Chapter 197: Balrog

—Balrog

As expected, Gandalf was reading the diary the dwarves left behind when he suddenly said, ‘They’re here…’

A loud thud reached them from behind; Pippin the Hobbit had carelessly dropped a corpse into a deep well.

‘Listen… I hear something.’ Froddo the Hobbit, bearer of the One Ring, unsheathed his mithril sword which radiated a dark blue glow.

‘Orcs!’ The handsome elf Legolas warned them, killing intent filling his face.

They immediately shut the door, but right before it closed, Drako Yau could see an orc charging at them with a sword in hand. The orc looked similar to what he had expected, though it was slimmer and uglier. They were also weaker than their pure-blooded counterparts.

The four hobbits bunched up together. Gandalf also yelled, ‘Idyllic Poet! Get over here!’

Drako Yau and Idyllic Poet ran over to them. Gandalf, Aragorn the human prince, and Boromir, son of Denethor II the steward, guarded the two and the hobbits as the orcs hammered the door fanatically.

Aragorn and Legolas drew their bows and started firing away. Gandalf also shouted, ‘Run!’

Unlike the story, the group didn’t flee after a great battle, but instead sallied forth right away. Aragorn dropped his bow and slashed away with his longsword. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Gandalf yelled angrily, ‘Idyllic Poet! Don’t just stand there, run!’

Idyllic Poet seemed to have become part of the story. Gimli the dwarf also cried out, ‘That’s why I said no witches! Look, she’s just a burden!’

The group rushed past countless orcs. Though things appeared dangerous, Idyllic Poet and Drako Yau weren’t particularly threatened thanks to the NPCs who fought. All they had to do was flee with the terrified hobbits.

Orcs swarmed towards them like ants. Some held swords as they pursued the fleeing band while others crawled along the walls, the sounds of war drums pounding ceaselessly. Orc archers also fired arrows at them.

‘Damned orcs!’ Legolas snickered and drew his bow. The arrow glowed red and whizzed at the orc archers; it was Exploding Arrow!

The Explosive Arrow exploded among the orc archers, drawing cries and curses. The group scurried away frantically with Aragorn leading the way. He slashed and hacked at the sea of orcs with his longsword. Suddenly, a sword aura shot out from his weapon—it was a weaponmaster skill!

Even though they kept on running, they eventually lost to the orcs’ overwhelming numbers. There was no way out. The thousands of orcs surrounded them like a raging sea, some of them waving their weapons while others bared their teeth.

Gandalf kept a chilly look as his grey staff radiated a bright glow, halting the orcs from advancing any further. It was a deadlock, one that might end in their deaths…

Gimli howled, ‘It’s all my fault! If I didn’t insist on passing through Moria…’

Before he could finish his line, Aragorn already replied with his own shout. ‘Shut your mouth and save your energy for the damned orcs!’

Legolas also laughed heartily and said, ‘It is my honour to die in battle with you all!’

「來吧！」

‘Let’s go!’

Just when they were about to make their last stand and attempt to break through the orc encirclement, a thundering roar resounded throughout the entire palace. The roar echoed in the sealed off palace, forcing them to cover their ears in pain.

The orcs squealed in fear upon hearing the howl and fled like a subsiding tide.

Everyone glanced at one another.

‘Did we make it?’

Gandalf, however, looked at where the howl came from in despair. He murmured, ‘Flame of Udûn, Balrog of Moria…’

Nothing but redness filled their sights. Crimson flares coming straight from Hell flickered and closed in on them. Albeit terrified, Gandalf still shouted, ‘Run quickly!’

The Balrog was obviously more of a disaster compared to the orcs given Gandalf’s dreadful look. It took great steps and knocked down many pillars as it ran. Fearful orcs ran past it, but it grabbed a handful of orcs and tossed them into its jaws. The gobbled orcs all turned into black ash, leaving behind just lumps of primordial energy.

‘What on Middle-earth is that!’ Boromir turned pale when he saw the demon behind them. Compared to the demon, the sea of orcs looked cute.

Back when they were trapped, Gandalf and co were confident they could escort the hobbits out of Moria even if it might cost them their lives, but nothing but terror overtook them now. All they could think of was to flee for their lives!

Even Drako Yau had a grim expression. Nin was terrifying enough already, yet it was nothing compared to the demon behind them—fleeing was their only option.

The Balrog growled and pursued them, leaving massive scorched footprints everywhere it stepped. It was quickly closing the distance between them.

Gimli’s eyes flashed. He said, ‘Over there! The exit’s that way!’

‘Lead the way!’ Gandalf sounded exasperated; no one present knew better about the horrors of the Balrog.

A ravine stood in their way, connected by nothing but a stone bridge. Only the dwarves could’ve built such a narrow stone bridge without any railings thanks to their delicate craftsmanship.

‘Go across! Quickly!’

Gandalf’s gaze was full of resolve. He, alone, stood on the bridge and defended them from the rear.

‘Quest received: The Wizard’s Resolve!

Cover for the Fellowship of the Ring. Apart from Gandalf, the death of any other member will result in failure of the quest.’ (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Idyllic Poet and Drako Yau both received the system notification. However, it left Drako Yau somewhat confused. According to the Western classic Lord of the Rings, Gandalf supposedly broke the stone bridge with magic and knocked the Balrog into the abyss.

Then why’d the system give us such a quest?

‘You shall not pass!’

Gandalf’s grey hair and robe fluttered under the might of his magic. With staff and sword in hand, Gandalf stood on the stone bridge, holding back the horrendous Balrog alone!

Video of the scene from Lord of the Rings: here。