Kapitel 45: Chapter 45: Kingdom of the goblins

[General POV]

As Aldril descended through the trapdoor, he wedged his sword between the sand and gravel, slowing his descent. Anguirel demonstrated its sharpness by slicing through the gravel as if it were paper; it was known as one of the strongest swords in Middle-earth for a reason. He chose not to use a dagger, fearing it wouldn't support his weight.

The echoes of screams could still be heard, indicating a long fall ahead. Aldril realized the shaft wasn't straight down a safety measure, otherwise all team members would have perished. This path was more like a slide; one could walk on its surface with caution. Straightening up, Aldril cautiously walked while the dwarves slid due to inertia, unable to stop.

With each step, Anguirel shimmered brighter, signaling approaching enemies. Aldril calmly continued, walking where possible, sliding and using his sword to cushion his falls when necessary. Upon reaching a steeper decline, Aldril heard constant exclamations, curses, growls, and the sounds of a fight a clear sign the dwarves had been captured by goblins. Determined, he hastened his descent.

As he slid, he could hear the goblins cheerfully shouting

"Fresh meat!"

"These guys are really ugly, uglier than us."

"What did you expect?! They're dwarves and uglier than us."

"I heard dwarves have thick, juicy flesh and a very strong flavor."

"Did you see that fat dwarf? He must be delicious."

The goblins were clearly delighted; food was scarce in the Misty Mountains, and they rarely had the chance to eat a human or dwarf, imagining how tasty it would be. Oblivious to the goblins' imaginings, the dwarves shouted angrily

"Let me go, filthy goblin!"

"If I break free, I'll kill you all!"

The dwarves were clearly bewildered; moments ago, they had been enjoying a pleasant sleep only to find themselves falling and quickly captured upon landing. This infuriated and panicked them, feeling disheartened as they were disarmed within seconds.

The trap site was nearly deserted as the other goblins joyfully presented their catch to the goblin king. One goblin stayed behind, inspecting the packs that had fallen with the dwarves. Suddenly, a stone rolled down the trap hole, catching the goblin's curiosity. As he approached, Aldril descended, swiftly impaling the goblin with his sword through the head.

Calmly withdrawing his sword from the goblin's head, Aldril quickly scanned the area, spotting two more goblins glaring at him angrily. Moments ago, one of their own had fallen off the cliff with the smallest dwarf, and now a man killed one of theirs while falling through the trapdoor.

"So they've taken the others already," murmured Aldril, surveying the mostly empty area. Focusing on the goblins who glared at him with hatred, Aldril smiled and taunted, "What are you waiting for?" His mockery further provoked them; the two goblins rushed to kill this human who dared to mock them.

With a roar, the two goblins lunged at Aldril with their rusty swords. It was clear they had poor equipment and fought carelessly. To Aldril, these goblins were like children with sticks, trying to hit him.

With a vertical motion, Aldril decapitated the goblin who had jumped to attack him a foolish move that cost the goblin his life. The other, seeing how easily his companion had been killed, turned and fled to seek help.

However, Aldril swiftly closed the distance with the fleeing goblin, seized him by the head, and effortlessly tossed him upwards. With a swift upward thrust of his sword, he impaled the goblin through the stomach, causing him to die.

"Malenia's moves are definitely my favorite," murmured Aldril as he moved his sword to remove the impaled goblin's body the current movement was one used by Malenia to impale the soot, one of her deadliest moves that easily took away more than half of life.

"Now what do I do? Do I wait for Gandalf to appear? Yes, it will be better to wait, Gandalf's incorporation will increase the chance of us leaving withvida from this place, as for Bilbo, the most likely is that right now it is under, meeting Gollum, " murmured, Aldril who crossed his arms, was relaxed, since his instincts told him that no goblins were around.

"For the moment let's see the show" Walking towards the bridge, Aldril stopped for a moment "Right, the supplies, it is better to save them" Returning, Aldril used his storage ring and placed all the backpacks within, this action would make the trip of the dwarves more bearable, since, in the original plot, having left their supplies, it would cause them to suffer from hunger and thirst.

