"My thanks. But speaking of which, did you come here for something important this time? Why don't you stay a few more days? I've been experimenting with many new dishes lately..."
"No need to linger, but I did come here for something I need to discuss with you. Ever since that war-band was destroyed, the Goblin-king of the Misty Mountains has learned of your existence. He's likely to seek vengeance, so you'd better be cautious during your travels."
The Goblin-king...
Garrett's first thought was of Azog, but then he reconsidered, that didn't seem right. He'd never heard of Azog being called the Goblin-king. Then it must be that creature.
A large, bloated, and grotesquely pale goblin appeared in his mind.
The one who dwelled in Goblin-town?
"I understand. Thank you for the warning."
Rangers always came and went like the wind. Despite Garrett's efforts to persuade him to stay, he couldn't convince him. In the end, he simply gave him a brief tour of the territory and showed off some of the new additions.
For example, the iron golems.
These massive constructs stared expressionlessly at Halbarad, making his hair stand on end. But instead of attacking, the golem simply scratched its head and, somehow, produced a small red flower and offered it to him.
Apparently, the golems' friend-or-foe recognition system was functioning properly.
"My thanks," he said courteously, accepting the flower.
After the brief tour, without lingering, the Ranger departed.
Not long after, Garrett mounted his horse and galloped eastward along the road. It had to be said, having a horse made traveling far more efficient. Though this horse's top speed was only 11.5 meters per second, it could run steadily without rest.
And not just the horse, he didn't need rest either.
Man and horse ran without pause for an entire day, arriving at a landmark structure: The Last Bridge.
As they neared the river, he slowed the horse, crossing the stone bridge step by step, taking in the scenery on both sides. The river reflected the setting sun, painting the dusk with brilliant colors.
This was the place.
"The Trollshaws."
He unfolded his map.
From here, a short journey northeast would take him into the dangerous Trollshaws. It was called the Trollshaws because it was infested with trolls from the eastern Ettenmoors and Misty Mountains.
He didn't know exactly where the three trolls who would one day waylay Bilbo and the dwarves lived, but that didn't stop him from wanting to explore. If he found them, excellent, he could add to his treasure hoard. If not, it would be like a scouting expedition.
Though frankly, the scenery here wasn't particularly appealing.
Having made up his mind, he dug a deep pit beside the bridge and temporarily sheltered his horse within, covering the top. Thanks to riding the horse, he had barely touched his food reserves over the past two days, so his supplies were still ample.
After ensuring the horse was relatively safe, he wasted no time and set off toward the northeast.
The sunset vanished swiftly, and night fell.
A gentle breeze passed by, not disturbing him in the slightest.
Swish.
Garrett parted a cluster of bushes, startling a panicked wild rabbit within. He moved on, disappointed.
He'd been searching in the forest for half the night now, and still hadn't found a single trace of trolls. Anyone else observing would think he was mad.
Normal folk avoided such dangers, yet he was actively seeking them out, and still couldn't find anything.
What, are you all hiding just because I showed up?
Suddenly, the undergrowth behind him rustled. A dark shadow leaped out, raising a blade and charging straight at him.
"Aha! Look what I've fou—"
Swish.
In an instant, he drew his longsword and leaped backward, slashing behind him.
Critical strike!
"Gah—"
The voice was cut off immediately. Looking down at the corpse on the ground... An orc.
He immediately went on high alert. These creatures didn't act alone. Orcs were like vermin, if you saw one, there were bound to be more nearby.
Fortunately, this one was cut down as soon as it appeared, so it probably didn't have time to call for reinforcements. However, as the scent of blood began to spread, it was clear this night would be anything but peaceful.
Awooo!
A warg howled nearby, the sound practically in Garrett's ear. His hair stood on end. He immediately opened his inventory and donned his armor in a flash.
Rustle rustle.
One warg after another leaped out. The one in front bared its bloody fangs, lunging straight at him.
One bite from that creature would be like taking an axe to the chest.
Thud!
But the next second, an iron-rimmed wooden shield appeared in his hands. The charging warg slammed into it at full speed. The shield didn't budge, but the impact left the beast stunned.
It had no time to recover. He seized the opportunity and slashed down hard onto its skull. The warg howled and collapsed instantly, the critical hit eliminating most of its health.
The wargs came at him one after another. Shield in hand, he fought while slowly retreating. Surrounded by seven or eight of them attacking from all directions, he still found time to finish off the wounded ones on the ground.
As long as the shield held, the wargs could barely touch him. Clearly, their attacks weren't powerful enough to break through it.
Thud!
He bashed one warg aside with his shield and turned to slash another. Even the agile wargs couldn't dodge his swift strikes. But in that moment he turned, another warg darted behind him and sank its fangs into his waist.
It felt like being stabbed with daggers.
That bite had clearly been calculated, waiting for him to expose a weakness.
[-1]
But it barely hurt. After all, the beast had bitten the thickest part of his armor. Yet he nearly forgot, his enemies weren't just wargs.
On a boulder behind the pack, an orc quietly drew a bow and took aim.
Swish.
An arrow flew.
Thud!
His head snapped back.
The orc archer grinned wickedly, clearly pleased.
The arrow had struck Garrett square in the head, seemingly piercing right through his silvery iron helmet and into his skull.
Headshot.
But what happened next almost made the orc drop his bow in terror.
Garrett calmly pulled the bloodied arrow from his helmet and shot a deadly glare in the archer's direction.
[-4]
The arrow had done serious damage, if not for the armor, it could have nearly killed him. But it didn't matter.
His hunger level slowly dropped, and his health regenerated rapidly. In the blink of an eye, his health bar was full again.
Ignoring the archer, he raised his sword and plunged back into the pack of wargs, slashing and spilling blood as he went. The orc stared in disbelief, so many wargs, and they still couldn't bring down just one man?
The wargs had clearly bitten him. He had clearly taken damage. So why wouldn't he fall?!
The archer tried to take another shot, but every time, that massive shield intercepted it. Garrett would rather take a bite from a warg than let the archer get a clean shot.
It didn't take long.
Garrett, chewing on a piece of jerky, stepped over the corpses of the wargs and charged straight for the archer's position.
Swish!
A single blow, decapitation.