Chapter 644
Collection
Chapter 644 Collection
"Where do you think they're taking us?"
"Who knows? Hopefully Aragorn and the others will realize we're lost soon and come to rescue us..."
"..."
Pippin and Merry, who were mistaken for the Ringbearers, are not in immediate danger until the One Ring is found.
Therefore, although we suffered a lot along the way, overall it was a close call.
As for the Orc squad that abducted them, they did not return directly to Mordor until they obtained the One Ring.
Instead, they came to Isengard, wanting to cooperate with Saruman there.
Maximize profits.
Unfortunately, due to the delayed information, this small group of Orcs was unaware that Saruman and his newly created Orc army had already been wiped out.
Therefore, their efforts will be in vain.
Of course, the situation could be even worse. This group of powerful orcs, who had not concealed their whereabouts, had already been spotted by the treants in the Fangorn Forest before entering the Isengard Highlands.
“Merry, can you feel like there are many eyes watching us all around us…” After entering the depths of the Fagong Forest, Pipin couldn’t help but shiver as he looked at the dense jungle surrounding him.
“I feel the same way…” Merri wrapped her coat tighter around herself.
Just as the two were looking around suspiciously, they suddenly saw a densely packed group of tree people hiding behind an inconspicuous hillside.
The two were initially startled, but after realizing that the acquaintances meant them no harm, they understood that this was a good opportunity to escape.
As for the Treefolk, their unique heritage gives them a special care for their "children".
At this moment, the tree people gathered behind the hillside were discussing how to safely rescue the two captured little ones from the orcs.
"Oh no, I can't hold it anymore, I need to pee..."
"I can't hold it in any longer, put me down, or I'll just poop on you..."
"..."
Meanwhile, the two hobbit children exchanged a glance and then started "messing around" in perfect unison.
That exaggerated tone immediately alarmed the entire orc squad.
"You two take them to deal with this..." Annoyed by the noise, the orc squad leader glared disdainfully at the two hobbit children who were constantly urinating and defecating, and then said to the remaining orcs, "The rest of you stay put and rest."
Even the powerful orcs were starting to feel the strain of their continuous journey.
Since they were almost at Isengard Highlands, the Orc squad leader thought they could take this opportunity to let the team rest.
"Not here, I'm shy..."
"Yes, we need to take care of it behind that hillside..."
"..."
Meanwhile, Pippin and Merri continued to "torture" the two orcs holding them captive.
Through their coordinated efforts, the two unfortunate orcs were forced to lead them to the hillside where the treant tribe resided.
"Boom...bang..."
With two muffled thuds, the two powerful orcs who had gone behind the hillside had their heads smashed by the treants before they could even figure out what was happening.
They didn't even have a chance to call for help throughout the entire process.
"Where did you come from? Why did those orcs capture you?" Treebeard, the leader of the Tree People, asked kindly.
“We are hobbits living in the Shire, and we were attacked by a caravan of orcs in the Van Gogh Forest…” Pippin told everything he could, except for revealing the Fellowship of the Ring’s mission.
Upon learning that the orc squad had no reinforcements, Treebeard immediately summoned his people to prepare to wipe them out in one fell swoop.
"Take us with you, we can help too!" x2
The two hobbit children, always eager for a good show, immediately started chattering and wanted to join the battle.
How could they not be angry after being escorted by the orcs all the way?
"Hold on tight, remember to protect yourself during the battle!"
The two lively hobbits were not unpleasant to the Ents. So the tall, thin Ent was kind enough to lift them onto his back and let them sit comfortably.
"Yo-ho, charge!!!"
"That guy with the helmet is the squad leader, take him out first..."
"Yes, hit its head hard with a branch..."
"..."
Riding on the incredibly fast Tree Roots, the two hobbit children quickly became commanders.
In addition, the Treants are numerous and powerful, and their individual strength is inherently greater than that of the Orcs.
Amidst the cheers of the two hobbit children, hundreds of treants quickly surrounded the orc squad.
The one-sided battle didn't last long. The orcs in the orc squad had their heads smashed one by one by the treants, and some were even more tragically torn to pieces.
"Where are you going next?"
After the battle, Kaige, who had a great rapport with the two hobbit children, showed concern for them.
"Gandalf said before that he would be waiting for us somewhere?"
"At the border of Gondor, Gandalf said we would meet there..."
"..."
"We're going to the border of Gondor. Is it far from here?" Pippin finally remembered his destination after his friend reminded him.
