"Sir, don't you think we're being a bit too bold here…?" Reynard cautiously approached after finishing his preparations.
"What else can we do? I need to know where Rivendell is, and it's not like we had many options," Rynar shrugged helplessly.
"Sigh, I hope this doesn't lead to any misunderstandings with the elves…" Reynard glanced at the elves tied up nearby, still struggling against their bonds.
"I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up when the elves show up," Rynar waved dismissively and found a comfortable spot under a tree to lie down.
…
Meanwhile, in Rivendell…
"Lord Elrond! Lindir's scouting team has gone missing!" A messenger elf came rushing in with the news.
"Hm? When did they leave?" Elrond narrowed his eyes.
"They left at dawn. Lindir mentioned they were patrolling to guard against orcs coming down from the North. But it's been half a day now, and we still haven't heard anything…"
"Gather the troops. We'll go find Lindir," Elrond ordered, his face grave.
"Gods, please keep them safe…" Elrond muttered a quiet prayer.
…
"Sir, something's off…" Caslow shook Rynar awake.
"What is it…" Rynar opened his eyes and froze.
"What the—why are we surrounded by an elven army?" Rynar asked Reynard in disbelief.
"Uh, maybe there's been some sort of misunderstanding," Reynard pointed at Lindir and the other elves still tied up beside them.
"This wasn't part of the plan!" Rynar was stunned.
In his mind, even if the scouting party went missing, the elves would probably send a small reconnaissance group to investigate. Who would've thought they'd mobilize their entire army…
What Rynar didn't know was that the orcs had caught wind of the dwarves' expedition and had sent several groups of warg riders south to intercept them.
The group Rynar encountered yesterday was just one of them.
Elrond, thinking a large orc army was heading south, had hastily brought out his forces to search for enemies.
What they found instead was a small group of humans resting under a tree, with Lindir and his scouts tied up.
Naturally, Elrond assumed the humans were preparing for war against the elves.
Three thousand elven archers were arranged in formation behind them, with a thousand mounted elves riding moon-deer in front.
Behind the lines, the ripple of magical energy hinted at a dozen elven mages among their ranks. Rynar's hundred rapid infantrymen slammed their shields into the ground.
Only now did Rynar realize the so-called "iron-plated shields" were actually just leather-covered metal!
The five-meter-long spears pointed skyward.
Behind them were the Battanian archers, who had dismounted and taken cover behind the infantry, positioning themselves to protect their more fragile bodies (relative to heavy-armored soldiers).
The knights had also mounted their horses, gathering together and preparing to unleash a combined attack with their battle energy.
"Let's go!" Rynar understood that there was no escaping this situation. He turned to Reynard and Caslow, signaling them to follow him as they walked forward.
On the other side, Elrond approached, riding his moon-deer.
"What gives you the right to trespass on elven land and capture our people?" Elrond's tone was far from friendly.
"Lord Elrond?" Rynar immediately recognized him. He looked just like in the movies!
"Hm? You know me? But I've never seen you. Who are you? Where are you from, and where are you going?" Elrond was surprised, his eyes gleaming as he cast some kind of detection spell.
"Holy—he's a champion! This half-elf is actually a champion…" Rynar was shocked.
After all, elves were famous for their archers, mages, and rangers, but their warriors…well, that was a different story.
"We're remnants of the Zaltarion Empire. Our homeland was destroyed by the Rovaroth
people…" Rynar quickly deflected from the sad topic. In a way, he wasn't lying—the Zaltarion Empire had indeed been dismembered.
"We've come specifically to find you, Lord Elrond!" Rynar saluted respectfully.
"To find me?" Elrond asked, puzzled.
"To be precise, we're looking for the group of dwarves, humans, and Gandalf who entered Rivendell," Rynar explained.
"Hm?" Elrond's expression grew wary as he studied Rynar.
"Uh, you misunderstand. We're knights hired by Thorin Oakenshield.
We've got ten of our brothers with them, but we didn't know how to reach Rivendell, so… this was our only option," Rynar shrugged apologetically.
