Chapter 247: Giant Eagle and Magic Carpet, murder and house robbery?
Although Thorin was rescued in time, Bilbo and the Dwarves were not in a much better situation, fighting and retreating under the siege of dozens of Gundabad Wargs.
Just then, the butterfly that Gandalf had released flew back, and the Grey Wizard finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Gaius, are you going to use magic?" Gandalf asked meaningfully.
Aaron nonchalantly put away his magic wand and picked up his Elven longsword.
As long as I'm not embarrassed, others will be.
"My apologies, I grabbed the wrong weapon."
"Never mind," Gandalf said with a smile, shrugging his shoulders. "Reinforcements have arrived."
The cry of an eagle came from the sky, and suddenly some huge shadows appeared in the clouds as more than a dozen giant eagles flew in from afar.
Their bodies were even larger than Wargs; their sharp talons grabbed Wargs and threw them off cliffs, their immense strength toppled large trees, pinning enemies, and with a flap of their wings, the forest fire surged towards the Orcs.
The appearance of the giant eagles caught the Orcs off guard, and the expedition team's pressure also greatly decreased.
All the fighting Dwarves, including Thorin, and the Hobbitwere picked up by them, placed on their companions' backs, and flew into the sky.
"So, the giant eagles are the reinforcements you called?" Aaron asked in astonishment.
"Evidently."
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Aaron said, speechless.
"Because I wasn't sure if they could make it in time."
Aaron rolled his eyes at him and leaped down from the pine tree.
However, what caught him was not a giant eagle, but a dark blue magic carpet, on which Dori and Ori sat, bewildered.
"A flying tool?" Gandalf murmured, "It seems Gaius is even more mysterious than I thought."
As soon as he finished speaking, the pine tree completely gave way, and Gandalf also fell, landing precisely on the back of a giant eagle.
"Dori, Ori, don't look like you've never seen the world before," Aaron teased.
"We just didn't expect it," Ori was still a bit dazed. "When I fell, I really thought I was going to die."
"It's truly incredible," Dori murmured. "Aaron, you actually have such a treasure."
"Ancestral, ancestral," Aaron replied evasively, then controlled the magic carpet to fly next to a giant eagle and pointed at Thorin, whom it was carrying.
The giant eagle immediately understood and placed the unconscious Thorin Oakenshield onto the dark blue carpet.
"Is Thorin alright?" Bilbo shouted, asking.
Aaron checked his pulse and heartbeat, then looked at his wounds, and his brows gradually relaxed.
"He's alive. The wounds aren't fatal; he just needs some time to recover."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. If Thorin had died, they would have lost the core of their team, and the expedition plan would have come to nothing.
"This carpet..." Bilbo said thoughtfully, "Is it the one you gave me before?"
"Pretty cool, right!" Aaron smiled proudly. "This thing will definitely get you home safely, neither Orcs nor Trolls can threaten you."
Bilbo subconsciously nodded. As long as he didn't encounter enemies in the air, with this magic carpet, he would be invincible.
"Then why didn't you bring it out before?" Bilbo asked. "Don't misunderstand, I'm not blaming you, it's just that such a magic tool could have played a much larger role. If we used it to travel..."
"That really won't work," Aaron immediately shook his head. "Firstly, my magic carpet can't fit an entire expedition team; it's not that big. Secondly, it can't fly all the time; it needs rest. Lastly, do you know what overloading is? Currently, it can bear the weight of four people and maintain a certain flying speed, but if you add one more, say Bombur, even taking off would probably be an issue. Therefore, the efficiency of our team traveling with it is not even as fast as walking. Moreover, when we set off, we still had a batch of ponies as mounts, so there was no need to bring it out at all."
"Oh, I see!" Bilbo suddenly realized, and no one else could find any fault with it.
"Instead of asking me, you should ask our Grey Wizard.
If he could have found giant eagles from the beginning, our efficiency would probably have increased several times!"
"Cough, cough!"
Gandalf had just taken a puff of his pipe when he choked on these words and started coughing, then met everyone's strange gazes.
