"There's great trouble up north! What has this tiny place of Erebor done to earn Sauron's personal attention?
Damn it, the armies of Mordor are lined up!" Rynar sat atop Caslow's dragon, his mind swirling with thoughts.
"My lord, don't worry, everything will pass! The glory of Zaltarion blesses you and me!" Caslow turned his head to comfort him.
"Sigh, even if the elves join the battle, our chances of winning are still slim!" Rynar pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Why?" Caslow asked, puzzled.
With Rynar able to muster an army of 800, the Aranthors could assemble another 500, the Iron Hills could raise over 1,000 troops, Thorin could gather nearly 2,000 dwarves, and Bard from Dale could grit his teeth to squeeze out 500 more.
The elves had at least 3,500 warriors. All told, they could easily form a coalition of over 8,000 men. With proper arrangements, defeating the orcs shouldn't be impossible.
"We have to fight on two fronts! The only support for the south can come from King Dain of the Iron Hills!" Rynar explained.
"The elves will surely intercept the orcs from Gobadar Fortress marching south. Bard and Thorin would spare no effort for their homeland.
The only ones who can escape are the Ironfoot dwarves led by Dain! And we are facing Azog of Dol Guldur, supported by the armies of Mordor!" Rynar said, his head aching.
"Wait! Take me back! You go north to send the message!" Rynar suddenly seemed to remember something and his face lit up.
"Uh…" Though Caslow didn't understand his king's command, he complied nonetheless.
Did Rynar think of a way to break the deadlock?
He indeed had! Knowing that this Middle-earth resembled the one he had played in the Ring of Power, he wondered if the various hidden forces within Middle-earth truly existed as well.
Rynar planned to verify this. If they did exist, then he could say he had already won half the battle in the upcoming conflict at Erebor!
Rynar whispered a few instructions to Reynard before hastily riding toward the docks.
Coincidentally, there was indeed a hidden faction of order within Mirkwood, known as the Star Elves!
They resided in the secret realm of Singrey, which was directly north of Dol Guldur.
Utilizing a powerful star-warding spell array, they had concealed their entire kingdom.
If he was not mistaken, there should be dragon riders within Singrey!
When players had accidentally stumbled in before, they had discovered an ancient dragon, but that was in the Fifth Age.
Now it was the Third Age, so there should be a younger star dragon.
Its formidable barrier abilities had forged the star barrier of the Singrey elves, allowing them to separate from the outside world and successfully avoid the chaos of the times.
This elven tribe's ancestors seemed to be a group of high elves seeking refuge, eventually turning to worship the Star Goddess, leading them to call themselves the Star Elves!
Rynar felt he should seek out this secluded kingdom.
If he could successfully persuade these elves to join the fight, he wouldn't have to worry at all about the southern orc army and could even counterattack Dol Guldur.
That way, he wouldn't need the elves of Lothlórien and Rivendell to assault the fortress.
"Your Majesty! Where are we going?" Seeing Rynar prepare to dive into the woods, Reynard grabbed him.
That direction was Dol Guldur! Surely, his king wasn't foolish enough to try and take the fortress with just the two of them!
Even two paladins, let alone two dragon riders, would have a tough time against such a well-staffed and fully-equipped fortress.
"We're looking for someone who can turn the tide!" Rynar said with a mysterious smile.
"Don't! Your Majesty! We can't turn the tide. With just the two of us, we'd be too easily outmatched!
Sending ourselves to our deaths like this is far too heavy a price!" Reynard exclaimed, holding onto Rynar, terrified that his king was about to lead them into Dol Guldur.
In the face of such overwhelming numbers, even heroic-level knights like them had no chance of survival.
"What? Dol Guldur? Get lost! Who the hell wants to go there? I'm not crazy! I can't take on Azog!" Rynar said, kicking Reynard off him in annoyance.
To his surprise, instead of getting angry, Reynard laughed and said, "Good! Your Majesty, that was a great kick!" Rynar's normal reaction relieved Reynard.
"We're going to seek out the legendary Star Elves! If they're willing to join the fight, then we might have a chance to win!" Rynar adjusted his armor and replied tersely.
"Understood! Your Majesty is right!" Reynard replied with a smile.
"Let's go! We need to hurry and avoid the orc patrols!" Rynar urged.
"Then we can't ride!" Reynard said seriously.
"No riding? How long will it take to get there?" Rynar exclaimed in shock.
