Chapter 14: The way forward

[Bag End- dining room]

As he confidently declared that he would defeat Smaug, Aldril's hair took on a small glow, as if the dark night was illuminated by many stars.

This was all in a small fraction of a second and hardly anyone noticed, except for Gandalf, who looked with a deep gaze at Aldril.

"That's the spirit."

"So spoken."

"Yes, there is no need to be afraid of the dragon."

At Aldril's confidence, the opinion of the dwarves was divided in two: the young dwarves like Kili and Fili, who are passionate, impulsive and seem to fear nothing; then there are the dwarves like Balin, who were more experienced and had lived through the tragedy of Smaug's attack, so they were more cautious.

"The boy may be capable, but I doubt it of you; thinking yourselves invincible is not bravery, it's just stupidity!" Balin said, chiding Kili and Fili, who were eager to face Smaug.

"Hey, who are you calling stupid?"

"I'm talking about you guys!"

"We're not stupid!"

"Yes! The only stupid one here is Dwalin."

"What did you say, you idiot!"

Seeing the two dwarves with opposing views arguing louder and louder, a possible conflict was about to happen, and if someone didn't put a stop to it, the dwarves would surely start a fight. Looking at Thorin's increasingly angry face, Aldril silently moved his chair back a little, only to bump into Gandalf, who had also done the same.

It was at that moment that Thorin stood up as he slammed his hand on the table. "Enough!" he exclaimed, causing all the dwarves who had already risen to sit back down and lower their heads as if they had been scolded.

"If we could interpret those signs, don't you think others could as well?" said Thorin as he looked at each of the dwarves with a serious look.

"Rumors are spreading, the dragon Smaug has not appeared in sixty years. There are those who look to the eastern mountain, judging, thinking, gauging the danger. Perhaps the great treasure of our people is now unprotected."

"Shall we do nothing while others seize what belongs to us! Or shall we seize this chance to take back Erebor!"

Thorin's strong words motivated the dwarves, causing them to put aside their divided opinions. For that very reason, they rose up and wholeheartedly supported their king.

But even though the dwarves were motivated, one in particular thought with a cool head and made a comment that silenced the already excited dwarves.

"Did you forget that the gate is locked? There is no entrance to the mountain," Balin said with a sad tone while shaking his head. Not that he wanted to throw cold water on his motivation, he was just talking about the expedition's biggest problem.

Erebor is a underground city inside the mountain, the ancient kingdom of the dwarves now lay empty, its main gate sealed by the fierce attack of the dragon Smaug.

If they did not manage to open the impenetrable defenses that guarded the entrance, all the efforts of the expedition would be in vain.

After Balin finished speaking, Thorin bent his head in thought; certainly, that was the biggest problem they would face.

While Thorin was thinking and the other dwarves were silent, Aldril saw Gandalf rise from his bench and in a low voice speak.

"That, my dear Balin, is not quite true." At that moment, they all saw Gandalf pull out a key, long as a grown man's forefinger and thick as a thumb.

"How did you get that?" Thorin looked at the key in Gandalf's hand and muttered. "I received it from your father's hand, Thrain, for safekeeping, and now it shall be yours," Gandalf said, speaking slowly, as he reached out and handed the key to Thorin.

At that moment, Fili saw how Thorin looked at the key as if it were the most beautiful treasure he had ever received. "If there is a key, it means there must be a door," he said in an excited tone.

"You are right," Gandalf nodded as he pointed to some runes on the side of the map and continued, "These runes mention a secret passage to the lower halls."

"There is another entrance," an excited Kili spoke as he put his hand on his brother's shoulder.

At Kili's comment, Gandalf looked up and said, "Yes, if we find it, but the dwarven doors are invisibly locked."

As he tapped his finger lightly on the runes, he continued, "The answer is hidden somewhere on this map and I have not yet been able to find it."

"But others in Middle-earth can. The task I have in mind requires us to remain hidden and have great courage, but if we are careful and skillful, I think we can accomplish it."

