not be inferior to him."
Bilbo was about to turn around when he heard Aaron's words, and his mood instantly became incredibly complex.
"What's that?" Bofur suddenly asked, his gaze fixed on the short sword at Bilbo's waist.
A blue glow emanated from the scabbard, particularly noticeable in the dark cave.
"Uh oh!" Aaron's expression changed dramatically. "I think we're in big trouble."
He immediately turned and shouted, "Everyone, wake up! The enemy is near."
As his voice fell, the Dwarves groggily opened their eyes.
Thorin hadn't been asleep; he was the first to stand up and warn everyone, but it was too late.
The ground cracked at an exaggerated speed, and everyone fell uncontrollably.
Below was a long tunnel, with torches every few meters, clearly excavated by hand, though very crudely.
The members of the expedition slid one after another onto a wooden platform suspended in mid-air. Aaron was the last to fall, landing squarely on Bombur's belly, sustaining no injuries.
Before they could react, a swarm of Orcs surrounded them.
They rushed forward, seizing the expedition members without a word and herding them onto a crude wooden bridge.
Not a single Dwarf escaped, nor did Aaron, but Bilbo had fallen to the ground, luckily evading the Orcs' sight.
"Don't touch me!" Nori resisted, pushing away the Orcguarding him. An inadvertent turn of his head made him spot the last straggler, Bilbo Baggins, lying on the ground.
Aaron immediately gave him a look, signaling him not to expose Bilbo.
Nori also didn't want to implicate the Hobbit and dutifully followed the Orcs forward.
Aaron deliberately slowed his pace while crossing the wooden bridge, creating a distance of a few meters from the Orc escort.
As they rounded a corner, he intentionally fell to the ground. The three Orcs guarding him were also momentarily blocked, separating them from the main group ahead.
One Orc intended to drag him forward, but as he reached out, Aaron grabbed his neck, twisting it with both hands until it snapped, without a sound.
Before the second Orc could react, Aaron leaped up, delivering a full-force Skyward Uppercut.
Crack!
The sound of a skull shattering echoed, and the Orccollapsed to the ground.
"Your turn." Aaron sneered, looking at the last Orc, and slowly walked towards him.
"Come..."
This Orc also realized he was no match in a one-on-one fight. Just as he was about to call for help, he found he couldn't move or make a sound.
"Petrificus Totalus, a simple spell, but quite effective." Aaronslowly walked up to the petrified Orc, ignoring its panicked eyes, and pointed his wand directly at its head.
"Diffindo."
A flash of white light, and the Orc disintegrated into ash.
Whew!
Aaron let out a long breath.
He hadn't used magic in a long time, and it had been bothering him; today, he finally got to vent a little.
Aaron carefully surveyed the area, and his expression couldn't help but turn grim.
The Orc lair was built underground, with countless wooden bridges connecting intricate caves, illuminated by torches.
The structure was remarkably clear, easy to understand, yet incredibly chaotic, with countless layers above and below, making it impossible to find a way out.
Most importantly, the number of Orcs was far too great, describing them as thousands wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"Trouble!"
Aaron patted his forehead, deciding to first get Bilbo to safety before rescuing Thorin and the others.
Because a Hobbit in such a place was like a fish on a chopping block, potentially gone in the next second, while Thorin and the others were warriors, capable of holding out a bit longer.
Furthermore, the Orcs hadn't immediately killed them, meaning they either intended to imprison them or take them to see the Orc King.
In the short term, the Dwarves wouldn't be in mortal danger.
Aaron returned the way he came, and not far, he saw a flickering blue light. Bilbo was fighting an Orc with his short sword.
"Just as I feared, what I dreaded has come to pass." Aaroncursed under his breath and immediately sped up.
Bilbo's combat experience was very poor; he only knew simple parrying and was ridden on the neck by the Orc in less than three rounds.
During the struggle, he also saw Aaron running over, but before he could sigh in relief, the Orc grabbed his body and pulled him backward.
Bilbo stumbled and, along with the Orc, fell off the cliff.
"Damn it!
Could you not hold on for a few more seconds?!"
Aaron looked down, and even with his vision, he could only see a vast expanse of darkness.
He didn't hesitate, grabbed Bilbo's fallen pack, and jumped down after him.
First, he used a wind magic circle to slow his descent, then used softening ground magic for a safe landing.
He had used it once when he came to this world; though the result wasn't perfect, he was very familiar with it.
After landing, Aaron found the unconscious Bilbo.
He had landed squarely on a pile of soft, mushroom-like plants and had only sustained some minor injuries.
The Orc that had attacked him wasn't so lucky; it had no cushion and lay half-dead to the side, every breath painful.
