Chapter 50: leap of faith

[General POV]

Thorin lay on the ground, the exhaustion from lack of sleep and the chase by the goblins had taken its toll. In this fight with Azog, he had lost due to fatigue, feeling an infinite rage. Would he die at the hands of this filthy orc? No! He wouldn't.

He tried to get up, but his body wouldn't respond. He felt powerless as Azog wielded his prosthetic arm to cut him. With a sigh, he accepted that he would die. However, the pain of being cut never came; instead, he heard the collision of a sword.

He slowly opened his eyes, an astonishing scene lay before him. At some point, Aldril had blocked Azog's attack. He could see Azog's face change from disbelief to shock and, was it fear? This orc was feeling fear. What did he think when he saw Aldril? Had they met before? Many questions arose, but he was too weak to think about them.

He watched as Aldril cut Azog, a deafening scream of pain echoed across the cliff. It was the same scream he gave when his arm was cut off. Certainly, Thorin was very happy inside, hoping Aldril could kill the bastard Azog.

But it seemed his wishes were not fulfilled. He saw Azog's white warg throw itself at Aldril. They fought for a few moments, giving Azog the opportunity to escape 'That bastard will escape again, hide like the damn rat he is!' This was his last thought.

His vision began to darken, exhaustion was taking its toll, and he would soon faint. The last thing he managed to see was Aldril standing in front of him, covering him from some orcs who wanted to take the opportunity to kill him.

"Thank you," was the last thing Thorin could say before fainting. Quickly, all the dwarves ran to cover Thorin's unconscious body.

"Quick, take him to Gandalf, we'll stay covering the front with Aldril!" shouted Balin, giving instructions to Kili and Fili. Both were the youngest and least experienced, he didn't want them to die in this fight.

"Dwalin, Glóin, Nori, help me cover the front with Aldril. The rest of you cover our backs." Everyone agreed without objection. Balin was the most experienced of them all, and if Thorin wasn't present, he would take command. Yes, Gandalf was there, but they didn't trust him completely.

"Shis" Aldril slashed horizontally, cutting an incoming orc. Beside him, Glóin and Dwalin were chopping and embedding their axes into the orcs who kept attacking.

Fortunately, their numbers had been reduced. Many of them left to protect their leader Azog, only a dozen orcs stayed to fight, the stupidest ones, as they only wielded their rusty swords clumsily. It didn't take long for the group to finish off the remaining orcs.

"Ufff," sighing, Aldril leaned against a nearby tree. He needed to take a short break. The movements of Rellana and Malenia wore him out a lot. He needed to adapt to these movements.

"I need a break," sitting next to Aldril, Glóin exclaimed. They had very bad luck; it seemed destiny wanted to put many obstacles in their way to Erebor "Let's hope nothing else happens," he said.

Glóin's words made Aldril give an ironic smile. He knew that saying these words would raise a red flag, so he reminded him "Glóin, you know you just raised a flag, right? Something bad is probably going to happen."

"What are you talking about, Aldril? Of course, nothing bad will happen," dismissing Aldril's concerns with a hand gesture. Glóin was sure nothing bad would happen. They defeated the orcs; what else could attack them?

As if fate wanted to prove it shouldn't be tempted, an avalanche of footsteps was heard at the top of the mountain, and screams echoed.

Aldril recomposed himself and looked into the distance. Using his hawk-eye ability, he could discern many figures running towards them. Their short stature, poor equipment, pale skin, they were clearly goblins running towards them.

Aldril's expression changed immediately. He looked at the sky and discovered that the sunlight had disappeared, now hidden by dark clouds, a prelude to the approaching rain. Aldril alternated glances between the sky and the goblins.

"Damn it, I told you, Glóin, you and your big mouth!" he shouted, drawing everyone's attention. The others were confused. They thought the avalanche of footsteps was the orcs who were escaping, only for Aldril to correct their thoughts when he shouted, "The goblins are coming!"

Originally, Glóin wanted to complain about why Aldril said those words about him, only to be stunned when he heard that the goblins were coming. He understood what Aldril meant.

"Damn it, next time I won't say anything," he murmured as he got up and grabbed his axe. It didn't matter that he was tired, he would fight, even if it ended in his death.

The dwarves chosen by Thorin were well-picked by him, as they were very stubborn, perhaps too much so, but within their stubbornness lay a great strength of will and tenacity, allowing them to face problems without retreating.

