บท 245: Gollum
Wayne approached Thorin, ignoring the anxious expressions of the others. Noticing the dwarf prince's dilated pupils, he reached into his space bracelet and pulled out a small vial containing a brilliant blood-red potion.
This was a powerful healing elixir, purchased from the Azeroth World Auction House. Rare and incredibly valuable, this potion had cost Wayne nearly two thousand orens—equivalent to the price of the mansion he once bought in Vizima.
As such an expensive potion, its effects were extraordinary. Given the resilience of the dwarves in Middle-earth, this potion could preserve life, as long as they weren't killed instantly. It was potent enough to keep Thorin from succumbing to his injuries.
Wayne gently opened Thorin's mouth and poured the potion down his throat. He then retrieved a roll of clean bandages from his pouch and quickly dressed the dwarf's severed arm and wounded neck.
After completing the treatment, Wayne glanced at the other members of the expedition team, who stood with expressions of anxiety, hope, and anticipation, including Gandalf. With a softened tone, he addressed them:
"His life should be saved, but his body is weak. He must not be moved for the next few days. We should rest here until his condition stabilizes."
Upon hearing the good news, the dwarves erupted in cheers and relief, and even Gandalf exhaled deeply, visibly reassured.
The gray-robed wizard stepped forward, placing a hand on Wayne's shoulder and smiling gratefully. "Thank you for your efforts, Wayne," Gandalf said. "Now, let me contribute."
Though Gandalf had lost many of his divine powers when he took human form as a Maia, he still retained potent magical abilities. As a wizard, his knowledge of spells was vast, and though his expertise lay in fighting dark forces and breaking curses, he could still assist in healing.
With a nod, Wayne stepped aside, allowing Gandalf to work. The wizard approached Thorin, placing a hand over his chest and chanting softly in an ancient language. A stabilizing spell was cast to help Thorin recover, speeding up the healing process.
Although Gandalf did not possess Wayne's near-miraculous healing tools, his magic helped stabilize Thorin's condition, ensuring the wounds healed properly.
Soon, under the joint efforts of Wayne's potion and Gandalf's magic, Thorin's condition improved. Though pale from blood loss, he had fallen into a peaceful sleep, his breathing steady.
Seeing this, the entire group, including Wayne, breathed a collective sigh of relief.
For Wayne, it wasn't out of deep concern for Thorin personally. Rather, his thoughts drifted to the master-level quest of capturing Azog alive and the other tasks he had taken on for Thorin—one master-level and one epic.
If Thorin died unexpectedly, would these missions fail? This was a scenario Wayne hadn't encountered before, but if the quests were tied to Thorin's survival, it would be a significant loss.
Testing such a theory in the future was something to consider, but for now, ensuring Thorin's safety until all missions were complete was imperative.
With this thought in mind, Wayne set about preparing a meal. He took out his cooking tools, and with Bilbo's help, prepared a hearty lunch for the group. He even made a special nutritional supplement for the comatose Thorin.
After the group had rested, Wayne entrusted Deathclaw Robin—who had sated its bloodlust for the day—with guarding the camp. Then, convincing Balin to accompany him, Wayne set out on another quest to hunt the orcs in the Misty Mountains, leaving the hidden camp behind.
Though none of the expedition members, including Gandalf, approved of Wayne's continued solo ventures into orc territory, he persuaded them by emphasizing his superior strength.
It wasn't out of sheer diligence that Wayne took on the task. He was a man who enjoyed his leisure, but something had caught his attention: the Sword had become sharper and more powerful after slaying a large number of orcs.
Recalling the sword's unique properties, Wayne felt a surge of motivation.
The Sword, a sacred weapon gifted by the Lady of the Lake, grew stronger with each enemy slain. In the sparse monster population of the Witcher's world, such opportunities were rare. But in Middle-earth, where good and evil were clearly defined, the sword thrived in battle against evil creatures.
Idle hands would serve no purpose. While Thorin recovered, Wayne resolved to continue completing expert-level quests and empowering his weapon.
With that decision, Wayne retraced his steps and returned to the entrance of the Orc Town in the Misty Mountains, beginning another monster-hunting spree.
Utilizing his invisibility cloak and magic flying carpet, combined with his honed skills as a top-tier Witcher, Wayne transformed into a deadly assassin in the dark, gloomy cave.
Rather than confronting the main force of the orcs, Wayne targeted isolated individuals. Cloaked in invisibility, he stalked his prey with precision.
With his current strength, any orcs caught alone were easy targets. Even when facing a group, Wayne's speed allowed him to eliminate them with the Sword before they could call for reinforcements. He even pushed their bodies into the mine's abyss, ensuring no trace remained of his presence.
Often, when the enemy noticed something unusual and rushed over with a large group of troops to investigate, they would only find twisted corpses, their faces frozen in expressions of terror.
With the help of the magic flying carpet and the cover of darkness, Wayne could swiftly relocate and carry out his elusive, random killings, making him impossible to track.
In this way, Wayne roamed the vast orc cave, hunting suitable targets. Within just one day, over 300 orcs fell beneath his blade.
Such a staggering killing spree quickly spread fear throughout the remaining orcs in the town.
They soon realized that their once safe and dark cave had become a death trap. The hunter had now become the prey, but this new threat was completely unknown to them. The orcs had no way of understanding the ruthless killer's methods, much less discovering his presence.
And so, on the second, third, and fourth days, the cold, silent killings continued.
Each day, more orcs were mercilessly slain, and panic began to ripple through the town. The terror spread like wildfire among the orcs.