"Everyone, don't look at me like that," Gandalf explained. "Firstly, we need to decipher the secrets in the map, and searching as we go is undoubtedly the most suitable approach. Secondly, the journey itself needs to be more meaningful; otherwise, how would you have had the chance to see Rivendell, or find lost divine weapons?"
"Exactly!" Aaron scoffed, curling his lips. "We almost got eaten by Trolls, and almost killed by Orcs several times."
"But everyone's fine, aren't they?" Gandalf said with an awkward laugh. "Most, most, most importantly, the Great Eagles also have their own tasks. For them to spare some to rescue us is already a huge favor to me."
Everyone looked at each other, and Gandalf's reasons convinced them.
The giant eagles carried them through the night, over countless mountains, and gradually set the expedition team down on a mountain peak in the morning.
Aaron put away his magic carpet and openly carried it on his back.
Gandalf walked up to Thorin, placed his right hand on his face, closed his eyes, and chanted a spell.
Soon, Thorin slowly opened his eyes, and the wounds on his body miraculously healed.
"Where is the Halfling?" Thorin asked, a bit weakly.
"He's fine. Bilbo is here; he's safe."
Thorin sighed in relief and stood up with the support of Dwalin and Kili.
He looked at Bilbo sternly and said in an accusatory tone, "What were you doing? You almost got yourself killed."
"Thorin," Aaron said displeased, "I think you should be more polite. Bilbo was the first one to rush over and save you. He has no combat ability, so doing that much was already a selfless act."
"I know," Thorin walked up to Bilbo. "I once said you would be a burden, that you wouldn't survive the wilderness, that you weren't fit to adventure with us."
At this point, Thorin paused, then gave Bilbo a hug. "I've never been so wrong in my life."
"I'm sorry I ever doubted you," Thorin apologized, somewhat ashamed.
"I doubt myself too," Bilbo said indifferently. "I'm not a hero, nor a warrior, and certainly... not a burglar."
"But you played a bigger role than any of them," Aaronchuckled. "If you hadn't saved the soul of this team, even entering Erebor would be meaningless."
"Erebor," Thorin murmured.
His gaze turned to the distance, where a towering mountain stood.
"Our destination," Aaron said with excitement. "I thought it would take months to walk there, but I didn't expect the giant eagles to bring us all the way here."
"Erebor, the Lonely Mountain," Gandalf said with emotion. "The last great Dwarf Kingdom in Middle-earth."
"Our home," Thorin said with a smile.
Just then, a bird flashed before their eyes, flapping its wings and flying towards Erebor.
"It's the Thrush. The birds are returning to Erebor," Oin said. This perfectly matched the omens he had read, signifying the end of the Dragon's rule.
"My dear Oin, that is a Thrush," Gandalf said.
"Let's take it as an omen anyway!" Thorin's lips curved slightly. "A good omen."
"You're right, I believe the worst part is over," Bilbo said.
Hearing this, Aaron subconsciously wanted to retort.
Seeing Erebor didn't mean everything was over; on the contrary, Smaug was the worst part.
But seeing the smiles on the others' faces, he didn't want to spoil the mood and ruin the lively atmosphere... The expedition team continued onward, but they underestimated Azog's murderous intent towards Thorin Oakenshield. After all, the grudge of a severed arm was irreconcilable.
The Pale Orc led a band of Orcs in pursuit for over half a month before finally catching up to them.
Wolf howls echoed across the mountaintop, and Azog, riding his white Warg, peered down carefully, hoping to find his target.
But after looking around and finding nothing, he urged his white Warg to leave the mountaintop.
"They're gone, right?" Aaron whispered.
"They're gone," Bilbo slowly nodded. "Let's go back and tell Gandalf and the others."
Just as they were about to move, a beast's roar suddenly came from one side.
The two exchanged glances, then cautiously peered out, discovering a giant black bear.
It was crouching on a large rock, roaring into the distance with its huge mouth wide open, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth, as if searching for prey.
Gollum!
Both of them swallowed in unison.
For a Hobbit, a bear was an absolutely unconquerable presence, even more terrifying than Orcs.
Aaron, however, sensed something different. That wasn't a bear; or rather, it wasn't an ordinary bear, but a powerful magic creature.
