Chapter 641
Parting
Chapter 641 Parting
While Boromir was desperately trying to stop the Orcish party, Frodo, who had escaped the encirclement, was also running frantically towards the camp.
The Orcs' strength is evident to the naked eye, and it's likely that Boromir won't be able to hold out for long.
Therefore, Frodo needs to hurry to the camp for help.
The more anxious you are, the more likely you are to make a mistake. Frodo, who was only focused on getting on his way, didn't have much energy to begin with. In addition, he was unfamiliar with the terrain, so he slipped and fell into a thicket of thorny bushes.
"Ah!!!"
With a cry of pain, the hobbit's clothes were torn, and his body was scratched and bleeding from the thorny bushes.
"Damn it, I can't stop here..."
Frodo, whose face grew increasingly pale, thought of Boromir still fighting desperately, and so he endured the excruciating pain and pulled out the barbs from his body.
Then he took out the healing crystal bottle given to him by the Elf Queen, disinfected himself slightly, and then stumbled back towards the camp.
"who is it???"
Just then, footsteps suddenly came from the jungle ahead. Thinking that pursuers were intercepting him, Frodo fiercely drew his dagger from his waist.
It seems they are preparing to follow Boromir's example and fight to the death.
“It’s me, Lord Frodo. What’s wrong?” Sam emerged from the woods, his face showing concern.
He had never seen Frodo so disheveled... and so fierce.
Yes, he was ruthless. Frodo's aura just now clearly indicated he was going to kill.
"Sam, what are you doing here?" Seeing his friend put Frodo at ease.
Without that fighting spirit, what follows is exhaustion and pain.
This caused Frodo to almost collapse to the ground, but fortunately Sam rushed forward and caught him in time.
“Aragorn saw that you hadn’t returned for a while, so he sent us to look for you in the jungle…” Sam explained why he was there, and then asked again, “What happened in the jungle? Why do you have so many wounds?”
As he spoke, Sam tore off a few strips of cloth from his clothes and began to bandage Frodo's wounds.
"This is not the time to talk about this. Take me back to the camp to find Aragorn and the others. Boromir needs help..." Frodo, concerned for Boromir's safety, interrupted his companion.
Although he looked disheveled, he was actually fine, just exhausted. But Boromir's situation was different; his life was in danger at any moment.
“Aragorn and the others…” Sam wanted to say that Aragorn and the others had also come to the jungle to look for someone and should not be at the camp, but seeing Frodo’s anxious expression, he said instead, “Then bear with it a little longer, I’ll take you back to the camp right away.”
Just as Sam picked up Frodo and prepared to run towards the camp, a melodious horn sounded from behind.
“That’s the sound of Gondor’s horn, it seems to be saying goodbye to someone…” Sam had been traveling with Boromir all the way, so he naturally recognized the Gondorian horn that Boromir wore like a treasure at his waist.
That was a symbol of Gondor's honor.
The bugle call that sounded at this moment, melodious yet desolate, evoked a sense of sorrow in everyone.
"Quick, let's get back to camp!" Upon hearing the horn, Frodo suddenly had a bad feeling.
Clearly, something went wrong with Polomir, who was responsible for covering the rear.
The only thing Frodo could do now was to hurry back to camp and ask for help.
Meanwhile, Faramiel, who was on guard duty in the capital of Gondor, seemed to faintly hear the distant sound of horns.
On a whim, he abruptly mounted his horse and shouted to the Gondorian guard behind him, "My elder brother should be returning to Gondor soon. Let's go to the border to meet him!"
Boromir and Faramir, the two sons of the Regent of Gondor, had different personalities but a very good relationship.
This also kept Faramiel closely following his elder brother's journey.
Moreover, Faramiel has been having a bad feeling lately, a kind of telepathic connection between brothers.
This undoubtedly made him even more worried about his older brother's situation.
……
At this moment, in the Van Gogh Forest, Boromir, who had delayed for far too long, had exhausted his last bit of strength.
Having been struck by several arrows and surrounded by an ever-growing number of powerful orcs, he knew he was doomed.
So before he died, he took off the horn that his father had given him from his waist.
Without fear or dread, Boromir sounded the horn at the last moment, displaying a spirit of heroic sacrifice.
On the orc side, seeing that the human before them was on his last legs, a tall orc stepped forward, about to cut off his head.
Just then, an elven arrow flew from afar, piercing the head of the tall, powerful orc with a whooshing sound, freezing the ferocious smile on its face.
"Well done, Legolas!!!"
Accompanied by a hearty shout of praise, Aragorn burst forth from the jungle, charging into the Orcs with unstoppable momentum.
The dwarf Jinpi followed closely behind, his giant axe flashing like a whirlwind as he cleaved away the orcs who blocked his path.
