Chapter 29: Escape

[General POV]

The members of the expedition team split into two teams after the surprise attack. Thorin, along with the dwarves, formed one group, demonstrating their agility and coordination as they were led by their king.

The other group consisted of Aldril and Gandalf. Both, with their great skills, were like lightning and thunder, complementing each other; while Aldril used his two swords that glowed with pleasure as he slayed the orcs, Gandalf showed off his combat expertise, using his sword and staff, slaying the orcs quite easily.

"Slash, slash, splash."

The wargs were dropping like flies despite the group's constant fatigue. The orc leader, furious at seeing them being slaughtered, pulled out his horn and blared it into the dark night, calling for reinforcements in hopes of turning the tide of the battle.

"Auuuuu!!!", "Auuuuu!!!", "Auuuuu!!!".

The howls echoed in the distance. The orc leader, hearing the wonderful sound of the howls, flashed a cruel smile and signaled the remaining wargs to continue attacking the group.

"Kill them all!"

The orcs, mounted on the wargs, grinned sadistically at the sight of the group of dwarves breathing heavily and immediately urged their mounts to attack, imagining the scene where they slaughtered the pesky dwarves.

"You're too annoying," Aldril said as he drew his bow and arrow. He fixed his hawk-like gaze on the orc leader. Sensing a piercing stare, the orc turned his gaze to Aldril and gave him a smirk.

"Shiss!!!"

An arrow flew swiftly; the orc's sneer froze as he felt an object lodged in his head and, with a thud, fell from his mount.

The warg, oblivious to what happened to his rider, charged towards the pair of Aldril and Gandalf. The others, seeing their leader fall, roared with rage and charged with more fervor, shouting aloud, "Kill them!"

At the impending attack, the dwarves tensed, but did not falter. Even Bilbo, though his heart was pounding, showed his courage. He clenched his sword tightly, which glowed with a dark blue light, eager to slay more orcs. His hands, though small in comparison to those of the dwarves, did not tremble, and his gaze reflected resolve.

"Do not falter," Thorin shouted as he braced himself against the impending attack.

After a few seconds that seemed eternal, the wargs clashed fiercely with the dwarves. The clash was like thunder, echoing through the night.

However, the dwarves stood their ground under the leadership of Thorin Oakenshield. Each dwarf fought hard; axes and hammers flashed under the moon, felling the beasts that rushed against them. The wargs, though fierce, could do little.

Aldril, like a skilled archer, positioned himself at the rear of the group as he slew the incoming wargs, thinning their numbers and balancing the battlefield.

"Head down, Bilbo!" shouted Aldril. Bilbo, without hesitation, ducked nimbly, allowing Aldril to get a sure shot at the warg that fell after the arrow embedded itself in its eye. The orc riding it fell heavily, only to be quickly killed by a slash from Bilbo.

Bilbo performance surprised Aldril. Nowhere to be seen was the fearful hobbit of a month ago; now only a brave hobbit unafraid of adversity. Although unexpected, Bilbo's change was welcome.

On the other hand, Gandalf, with his combat experience, recognized the value of having such an accurate archer, so he positioned himself at Aldril's side, protecting him from the wargs that came too close.

Aldril, with his bow, was firing arrows that were cutting through the air with precision, knocking down enemies and protecting the dwarves' backs.

However, in the midst of the frenzy, a warg managed to sneak up behind Aldril's back. With a ferocious snarl, the beast lunged at him, its jaws open and its claws ready to tear.

In an instant, Gandalf acted. With a deft demonstration of his magic, he raised his staff and muttered an ancient word of power.

A white flash, bright as lightning, shot from the tip of the staff and struck the warg squarely, crashing it into a tree. The creature fell to the ground, motionless, as the glow of the spell faded into darkness.

"I owe you one, Gandalf," Aldril said, barely turning to see what had happened. He was prepared to react to the attack, but Gandalf acted first, so he didn't think much of it and kept firing.

"You owe me many," Gandalf retorted, as he slashed at an incoming orc with his sword. Aldril lethal accuracy and Gandalf's magical protection formed a fearsome duo for the orcs.

In just a few minutes, almost all of the remaining wargs were decimated by the group's combined attack. Normally, faced with such situations, the orcs would run away in fright.

"Auuuuu!!!"

Therein lay the reason they didn't run away: they were waiting for reinforcements.

Hearing the howls getting closer and closer, Thorin's face contracted and, anxiously, he shouted, "Kill them before their reinforcements arrive!!!"

At Thorin's command, the dwarves charged and quickly killed the remaining orcs. Aldril accuracy sped up this process, so that only a few seconds later none of the remaining orcs were alive. Turning around, Thorin hurried the group, "Let's go, Orc reinforcements to arrive will be here soon!!!"

Quickly, they all ran into the depths of the forest.

"Hurry, go faster!" urged Thorin. He knew they were all tired, but what else could he do? The group barely withstood this attack.

As he ran, Aldril looked anxiously for Shadow Star; he feared something had happened to him, but, as if on cue, Aldril caught a glimpse of Shadow Star with the other horses following him as he ran towards the group.

"There!!! To the horses, quick!!!" shouted Aldril, pointing to the horses led by Shadow Star. The group, hearing Aldril shout, turned quickly in the direction he pointed and silently thanked their lucky stars.

the horses, led by the majestic Shadow Star, were approaching with great speed.

With renewed vigor, the dwarves raced toward the horses. Bilbo, though panting, kept up the pace. The little hobbit could not help a smile of relief at the sight of the incoming horses and his pony.

Shadow Star whinnied at the sight of Aldril, and as if understanding the urgency of the situation, stopped just long enough for her owner to mount.

"You're the best you know that?" Aldril said to Shadow Star, who whinnied with pleasure but urging him to hurry.

The other horses followed suit, allowing each member of the group to quickly climb onto their mounts.

"Come on, quickly!" urged Thorin, his voice steady despite the weariness evident on his face.

The group, now mounted, began to advance rapidly into the forest. They knew that orc reinforcements were not far away and that every second counted.

Riding swiftly to Thorin side Gandalf gave him a meaningful glance. Thorin, understanding Gandalf look, nodded reluctantly, he may not like Elves, but right now he must put aside his prejudices and think of the welfare of all.

"Lead the way" Thorin said to Gandalf, who hurriedly stood in front of everyone and shouted.

"Follow me!!!"

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Disgusting orcs! Here is your chapter of the day. I've realized that you all enjoy it when I speak to you like this, haha. Remember that you can support me on Patreon, where you can find 10 advanced chapters. Don't forget to leave a review, and if you find a spelling mistake, don't hesitate to let me know.

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