Chapter 51: First Blood in the Lone-lands

In the morning, the company began to stir, packing their belongings and preparing to set off once more. "Where's Gandalf? Has he not woken up yet?" one of the Dwarves suddenly asked. "And Kael, he's not here either!" Bilbo added, noticing that another member was missing. At this, the others realized they hadn't seen Gandalf or Kael at all that morning. Thorin's brow furrowed in confusion. He gave an order to the other Dwarves, "Go and look for them. See where they are. It's getting late; we must be on our way." Before the Dwarves could scatter to search, the fireplace in the great hall suddenly roared to life, erupting in a column of emerald green flames. Gandalf stepped out of the fire, saw the assembled company, and greeted them with a smile. "Good morning, everyone!" Immediately after, Kael emerged from the hearth as well. He was carrying a bundle of goods and announced, "Ah, you're all here. Perfect timing! Come and have breakfast. I've brought fresh bread and sausages, still warm." The entire company stared, utterly astonished, at Gandalf and Kael who had just appeared from the flames. Thorin strode forward, eyeing them with suspicion. His gaze fell upon the steaming bread in Kael's hands. "Where have you been?" he demanded. Gandalf chuckled. "We grew a bit restless, so Kael and I popped over to The Prancing Pony for a drink. We figured we'd bring back some breakfast for you all on our way back." To the Prancing Pony? The company was stunned. The journey from The Prancing Pony to their current location was a trek of several days. How had they managed it? Connecting this to their dramatic entrance from the fire, the group quickly deduced that some form of magic was involved. They looked at Gandalf and Kael with expressions of pure envy. Thorin, however, was thinking on a deeper level. He looked at Kael and Gandalf with a burning intensity in his eyes. "If you can use magic to travel to The Prancing Pony," he asked, "can you not take us directly to the Lonely Mountain?" Kael shook his head. "Magical transportation has its conditions. Two fireplaces must be linked first to travel between them. The Lonely Mountain has no designated connection point, so we can't travel there directly." Thorin's face fell with disappointment. His every thought was consumed by the desire to reach the Lonely Mountain and reclaim his homeland from the dragon. After everyone finished the breakfast Kael brought from Bree, they didn't delay further and set off again. Before leaving, Kael sealed the tower entrance with Transfiguration, then cast the newly learned Muggle-Repelling Charm and a Confundus Charm on the surrounding area. Only then did he feel at ease to leave with the others. For the next part of the journey, the company needed to cross a vast, desolate wilderness, pass over the Last Bridge on the Hoarwell River, and then go through the Trollshaws to reach the Misty Mountains, completing half of their expedition. The land between Weathertop and the Last Bridge was an uninhabited wilderness known as the Lone-lands. Few people lived here, except for Rangers who secretly patrolled this wasteland. However, in recent years, with the surge in the number of Orcs in the Misty Mountains, Orc squads often descended the mountains to raid deep into the wilderness. Thus, the originally peaceful wilderness had become a bit more dangerous. The wilderness was immense. The expedition party traveled for a full week and still had not reached the Last Bridge. One night, just as the company had stopped to rest by the roadside, a sudden attack came. Dozens of arrows rained down upon them from the darkness! "To arms!" Gandalf was the first to react. He stood before the others, using his staff as a weapon to swat away a portion of the incoming projectiles. Kael, who had just pulled out his wand to transfigure a tent, reacted in a flash. He whipped his wand around and cast a powerful Transfiguration spell. The incoming arrows transformed mid-air, turning into a shower of harmless flowers that drifted down onto the company. