Chapter 39: Combat and Exhortation

Since they had decided to eliminate these three Trolls, the group immediately seized the time and arrived near the entrance of the cave.

The members of the Expedition had not prepared any traps or the like, because there was too little time left for them, and they could not make too much noise, lest they alert the three fellows inside the cave.

Even the fire attack that Allen particularly favored could not be used; for one thing, this forest was full of dead wood, and if a forest fire were ignited, there would be no way to bring it under control.

On the other hand, Allen felt that smoke and burning would not necessarily cause enough lethal damage to the Trolls in an instant, and if it caused the three of them to go berserk, it would be too dangerous.

So, everyone just hastily prepared a bonfire not far from the cave entrance, which would be enough to provide sufficient illumination for the group during the fight.

As everyone waited, it wasn't long before the sky turned completely dark; the members of the Expedition knew the Trolls were about to wake up, so they gripped their weapons, hid themselves, and prepared for battle.

As for the Hobbits, who lacked combat capability, they watched the horses from a distance, lest some of the lovely horses be frightened away by the sounds of the fighting.

Allen was not at all worried about the outcome of this battle; besides having himself, an Archer, in the team, Gandalf the Wizard as well as Thorin Oakenshield and his Dwarf companions also gave Allen great confidence.

Dwarves are a race that produces many warriors; don't look at their stature, which is generally around 1.5 meters, but they have great strength, excellent endurance, and are flexible enough in close-quarters movements. Most importantly, they can take a beating and possess loyalty and morale that match their durability.

The performance of these fellows on the battlefield is far beyond what ordinary Humans can compare to.

Besides that, the combat power displayed by these three stone Trolls in the movie was simply too pathetic; Allen felt they were both stupid and clumsy, posing no great threat.

Soon, the sky turned completely dark; twinkling stars appeared in the sky, and the moon, emitting a soft glow, also quietly climbed into mid-air.

At this moment, it gradually became lively inside the Troll cave, and a shrill voice came out from the cave.

"William, what are we eating today? Are we still eating mutton? I'm sick of it; can we change the flavor today? I want to eat something fresh, juicy meat."

Responding to him was a loud, oppressive voice.

"Shut up, Tom. You should be grateful that there is mutton to eat. You should be saying, 'Thank you, William, thank you for finding us food every day.'"

Following this was a "thud" of a strike, and that voice continued to ring out.

"Instead of complaining every day that this doesn't taste good or that doesn't taste good. If you have the ability, go get it yourself."

Immediately after came a muffled voice.

"Alright, at least there's something to eat. Mutton is not bad; at least it's better than that scrawny farmer from last time. He had nothing but bones on him, no meat at all."

The ones making these sounds must be Tom, William, and Bert, who lived in the Trollshaws.

It was clear that these three fellows had not noticed anything unusual and were still fretting over the menu for the evening, even though they had mutton to eat every day, they were actually complaining about it.

However, they would soon no longer need to worry about what to eat, because Allen would not let them live past tonight.

The noisy sounds of the Trolls grew closer and closer to the cave entrance, until a round head appeared at the opening.

Perhaps it was because these three Trolls lived such an overly comfortable life in this forest.

Or perhaps, in their minds, they really couldn't hold anything other than eating.

Having walked out of the cave, they did not notice anything unusual; even the bonfire was not far from them, but they did not pay it any mind.

At this moment, a brilliant white light exploded before the eyes of the three Trolls; it was a piece of Magic that Gandalf had prepared for a long time.

This white light not only caused a blinding effect on the three Trolls, but the power contained within it also stunned these three fellows at the cave entrance.

And this white light would not have any negative effects on the Humans and Dwarves. Allen seized this opportunity, and the moment the white light fell, he shot an arrow into the head of the last Troll.

After being hit, the Troll let out a painful roar, then staggered back two steps, and with Allen's arrow, rolled back into the cave.

At this time, a burning torch was thrown from the hand of Gloin, accurately landing in the bonfire, igniting the Fire Oil sprinkled on the branches, and dispelling the surrounding darkness.

The other Dwarves rushed out from their hiding places one after another, swinging their weapons vigorously and striking hard at the two stunned Trolls.

Allen stood on a giant rock, drawing his Rune Bow to its full extent, keeping a close eye on the battle in the field, searching for an opportunity to deal a heavy blow to the Trolls.

By now, the Trolls had reacted; they waved their thick arms to attack the Dwarves, and they were constantly observing the direction of Allen.

Once they discovered something wrong, they would use their thick arms to block, and by this method, they had already intercepted several arrows shot by Allen.

Even though these arrows had pierced their thick arms, it did not hinder their attacks on the Dwarves in the slightest; the attacks remained powerful and heavy.

