Chapter 278: The Bravery of the Dwarves, the Pride of the Elves
"Since the King has spoken, I will certainly grant him this favor," Dáin said cheerfully, then ordered the Ironfoot Armyto march towards the city gate.
Aaron let out a heavy sigh of relief and used Apparition to reach the city wall.
Though the process was a bit thrilling, the outcome was good—at least there was no fighting.
Thorin immediately ordered the Dwarves around him to open the city gate, preparing to welcome the Ironfoot Armyinto the city.
But then, a violent, deafening sound came from a distant hillside, attracting everyone's attention.
"It sounds like Earth Serpents," Gandalf's expression changed drastically. "They must be working with the Orcs."
The next moment, several huge and hideous Sand Worms burst out of their tunnels, their mouthparts filled with dense, sharp teeth, crushing hard boulders.
But they did not attack; after a brief appearance, they retreated, leaving several massive holes in the mountainside.
"Gandalf, please don't tell me all our upcoming enemies are this size." Aaron couldn't help but swallow, assuring that if Gandalf dared to say 'yes,' he would immediately flee without a second thought.
"There will certainly be enemies of giant size, but not too many; the main enemy force is still Orcs," Gandalf said, looking at the massive holes, muttering, "And they have already arrived."
"You mean the Orcs will come out of those holes?" Aaronlooked at the holes with some disbelief, his mind also shocked by Azog's tactics, digging tunnels directly to the side of Erebor.
He felt a bit fortunate that the Elves, Men, and Dwarves hadn't fought, otherwise, if the Orcs had seized the opportunity, they could have severely damaged all three parties.
At the same time, he also doubted Azog's intelligence; with the current situation, a little trickery could have made the Elves and Dwarves fight each other. Could it be that the Orcs' bloodlust didn't allow them to reap the benefits of others' conflicts?
"Advance, my army!"
Meanwhile, on Ravenhill in the distance, Azog the Defilerloudly summoned his army; they intended to annihilate the Men, Dwarves, and Elves in one fell swoop.
The massive battle flag unfurled, followed by the resounding blast of a horn, and countless Orc legions surged out of the tunnels dug by the Earth Serpents.
"The devils are coming for us! Fight, fight, sons of Durin!"
Dáin immediately turned his direction and led the Ironfoot Army to meet the enemy; though he disliked the Elves, he knew even more clearly that the Orcs were the true enemy.
The Ironfoot Army was far outnumbered by the Orcs, but they were fearless, quickly forming a shield wall, with spears protruding from its gaps, ready for battle.
"I want to join the fight! Who's with me?" Fili said.
"Alright! Let's go, let's go!" Dwalin roared, and the other Dwarves also agreed.
"No one is allowed to go," Thorin suddenly said.
"What? Are we just going to stand by?" Gloin asked, startled.
"I said, none of you are allowed to go," Thorin emphasized.
The Dwarves were utterly bewildered by these words; they simply couldn't believe Thorin would issue such an order.
"You want the gold, don't you?" Aaron looked at him meaningfully. "Even watching your own kin die in battle, you don't want to help?"
Thorin froze for a moment, did not answer, and walked off the city wall by himself.
"How could he become like this?" Balin felt a sense of crumbling faith; he had always believed Thorin would become a competent king and revive the Dwarf race, but now Thorin's actions filled him with anguish.
"He is stronger than his grandfather; gold cannot corrupt his mind."
"I don't disbelieve him, but why now?" Balin said bitterly. "Our kin are fighting valiantly, yet we must stand by."
"There's no better time than now," Aaron patted his shoulder. "In peacetime, he would be consumed by gold, remaining muddled for a long time.
But now, the Dwarf race faces a great crisis; if he has any conscience, he cannot completely ignore it."
"But that takes time," Balin looked troubled at the Ironfoot Army arrayed below. "We… what we lack most is time."
"Then let's shorten that time," Aaron said meaningfully. "Use this time to organize some profound lines, go and scold him fiercely, and try to wake him up."
"Will that work?" Fili asked. "Thorin isn't just stubborn."
"There's a saying in Gaius's ancestral teachings: Language is the most destructive weapon in the world," Aaron said meaningfully. "As long as your tongue is sharp enough, combined with convincing acting, and if necessary, a few tears that fully express emotion, you could even make a god retreat into himself."
"Let's talk about such impractical things later," Bilbointerrupted Aaron anxiously. "The Elves, they don't seem to be planning to fight."
Everyone looked intently; the combined Elf and Human forces stood watching before Riverrun, remaining motionless.
"Thranduil!" Gandalf roared with some indignation. "You cannot do this!"
"I'll go!" Aaron spread his hands. "I'm just destined for hard work!"
A black-and-white spatial vortex enveloped Aaron, and in the blink of an eye, he was at the front of the Elf lines.