Past experience told him that such magic creatures were very dangerous, and it was best to avoid them if possible.
The two tacitly remained silent, instead quickening their pace to avoid the black bear's sight.
They safely returned to the Dwarves' camp, where they finally breathed a long sigh of relief.
"How far are the enemies?" Thorin asked.
"Very close, no more than a few leagues (one league = three miles)," Bilbo said, panting.
"But that's not the most dangerous thing," Aaron added.
"The Orcs have smelled us."
"Not certain, but at this distance, finding us is only a matter of time."
"Did they see you?" Gandalf asked.
"Absolutely not," Aaron said with certainty. "The leader is Azog. Bilbo saved Thorin from him, and I almost shot through his throat. If he had seen us, he would have pursued us relentlessly, but he didn't."
"That's good," Gandalf said, looking triumphantly at the Dwarves. "See what I told you? Quiet as mice, excellent choices for burglars."
The Dwarves all agreed, greatly admiring Gandalf's eye for choosing people.
"Interrupting for a moment, although I signed the agreement, I never considered myself a burglar. Bilbo Baggins, this Hobbit, does have that potential, as his footsteps are very light," Aaron said. "Also, we encountered a more dangerous creature. My intuition tells me it's a hundred times more terrifying than Azog."
"What kind?" Gandalf asked with a serious expression. "Like a bear?"
"Yes, something like that, but much bigger," Bilbo said.
"You know?" Aaron looked at Gandalf in surprise. "What exactly is that bear?"
"A Skin-changer."
Aaron:... I'll never ask such questions again; I don't understand the answers.
"Not far from here, there's a house. We can go there to take shelter."
"Is the owner of the house friend or foe?" Thorin asked.
"What a time to ask that? We're not just being chased by a squad of Orcs now, but also a monster, who knows if it'll find us," Aaron said, speechless. "If the owner of the house is a friend, that's best. If they're an enemy, it doesn't matter; there are so many of us, we can simply kill them and take the house."
Hearing this, everyone looked at Aaron in astonishment, and a few even unconsciously took half a step back.
"Killing someone and taking their house—it's hard to imagine those words coming from a child less than fourteen years old?" Balin's eye twitched slightly. "Your family education truly terrifies me."
"Is there a problem with what I said?" Aaron asked, perplexed. "Being merciful to enemies is being cruel to oneself, nothing wrong with that!"
"There's nothing wrong, they just find it a bit hard to accept, and so do I. Also, the owner of the house is neither an enemy nor a friend."
"A stranger?"
"No, he will either help us or kill us."
"Do we have any other choice?" Thorin asked in a deep voice.
Before he finished speaking, the roar of the giant bear had already reached everyone's ears.
Aaron spread his hands. "Currently, it seems there's no choice."
Gandalf led the members of the expedition team towards the house. Along the way, they were discovered by Orcs, and Azog immediately led a small squad in pursuit, forcing them to speed up.
Roar!
As they were about to exit the forest, the roar of a wild beast came from behind.
The expedition team and the Orcs simultaneously stopped and turned to look. A giant black bear charged towards them, roaring.
Upon seeing the giant bear, Azog knew he couldn't contend with it and had to abandon the Dwarves he was about to catch, retreating with his subordinates from the side.
"This way, quickly, run!" Gandalf shouted.
Everyone snapped out of it and immediately followed him, rushing towards a house not far away. Bombur even displayed superhuman speed, catching up from last place to first in a very short time.
He showed everyone what 'potential' meant, being hundreds of pounds yet able to outrun everyone when fleeing for his life.
"Quickly, into the house, come in quickly!" Gandalf counted the numbers at the gate. As he confirmed no one was left behind, a giant black bear appeared in his sight, startling him and making him run inside immediately.
At this moment, several Dwarves were banging on the door, but no matter how loud the commotion, the owner of the house showed no intention of opening it.
"Let me," Aaron immediately ran over. There was no door Alohomora couldn't open.
But when he approached, he found the door was bolted from the outside, meaning there was no one inside the house at all.
"Are these people blind?" Aaron muttered inwardly, but his actions didn't stop for a moment. He unlatched the bolt and pushed open the door in one smooth motion.