Moreover, while being besieged by the Dwarves, these Trolls still had time to casually pick up debris and throw it toward Allen's position, forcing Allen to jump off the giant rock.

After all, Allen did not have the physique of a Dwarf; being hit once might result in broken bones and tendons.

In a short time, the scene changed from a one-sided beating by the Dwarves to a brawl between the Dwarves and the Trolls.

Trolls are creatures with huge bodies, thick skin, and flesh, and parts of their bodies are covered in dark green scales.

Furthermore, the food these three fellows had here was excellent, and they were well-fed and sturdy, which made them overly durable right now.

Allen speculated that the pain receptors of this creature were likely very dull, allowing them to recover quickly from continuous strikes.

Having no other choice, Allen could only continuously change his position in the hidden area, hiding himself, quietly observing the battle in the field, and continuing to look for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to the enemy.

Soon, such an opportunity appeared before Allen's eyes. A Troll was holding a wooden club he had picked up, preparing to attack Dwalin near him. On his raised head, a pair of eyes revealed a cruel look, and his large nostrils were facing Allen.

It was clear that these low-intelligence fellows had forgotten the threat Allen had once posed to them in a short period of time.

Allen would certainly not let this opportunity slip by. Always prepared, as this Troll raised his head, he shot an arrow toward the position of his nostrils. Under the powerful kinetic energy of the Rune Bow, the arrow, from tip to tail, was deeply embedded inside.

This blow directly interrupted all the actions of this Troll; he threw away the stick in his hand, covered his nose with both hands, and a painful whimper came from his mouth.

Dwalin, who was preparing to attack this Troll from the side, keenly grasped this opportunity.

He raised the Axe-hammer in his hand and slashed fiercely at the Troll's sole.

This blow directly severed half of the Troll's foot, and such an injury caused this fellow to collapse onto the ground.

Thorin Oakenshield, who had been prepared for a long time, flew to the back of the Troll and thrust his Longsword deep into his head along the gap in the Troll's skull, ending his sinful life.

At this moment, the Troll who had previously rolled into the cave, to Allen's surprise, crawled back out of the cave in a daze.

And the Noldor Rune Arrow that had hit him earlier was still wobbling, stuck in his head.

Allen could not imagine why this fellow had not died; could it be because this fellow's brain was exceptionally small?

Regardless, Allen locked onto him again.

He saw this Troll staring with a pair of particularly large eyes, his face twisted, standing at the cave entrance, preparing to step forward to help his companion.

A Noldor Rune Arrow flew toward his eyes in the air like a bolt of lightning, rapidly enlarging in his pupils, and then deeply piercing into them.

After receiving such a fatal blow, the Troll let out a painful wail and rolled back into the cave once more.

At this time on the battlefield, only the last Troll remained. Although he resisted desperately, charging and swinging, he was nothing more than a trapped beast, and soon, under the repeated strikes of the Humans and Dwarves, he fell.

The battle finally ended.

After this came the happy time for looting; although they had an extreme desire for wealth, the Dwarves were still quite cautious.

They pulled torches from the fire and threw them into the pitch-black cave.

This firelight not only illuminated the Trolls lying motionless on the ground but also made the surrounding gold coins glitter; that radiance reflected on the stone walls of the cave, looking exceptionally alluring.

Amidst bursts of cheers, these Dwarves rushed into the cave and, with the help of the firelight, happily packed the gold and silver treasures into chests.

Allen did not pay attention to those ordinary treasures, but instead held a torch and searched everywhere in the cave until he found that Orc-cleaver, Orcrist.

And following closely behind, Gandalf dug out his future soulmate, Glamdring, also known as Sting.

This two-handed sword henceforth launched his title of "Middle-earth Berserker."

Thorin, who arrived last, did not find any other better weapons; in fact, he was not particularly disappointed, as this Dwarf Prince's prejudice against Elves also made him uninterested in most Elven items.

And Allen had already drawn this famous Elven Longsword, admiring the inscriptions on it under the illumination of the firelight.

After admiring it for a short while, he drew his own Noldor Rune Sword to compare them.

Allen had actually been considering since a long time ago whether he could bring the Rune Magic of Pendor to Middle-earth.

However, most of the magic related to weapon and equipment forging was connected to the Noldor Elves; this was a secret of their race, and Allen could not inquire about it casually.

He prepared to wait until he obtained the method for crafting Rune Equipment, then find Lady Galadriel or Lord Elrond to exchange insights on this aspect.

To see if it could be combined to increase the combat power of his own army, and it could also help the Elves of this world; this was a good thing that killed many birds with one stone.

