The elves, led by Thranduil, prepared to face the dwarves of Iron Hill. Suddenly, the ground shook, and monstrous creatures emerged.
"They've forgotten about the giant earth snakes," Azog said grimly.
Black orcs burst forth, shields raised, weapons in hand, charging at the elves, dwarves, and humans.
"The devils are upon us!" Ironfoot Dain shouted, pulling his mount's reins.
"Fight! Fight, descendants of Turin!" he roared.
The dwarves, who were poised to fight the elf army, turned to face the new threat, forming a shield wall.
"Why aren't the elves fighting?" Bilbo asked Gandalf.
"Thranduil! You cannot do this!" Gandalf shouted.
Thranduil hesitated, glancing back at the dwarven army.
...
"Speed up! We need to assess the battlefield!" Roland commanded, seeking a strategic vantage point. He wasn't willing to commit to a losing battle and risk his men's lives unnecessarily.
"We need to circle to the left!" Roland directed. Approaching from the rear or right would be suicidal, given the orc reinforcements and Azog's command post.
The orcs slammed into the dwarven shield wall, but the sunlight glinted off the blades of elven rangers.
Elven rangers, highly skilled and well-armed, cut through the orcs like a hot knife through butter. Thranduil had committed nearly 1,000 rangers, their skills turning the tide.
"Kill! For the glory of Turin!" The dwarves, buoyed by the support, pressed forward, unleashing their combat skills.
Elven archers released a barrage of arrows, stalling the orc advance and creating a gap in their lines.
...
"This is a slaughter," Roland muttered, observing the carnage.
"Sir, are we really going to fight?" Reynold asked, fearing for their lives.
"We have to recover our commission. The capital we started with is in that mountain," Roland replied, eyeing the treasure within Erebor.
"Let's assess the situation first." Roland counted the forces: around 4,000 elves, 1,000 dwarves, and 500 human soldiers from Lake-town.
"But there are at least 15,000 orcs," Carlos pointed out.
"And reinforcements from Gundabad Fortress," Roland sighed. He didn't want to get involved, but the potential wealth was tempting.
...
"They can't fight on two fronts! Attack River Valley!" Azog ordered, aiming to divide the coalition forces.
Humans would defend River Valley, dwarves Erebor, but the elves couldn't be everywhere. Azog's plan to split the battlefield was working.
"Withdraw to River Valley!" Bard ordered as orcs charged toward the town.
"Retreat to River Valley!" Thranduil commanded, leading a tactical retreat covered by elven archers.
In front of Erebor's gates, only the dwarves remained, their space shrinking.
"Thorin! Where is he? We need him!" Dain searched frantically for his cousin.
An orc's blade struck Dain's mount, toppling him. He fought on foot, crushing orc skulls with his warhammer.
A tall troll cleaved a dwarf berserker in two. The battle was brutal, the dwarves struggling to hold their ground.
"Thorin! Thorin—" Dain shouted desperately, but Thorin was lost in the dragon's gold curse.
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