91 - Chaos Conductor

Inside the city, the Great Eagles were all looking for places to land, resting atop the ruins of Dale.

Radagast and Beorn jumped down from the backs of the eagles and rushed toward Gandalf.

"You've arrived."

Gandalf greeted them and then nodded toward the Great Eagles in welcome.

"Judging by the current situation, I suppose I'm not too late," Radagast said.

"You're right, your timing is perfect, both you and Beorn," Gandalf replied.

He invited the two of them up onto the city wall. As they looked out at the stone wall Garrett had recently built at the foot of the distant mountain, Gandalf said, "Our plan just hit a few complications, and now you've come to help, very well-timed indeed."

"That's good to hear."

"But things still don't look very promising," Beorn said.

Although Garrett and his group had successfully reached Ravenhill, the army outside the wall hadn't diminished in the slightest. They were still trying different methods of attack, including the massive boulders flying through the air, which hadn't stopped at all.

A normal wall would have been smashed to rubble by now.

"Trust Garrett. They'll handle it," Gandalf said.

"That Man, hmm..." Beorn muttered. "My wild instincts tell me, if I were his enemy, the wisest choice would be to flee. Perhaps he really is worth trusting."

Then Beohen suddenly seemed to remember something. He turned to Radagast and said, "Didn't you say earlier you had something important to tell Gandalf?"

"Ah, yes!" Radagast slapped his forehead.

"I meant to tell you, Gandalf, I saw an orc army advancing from the northern mountains, heading toward Ravenhill. They're moving toward another entrance on the mountain summit."

"This is troubling," Gandalf said, frowning. "Thorin and the others are in danger."

"What about that Man?"

"He's capable, but he might not be able to protect everyone."

Gandalf began pacing anxiously, but looking at the massive orc army sealed tight below the city walls, there wasn't much he could do at the moment.

"We can go and support them," Beorn offered.

Just then, Bzzz, the orcs' command horn sounded again, and a formation on the left flank began advancing.

Hmm?

Gandalf found something peculiar about their movement.

"Loose!"

But the defenders on the wall weren't about to let the opportunity slip.

Swish.

After a few volleys of arrows and firework bolts, the advancing orc formation was quickly wiped out, none left standing.

Bzzz.

Another order came from the command platform. One unit of orcs began retreating, crashing into the formation behind them. Then the warg riders charged forward, snarling at an empty battlefield. Next came troll units crashing into the wall, disoriented soldiers wandering around, and supply lines grinding to a halt... The battlefield descended into chaos.

"What are they doing?"

Everyone on the wall looked confused.

"I remember there was a hobbit traveling with you, he doesn't seem to be here," Beorn said, glancing around.

"Oh, you mean Bilbo? He's right over..."

"What?"

"Bilbo?"

Gandalf turned and looked at the now-empty edge of the wall.

"Where's Bilbo?!"

He rushed to the soldier he had instructed to watch the hobbit and demanded, "Where did the hobbit I told you to watch go?!"

The soldier lowered his head, pointed toward a direction, and said, "He was right over there."

"Where?!"

"Right..."

"Why is he gone?!"

Bard noticed the disturbance and quickly came over. He grabbed the soldier by the collar, forcing him to lift his head.

Under his eyes were two bruised, swollen rings.

"Alfrid?" Bard frowned.

"Tell me, when exactly did he leave?"

Alfrid stammered, "Sorry, Master Bard, I... I'm not sure."

Gandalf felt a wave of frustration wash over him.

That foolish little creature!

He shut his eyes, took a deep breath, then ran to the edge of the wall and shouted toward the chaotic battlefield.

"You foolish hobbit, get back here!!"

But this cry was destined to be heard only by those nearby.

The hobbit was long gone.

---

Elsewhere, on the far side of Ravenhill, where no one was watching, halfway up the mountain, two light-footed figures leaped among the rocks, steadily climbing higher.

"We need to move faster, Tauriel," Legolas said as he bounded upward.

"I didn't expect the main army to have arrived already, we're a step too late."

"Let's hope the people here are safe."

By the time the two Elves reached the Lonely Mountain, the enemy army was already surrounding the outer wall, cutting off access through the main gate. So they had no choice but to take another path, relying on their exceptional agility and strength to climb up to the watchtower on the mountain ridge.

"Yes... let's hope they're safe," Tauriel said, clutching a small trinket a certain dwarf had once given her. Her climbing speed noticeably increased.

Elves were always sensitive to emotional changes.

Legolas had clearly noticed the change in Tauriel, but he chose silence at this moment, saying nothing.

To him, Tauriel was more of a trusted comrade, someone he could entrust his back to, or perhaps like an elder sister or a very close friend.

Nothing more.

In a way, she had filled a gap in his life, one of lacking familial warmth since childhood.

That was also why, when Thranduil ordered Tauriel's banishment, he chose to leave with her. And now, as he watched Tauriel caught in an emotional vortex she couldn't escape from, he again chose silence, even showing subtle, silent support.

Though he didn't understand it, nor had he ever experienced it, he knew that this was likely what people called love, the most important emotion to an Elf.

"There are fell beasts..."

Halfway up the mountain, he suddenly grabbed the claw of a giant fell beast, letting it carry him into the sky.

Tauriel, though a bit surprised by this daring move, quickly followed suit, grabbing onto another fell beast and soaring after him.

Only Elves could pull off something like this, any other race would have crashed on the spot.

Before long, the two had flown to the summit of Ravenhill.

Finding a good landing spot, Legolas drew a dagger and stabbed it into the fell beast's neck, ending the one-way flight.

Bzzzz.

The orc horn sounded. Signal flags were raised.

"This isn't good, they've begun their assault!"

Tauriel had just landed. She looked up and said, "There, that's their command post."

Legolas looked in the direction she pointed. He stepped forward, drew his longbow, ready for battle.

"Let's see who their commander is."

With no orcs nearby, this was the perfect chance for a decapitation strike.

"I see him... It's Garrett!"

"??"

Legolas's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Garrett?"

Click click click.

At that moment, Garrett was still frantically pulling levers, randomly signaling with flags, clearly having the time of his life.

"That's enough! Stop it right now!!"

A furious roar rang out from behind a tower, it was Azog, finally losing his patience and revealing himself.

Of course, he had a reason for coming out.

Behind him, a massive, disciplined army of orcs from Mount Gundabad advanced in formation. They stepped over rubble and ruins and assembled in perfect order at Azog's sides.

The horde was so vast it stretched beyond the horizon, no smaller than the army at the foot of the mountain. They had entered from another northern path leading into Ravenhill.

In just moments, the entire mountain ridge was overrun, not a single empty space left.

This was Azog's confidence in finally facing Garrett head-on.

In truth, if not for the arrival of this massive army, he might have waited even longer.

"Now, let me see how capable you really are!"

Azog raised his mace and pointed it straight at Garrett, completely ignoring Thorin, who stood nearby.

"Prepare for battle!" Thorin instructed the dwarves behind him in a low voice, gripping his sword tightly.

"Garrett... if I don't make it back, please tell Bilbo for me, he is a truly worthy warrior, and always will be a friend I'm proud of."

"You didn't say that before. Remember? You were the first one who didn't want him to join the expedition."

Thorin just shook his head and said no more.

Garrett added, "My suggestion is: if you have something to say, tell him yourself. I'm not your messenger."