Carefully walking across the hanging bridges, Aldril observed that the underground realm of the goblins was vast and labyrinthine. The hanging bridges, built in a way, stretched in all directions connected to dark caves, creating a maze of unstable paths that challenged anyone who tried to cross them. With each step he took, the bridge ominously creaked, the wooden planks creaked under its weight, threatening to break at any moment and precipitate it into the dark abyss that opened below.

Flickering torches that barely managed to illuminate small fragments of the path would make anyone who did not know the way run a huge risk of falling into the abyss below. However, this was not a hindrance to Aldril, who, thanks to his vision, could see through the cold darkness. In the distance, with his piercing gaze, he distinguished a crowd of goblins marching towards a raised platform. "So they're there," he murmured to himself.

He accelerated his pace regardless of the fact that the wood creaked even more. As he approached the platform, the sounds became clearer and he could hear a furious Glóin grumbling and cursing at the goblins.

"Damn monsters, I'm going to kill them"

Shaking his head, Aldril remembered that Gimli in the movies was just like his father when it came to insults and competition. 'Like father, like son,' he thought, while continuing to cautiously advance down the narrow cave corridor. The sound of a fight echoed from below, catching his attention. Peering carefully over the edge of the precipice, Aldril was surprised to see Bilbo engaged in a duel with a goblin. "Shouldn't he have fallen?" he said to himself, recalling the sequence of events.

He drew his bow, determined to aid Bilbo from his elevated position. However, just as he pulled the string taut and aimed, his eyes widened in shock as he witnessed Bilbo, along with the two goblins, tumble into the dark abyss. Aldril's heart skipped a beat. "No!" he whispered hoarsely, unable to process what had just happened. Taking a deep breath, Aldril reminded himself that Bilbo would be fine. "Trust in fate, Bilbo will not die," he reassured himself, trying to calm down.

Gathering himself, Aldril continued moving toward the brightly lit platform, surrounded by many torches and growls a clear indication it was where the dwarves were being taken. As Aldril approached the platform, illuminated by countless torches casting light into every corner, he saw deformed goblins and dwarves milling about. The platform was perched atop a rocky pinnacle, with bridges around it that were broader and wider.

Atop the structure sat an enormous throne, adorned with gold and multicolored gems. Seated upon it was a giant goblin at least four meters tall, his deformed body covered in boils and grotesquely obese enough to repulse anyone who saw him. In his hand rested a staff adorned with a sheep's skull, and a crown adorned his bald head. This repugnant creature was the Goblin King.

The Goblin King watched with glee as his goblins brought in the dwarves. He would have a good feast today. In his joy, he attempted to rise, but his obese body hindered him. The goblins, mindful of their king's condition, quickly assisted him to stand, inadvertently crushing one in the process.

Seeing their king rise, the goblins around him tacitly understood and began to play various drums, iron pans, and other instruments, creating music. Their king was so delighted that he decided to sing.

Clap! Snap! The black crack!

Grip, grab! Pinch, nab!

And down down to Goblin-town

You go, my lad! Clash, crash!

Crush, smash!

Hammer and tongs! Knocker and gongs!

Pound, pound, far underground!

Ho, ho, my lad!

Swish, smack! Whip crack!

Batter and beat! Yammer and bleat!

Work, work! Nor dare to shirk,

While Goblins quaff, and Goblins laugh,

Round and round far underground

Below, my lad!

The sound of the goblins' voices was so discordant and terrifying that it ominously resonated on the walls of the cave. Thorin and his company found themselves desperately covering their ears, facing the most off-key and disturbing voices they had ever heard.

Around them, a chorus of goblins fervently repeated the Great Goblin's song with twisted joy. The same words and melody echoed again and again, increasing the tension in the air fraught with malice and danger.