Every night, Wayne returned to the camp to rest, reporting the progress of his mission and basking in the admiration of his fellow companions.
During the day, he completed expert-level tasks with Balin, and when night fell, he continued his work, slaughtering the orcs.
Wayne knew that in the upcoming Battle of Five Armies, these orcs from the Misty Mountains would undoubtedly be among his enemies. Reducing their numbers now would only make the future battle easier.
But Wayne wasn't only concerned with thinning the enemy's ranks. Based on his memory of events, he also began searching the lower levels of the mine for Gollum.
He wanted to ensure that his actions wouldn't disrupt the timeline and make the One Ring a wild card in the future. Even if Bilbo couldn't take the Ring for safekeeping, Wayne couldn't allow it to remain in Gollum's hands indefinitely.
There was always the chance that, through some misfortune, the One Ring could fall into dangerous hands.
After five consecutive days of slaughtering nearly 1,300 orcs—almost half of the total population in the cave—Gollum remained elusive. The small, cunning creature had likely sensed the strange happenings in the mine and gone into hiding after noticing the increasing number of orc bodies being thrown into the abyss.
Given Gollum's small stature—smaller even than a hobbit—it was no surprise he had managed to evade detection. If the creature was truly hiding in some dark crevice, finding him would be an enormous challenge.
Yet, Wayne's efforts over the past few days were not without reward. In addition to thinning the ranks of his future enemies, he discovered vast amounts of metal ore hidden within the orc town—far more than he had anticipated.
The orcs living in the orc town had habits somewhat similar to those of dwarves. In addition to meeting their food needs, their favorite activity was digging for ore and expanding their caves.
However, unlike the dwarves, the orcs here had low intelligence. They did not trade with other clans and had no use for gold or wealth. Their forging skills were primitive, and they could not even make use of the vast amounts of ore they unearthed.
Over thousands of years, Wayne discovered that the metal ore had accumulated in massive quantities, stored away in hidden caves, in amounts that could only be described as staggering.
But there was a downside. While metal ores had many uses, and there was always a demand for them among various factions, smelting or transporting the ore from the Misty Mountains was a monumental task.
Even Wayne, who had considered selling the ore to Vivian, quickly dismissed the idea when she waved her hand dismissively, stating that basic ores such as iron and copper were worthless. The Goddess of Wealth had even mentioned entire planets composed of metal ore, making these basic resources almost valueless to her.
What's more, selling the ore would come with a discount, and even with Vivian's considerable power, it would take a month or two to recover all the ore into the loot space. The profit simply wasn't worth the effort.
After considering the matter, Wayne abandoned the idea for now. He noted the information for potential future use.
Soon, the eighth day of his orc hunt arrived. After a week of relentless killing, nearly two thousand orcs had fallen to his blade.
With more than half the orc population decimated, the once bustling orc town now resembled a ghost town. The remaining orcs, terrified, abandoned the cave in disarray. They broke into small groups and fled through hidden passages, scattering across the Misty Mountains, becoming much harder to track.
With his hunting now limited, Wayne shifted his focus entirely to finding the elusive Gollum.
There was good news back at the camp: Thorin, the dwarf prince, finally awoke from his week-long coma.
Though still weak, Thorin's recovery was accelerated thanks to Gandalf's magic. Upon regaining his strength, he solemnly expressed his gratitude to Wayne and Gandalf, vowing that the Durin clan would never forget their life-saving kindness. Thorin assured them that they would always have the support of his people, should they ever need it.
Wayne accepted this with a nod, hoping that Thorin would indeed live up to his promise.
When Wayne revealed that the orc town in the Misty Mountains had been deserted, with most of the orcs either dead or fled, the expedition team was left in stunned disbelief.
They couldn't quite comprehend that the entire population of the once powerful orc town had been wiped out in less than two weeks due to Wayne's relentless assault.
As the most formidable orc stronghold in the Misty Mountains, the destruction of the town was a blessing to all the nearby races and kingdoms. Without the orcs pillaging, burning, and murdering, the surrounding lands would enjoy a period of peace, possibly for decades before any large orc force could rise again.
This was a feat worthy of legend, and the expedition members looked at Wayne with awe, now seeing him as a true hero.
But Gandalf, while appreciating Wayne's accomplishments, grew more thoughtful. In his eyes, Wayne's power had risen to a level on par with some of the greatest forces in Middle-earth—beings like the Witch-king of Angmar. He had become someone Gandalf felt he needed to watch carefully.
On the tenth day, Thorin's condition had improved considerably. Though still unable to fight, he was strong enough to ride his horse.
However, Thorin knew they were racing against time. With the information provided by Elrond, he was aware that they needed to reach Erebor at a specific moment to open the secret passage to the Lonely Mountain. If they missed the window, they would have to wait another year.
Despite the concerns of his companions, Thorin insisted on pressing forward, determined to reach the Lonely Mountain before it was too late, even though his body was still recovering.
Wayne, seeing Thorin's resolve, reluctantly agreed. However, on the same day, he convinced Balin to join him on one final expert-level task, claiming that he needed to inspect the orc town one last time.
Of course, this was just a pretense. The real reason was that, using a dice-rolling method to predict his fortune, Wayne knew this was his lucky day.
He intended to use his luck to track down someone unfortunate, siphon their good fortune, and then embark on a final exploration of the cave to find Gollum and, hopefully, the One Ring.
If he failed to find Gollum this time, he would have to wait until the Lonely Mountain mission was over before continuing the search for the elusive creature.
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