"Thranduil, you cannot do this," Aaron said in Gandalf's tone. "I know you have Riverrun at your backs and a chance to retreat, but you won't retreat forever.
Gandalf made it very clear yesterday; I don't know what the old kingdom of Angmar in the North is, but I know that once the Orcs revive that kingdom, Men, Elves, and Dwarves will all face utter destruction."
"Brave Dwarves do not allow themselves to be the second to charge," Thranduil said with some displeasure. "But the pride of the Elves will not let them hide behind the Dwarves."
Aaron paused, then respectfully bowed to Thranduil.
Then he wisely stepped aside, clearing the path for the Elves.
Bard, seeing this, also wanted to bring his people to help.
"You must stay here," Aaron stopped him.
"But…"
"There are no 'buts.' The Orcs are too numerous; if your people join, you won't even make a ripple.
Though I don't want to say this, we need a retreat route in case both the Dwarves and Elves lose." Aaron said with a grave expression. "This isn't pessimism; it's a fact, and there should still be many elderly and children in the city."
Bard nodded dazedly, then looked at Aaron, "Can you help us?"
"I can only say I'll do my best." Aaron didn't make any grand promises; he was currently only a High-level Magister. He could protect himself on such a battlefield, but he couldn't influence the course of a war.
With that, Aaron used Apparition to reach the city walls of Erebor.
"What did you say to Thranduil?" Gandalf asked.
"Nothing," Aaron said, watching the Elf army charge towards the Dwarf formation, and couldn't help but exclaim, "Thranduil is far wiser than I thought.
Though he's a bit cold and overbearing, which makes him somewhat unlikable, he is undoubtedly a competent King."
"Of course, he is a competent King," Gandalf said matter-of-factly. "Thranduil has protected his people for several epochs."
"Impressive." Aaron raised his black magic staff and continuously waved his arm at the distant sky.
"What are you doing?" Gandalf asked.
"Asking the obvious." Aaron curled his lips in disdain. "I am a Wizard, so of course I'm fighting with magic."
Gandalf:...This is awkward.
He was also a Wizard, with magic power no weaker than Aaron's, but his combat strength was a definite weakness.
On the battlefield, just as the Orc legions were about to clash head-on with the Ironfoot Army, Elf troops suddenly leaped over the Dwarves' heads, arriving at the front lines to fight the Orcs.
The Ironfoot Army also refused to be outdone, picking up their spears and resolutely charging into the enemy.
The two races, who had initially disliked each other, now became allies, fighting side-by-side against the Orc legions, with all three factions clashing together.
"Send out the War Beasts!"
Azog calmly ordered, and several-meter-tall War Beasts slowly emerged from the massive caves. With their enormous bodies, they rampaged across the battlefield, inflicting heavy casualties on both Elves and Dwarves.
Seeing this, Thranduil immediately ordered the Elf archers to attack.
A volley of golden arrows rained down like a downpour, instantly annihilating several War Beasts along with dozens of Orcs.
At the same time, the Dwarves also sent chariots into the battle; the wheels' destructive power was immense, swiftly destroying a large number of Orcs.
But the chariots were quickly targeted by the giant beasts; they used their bodies as meat shields to block the pulling goats, then overturned the chariots from the side.
Without their chariots, the chariot riders were instantly at a severe disadvantage, and in the blink of an eye, they were engulfed by the enemy ranks.
"They cannot fight on two fronts." Azog, on Ravenhill, saw that Riverrun was a place that both the Dwarves and Elves couldn't guard, and immediately issued a military order: "Begin the operation now; attack Riverrun."
Hearing the horn, a rested Orc army, seeing the flag signals, immediately changed direction and marched mightily towards Riverrun.
And once Riverrun fell, the Dwarves, Elves, and Men would have no retreat, facing the massive Orc legions with only death as their option.
"Damn it!" Aaron fumed. "I knew Azog would arrange things this way."
"Bard and his people won't last long," Gandalf said worriedly. "The Men don't have many warriors."
"But they still have to fight to the death. Before that, I'll help them reduce the fighting strength of the Orc army."
As his voice fell, a giant magic circle formed in the sky, and a dark purple light shone down upon the earth.
Zzz~ Zzzzz~
Purple electric arcs continuously flickered in the air; the Orclegions advancing towards Riverrun felt a great danger and involuntarily stopped in their tracks.
Boom!
The next moment, violent purple lightning struck down from the magic circle.
Purple lightning bloomed within the Orc army, and the surrounding sky was tinged with a layer of purple, but within this dazzling color lay a power capable of destroying everything.
Ah!
Loud screams rose and fell; one-tenth of the Orc army attacking Riverrun fell to the ground under the baptism of the lightning.
They were charred black all over, and the black smoke emanating from their corpses was nauseating.