Chapter 284: Knowing it is a trap but still falling into it
Though Dwalin and the others were reluctant, they knew Balin was right; they had no choice.
Fili and Kili each jumped onto a goat's back, cut the ropes connecting them to the chariot, and galloped towards Ravenhill.
"Gaius, get on," Dwalin mounted the last goat, leaving a spot for Aaron.
"Forget it!" Aaron glanced at him with a hint of disdain, "I don't like being with rough men."
"Still joking at a time like this."
"This is no joke." Aaron shook his head, offering no explanation. Instead, he tapped his shoulder with his wand and transformed into a raven, soaring into the sky.
Dwalin:...I must be full of too much energy, why am I worrying about him!
Just like that, the group successfully arrived at the foot of Ravenhill and rendezvoused with Thorin.
"Charge!"
At Thorin's command, everyone began to climb the mountain.
The Orc guards along the way were no match for these four elite Dwarves; they fought their way to the summit.
But what made them uneasy was that the top of the watchtower was empty; Azog was gone, or rather, he was hiding.
"Where is he?" Kili said, "It looks like no one's here, Azogmight have escaped."
"I wouldn't be so sure," Thorin murmured. As an old adversary, he knew exactly what kind of Orc Azog was: insidious, cunning, vicious, powerful—all the qualities of a villain were fully embodied in him.
But then again, they had come to Ravenhill without any concealment, so Azog must have discovered them long ago. Given his personality, he wouldn't foolishly stay put and fight them fairly to the death.
"Fili, take your brother and search the watchtower.
Be sure to stay hidden, report any findings immediately, and do not act on your own.
Understand?"
"Wait," Aaron quickly stopped the two, "Now we are exposed and the enemy is hidden. It's better not to split up, otherwise we might be defeated one by one."
"More enemies are coming," Dwalin walked over and said, "They're Goblin mercenaries, about a hundred of them."
No sooner had he spoken than the imp-like Goblins charged, shrieking.
"Deal with them first," Thorin said, then drew his sword and charged.
Fili, Kili, and Dwalin were also fearless. If it were a hundred Orcs, they might not be a match, but the Goblins' combat power was so low that they would be ashamed if they couldn't defeat them... Riverrun.
Legolas, riding a white horse, hurried over with Tauriel.
"Gandalf, another enemy force has arrived," Legolas said anxiously, "It's the Gundabad Orcs led by Borg; they're almost here."
"Gundabad?" Gandalf seemed to realize something, "It seems this was planned: Azog ties up our army, and Borglaunches a surprise attack from the north."
"The last straw that breaks the camel's back?" the thought form mused, "However, given the current battle situation, this Orc army is probably not a straw, but a heavy weight.
We are outnumbered, and we just barely gained a slight advantage. With Borg's arrival, the scales of victory will tip back towards the Orcs.
Damn it! Life is unpredictable, like a pig's large intestine wrapped around its small intestine!
No wonder my ancestors said that the battle situation is always changing rapidly. I didn't believe it before, but now I have to."
"The situation isn't that bad yet," Gandalf said calmly, "The Orcs have reinforcements, but so do we."
"Hmm?" Aaron raised an eyebrow, then remembered that Gandalf had said earlier that after Queen Galadriel rescued him from Dol Guldur, he had sent Radagast the Brown Wizard to fetch reinforcements.
Now that the battle had reached this point, and the Orcreinforcements were about to arrive, there was no reason for their reinforcements not to come!
"Gandalf, you truly have foresight. My image of you has immediately grown taller in my mind."
Gandalf's mouth twitched slightly; he just smiled and said nothing.
"North? Where's north?" Bilbo asked, "Tell me."
"Ravenhill," the thought form looked at the sun, which was obscured by dark clouds, "If nothing goes wrong, it's where Azog is."
"Oh no," Bilbo's expression changed dramatically, "Thorin is there, and Fili, Kili, and Dwalin, they're all there."
Hearing that Kili was also at Ravenhill, Tauriel's pupils widened, and her heart instantly clenched.
"It's not just them," the thought form scratched its head, "My main body is there too."
Phew!
Hearing this, neither Bilbo nor Gandalf showed any worry; instead, they breathed a sigh of relief, and even the worry on their faces lessened a bit.
"Hey, hey, hey, what do you mean by that?"
The thought form felt its fragile mind had been dealt a critical blow, leaving it cold and desolate.
"This is the only good news," Gandalf said bluntly, "You being there means Thorin and the others are not in mortal danger. With a bit of luck, it's not impossible for them to escape unscathed."
The thought form:...What kind of people are these, they think too highly of me!
"You're a clone?" Legolas looked at the thought form in surprise, "How did you do it? There's absolutely no difference from the original."
"Talent, mainly my one-in-a-million talent." The thought form proudly lifted its chin, while secretly thinking: It would be a ghost if you could tell the difference.