"Then that's why we need a thief."

Seeing that his intervention or opinion was not needed, Aldril opened his system, as he was curious as to how much the world exploration had gone up having visited the Shire and met several important people.

"Turum." The sound similar to when you open the menu in the classic Resident Evil game rang out.

[Name: Aldril]

[Race: Human/?]

[Attribute Points: 0]

[Attribute: Strength+; Constitution+; Agility+; Mentality+]

[Skill: Universal Language; Military Survival LV2; Wolf School Style LV1; Archery LV2]

[Talent: Good Fingers (Special Skill)]

[World Exploration: 0.4%]

Looking at the data that appeared in front of him, Aldril was pleasantly surprised to see that World Exploration had increased to 0.4%. The numbers proved that Aldril's guess on how to increase world exploration was correct.

The current progress of world exploration is closely related to the plot characters and all the locations in Middle-earth.

This gave the green light for Aldril, in the future, to explore all that Middle-earth has to offer.

Just as Aldril was reflecting on the places unexplored by the movies and books, an event brought his attention.

Gandalf, who had already sat down, suddenly stood up and, under the light of the fire in the fireplace, his originally tall shadow immediately became extremely large and began to envelop the entire room.

"Enough! I have told you that Bilbo Baggins is a thief and therefore he is one." The seemingly calm voice was extremely loud to the ears of those present.

As soon as the words fell, all the dwarves were shocked. Gandalf has always been said to be a kind wizard, but none of the dwarves imagined that the kind wizard could be so terrifying when he was angry.

Even Thorin was surprised as well; this was the first time he had ever seen an angry wizard and it certainly surprised him.

Aldril, who was originally watching his system, was also surprised by Gandalf's little anger. He immediately dismissed the system in front of him and turned his full attention back to the meeting.

"All hobbits have very nimble feet. What's more, they can pass unnoticed when they want to, and while the dragon knows the scent of dwarves and humans very well, the hobbit's scent will be unknown to him, which gives us a distinct advantage."

"You asked me to find the fourteenth member of the company and I chose Mr. Baggins. He is much more than meets the eye, he has much more to offer than you imagine, even if he does not know it himself," Gandalf said as he looked at Thorin in a serious manner.

"You must trust me this time, Thorin." Gandalf sat back down, and Aldril could see how important a wizard's words could be, for the dwarves he was against were silent.

"Very well, we will do as you say." Thorin looked at Gandalf for a few seconds and being convinced by Gandalf, reluctantly welcomed Bilbo.

At that moment, Thorin turned his gaze to Aldril and in a serious manner said, "Mr. Aldril, from what I heard from Balin, adventurers are rare these days and each one who holds the title of adventurer has accomplished great feats that have been recorded over the years."

"As the fifteenth member of the expedition, I hope and you can help us deal with the dragon."

At Thorin's words, Aldril was silent for a few seconds, then stood up and raised his hand with a clenched fist. "Of course, I'll help you, we have to kill that damn lizard!"

"Now you're talking."

"Fine, let's go get that bastard."

"Yes! Let's show him what we're capable of!"

All the dwarves rose to their feet at Aldril's statement; even Gandalf gave Aldril a look of approval, he knew he was not wrong to bring this adventurer with him.

The one who was most pleased with his statement was Thorin, who immediately looked at Balin.

"Take out the contract, Balin; someone else needs to be added."

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I've been reading the wiki and informing myself about everything related to middle earth and wow, it's too much lore.

Implementing part of the books in my Fic to give more logic to what will happen.

And by the way, someone said that the romance with Taurel is ridiculous, since she only appeared in the movies and I get it, since nothing is mentioned about her, that's why I've taken it upon myself to ask for your vote.

Taurel as a romantic interest or Éowyn with the fact that she is human and sooner or later will die, so take your pick!

And those who have seen the clues, will know why I don't put Arwen.

Anyway, remember to support me on patreon where there are 5 chapters ahead.

"patreon.com/Mrnevercry"