-General-
The group regrouped after the battle, their voices buzzing with accounts of the attack they had successfully repelled.
"Orcs! And too many for just a scouting party," Thorin exclaimed, slumping down to catch his breath, clearly winded from the sudden engagement.
"They're looking for us, that's for sure," Gandalf stated, his gaze serious as he looked at Thorin. "We need to move, and fast."
"Yes, we need to move, and fast!" Thorin's urgency spurred them into action, and they began breaking camp with haste. Despite their weariness, they moved with the urgency the situation demanded. The dwarves, usually meticulous with their gear, now hastily stuffed it into their packs.
Little Bilbo observed all of this, having hidden behind a rock when the attack began. With trembling hands, he started to pack his own belongings. Though he initially wished to fight bravely against the orcs, fear had won out this time, leaving him no choice but to hide.
-Aldril-
As I approached my backpack, I noticed Bilbo fumbling with his things, his hands visibly shaking. I felt a pang of sympathy for him; it was natural to feel overwhelmed by what had just happened. I wanted to offer some encouragement. I knew Bilbo's bravery would blossom later, but a little support now wouldn't hurt.
"I had the same reaction during my first life-threatening fight," I said, packing my own gear.
Bilbo paused at my comment, then continued packing. "I heard one of the dwarves say I'm a coward for hiding," he murmured, his voice low and tinged with sadness.
"It's not cowardice to hide to survive. Besides, you've never fought, have you?" This bothered me. From what little I knew of the books, the dwarves weren't rude to Bilbo, which was the opposite of what I was witnessing.
"No, well, I've never fought or wielded a sword," he replied in a quiet voice.
"Well, in that case, I wouldn't mind helping you out a bit—at least teach you the basics so you can defend yourself." After packing my things, I stood up, glancing sidelong at Bilbo.
"In that case, I'd really appreciate your help." I watched his sad expression lighten slightly. In a way, I truly liked Bilbo. He was a character who demonstrated that even someone so small and seemingly cowardly could evolve into someone brave and unafraid to risk his life for his friends.
As Bilbo and I made our way to the horses, I saw two orc corpses trampled right in front of Shadowstar.
"Apparently you got a little action too, big guy," I said, approaching the horse, who whinnied happily at my presence.
"Your horse protected the others." I turned my head to see Gandalf, who had appeared beside me without me noticing, placing his own belongings on his horse.
Laughing lightly, I nodded toward Gandalf. "Yes, it seems the orcs wanted to kill our horses, but fortunately Shadowstar protected them."
While I chatted with Gandalf, the dwarves began to gather and mount their respective horses. As they readied themselves, Glóin looked at me with a haughty expression. "I killed six orcs. Who's the newbie now?"
Raising an eyebrow, I simply chuckled and shook my head. Now I understood why his son, Gimli, would be so competitive and count his kills. "Well, I killed five wargs and over a dozen orcs."
"You cheated, since Gandalf helped you!" Glóin retorted.
"Do they really count how many they killed?" Bilbo muttered, observing my interaction with Glóin.
By this time, we had all mounted our horses and were preparing to leave when a howl echoed through the silent night.
"Auuuuu!!!"
Our expressions changed instantly; that howl was not a good sign. And I was right, as Gandalf immediately turned to us, his voice grave. "Another group of orcs. We need to move fast!"
I saw Thorin's face harden, his fists clenching in anger. "Those filthy orcs," he growled in a deep voice.
"Quick, waste no more time, get on the horses. Kili, Aldril, ready your bows in case the wargs show up." At Thorin and Gandalf's instructions, we all snapped out of our relaxed state as the situation turned serious again.
"Kili, you take the right," I said, pulling more arrows from my pack and placing them in my quiver. Fortunately, I had bought two dozen.
Soon, we all gave the command to our horses and began to ride as fast as we could across the dense, dark moor. Traveling through the wilderness at night is obviously dangerous, but fortunately, being together reduced the risks.
As we rode, I spotted a dire wolf approaching on Kili's side. "Kili, be careful! Wargs are coming!" I shouted, readying my bow.
My shout made Kili tense, but fortunately, he reacted quickly and, with a single shot from his bow, killed the warg.
"Shiss!" "Uuugh!"
Soon, two more wargs caught up to us, heading straight for me. I nocked two arrows to my bow and shot them simultaneously.
"Shiss!" "Shiss!" "Shiss!" "Uuugh!"