“Gandalf? Is that the wizard in the white robe? What is your relationship with him?” Gandalf had only been gone from Isengard for a short time, so Quicklet naturally remembered him.
“We are…companions, yes, companions~” Piping proudly pulled up the tiger skin.
"So you know Mr. Mike too?" Quickie continued to ask.
“Of course, that Mr. Mike is a very good friend of ours. Don’t you think so, Merri?” Seeing the serious expressions on the tree people’s faces, Pipin, who was very good at reading people’s expressions, spoke up again with a smug look.
After all, if you really think about it, they did travel with Mike for a while, so they could be considered friends.
On the other hand, the Treefolk became increasingly amiable upon hearing that the two hobbit children were friends with their benefactor.
Knowing that the two were heading to the border of Gondor, he sent Quickbringer to escort them all the way to the outermost edge of Fargon Forest.
Isengard is located at the border between Rohan and Gondor. After leaving the Fagon Forest before Isengard, Pippin and his companion had reached the border of Gondor.
"When I see Mr. Mike, I will definitely pass on your gratitude to him." On the outskirts of the Fargon Forest, Pippin and Merri, each carrying a bunch of fruit, waved goodbye to the tree-man, Quickbranch.
Mike left in such a hurry that the Treefolk hadn't had a chance to thank him, so they wanted to convey their feelings to Mike through the two hobbit children.
After watching the Ents Quickbranch return to Fangorn Forest, Pippin and Merry ate some fruit to stave off hunger, then, after determining their direction, headed towards Gondor.
Meanwhile, a troubled Aragorn, along with Legolas and the others, traversed the ruins of Isengard and the valleys of Helm'd overnight to reach the border of Gondor.
Compared to Pippin and his companion, who had the advantage of riding on powerful orcs and treants, Aragorn and his group, who were traveling with the wounded Boromir, were covered in dust from their journey.
……
"Meri, did you hear that? It sounds like there's a fight going on over there..."
Pippin and his companion, having arrived at the border of Gondor, did not find Gandalf there. So they found a secluded corner to hide in, resting while waiting for the wizard to arrive.
Not long after, they heard the sounds of fighting coming from not far away.
"Let's go over and see what's going on."
The two fearless and restless hobbit children decided to go and see what was going on.
Meanwhile, in Gondor, as King Théoden of Rohan turned his attention to clearing out the Orc squads within his territory, some desperate Orc groups fled across the Rohan border towards the Gondor border in order to escape pursuit. Faramir, who was waiting for his elder brother's return at the Gondor border, quickly discovered this situation.
Without hesitation, he led the Kingdom Guard behind him to begin clearing out the invading orcs.
"Kill them all! Kill all these scum!!!"
At this moment, on the border plains of Gondor, Faramir, riding a tall horse, was leading a charge towards a large group of orcs, sword in hand.
Yes, Faramir was lucky today, as he happened to run into a group of orc troops whose several strong orc squads had regrouped together.
Their numbers were even greater than the number of his guards.
However, the orc troops, who had fled all the way here, had little will to fight, and were quickly scattered again by Faramir's several charges.
"That guy is so cool!"
Watching Faramir charge back and forth on the battlefield, Pippin couldn't help but sigh.
While scenes of using magic to fight like Mike are certainly cool, hand-to-hand combat with swords drawn is just as thrilling.
Beside him, Merri watched the fierce battle on the plains and nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, on Faramir's side, they only stopped after they had wiped out all the scattered orc troops.
"Clean up the battlefield and take stock of our casualties..."
Sheathing his blood-stained sword, Faramiel spoke while removing his helmet and catching his breath.
Clearly, killing so many powerful orcs at once was not an easy task for him.
It was only then that Pipin and Merri realized that the general who had fought so bravely was actually a handsome young man.
Compared to his "reckless" older brother, Faramiel, who usually enjoys reading, does indeed have a scholarly air about him.
"Who's there? Come out!"
Faramiel, who had just gone through a battle and was still not completely relaxed, suddenly turned his head to look at where Pippin and Merri were hiding.
The longsword was drawn again, and the murderous aura returned instantly.
"Don't, don't get agitated, we're not bad people..."
Startled by Faramir's fierce appearance, Pipin quickly led Meri out.
"Tell me, who are you? Why are you here?" Faramiel did not lower his guard just because the other party was two children.
After all, this place is located on the border, and ordinary people would never come here.
“We are hobbits from the Shire, waiting here for the wizard Gandalf…” Pippin quickly explained.
