"Estel."
In a clearing in the secluded valley, Elrond called over Aragorn, who was vigorously practicing his swordplay, and spoke to him gently, "Do you know that throughout history, many Elves and Men were exceptional warriors, their feats unparalleled, their names alone enough to strike fear into the hearts of their enemies?"
"Among them, there is one name you surely know, Ecthelion. He was the lord of the House of the Fountain in the Elder Days. In a war no Elf likes to speak of, he personally slew two Orc chieftains and three Balrogs. Because of this, his name has been passed down through generations as a battle cry among the Eldar."
"Whenever his name is heard, it chills the hearts of the Orcs."
"When you face Orcs in the future, you may also use his name as a battle cry to weaken their morale before the fight even begins."
Aragorn listened intently and nodded at the end.
"I'll remember it."
But after saying that, his expression shifted slightly, as if something had occurred to him.
"What is it? Do you have a question?"
Elrond gestured: "Feel free to speak."
Aragorn then said, "If all that matters is making the Orcs afraid, then... can I shout someone else's name before battle?"
"Of course you can."
Elrond answered affirmatively, though his curiosity was piqued.
"I'd like to know, who do you mean?"
"Garrett."
---
"Garrett!"
Bard cut down a dozen goblins on his way to the cave entrance.
"Next time, promise me you'll discuss it with me first."
What Garrett just pulled off was beyond reckless, worse than charging blindly. Even the greenest recruit would know to switch to ranged tactics when facing such overwhelming numbers.
But this fellow? He just charged straight in.
"Good thing nothing went wrong this time."
Seeing the army behind him, he let out a breath of relief.
Thanks to the veterans' example, even the new recruits quickly adapted and began fighting fiercely and efficiently.
He couldn't help but remark, "It's a miracle, no one fell in battle."
The charge might've looked chaotic, but it actually worked.
Garrett was like a living weapon of terror. Just send him forward, and the goblins' formations would immediately fall apart. From now on, leading with him would probably always work.
"Of course no one fell. No one ever will."
Garrett replied flatly, without even turning his head. "I've been watching the whole time."
Bard blinked.
It was true, after Garrett charged in, he never pressed too deep. Instead, he kept an eye on the entire battlefield.
With him watching over them, it was indeed hard for anyone to get seriously hurt.
Judging by the results, things actually turned out... unexpectedly well.
"That's still not acceptable."
Bard shook his head.
"From now on, you're going to receive proper tactical training. I'll find you the best instructor I can."
Garrett suddenly tensed.
Tactical training?
"The wind's a bit strong," he muttered evasively.
"You—"
"Garrett!"
Just then, Thorin came running over.
"Brilliant. You're braver than the bravest Dwarf I've ever met."
And more reckless than the most foolhardy Dwarf.
Seeing Thorin felt like spotting a savior. Garrett quickly walked over and said, "Same goes for all of you."
By now, the goblins pouring from the cave had been nearly wiped out. Already at a disadvantage, and now with their commander taken out by Bard's arrow, the remaining goblins were like headless chickens, easily and swiftly dispatched in the chaos.
The goblins still in the cave, upon seeing the strength of the army, would not venture forward and retreated back inside.
Though somewhat unexpected, this battle had given the soldiers experience in close combat, and also a firsthand taste of the goblins' savagery.
Every sword was stained with goblin blood.
"They've retreated."
Now, on the broad road ahead, not a single goblin remained standing. The soldiers regrouped, awaiting further orders.
Bard looked at the restless shadows within the cave and said, "Now comes the crucial part."
"It's our turn."
Thorin stepped forward with a band of Dwarves.
Goblin-town, aside from a few open passages, was mostly made up of narrow, winding paths with low ceilings, honestly, not very suitable for human soldiers.
At this point, tactics and strategy would become critically important.
If it were Dwarves inside those tunnels, this army entering would almost certainly face disaster, few would make it out alive.
But...
"No matter how fierce they are, they're still just a bunch of goblins."
Dwalin raised his axe and said, "Back then, there were only fourteen of us, and we still managed to carve our way through. Now we have three thousand five hundred men."
That was technically true, but he completely left out the fact that Garrett and Gandalf had been there at the time.
In front of the cave, the group began discussing battle plans.
"Goblins aren't particularly clever. The tunnels may have become complex due to their digging, but the structure won't be sophisticated—that much we've seen for ourselves."
"Smoke, fire, water, something will work on them."
No chance was given for the goblins to regroup or rest.
The elite army advanced along the main road toward Goblin-town.
Objectively speaking, while the army's numbers weren't enormous, its quality was exceptional.
Forget their gear for a moment, just the generals and captains leading the force, and the Dwarves serving as guides, none of them were ordinary. Each could command an army on their own.
The talent level was extremely high.
As for their opponents?
They didn't even have a leader anymore.
Their fate was sealed: they would either flee and scatter, or be annihilated completely.
There were no other options left,.
One of the major strongholds of the goblins, which had plagued countless travelers and raided numerous settlements, was about to meet its end today.
---
BOOM!
Deep underground, with a massive rumble, a pair of large eyes suddenly snapped open.
"What was that noise, gollum..."
The thin, clawed hands instinctively patted around his body, but failed to find what they were looking for.
"Oh, it wasn't a dream. My precious, it's really gone. Curse it, gollum... Curse that little thief..."
Muttering curses, Gollum suddenly sniffed the air.
"There's a strange smell... blood... and something burnt... What are those scrawny, dry, nasty goblins up to now, gollum..."
Splash, splash.
Footsteps echoed, heavier than goblins'.
Gollum's eyes widened in alarm, instantly alert.
"We should go see."
He spoke to himself.
Thud.
Suddenly, several goblin corpses dropped down, startling Gollum into leaping back several steps, hiding behind a rock near the underground pool.
"Falling food? Gollum... No, something's wrong..."
He wouldn't come out, instead curling up tightly behind the rock, occasionally peeking out cautiously.
A short while later, voices approached.
"Just as the lord said, this place is a natural cavern."
"Amazing."
Does our lord have supernatural sight?
"Enough chatter. Stay sharp. Report your findings."
"No traces found."
The vanguard soldier swept his gaze across the cave, then signaled the others to fall back with practiced ease.
Time passed, and the cave remained quiet.
Just as Gollum began to relax, preparing to sneak out and investigate, a figure walked into the cavern.
The moment he laid eyes on him, a chill ran through his body, and he instinctively held his breath.
"Why do I feel like I'm being watched..."
Garrett glanced around, then suddenly looked up, spotting a bat hanging from the ceiling.
He stepped forward a few paces, drew his bow, and fired an arrow that struck the bat cleanly.
Bats in these parts often carried evil and darkness.
It could easily be someone's spy, better to eliminate it just in case.
Plop. Plop.
Gollum's heart pounded in his chest, but he held still. Only after the man had left for quite some time would he venture to exhale.
"We can't stay here anymore..."
"It's too dangerous, gollum..."
"Where should we go?" he asked in a timid, uncertain tone.
"Anywhere. Anywhere but here..."
Another voice from the same body answered, "I've had enough. We should go find that thief, the one who stole our precious, gollum..."
"We should've gone even if this hadn't happened. Yes, we must go..."
"We have to find that hobbit... that Baggins..."
In the year 2941 of the Third Age, driven by fear of the Dale army and longing for the One Ring, Gollum overcame his fear of sunlight and the outside world, and thus left the Misty Mountains.