Further back, there was the Elven Prince Legolas, wielding the Bow of Galadriel. Leaping between the branches, he would occasionally fire a few arrows, killing the orcs who tried to ambush Aragorn and his companions.
"Hey, brave Gondor warrior, you shouldn't die here!" Aragorn rushed in front of Boromir, wielding his sword to fend off the attacks of the surrounding orcs, while also giving the eldest son of the Gondor regent a smile.
Clearly, Boromir, who had just shown no fear of death, had won Aragorn's approval.
On the other side, looking at Aragorn's powerful figure standing in front of him, Boromir also felt a special feeling.
'Perhaps the other party is more capable than my father of leading Gondor to prosperity...'
Next, with the addition of three formidable warriors—Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimpulse—the Orc squad was quickly routed.
The only thing to be wary of was the Ringwraith beside them, whose entire body was emanating black energy.
"Beware of the cursed sword in its hand..."
Seeing Aragorn and Gimlich charging towards the Ringwraiths, who resembled the final boss, Legolas, after offering a warning, also joined the battle, wielding the Bow of Galadriel.
With the tank Jinpi holding the line, the human warrior Aragorn was responsible for the frontal attack, while the elven archer Legolas provided mid-to-long-range support.
In this situation, although the Ringwraith Witch-king of Angmar is immune to most physical attacks, he still needs to be wary of the "enchanted" Elven weapons in the hands of Aragorn and Legolas.
Seeing the three men in front of him growing stronger with each battle, the Witch King of Angmar, after putting up a few resistances, gradually turned into black mist and chose to leave the battlefield.
After all, its primary task was to keep an eye on the One Ring for Sauron, not to participate in meaningless battles.
As the Ringwraiths departed, the surrounding Orc squads ceased their fighting and fled out of the jungle.
Behind them, Aragorn and his two companions, having just finished a fierce battle, did not rashly pursue the fleeing Orcs.
Both sides maintained the necessary understanding.
"Are you alright? Do you need us to carry you back to camp?" After the Orc squad disappeared, Aragorn walked up to Boromir, who was lying on the ground, and reached out his hand.
"Thank you for your concern, I'm not going to die anytime soon." Boromir smiled and stood up with the help of Aragorn.
Although he had many arrow and knife wounds on his body, and they looked terrible, thankfully none of them were fatal.
Moreover, it is evident that after this incident, Boromir's attitude towards Aragorn became much closer.
"That's good. Hang in there a little longer, we'll treat your wounds once we get to the camp." Aragorn was very worried about the safety of the Ringbearer after what had just happened.
Therefore, we need to get back to the camp as soon as possible to see if Frodo is there.
Polomier had obviously thought of this as well, so he didn't say anything more.
However, just then, Pippin and Merri's cries for help suddenly came from afar.
The departing Orc squad was lucky; they ran into two Hobbits who had arrived a little late after hearing the commotion.
And coincidentally, to the orcs, all hobbits looked the same. Therefore, the powerful orcs mistook Pippin and Merry for Frodo the Ringbearer, happily captured the hobbits, and then headed towards Mordor to report to the Dark Lord.
By the time Aragorn and the others arrived at the scene after hearing the commotion, the Orc and Pippin were long gone.
"Damn it!"
Following the trail of the Orcs for a while, but still finding nothing, Aragorn couldn't help but curse under his breath.
They had promised Gandalf that they would protect the Fellowship of the Ring, but the Fellowship had only been gone a short time before such a big problem occurred.
This inevitably made Aragorn feel guilty.
However, rather than trying to bring back Pipin and Merri, we should now focus on ensuring the safety of the person holding the precepts.
Therefore, after thinking for a while, Aragorn called out to Gimli and the others, saying, "Let's go back to the camp first."
Meanwhile, Frodo, who had already returned to the camp, unsurprisingly did not see Aragorn and the others there.
"Don't worry about Frodo, Aragorn and the others may have already met Boromir in the jungle." Seeing Frodo's self-reproachful look, Sam immediately comforted him.
Moreover, Sam had previously informed Frodo of Aragorn's and the others' movements.
“It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t wandered off, we wouldn’t have been in danger. Or if I had run away the moment I encountered the Ringwraiths, Boromir wouldn’t have been in such a predicament…” Hearing his friend’s words of comfort, Frodo still felt guilty. “It’s all my fault. I’m a jinx…”
Once Frodo calmed down a bit, he realized that he had been thinking the wrong way.
Thinking deeper, all the problems seem to be related to The Lord of the Rings.
Then, Frodo, who was starting to get a little fixated on the issue, concluded that he and the One Ring were the source of danger for the Fellowship of the Ring.
“Sam, you stay here and wait for Aragorn and the others to return. Tell them that I alone can handle the task of destroying the Ring.” To avoid endangering the rest of the Fellowship of the Ring again, Frodo prepared to embark on the journey to destroy the Ring alone.
