Chapter 61: Bewitchment

[Reputation with Misty Mountain Orcs: -1000]

Current Standing: -3456 (Nemesis)

Thud.

The Goblin King collapsed with a heavy crash, dead before the flames of battle could even catch in his eyes. His health bar had vanished in an instant.

The moment he died, the word Nemesis on Eric's system interface turned blood-red, as if it had been forcibly activated.

"He's dead! The King is dead!"

A lone goblin screeched, and panic rippled like wildfire. Cries of grief rose, confused shrieks followed, and some, in desperation, surged forward, weapons in hand, perhaps hoping a little violence might smother their fear.

But it was pointless.

"Now! While they're in chaos-run!" Gandalf's voice cut through the uproar like lightning, as he led the way down a winding path.

Eric raised his sword and forced back a few frenzied goblins, retreating step by step.

Yet, the goblins recovered from their confusion faster than expected. The weight of reality settled on them: their king truly was gone. A chilling silence replaced their panic, and hundreds of sharp, green eyes turned toward Eric and his companions.

They came all at once.

Eric looked up. The stone walls, wooden bridges, even the cavern ceiling itself-were crawling with goblins. They spilled from cracks and shadows like a swarm, filling every crevice with their rage.

"If we get swarmed here, we're finished," Eric said grimly. "This place is too open-I can't hold them off!"

He quickly pulled out a pickaxe and began digging into the cavern wall-chunk, chunk, chunk-stone flew as he carved out a tunnel and placed blocks behind him to seal off the path.

"In here! Quick! We'll mine our way out!"

"Wait! Don't jump in!"

Gandalf yanked a dwarf back just in time and turned to Eric. "There are thirteen dwarves, lad. Time's not on our side."

"I saw light up ahead-that has to be the back exit! Follow me!" Gandalf barked. "And move fast. Goblins won't dare enter the sunlight!"

"Run!" he bellowed again and dashed forward, surprisingly nimble for someone his age.

Eric reluctantly stowed the pickaxe and followed, eyes darting about for danger-and for one missing hobbit.

He hadn't seen Bilbo at all during the chaos. Where was he?

BOOM!

A crack of thunder echoed through the caverns. Gandalf, pressed by the goblin blockade, unleashed another blast of lightning. It wasn't as dramatic as before, but it got the job done-just enough to clear a path.

As they pushed forward, the cave grew brighter. The sound of wind drifted in, and sunlight shimmered faintly ahead.

The exit.

One by one, the dwarves scrambled into the open. Gandalf followed, his robe flapping wildly behind him.

Eric hesitated at the threshold. He scanned the dark recesses of the cave again-nothing.

Still no sign of Bilbo.

Then he turned and sprinted into the daylight.

FWOOOSH-

Sunlight stabbed at their eyes like golden needles. Blinded, gasping for air, none of them stopped. They kept running until the forest welcomed them with its shade and silence.

"One, two… thirteen," Gandalf panted, counting each dwarf.

"Wait… where's Bilbo?"

He froze, eyes scanning the treeline.

—

Earlier.

Bilbo had followed Gollum all the way to the back exit. He could see the light now, not far away. But the creature had stopped at the mouth of the tunnel, blocking the way out.

And though Gollum didn't have the strength to hold it, he wasn't leaving it unguarded either.

But the moment Gandalf's group approached, Gollum yelped and vanished behind a rock, trembling and hiding his oversized eyes.

Bilbo saw them pass.

He opened his mouth to call for help-but they were already gone.

Gollum, watching them leave, exhaled a sigh of relief and slithered out again, grumbling and searching for his "precious thief."

Bilbo backed deeper into the tunnel.

Then-tap tap tap.

Someone was coming back.

A tall figure appeared at the cave mouth, casting a long shadow.

Gollum squeaked and curled into a ball behind a stone.

Bilbo's heart leapt. For a moment, he thought their eyes had met.

He almost shouted.

"Wa-"

But the figure turned and left.

Another chance missed.

Bilbo sighed and drew his short sword. He turned his gaze to Gollum, still sniffing and murmuring in the dark.

He could end it now.

Just one stroke. One clean stroke. The creature who'd tried to kill him would be dead.

But then Gandalf's voice echoed in his mind:

"True courage is not about knowing when to kill, but knowing when to spare."

He stared into Gollum's wide, pitiful eyes.

Then shook his head.

He shoved Gollum over with a well-aimed kick and bolted into the sunlight.

"You thieving little sneak!" Gollum screeched after him.

Bilbo didn't look back. He raced through the forest, following the trail of his companions.

—

"No need to search," Thorin said grimly to Gandalf. "He's probably abandoned us. Gone home."

"No," said a familiar voice behind them.

Bilbo stepped from the trees.

"Bilbo…" Gandalf's face lit up with a rare smile. "I can't remember the last time I was so glad to see someone."

"How did you escape?" a dwarf asked.

Bilbo hesitated. His hand slipped into his pocket, fingers curling around something cold and smooth.

The Ring.

Should he tell them?

But… why did the thought of parting with it make him feel so uneasy?

It wasn't even his. Just a trinket with a bit of magic.

He drew a breath.

"Does it matter?" Gandalf interrupted, clapping him on the back. "He's here."

"Of course it matters," Thorin stepped forward, eyeing the hobbit. "I want to know-why did you come back?"

Bilbo met his gaze.

"I know you've doubted me, and you're right. I did want to go home. I miss my garden, my armchair, my kettle by the fire. That's my home. And you don't have that. You don't have a home."

He looked around at them all.

"So I'll help you take yours back."

The dwarves fell silent.

Gandalf's expression softened.

Eric clapped Bilbo on the shoulder.

Then he frowned.

There was something in Bilbo's pocket. It glinted faintly, just enough to catch Eric's eye through the fabric.

The One Ring.

For a heartbeat, Eric felt something stir inside him. A burning urge to take it.

[Status: Bewitched – 3 seconds]

As soon as Eric noticed the status effect, it vanished.

[New Stat: Corruption – 0%]

A new bar appeared on his interface.

"…Eric? What are you doing?"

Everyone stared at him.

He was holding a massive iron bucket and downing milk straight from it like a man possessed.

Where did he even get that?

"Just… thirsty," he said, wiping his mouth and burping.

Even as he drowned himself in dairy, the Corruption bar remained stubbornly fixed in place, like a shadow that had settled in.

That Ring was trouble.

He looked away from it.

The faint glow vanished.

—

Elsewhere, not far from the back gate of the orc fortress…

High on a ridge, Azog the Defiler bared his teeth at the goblin messenger, listening to the report of the carnage below.

The dwarves had escaped.

And the Goblin king-slain.

"After them!" he roared.

Awooooo!

Wolf howls echoed across the hills.

Gandalf looked up sharply. A white figure loomed in the distance, riding at the head of a pack of wargs and orcs.

Hundreds of them.

"Run!" Gandalf shouted.

They'd barely caught their breath before they were sprinting again, crashing through the trees to escape the howls behind them.

"Is it too much to ask for one peaceful moment?" Eric muttered, turning on his heel as the dwarves rushed past.

He drew his sword. The blade gleamed under the sunset sky.

The wargs came, howling like a tide of fangs and fur, rushing down the slope in waves.

But one wave broke.

Right where Eric stood.

They struck something immovable.

His golden apple's shield had worn off, but his enchanted armor remained. A few wargs tried biting-and immediately regretted it.

Eric could take dozens of hits-but every time he struck back, it left behind a smoldering corpse.

Azog noticed the disturbance.

"Keep chasing the dwarves," he growled to his horde. "I'll deal with him."

And the white orc turned toward Eric, blade in hand.