"Your Majesty, hoofprints will reveal our movements, and the sound of hooves will give away our position.
Moreover, galloping through the forest isn't a good choice…" Reynard patiently explained.
"Um… You make a good point." Rynar thought it over and realized he had indeed overlooked the severe consequences of riding.
"Your Majesty, we must hurry while it's still light out…" Reynard glanced at the sky.
"Let's go!" Rynar took one last look in the direction of Riverguard before turning and leaving with Reynard.
---
"What? The orcs of Mordor?" Thranduil stared in shock at Caslow below the steps.
"Yes! Our allies have been ambushed by them and suffered heavy casualties!" Caslow replied, neither humble nor arrogant.
"How could they come to the north?" Thranduil still couldn't believe it.
"But the fact is indeed true!" Caslow pulled out a totem banner from his cloak.
"This totem doesn't belong to the orcs of the Misty Mountains, nor does it match the banners of Dol Guldur's orcs! Our allies were ambushed while scouting south.
So, noble King of the Woodland Realm, which orc factions do you believe still exist to the south?" Caslow raised his gaze, speaking coldly.
"Damn it!"
Thranduil's face muscles twitched, clearly enraged. It's worth noting that before the final battle of the Last Alliance, the human and elven coalition had already fought against the orcs twice.
It was Thranduil's father leading the woodland elves and the elves of Lothlórien.Both elven armies were ambushed in the Dead Marshes.
The king of the Woodland Realm, Oropher—who was also Thranduil's father—perished in that battle.
Ironically, Dol Guldur, this old fortress overrun by orcs, had once been the capital of the woodland elves…
Even Caslow couldn't help but want to retort, why didn't you tear down the city after you left? Was magic too expensive to afford?
Or were the elven mages all dead? Leaving such a great menace for everyone else to deal with…
"I have received your intent. Please tell King Rynar! If the orcs of Mordor come, I will lead my army to support you! Please light the beacon to guide us!" Thranduil's eyes flashed with a vengeful light.
"No! Elven King, you must understand one thing: once the armies of Mordor arrive, the orcs of Gobadar will surely swarm out as well!
The northern defenses need you to stabilize them!" Caslow said gravely, looking at Thranduil.
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"Reynard! Are you really maxed out on your taunt buff?!" Rynar exclaimed, leaping and dodging through the forest, avoiding the spikes that occasionally shot up from the ground beneath him.
"It's not fair! My King! Who knew there was a giant earth bear in that cave?!" Reynard grimaced as he followed closely behind Rynar.
"Roar!" An angry roar erupted from behind them, prompting Rynar and Reynard to pick up their pace.
"I mean, even an idiot knows elves don't live in caves!" Rynar covered his face in exasperation.
"By the way, don't you think running like this attracts the attention of the orcs even more than riding a horse?" Rynar glanced back at the furious earth bear chasing them.
As a top-tier magical beast, the earth bear boasted a massive physique akin to a small hill, along with powerful earth-based magical abilities.
Its gigantic body granted it defenses comparable to a dragon, while its formidable earth magic could easily obliterate armies.
Reynard, the fool, had foolishly intruded into the lair of this hibernating male bear, inadvertently catching its attention.
"I've never felt this forest was so dangerous!" Rynar muttered, turning around to unleash a sword beam composed of battle energy.
"Roar!"
With a few bear hairs floating away, the earth bear became even angrier.
"What the hell! Your Majesty, why are you attacking it?" Reynard jumped to avoid a spike that shot up from the ground, looking at Rynar in terror.
"Grass!" Rynar was instantly awed by the bear's thick hide.
"If we could kill it and strip its hide to make armor, wouldn't that have excellent defense?
And those thick bear paws, wrapped in honey and roasted…" Rynar felt tears welling up, overwhelmed by desire.
"What the hell! Your Majesty, we're about to die, and you're still thinking about bear paws?"
Reynard was taken aback by Rynar's gluttonous thoughts, clearly indicating that the people of Zaltarion wouldn't understand the obsession of the gluttonous empire.
After all, Rynar had only ever seen pictures of bear paws in his previous life, and bears were notorious for being dangerous creatures.
"Uh… How long have we been running? Aren't you tired, brother?" Rynar gasped, glancing back at the relentless earth bear pursuing them.
"I wish Caslow were here!" Rynar reminisced fondly about his most loyal sidekick, who was obedient, good-looking, strong, and, most importantly, never caused trouble!