Seeing Frodo's unusually resolute demeanor, Sam quickly realized something was wrong.
Therefore, when Frodo headed east toward the Anduin River, he quickly shouldered his baggage and followed.
"Don't follow me anymore, being with me will only bring misfortune..." Frodo quickened his pace as he shooed away his companion who was following him.
Frodo, who had learned about the distribution of Middle-earth from his uncle Bilbo's autobiography, knew of another path to Mordor.
That means heading east, crossing the Anduin River and the Dead Swamp, and you'll reach Mordor.
Although this route is more dangerous, it is undoubtedly the fastest way to get to Mordor.
"I promised Gandalf that I would protect you no matter what, please don't abandon me..."
Sam was unaware that Frodo had chosen a perilous path, and even if he had, he wouldn't have chosen to leave.
So, with the two hobbits pulling each other along, they soon arrived at the Anduin River to the east.
“Go back, you shouldn’t have joined this trip in the first place…” Frodo said again, after picking up a raft by the river.
Looking back, Sam joined the Fellowship of the Ring entirely because of Frodo's suggestion.
Although it was done out of good intentions, it didn't actually help Sam.
Given Gandalf's personality, even if Sam hadn't joined the Fellowship of the Ring, the wizards wouldn't have done anything to him.
"No... wait for me... Lord Frodo..."
On the banks of the Anduin River, after Sam helped Frodo push the raft into the water, he was suddenly abandoned by Frodo.
As the raft drifted further and further away, Sam struggled to catch up with it.
However, since he couldn't swim, and his backpack was soaked with water, he quickly sank into the water.
Even if Frodo had a hard heart, he couldn't help but turn around and pull his friend up when he heard him gulping down water.
"Why did you do this?" Frodo couldn't help but grumble as he watched his friend's disheveled appearance after climbing onto the raft.
“I don’t understand any grand principles, but I know my friend needs help…” Sam, who was soaked to the bone, actually had a happy smile on his face after sitting on the raft.
……
While the two hobbits were "relying on each other for survival," Aragorn, who rushed back to the camp but did not see the Ringbearer, became irritable again.
“Aragorn, things might not be so bad. Frodo probably left with Sam, and their luggage isn’t here…” the Elven prince Legolas comforted his friend.
With his more meticulous attention to detail, he noticed that the camp showed no signs of damage.
In addition to Sam's missing luggage, this at least proves that the two hobbits left on their own.
"I hope so."
Aragorn, who felt he had messed everything up, remained in low spirits.
After giving Boromir a quick first aid, Aragorn decided to immediately lead the rest of the men to the Gondorian border to meet up with Gandalf.
At the very least, the situation here should be communicated to the wizard.
……
Meanwhile, Gandalf, who had traveled through the night to reach the Isengard Highlands, met the Ents who had stayed behind at the foot of the wizard's tower.
"Another wizard in a white robe, could he be an accomplice of that evil wizard?!"
Should we inform Mr. Mike about the situation?
"..."
Upon seeing Gandalf, who was dressed in the same white robes as Saruman, the tree-people immediately gathered together and began to discuss in hushed tones.
However, their deep, loud voices are not suitable for crickets to chirp behind people.
"Is the other white wizard you're talking about Saruman?" Gandalf asked, addressing the pointing and whispering of the tree people. "That's right, Mr. Mike you're talking about is my friend. I've come here at his request."
Seeing the Ents' increasingly wary expression, Gandalf quickly clarified that he meant no harm.
Although the plains below Isengard have been washed away by the river, the ore pits where powerful orcs were raised can still be roughly identified.
Therefore, it is not difficult for Gandalf to guess what Saruman had done here before.
“You really are Mr. Mike’s friend, then what is your relationship with that wizard up there?” Quickbranch stepped forward and asked Gandalf.
As the first Treant to strike the reservoir to cleanse it of filth, Quickbranch now enjoys high prestige among Treants.
It is vaguely showing a tendency to succeed the old tree man, Shu Hu.
"The wizards up there?" Gandalf followed Quickbranch's gaze and looked up at the top of the wizarding tower, just in time to see a disheveled Saruman looking down at him.
"Humph~"
But soon, after letting out a cold snort, Saruman's figure disappeared at the edge of the tower.
In the world of the victors and the vanquished, Saruman, already defeated, naturally didn't want his colleague Gandalf to laugh at him.
“Saruman was once my companion, and for all that he has done here, please allow me to apologize on his behalf…” Gandalf removed his hat and bowed slightly, expressing his apology.
Then he said, "I will give you an explanation for what happened here. Now I need to go see Mr. Mike first."
At that moment, Mike was sitting at the window of the room at the top of the wizard's tower, and he naturally saw Gandalf's arrival.
Seeing that Mike did not intend to stop him, the tree people made way for Gandalf to enter the wizard's tower.
……
(End of this chapter)