I killed one warg, but the other bastard narrowly dodged my arrow and lunged at me. At that moment, I grew incredibly nervous; I never thought they could evade my arrows. The warg leapt toward me, its mouth wide, ready to tear into me with its sharp teeth. I didn't have time to draw my sword, and in that instant, it felt as if time slowed down as I watched the warg slowly approach.
"Craak!"
The sound of bones breaking filled the air, and with that sound, the corpse of a warg went flying, its head obliterated by a heavy stomp. At the most unexpected moment, Shadowstar had reared up on his hind legs and delivered a lethal blow to the warg that had nearly killed me. I was stunned for a moment as Shadowstar resumed his course, having paused only briefly to unleash his kick.
I remained stunned as I caught up with the group. Only Shadowstar's angry whinny brought me back to reality. "Sorry, mate, I got overconfident. Thanks for saving me," I said quietly, tightening my grip on the reins.
I had been too arrogant, too confident. That damned confidence almost killed me! Ever since I transmigrated, I'd treated this world like a movie. This event was a rude shock of reality. "No way am I the best archer!" I muttered to myself in frustration.
"Are you okay, Aldril?" I heard Kili say as we rode on.
"I'm fine, just an oversight. Fortunately, I have my partner to cover for me," I replied, and Shadowstar whinnied with a serious expression. Perhaps the [Universal Language] skill allowed me to understand what Shadowstar wanted to convey.
"Be more careful, Aldril," I heard Gandalf say in my ear, but that was impossible as Gandalf was further ahead and we were still riding. I could understand it if it was Kili, as he rode his horse closer. Surely it was magic, but whatever it was, I appreciated his concern.
"[Nah, I'd win]," my arrogant words echoed in my mind. "Damn, if I almost got killed by a warg, there's no way I can kill Smaug in my current state. I need to get stronger," I told myself with a resolute look on my face.
...
A change came over Aldril again. His statement to himself caused his hair to begin to glow ever so slightly, as if responding to his determination.
Fortunately, there were no more warg attacks, but the tension remained palpable. The darkness of the moor kept the group on edge. Fortunately for Aldril, he could see clearly in the dark—not as if it were daytime, but more clearly than others—so he wasn't as nervous as the rest, though he still didn't lower his guard.
Time passed slowly, and after a few hours, the moon, which had been hidden behind the clouds, emerged again, casting a little light on the dark moor. At that point, the group began to slow down as their horses grew tired, with the exception of Shadowstar, who continued as if the hours spent running were nothing.
"How long have we been running?" Ori asked, massaging his backside.
"Are the orcs still following us?"
"I don't know."
"We've got to rest; my butt hurts."
"Keep moving, no need to stop. The dire wolves are fast and will catch up with us if we don't hurry," Gandalf urged the group, despite their complaints. The group had just escaped from another group of orcs not long ago, and most of them were tired, having failed to get adequate sleep.
Time passed, and as the group reached a forest halfway up a mountain, the sky began to brighten and the sun started to rise, offering a glimmer of hope for rest.
"Dawn is breaking; we can get some rest now!"
"Can we rest? I really can't stand my sore butt anymore."
"I'm really hungry; I need to eat." This particular comment came from Bombur, who continually complained about his hunger.
Looking at the state of his party, Thorin turned to Gandalf. "Orcs do not like daylight."
Understanding the meaning of Thorin's words, Gandalf nodded. "We must take a break."
Receiving the assent, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Even Bilbo dismounted his pony with numb legs and almost stumbled on his way down. He wasn't the only one; Bombur, getting off his horse, threw himself on the ground and spread his arms like a starfish. "I think I'm going to starve to death."
Shaking his head, Balin pointed to a destroyed wooden house. "Let's settle in there; it's a good place."
"Well, let's get some rest. Kili, Fíli, feed the horses. Bombur, Bofur, get some wood for the fire. The rest of you, prepare the food." After Thorin's orders, the group of dwarves began to move.
Climbing down from his horse, Aldril stretched and cracked his bones as he advanced to a slightly higher rock. "I'll be watching." Not caring about anything else, Aldril climbed onto the rock and closed his eyes slightly to rest. Curious, however, he opened his system and received a pleasant surprise that excited him.
[Attribute points: 4]
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Hey! Here's your favorite author, in that chapter I wanted to give a reality check to the MC, remember he was able to fight all those orcs and wargs thanks to Gandalf's support.
According to what was said in the previous chapter, I thank you very much for your support. But I would also like you to tell me where I am wrong, how can I make it even better grammar and even more readable?
I want to improve and give you quality in writing, I know I will improve with time, but your help will speed up that process.
Remember that Rome was not built in a day.
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