"Unbelievable… Even if Caslow were riding a dragon in this dense forest, he'd still get beaten!" Reynard sighed.
"Is there any way to shake this bear off us?" Rynar asked helplessly.
"Unless there's a river…" Reynard sighed again.
"You'd be better off not saying that!" Rynar quipped, but his feet didn't slow down in the slightest.
At this moment, there were two fewer paladins in the world, replaced by two holy rangers…
Their agile forms, quick movements, and excellent awareness could enable true rangers to score perfect.
"Hey? It seems to be slowing down!"
Reynard exclaimed as he noticed the earth bear's pace gradually decrease, shifting from a run to a brisk walk.
Finally, after crossing a large tree, it stopped suddenly, lifting its head to sniff the air, as if wary of something nearby. After standing still for a moment, it turned and left.
"It's gone?" Rynar was taken aback.
"It seems we're in big trouble again…" Reynard sighed.
"Why would we have trouble now that it's gone?" Rynar questioned, puzzled.
"Ahem, usually, when a predator abandons its prey, it's for one of two reasons: either it can't run anymore, and clearly, that earth bear was still full of energy, or its prey has entered the territory of a more powerful predator…" Reynard swallowed hard and didn't elaborate further.
"Please stop talking…" Rynar had had enough of Reynard's chatter.
"Be careful! We're not far from our destination!" Rynar advised, hoping nothing else would go wrong.
His heart couldn't take much more; not everyone had Reynard's abnormal constitution.
As a fellow paladin, Rynar felt he was starting to wear out after playing tag with a high-level magical beast.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty! Just be careful, and don't get hurt!" Reynard nodded earnestly.
"I'm most worried about you!" Rynar covered his face.
…
"Waving starry grasses, reviving bright dawn flowers. Shimmering six-pointed stars, lowly guardians…" Rynar softly chanted.
"Your Majesty?" Reynard asked, confused.
"It seems we need to find the starry grass first…" Rynar ignored Reynard and began searching for the starry grass.
"Starry grass? Isn't that a plant that grows in summer? How could it be here in winter?" Reynard questioned, bewildered.
"This is the secret code for entering Singrey.
Singrey is isolated from the world, surrounded by barriers, and hidden; we need to find a way in." Rynar glanced at Reynard.
"And the starry grass will guide us!" Rynar gazed into the depths of the forest.
"Uh… Okay, Your Majesty." Reynard scratched his head. Though he didn't understand why starry grass would grow in winter, since Rynar said so, he decided to follow along and see.
"Now don't rush; the starry grass can only be seen at night!" Rynar said pensively.
As the sun set, Reynard and Rynar hastily filled their stomachs with hard black bread and water before climbing a sturdy tree, quickly lying on the broad branches of its dense canopy to rest.
As the sun dipped below the horizon and the moon ascended the treetops, the starlight illuminated the dark forest, creating an exceptionally tranquil atmosphere.
"Let's go, Your Majesty; it's night." Reynard gently shook Rynar awake.
"Hmm? Is it dark?" Rynar rubbed his eyes.
"Let's get to work!" After stretching, Rynar jumped down from the tree.
…
After a long while, just when Rynar thought there were no starry elves left and was about to give up, Reynard quietly pointed to a spot on the ground near the tree to Rynar's right.
There, near the dark roots of the trees, a few frail starry grasses swayed desperately toward the direction of the starlight, as if the stars above were attracted to them, gently pouring down like a silken thread.
"They really exist!" Rynar was taken aback. If starry grass could grow out of season, then the bright dawn flowers that only bloomed in autumn should also be found.
Rynar gently lifted the starry grasses, scrutinizing them carefully.
Since the starry grass was attracted to the light of the stars, the barrier of Singrey would surely attract the grass as well; otherwise, it wouldn't exist in winter, during an out-of-season time.
"Their grass cores are pointing south!" Rynar finally discovered the secret hidden within the starry grass.
"Let's go! This way!" Rynar waved to Reynard, signaling him to follow.
Along the way, Rynar spotted several clusters of starry grass. Indeed, all the grass cores pointed south.
"It seems we'll need to wait until dawn to find the bright dawn flowers to determine the approximate location of the entrance to the Kingdom of Singrey." Rynar clapped his hands.
The starry grasses had fulfilled their mission; the remaining path required the bright dawn flowers to guide them.
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