Aaron had no intention of putting the Orc out of its misery; instead, he patted Bilbo's cheek to wake him up.
"Hmm?" Bilbo opened his eyes blankly. "Aaron, I... I'm alive."
"Yes! You're lucky."
"What about Thorin and the others?" Bilbo asked anxiously.
"They've been captured by Orcs. They're waiting for me to go back and rescue them!"
Bilbo looked at him with some doubt. "How will you rescue them?"
"I have my ways; I won't force it. It's you I'm worried about."
"Me?" Bilbo pointed to himself, then suddenly understood and waved his hand. "Don't worry about me; it's relatively safe here. You go save them first."
"Alright!" Aaron handed Bilbo the pack he had dropped above. "There should be an exit here. You look for it yourself. If you can get out, that's best. If you can't find one, open my blanket.
Of course, you can also open it if you encounter danger."
With that, Aaron turned and left alone, disappearing into the darkness... Swish!
Aaron performed Apparition, returning to the wooden bridge in the blink of an eye.
He carefully climbed onto a high rock in this Orc city, and while avoiding the sight of many Orcs, he also found Thorinand the others who had been captured.
They were brought before the Orc King, a Giant Orc, a little taller than a Troll.
If ordinary Orcs were disgusting, he was exceptionally disgusting.
He was incredibly ugly, covered in large and small warts, with a huge belly, and the flesh on his chin almost reached his chest.
The Orc King recognized Thorin, and after some mockery, he dropped a bombshell.
"I know someone has offered a high bounty for your head, just the head; the body is free.
You must know who I'm talking about, your old enemy.
The Pale Orc, riding a white Warg."
Thorin slowly raised his head and said coldly, "Azog the Defiler is dead, killed on the battlefield a long time ago."
"Do you think he no longer defiles?" The Orc King sneered, then turned to a dwarf Orc beside the throne. "Send word to the Pale Orc, tell him I've hit the jackpot."
The dwarf Orc quickly scribbled a few lines on paper, pulled a switch, and sent it along a cable to a dark cave.
Aaron watched the messenger dwarf Orc, his mind racing.
He knew some flags couldn't be planted; Azog the Defilerwas indeed still alive.
The Orc King felt he had gotten a huge bargain, sitting comfortably at home, and the bounty had simply fallen into his lap.
He immediately ordered his subordinates to prepare meat grinders and bone crushers. In short, Azog wanted Thorin Oakenshield's head, and the remaining parts and the other Dwarves could perfectly be used for their feast.
Meanwhile, deep underground, Bilbo looked at the half-dead Orc lying on the ground, hesitating whether to go over and finish him off.
But before he could act, he heard faint footsteps, which startled him into hiding behind a rock.
A figure crawled out of the darkness. He was like a goblin from hell, with grayish-white skin, only a few wisps of grayish-white hair on his head, and his whole body was practically just bones.
But what surprised Bilbo was that such an inhuman, ghostly creature had a pair of large eyes that glowed with an unusual light.
He slowly crawled up to the Orc, then jumped up excitedly. "Yes, yes.
Gollum, Gollum."
After examining the Orc for a few seconds, he stood up and dragged him deeper into the cave.
The Orc seemed to know what awaited him and immediately struggled, but Gollum simply picked up a rock and smashed it onto his head.
Perhaps the smashing motion was too violent, for a glittering golden ring fell from Gollum's waist to the ground.
"Filthy Orcs, better than gnawing old bones.
Precious, but better than nothing."
After Gollum dragged the Orc away, Bilbo emerged from behind the rock and, incidentally, picked up the golden ring.
"So many bones, precious, so little meat." Gollum's voice came from deeper within. "Shut up, skin him quickly, starting from the head."
Bilbo cautiously approached with his short sword raised. The short sword was still glowing blue, meaning the Orcwas still alive.
Upon closer approach, it was a huge underground lake.
Gollum was on a towering rock in the center of the lake, reciting a horrifying poem while hitting the Orc's head with a rock.
The Orc struggled in its death throes, but it was futile.
Bilbo noticed that the short sword in his hand no longer emitted blue light, which scared him, and he retreated behind a rock.
But that fleeting blue light also caught Gollum's attention. He realized there were others here and, gently paddling a dilapidated wooden boat, cautiously approached.
Bilbo looked back and, not seeing Gollum, his heart immediately sank.
He instinctively clutched the blanket on his back; in this gloomy underground space, only this blanket could give him some sense of security.
Soon, a low breathing sound came from above Bilbo's head.
He looked up and saw a pair of large eyes glowing with a bluish, eerie light, and he couldn't help but shiver.
Gollum jumped off the rock, landing right in front of Bilbo.
"Thank goodness, precious, this one looks meaty."