Despite not having rested and having fought a battle, they took up their arms, ready to fight against the goblins. This time there was no escape, so they opted to fight and at least die with dignity.

A few minutes passed, and everyone was in formation, ready for the fight. It was then that a loud eagle's roar spread across the sky, drawing everyone's attention, leaving them bewildered.

The eagles began to descend, and Aldril was astounded, as the movies did not do justice to their size. Now, he could behold their full splendor; they were exceedingly enormous, their claws easily capable of holding two wargs and three orcs.

He stopped staring at them and focused, hearing the avalanche of footsteps approaching. He reminded the others to stop looking at the eagles, "They're coming!"

His shout snapped them out of their stupor, and they concentrated on the upcoming battle. Within seconds, many goblins, packed together and without formation, appeared. Their sole objective was to kill those who had slain their king.

Tensing their muscles, everyone waited for the imminent onslaught. It was at that moment that an eagle, with a roar, dove directly at the goblins. Its speed was such that it reached the clustered goblins within seconds, opening its claws and slashing through them.

Many goblins were thrown off the cliff as the eagle pushed them, while others were cut by the eagle's passing claws. This action ignited everyone's morale, who, with renewed vigor, charged at the goblins that managed to escape the eagle's attack.

"Slash" "Clink" "Spish"

The goblins were cut and stabbed, no match for the expedition team who were highly motivated. Soon, more eagles dove down, gradually decimating the goblins who didn't know what to do. They thought they would only face the dwarves and company, never expecting to be attacked by the giant eagles.

Bilbo, in the rear, watched this in fascination. He looked at Gandalf and asked, "Are these the reinforcements you spoke of?"

With a sigh of relief, Gandalf looked at Bilbo and, with a weary smile, nodded, "Of course, they came to help us." He was extremely happy. It seemed the expedition team would not die here. He had believed they were safe after repelling the orcs, but the goblin attack caught him off guard, causing him concern. But now that the eagles had arrived, his worries vanished.

The scene of the eagles attacking the goblins was immensely beautiful in Aldril's eyes. He could see the goblins' will crumbling, some even dropping their weapons and running uphill.

Seeing how the eagles easily defeated them made them doubt continuing the fight. When they saw several eagles grabbing many of them and throwing them off the cliff, they no longer hesitated and began to retreat, running uphill to reach their kingdom and seek refuge there.

"Ahhh! We won!!!"

Seeing the goblins retreat, all the dwarves raised their weapons high and shouted in jubilation. This story would be told to their children and friends, of how they survived the stone giants' attack, the goblins' pursuit, the orc and goblin attack, undoubtedly a very good story.

Watching the goblins flee, Aldril sheathed his swords and sighed in relief. He was utterly exhausted, starting to think the eagles would take too long to arrive, which worried him. But now, seeing them arrive and dissuade the goblins from continuing the attack, he sighed in relief.

The plot had changed for his benefit. Azog was almost killed, and he was quite sure that in the future confrontation, Thorin would have the advantage over Azog.

His rest was interrupted by Gandalf, who looked at everyone and said, "We must go while we can; we don't want anything else to happen, do we? Quickly, Kili, Fili, place Thorin near the cliff, let the eagles carry him. The rest, follow me."

Aldril sighed, stood up from his crouched position, and followed Gandalf. The others also did as Gandalf asked and followed him. However, some whispered as they followed.

"Why is Gandalf leading us to the cliff?"

"Don't be stupid, it's obvious he wants the eagles to carry us."

"Hurry up, stop talking, and follow Gandalf."

The eagles were aware of what Gandalf wanted, so they quickly flew towards the cliff, circling while waiting for the next action the expedition team would take.

When everyone reached the edge, they glanced down and were a bit terrified, seeing that it would be a very long fall. While the others wondered what Gandalf was planning, he looked at Kili and Fili.

"Place Thorin there," he pointed to the edge. Kili and Fili were a bit reluctant; they didn't know what Gandalf had in mind, but knowing he wouldn't harm them, they obeyed and placed the unconscious Thorin on the edge. "Now step back."

With Gandalf's command, both stepped back and watched as an eagle descended slowly, gently grabbing Thorin's body with its claws, then lifting him into the air. This left the dwarves bewildered, watching as Thorin was carried away.

"What do we do now?" asked Dwalin, looking at the others.

"I don't know, maybe ride an eagle?" replied Bofur, distractedly looking at the eagles.

"Thinking about it makes me dizzy," added Bombur, holding his stomach as if about to vomit.