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, their hearts pounding. If those arrows had found their mark, they would have been grievously wounded, if not killed. "Brilliant work, Kael!" the Dwarves cheered as they recovered from the shock. They immediately grabbed their weapons and formed a battle line. Bilbo quickly drew the dagger Kael had given him, his face tense as he chose to stand by Kael's side. As they peered into the distance, a troop of figures emerged from the shadows, at least fifty strong. They were tall and hulking, with hideously twisted faces, protruding fangs, and small, red eyes. They wore tattered leather armor and brandished crude, primitive weapons—bows, axes, and great clubs. A savage, cruel aura radiated from them. Orcs! "It's an Orc pack! Prepare for battle!" Gandalf yelled. Seeing the Orcs, who outnumbered them several times over, the Dwarves showed no fear. Instead, their fighting spirit blazed. Thorin, in particular, stared at the Orcs with a mask of pure loathing and hatred. His grandfather and father had both fallen at the hands of Orcs. Now, seeing his sworn enemies before him, his blood boiled and his hands tightened on the hilt of his longsword. "KILL!" Thorin roared, charging forward to meet the Orcs head-on. The other Dwarves followed close behind, swinging their axes and hammers as they crashed into the Orcish war party. In an instant, the two forces clashed. Though short, the Dwarves were incredibly agile and powerful, fighting with practiced coordination. Gandalf, seemingly infected by the Dwarves' battle lust, transformed into a veritable berserker. He wielded his staff not for magic, but as a brutal club, smashing and bludgeoning Orcs with furious blows. Damn, are they all this ferocious? Kael thought, watching his companions fight like madmen. The sight stirred something in him, and he felt a sudden urge to draw his own blade, Flammifer, and leap into the fray. However, remembering his status as a "squishy mage" with abysmal swordsmanship, he decided to stay put. Besides, he had a small Hobbit to protect. To his surprise, while Bilbo looked nervous, there wasn't a trace of fear on his face. He gripped the dagger tightly, looking ready to fight at a moment's notice. As expected of the protagonist, I suppose? Kael calmly observed the chaotic battlefield, ready to provide support. Perhaps fate couldn't bear to see him standing idle. The Orcs saw that Kael wasn't actively attacking. Five of them broke off from the main fight and charged straight toward him and the "defenseless" Bilbo. "Hah. Do they think I'm some kind of soft target?" Kael let out a cold laugh. He quickly cast a Shield Charm on Bilbo and said, "Stay close to me." With that, he drew Flammifer from his belt. Holding the blade in one hand and his wand in the other, he advanced to meet the charging Orcs. "Petrificus Totalus!" Kael unleashed a powerful Full-Body-Bind Curse. The five charging Orcs instantly froze, their limbs snapping together as they fell to the ground, completely paralyzed. He then raised Flammifer and brought it down with all his might on the nearest Orc. The blade was incredibly sharp, effortlessly cleaving the Orc's head from its shoulders. The body was immediately consumed by the magical fire that erupted from the sword. Kael felt a surge of adrenaline, his senses heightened and his spirit soaring. There was no fear, only exhilaration. In fact, as he lopped off the Orc's head, he felt a strange, dark thrill. No wonder Gandalf likes charging in with a sword so much, he mused. Wielding a sword feels completely different from wielding a wand. While Kael had easily dispatched five Orcs, Gandalf and the Dwarves were not to be outdone. Soon, the Orcish party had lost more than half its number. Seeing that the battle was lost, the remaining Orcs broke ranks and began to flee. The Dwarves had no intention of letting a single one escape. They gave chase, hunting them down until the very last Orc was slain. In this battle, the Dwarves had done the most damage, felling the vast majority of the Orcs themselves, followed by Gandalf and Kaye. But the biggest surprise of all was Bilbo Baggins, who had managed to score a kill of his own. During the chase, Bilbo had thrown the dagger Kael gave him, striking down a fleeing Orc and achieving his first kill. Because of this, the Dwarves looked at Bilbo with newfound respect. They had finally and truly accepted him as one of their own. (End of Chapter) *** [Check Out My Patreon For More Chapters On All Of My Fanfics!!] [www. [email protected]/meowthtl] [+300 Power Stones = +1 Bonus Chapter] [+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter] [Thank You For Your Support!]