After finishing the comparison, Allen threw this Orc-cleaver to Thorin Oakenshield; this action made this Dwarf Prince exceptionally surprised, as he did not understand why Allen would do this.

At this moment, Allen spoke up: "You keep it and use it. This is a weapon forged by the Elves of the First Age, and there are not many left in the world. This sword should be a masterpiece among them. I am not too clear on its specific origin; we can wait until I head to Rivendell and find Lord Elrond to confirm it."

And Thorin Oakenshield, who was just drawing the Orc-cleaver to admire it, stopped the movement in his hands after hearing Allen's words.

He looked at Allen with an expressionless face and said: "I did not say I was going to Rivendell, and I have repeated it too many times already: I do not want to get entangled with the Elves, and they will not help us."

Allen nodded, indicating that he knew about this matter; he didn't need to guess to know what Thorin would say next—he had heard too much of it along this journey.

At this time, he looked at Thorin Oakenshield helplessly; his heart was actually very depressed, and this unhappiness was even revealed on his face.

Allen said unhappily: "I don't want to hear about those things between Dwarves and Elves; the things I know far exceed your imagination."

"Sigh~!"

Allen let out a deep sigh and continued to persuade the Dwarf before him.

"Thorin, I think you don't need to go this time; you just need to camp somewhere outside Rivendell and wait for me. Lord Elrond once invited me, and I think this is an opportunity."

Speaking of this, Thorin Oakenshield could not quite keep up with Allen's train of thought.

Allen did not care about this Dwarf Prince's thoughts and continued to state his suggestion.

"That map, you have seen it too; the information on it needs Lord Elrond to decipher, so Rivendell is a must-visit. If you trust me, you can hand the map to me, and I will find Lord Elrond to translate it for you."

When he said this, Gandalf also leaned on his staff and arrived at the side of the two.

And Allen's words did not stop, only the tone of his speech became worse and worse.

"If you don't trust me, then it will require Gandalf and me to talk until our tongues are worn out, trying to persuade Lord Elrond to come out and see you. In short, that map needs to be handed to Lord Elrond for us to obtain all the information. Or do you have any other methods? If you do, propose them immediately."

Thorin Oakenshield had by now grasped Allen's meaning; he actually had no other methods either.

But this Dwarf Prince did not speak, only looking at the Human before him with an increasingly gloomy expression.

Allen looked at Thorin Oakenshield's expression with some helplessness; he had made some mental preparations for the Dwarf's stubbornness, but clearly, it was not enough.

He suppressed the irritation in his heart and continued to persuade: "I only hope that you can consider this expedition more. I don't need you to enter Rivendell; if you trust me and Gandalf, you don't even need to show your face, and this matter can be easily completed."

Allen's words became increasingly urgent.

"Think about it carefully, Thorin. Right now, who knows how many Wolf Riders are searching for us outside? They have even determined our approximate location, and it is only a matter of time before they hunt us down. They are hunting you, not me and Gandalf, nor those Dwarves who responded to your summons, believing that you could lead them to take back their homeland."

"Think more about it, grandson of Thror, future King under the Mountain. You don't even understand the information on the map, yet you recklessly head to the Lonely Mountain. Without that information, the key in your hand is scrap metal. If you can't find where the door is, how can you enter your former home?"

"Tomorrow morning, you can give me your answer. If your choice is no, then I think this expedition clearly has no result, and we might as well break up here and return home with the gold and silver treasures. And you, Thorin Oakenshield, are not worth me abandoning thousands of subjects to travel thousands of miles to help. Think about it carefully, Thorin."

Thorin Oakenshield fell into deep thought amidst this long-winded speech from Allen; he was considered someone among the Dwarves who could listen to advice.

And Allen did not give Thorin Oakenshield a chance to retort.

This Human Ranger turned and walked out of the cave amidst Gandalf's slightly surprised expression to pull out the still-usable Noldor Rune Arrows from the Trolls' corpses.

Actually, when they first stepped onto the journey, the relationship between Thorin Oakenshield and Allen was just so-so, and because of the betting matter, the two were even a bit competitive.

It was only in the later journey that Thorin Oakenshield learned in casual conversation that Allen and Dain were friends.

Taking this as a turning point, the relationship between these two people gradually developed in a positive direction.

Plus, Allen's ability was indeed very high, and he had contributed a lot of strength to the Expedition, especially the battle just now, which Thorin Oakenshield had seen with his own eyes.

This caused this Dwarf Prince's perception of Allen to get better and better.

And at this moment, Allen's long-winded speech made this Dwarf Prince, besides being angry, also fall into deep thought.

At this time, Gandalf dug out an Elven short blade that looked like a dagger from the ground.