“Gandalf, I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere before…” Faramir confirmed that the two people opposite him were not in danger, and slowly sheathed his longsword again.
However, the way they looked at Pippin and Merri was still not exactly friendly.
"Faramir, Pippin, and Merri, what are you all doing here?..."
Just then, Boromir, Aragorn, and the others from the Fellowship of the Ring arrived at the border plain.
"Big brother~"
Upon seeing the newcomer, Faramir's face lit up with joy. He dismounted his warhorse and rushed over to give his elder brother a big hug.
"You're injured, is it serious...?"
Later, Faramiel discovered that his elder brother was covered in bandages stained with blood.
"It was just a minor injury, it's almost healed." Boromir laughed heartily and said, "But it was quite dangerous that time, I thought I was going to die there. Fortunately, Aragorn and the others arrived in time to save me."
"By the way, let me introduce you. This is Aragorn, a descendant of Isildur."
"Hello, did you kill all the orcs here?" Seeing that Pippin and Merry were safe, Aragorn's tense heart relaxed a little.
They also noticed the corpses of the beastmen on the plains.
He then showed an expression of appreciation.
Clearly, Poromir's brother was also a remarkable warrior.
“Just some orcs, nothing to worry about.” Faramir looked at Aragorn with a complicated expression, then said solemnly, “Thank you for saving my brother.”
Unlike his carefree older brother, Faramiel was more rational.
It was precisely because of this that he knew all too well how much of a storm a descendant of the Gondor royal family could cause at such a time.
This may not necessarily be a good thing for the current situation in Gondor.
"Everyone's here!" Just then, Gandalf, riding his white horse, arrived on the plain. "Where are Frodo and Sam? I don't see them."
After greeting everyone, the wizard then realized that the most important ring-bearer was not there.
“I’m sorry, Gandalf. I failed to protect Frodo…” Aragorn recounted with remorse what had happened after the wizard left.
“It’s not Aragorn’s fault. Who would have thought that Frodo and Sam would leave without permission?” Gimli, with his straightforward nature, also spoke up to defend Aragorn.
“Calm down, Gimlich and everyone else, I don’t mean to blame Aragorn.” Gandalf reassured Gimlich, as well as Boromir, Legolas, and the others who also wanted to plead for Aragorn.
He then continued, "It's not necessarily a bad thing for those who uphold the precepts to separate from us..."
"Perhaps Frodo would be safer without us."
After the Saruman incident, Gandalf also realized that the Fellowship of the Ring had been under the surveillance of the dark forces.
Frodo's departure with the One Ring can be considered an accidental escape into the shadows.
“Rohan has just been threatened by the orcish army, and Gondor may be next. So I suggest we go to Gondor with Boromir to see what's going on…” After thinking it over, Gandalf offered his suggestion again.
Nowadays, the practitioners of the precepts and the teams protecting them operate in the open and in secret, respectively.
The more commotion the Fellowship of the Ring makes, the easier it will be for Sauron, the Dark Lord, to overlook Frodo's actions.
Moreover, the wizard's suspicions about Gondor were not without merit. Going there would also be a good opportunity to help Gondor defend against potential attacks from the forces of darkness.
"What are you talking about? I don't quite understand," Faramiel, who was standing next to him and completely confused, looked at his older brother.
“Tell him that we may need his cooperation in our future actions.” Gandalf nodded to Boromir, who was looking over.
The mission of the Fellowship of the Ring has already been exposed, so there is no longer any need to hide it.
In order to lull Sauron into a false sense of security, the Fellowship of the Ring needs to act in a high-profile manner.
After receiving the wizard's approval, Boromir also told his brother about the Fellowship of the Ring.
……
"What is this? It's a huge crystal ball... Merri, come and see..."
On the other side, Pippin, who had snuggled up to the wizard, discovered the Orb of True Knowledge hidden in the wizard's arms.
It's hard not to notice a magic crystal the size of a watermelon.
“Danger…” Gandalf, who knew that the magic crystal had location and communication functions, was about to call out to Pippin when he realized that this might be another good opportunity to attract the Dark Lord’s attention.
After all that trouble Mike caused last time, the Demon Lord probably won't use the communication ability of the magic crystal so easily again.
As for using the crystal to locate the Fellowship of the Ring's movements.
This perfectly suits the wizard's desire to act in a high-profile manner.
After reminding Pippin and Merry to be careful, the wizard temporarily entrusted the Orb of Knowledge to the two of them for safekeeping.
(End of this chapter)