After the lyrics were sung a second time, the Great Goblin spun around theatrically, raising his staff high with a triumphant shrill cry, "Yes!" His voice echoed through the cave, silencing the other goblins.

Meanwhile, a fight was taking place in the abyss, a hobbit with a sword facing off against a creature that seemed to be a goblin. "I told you, just one more riddle," Bilbo said as he took his stance. The creature he faced was dangerous; he saw how it killed and ate one of the goblins that had fallen.

With a growl, Gollum stealthily picked up a stone, ready to kill this person. Rarely did goblins fall that he could eat, and now he was lucky that two goblins had fallen alongside a hobbit.

"Grrr, then tell us," Gollum growled, but seeing that the hobbit didn't respond, he shouted, "Tell us!" He was trying to distract this hobbit, but he was always vigilant of his movements, not letting him slip away to take him by surprise.

"I'm coming, just give me a moment," Bilbo said, staying silent for a few seconds. He reached into his pocket and, opening his eyes to a nearly impossible riddle, asked, "What have I got in my pocket?"

Frustrated by Bilbo's words, Gollum threw a tantrum. "That's not fair! It's not fair! It's against the rules!" he shouted, hurling a stone in frustration. "I want another riddle!" he growled.

"No, I said it was the last one. What's in my pocket?" Bilbo replied, keeping his sword pointed at the creature in front of him. If he remembered anything from Aldril's lessons, it was to always be alert and not be distracted.

Hearing Bilbo's reply, Gollum became agitated and leaped towards Bilbo, but the sword prevented him. "Three chances! You have to give us three chances!"

"Very well, three chances, go ahead."

Smiling at the hobbit's acceptance, Gollum thought for a moment and then joyfully exclaimed, "Hands, they're hands!"

Showing his left hand, Bilbo shook his head. "No, they're not hands." Gollum became desperate and started moving around frantically, throwing bones from his old prey. "Grrr, fish, goblin teeth, bats," he muttered quickly. "A knife!" he shouted.

"No! You only have one chance left." In a desperate act, Gollum pointed at Bilbo. "A fairy!" Bilbo denied it, "No, you've lost all three chances."

Upon Bilbo's reply, Gollum became desperate, put his hands to his head, and curled up in a fetal position, lamenting. Bilbo didn't mind the creature's behavior and said, "You lost, let's go. You said you'd help me find the way out."

As if a second personality took over Gollum, he slowly stood up, repeating, "Did we lose? Did we really lose?" and with a twisted smile, he reached into his loincloth, only to open his eyes in desperation and search everywhere. "Ehh, where is it?! Where is it?!" Hitting the water, Gollum became even more desperate. "No! No! No! My precious!! It's lost!!"

"What did you lose?" Bilbo nervously asked, bewildered by the creature's behavior.

"Don't ask, it's none of your concern!" Crying, Gollum put his hands to his head, repeating his characteristic phrase, "Gollum! Gollum!" Defeated, he looked at his reflection in the water and as if he had discovered something, his face twisted with anger. "What have you got in your nasty little pockets?" Hearing the creature's words, Bilbo tensed. He instinctively knew the creature was looking for the ring he had tucked away in his pocket, so with determination, he aimed his sword at Gollum.

Noticing the hobbit's movements, Gollum's face hardened, and through gritted teeth he said, "You stole it! You have it!" With a shout, he lunged at Bilbo, ready to kill and reclaim his precious.

However, Aldril's appearance made a significant change in the story. In the original movie plot, Bilbo would have run away, but this time, he didn't. Nervous but determined, he wielded his sword. Gollum didn't expect this, so being in the air, he couldn't dodge it. The sword cut a diagonal line across Gollum's face, causing him immense pain. "Ahhhhh!" he screamed in agony, writhing.

Bilbo seized the moment and ran away. He was nervous; for some reason, he didn't want to kill this creature, but that didn't stop him from protecting himself. He left an indelible mark on Gollum, a mark that would follow him for the rest of his life.

***

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