Aldril, standing beside Gandalf, turned to him and, raising an eyebrow, said, "Will the eagles pick us up, or do we have to jump?"

With a smile, Gandalf looked at him. "Guess," Gandalf's answer made Aldril smile. He guessed from Gandalf's smile that they would have to jump off the cliff. Just thinking about jumping and being caught by the eagles made his blood pump.

'It'll be fun,' he thought, 'but why would he make us jump?' To answer his doubts, Aldril said, "Wouldn't it be easier to be picked up from here?"

Aldril's question was answered with a snort from Gandalf. "Maybe, but they've been very rude." With those last words, Gandalf ran to the edge and jumped.

Aldril gave an ironic smile, thinking that the great grey wizard would get back at the dwarves for their bad behavior in this way. Shaking his head, Aldril watched Gandalf jump off the cliff.

Gandalf's action caught everyone's attention, leaving them speechless, their legs trembling. Nervously, Glóin asked aloud, "He won't make us jump off the cliff to be picked up by the eagles, will he?"

His answer was seeing an eagle carrying Gandalf on its back, who, with a mocking smile, shouted, "What are you waiting for?"

All the dwarves looked at each other, reluctant to jump. Even Bilbo began to tremble and, with trembling steps, approached Aldril, nervously and hesitantly asking, "Do we really have to jump?"

Bilbo's question was met with a smile from Aldril. "Come on, Bilbo, don't be a coward. Think about what you'll tell the kids in Hobbiton." With that, Aldril ran, passed by Glóin, and defiantly said, "Come on, Glóin, if you don't jump, you'll change your son's name and give him an elvish one."

With that said, a smiling Aldril jumped off the cliff. He felt the wind hit his face; he felt free. It was a wonderfully exhilarating experience.

He positioned his body to dive headfirst, trying to recreate the iconic scene where Miles Morales falls from a building "A leap of faith," he murmured. Soon after, he was grabbed by an eagle, who then tossed him to another so he could land on its back.

As Aldril fell, Glóin scowled at Aldril's taunt. "I won't change Gimli's name to that of a filthy elf." Determined, he placed his axe on his back and ran to the cliff, jumped, felt the air hit his face, immediately felt fear, but soon relaxed as he was caught by an eagle. Unlike Aldril and Gandalf, the eagle held him in its claws.

"You know what? Screw it all!" Kili shouted, getting psyched up and jumping. Soon, everyone followed, the only one left staring at the cliff was Bilbo, who was pacing back and forth.

"You have to do it, you have to do it, okay, breathe, ufff, ahhhhhhh." Gathering his courage, Bilbo jumped, his small feet kicking in the air. He felt like he would die, but just a few seconds later, he landed on the back of an eagle, who barely felt the hobbit's weight.

The giant eagles flew gracefully through the sky. Some didn't enjoy the journey due to the nausea caused by the heights, while others like Aldril were having a wonderful time. Watching the mountains wrapped in clouds, the bright sky with no clouds around made the view splendid.

Having flown high, the gray clouds were left behind, with only the golden sun indicating it was midday. He felt the whistling wind hitting his face. Wanting to enjoy this sensation, Aldril extended his arms.

Now he understood why in his previous life it was said that in the GOT books, the Targaryens enjoyed flying on their dragons, as it was a magical experience.

He enjoyed this position for a while longer, then put his hands behind his neck and lay back on the warm, fluffy feathers of the eagle. The view of the blue sky brought tranquility to his mind.

"Although I couldn't kill Azog, I did kill many wargs, goblins, orcs, and of course, the alpha warg. I don't know if that will give me many skill points," he murmured while enjoying the beautiful scenery. 'Oh right, there's also the Goblin King' Out of curiosity, he opened his system, specifically the skill points column.

[Attribute points: 13]

He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Those are good points; I'll distribute them later. Right now, I just want to rest." Closing his eyes, Aldril allowed his body to relax. He would train later to get his body used to his new movements and, of course, strengthen his other attributes to make it easier for his body to adapt.

'Maybe increase my sword skill? I'll think about it later.' With that last thought, his body surrendered to relaxation, and within seconds, he fell into Morpheus' arms.

****

How disgusting! Did you see the last chapter of The Rings of Power? My God! How is it possible that orcs have families and fear the coming war because, according to them, "they want a place to settle down and live in peace"? Seriously, brother, even I wouldn't dare to do something so stupid!

"P@treon.com/Mrnevercry"