The thought form was created by the main body splitting half of its magic power. It had flesh and blood and emotions. Let alone you, even a Wizard like Dumbledore, who could step into the rank of Saint Magister at any moment, couldn't tell the difference.
"Can he really guarantee Kili and their safety?" Tauriel asked with some doubt.
"Absolutely," Gandalf said lightly, "I have never seen anyone with a stronger will to survive than him. Since he dares to go, it means he has enough confidence to return safely."
The thought form smiled sheepishly, offering no rebuttal.
The main body's magic power still had at least two thousand points. Apparition, Animagus—any of these was enough to escape. If worst came to worst, it could use a Disillusionment Charm to hide for a while.
If it really came down to it, it could use a Water-Repelling Charm to jump into the icy river. It didn't believe the Orcs would risk freezing to death to fish someone out of the icy river.
"But their situation is still very dangerous," Tauriel said, "We need to find a way to warn them."
"No need," the thought form pointed to its head, "Although I am a clone, I am no third-rate one. I can communicate with the main body at any time.
The news that Borg will attack from the north has already been relayed to him, and Thorin and the others will know."
"Well done," Gandalf praised.
"Uh... should we go and support them?" Bilbo said with some concern, "It's not that I'm being a spoilsport, I wouldn't worry about anyone else, but... he's Thorin!"
Hearing this, Gandalf gasped, feeling an inexplicable toothache.
He had actually forgotten about this; Bilbo's worry was not unfounded.
Thorin's grandfather and father had both died at Azog's hands. As the saying goes, when enemies meet, their eyes turn red with fury. Even if he knew Ravenhill was a trap, seeing Azog would inevitably make him lose his rationality.
In a fit of passion, it was not impossible for him to stay there and fight Azog to the death.
"Aaron, can you stop him?"
"What do you think?" the thought form rolled its eyes, "You know Thorin's stubbornness. I can only say I'll do my best.
But if he really doesn't listen, I'll just knock him out and carry him back."
Hearing this, the others looked at each other, but were speechless.
This approach was somewhat unprincipled, but there seemed to be no better way... Ravenhill.
Having just dealt with a group of Goblin mercenaries, Aaronreceived a message from the thought form, and his brows furrowed tightly, "Thorin, my clone sent a message that Borgis leading a force of Gundabad Orcs this way. We must leave here immediately."
"We almost had him!" Dwalin said angrily, "That filthy Orc is right here, we should continue."
"No, that would be falling right into his trap," Thorin said calmly, "This is Azog's snare, a terrible trap."
Aaron was a little surprised, but more so delighted.
Thorin Oakenshield had changed his ways! This meant he wouldn't have to waste his breath.
Thorin looked at the top of the watchtower with some regret, then reluctantly gave the order to retreat.
However, no sooner had they mounted their goats than Azog, hidden in the shadows, could no longer restrain himself.
Thorin wanted to kill him, and he, in turn, wanted to kill Thorin!
In the past, Thorin Oakenshield was just a down-and-out Dwarf prince, yet he repeatedly escaped death from the Orcs' pursuit. But now he had obtained the arkenstone and was the rightful Dwarf King.
Even if the Orcs won this war and occupied the Lonely Mountain, as long as Thorin was alive, he could unite the Dwarf clans, and then it would be as difficult as ascending to heaven to kill him.
"Thorin Oakenshield," Azog called Thorin's name and walked out of the watchtower, "Is the esteemed Dwarf King going to slink away like a coward?"
"What the hell do you know? This is called 'where there's life, there's hope'," Aaron said casually, "Don't think we don't know that Borg is bringing the Gundabad Orcs. Once this place is surrounded, we won't be able to leave even if we want to."
"That's right, Azog," Thorin sneered, "You're lucky today; you've saved your life, but you won't be so lucky next time."
Having said that, Thorin prepared to lead his people away.
"Thrain," Azog mockingly uttered Thorin's father's name, "The scene of that Dwarf being killed by me was truly delightful. The fear in his eyes is still fresh in my memory.
Oh, and your grandfather, what was his name again?
Thror, your King had his head personally cut off by me and was thrown on the ground like trash.
Two generations of Dwarf Kings died by my hand. It's understandable for the third generation Dwarf King to be afraid, and for a descendant of Durin to want to be a coward!"
Damn it!
Aaron secretly groaned. Azog was too vicious.
This move not only brought up the family feud and national hatred, but also trampled on their self-esteem repeatedly. No one could endure that.
"Thorin, calm down, calm down, you must calm down."
"I can't calm down." Thorin's hand, gripping the reins, involuntarily tightened. The next second, he dismounted from the goat's back, "Today, I must kill him."
"We can't calm down either," Dwalin said furiously, "The Dwarf King has been insulted; we cannot pretend we didn't hear anything."
Fili and Kili nodded in succession, standing beside Thorin.
Aaron:...Motherf*cker! Why are you three joining in the fun?