"Why didn't you ask Lindir and his team?" Elrond pointed incredulously at the bruised elves tied up nearby.
"Uh…maybe we scared them a bit. As soon as they saw us, they got ready to attack, so we had no choice but to subdue them first," Rynar rolled his eyes and made up an excuse on the spot.
"…" Elrond was speechless.
"So, can you release them now?" Elrond asked, his face darkening.
"Of course! Caslow, go untie them, now!" Rynar pretended to be furious.
"Yes, sir!" Caslow hurried over to free the elves.
"You bastard! I'll kill you!" Lindir's wails echoed from the side.
…
"What? Thorin's group left already? And they left my men behind?" Rynar was incredulous as Elrond relayed the news to him on their way to Rivendell.
"Yes, your soldiers were very loyal. They insisted on waiting for your return before setting out. Thorin, not wanting to waste time, left first," Elrond explained.
"Unbelievable!" Rynar was stunned. Thorin had quietly ditched them! Wait!
The Last Light of Durin! Damn it! Rynar suddenly sat up in shock. Had he really just been played like that?
"Lord Elrond, I need your help! I have to catch up to them!" Rynar urgently pleaded.
"What's going on?" Elrond asked, confused.
"Our cover's been blown! The orcs must already know about the dwarves heading to the Lonely Mountain. They'll ambush them in the Misty Mountains.
Without our help, they'll all die there! The bloodline of Durin is about to end!" Rynar said seriously.
"We encountered warg riders from Gundabad and orcs from Mount Gundabad! They're after us!" Seeing that Elrond was skeptical, Rynar quickly added.
Elrond gave Rynar a long look and sped up his pace. "Follow me!"
…
"Sir! We're so relieved to see you safe and sound!" A Battanian archer stepped forward.
"Thank Zaltarion! Our lord is unharmed!"
"Alright, stand down," Rynar waved them off.
"Lord Elrond, where did the dwarves go?" Rynar asked anxiously.
"There." Elrond pointed to a narrow path winding through the mountains.
"You've got to be kidding me! Can they even ride horses there?" Rynar looked in disbelief at the barely one-person-wide trail.
"They actually abandoned their horses. They snuck out during the night," Elrond shrugged.
"Damn it! They're marching to their deaths! The orcs will tear them apart! Where's Gandalf?" Rynar asked, fuming.
"They left Gandalf behind too…" Elrond spread his hands.
Rynar forced himself to calm down. Damn Thorin! That stubborn, arrogant dwarf had ruined Rynar's plans.
The orcs chasing them would be numerous, and without Gandalf, they wouldn't stand a chance… Rynar couldn't help but wonder if he still had time to return to the Shire.
"It's getting late. You should rest for the night," Elrond glanced at Rynar before turning to leave.
Rynar watched him go without saying a word. The situation was spiraling out of control.
Gandalf was likely heading to Dol Guldur, and the dwarves might fall into the hands of goblins in the mountains. Bilbo, as history foretold, would still likely find the One Ring…
"It seems the tides of history are nearly impossible to change…" Rynar sighed, feeling a wave of frustration.
As the moon rose high in the sky, Rynar found himself unable to sleep. Finally, he got up and sought out Caslow and Reynard.
"Gather the troops! We're setting out!" Rynar declared firmly. The treasures of the Lonely Mountain were now within reach, and perhaps he could even claim Dale for himself.
"Yes, sir!" The two exchanged glances and quickly left to carry out the orders.
"System! Sign in! I need something useful!" Rynar muttered to himself.
"Sign-in successful! You have received 100 Zaltarion Empire Rapid Infantry!"
"Another 100 rapid infantry?" Rynar was surprised.
…
"Lord Elrond, they've taken the path you indicated," Lindir reported as he approached Elrond, who stood on a high platform.
"Yes, they've gone… Shadows from the North, shadows from the South… Sigh! I have a feeling that peace in Middle-earth won't last much longer," Elrond sighed deeply.