The Tarnished in LOTR with Elden Ring

After Ogha's revival from spirit ash form, Tarnes wasted no time and quickly summoned Jerren and Freyja as well.

After briefly explaining the situation to them, Tarnes returned through the portal to the vicinity of Lake-town.

Besides Ogha, Tarnes had also revived two other spirit ashes to remain as capable assistants to Nepheli Loux.

These two spirit ashes were Oleg and Engvall, who had once been the Storm Lord's right and left hands but for unknown reasons had failed to return to the tree, ultimately becoming masterless spirit ashes that Tarnes had discovered.

The moment the warmth on Tarnes' face was replaced by night's chill, he heard Gandalf's somewhat complaining voice: "I thought you were just going to abandon me here alone."

By now, the sky had long since darkened into deep night.

Seeing Tarnes had not returned for so long, yet unable to leave on his own initiative, Gandalf could only wait anxiously near the stone monument portal.

"I'm truly sorry, Gandalf." Tarnes quickly apologized, striding over.

Gandalf's gaze fell on the portal, and seeing no second figure appear, he asked: "Didn't Lady Sellen return with you?"

Tarnes' mind conjured the tired appearance Sellen had shown when bidding him farewell, and he answered: "She's finished with all her affairs and went to rest."

Gandalf's eyes immediately brightened: "So your Golden Tree territory has prepared the army to support Thorin and the others?"

Tarnes patted his chest confidently: "Rest assured, within a month at most, my army will arrive here."

A trace of confusion flashed in Gandalf's eyes: "I'm somewhat curious. With such a miraculous portal available, why would it still take a month?"

Tarnes shrugged: "People can indeed come through the portal, but those lifeless war machines cannot. Being able to transport all the necessary war equipment here within a month is already thanks to the powerful helper I found. I can't ask for more."

Gandalf asked with surprise in his voice: "Wait, you're actually bringing war machines as well?"

Tarnes looked back strangely: "What else would we do? The Lonely Mountain is now in the hands of Smaug the dragon. We need to kill it and retake the mountain to completely resolve the crisis Thorin and the others face. You can't expect my soldiers to charge into the Lonely Mountain without any siege equipment. That kind of combat would result in heavy casualties."

Gandalf quickly explained with a chuckle: "I was just surprised, because transporting those mountain-sized war machines from distant Minhiriath in a month's time is somewhat beyond my imagination."

Tarnes waved his hand, interrupting the topic: "Forget about that. Let's return to Lake-town now..."

As he spoke, he turned to glance at the stone monument portal behind him, his brow slightly furrowing: "Is your barrier reliable? If this portal is discovered and destroyed by enemies, it will take my army much longer to get here."

Gandalf stroked his beard confidently: "My barrier is naturally reliable, but just to be safe, I'll add some magical camouflage."

But Tarnes sighed and shook his head: "No, magic is still just magic. There's always a chance enemies could discover it. Give me a few minutes to go back and bring people to specifically guard this portal."

Gandalf shrugged helplessly and could only nod in agreement: "I hope you return faster this time. Don't leave this old man waiting outside in such cold for a whole night."

"Don't worry, I'll be back very soon..." Before Tarnes finished speaking, his form vanished before the portal.

As Tarnes had promised, in less than ten minutes he reappeared in Gandalf's sight, followed by two tall knights in gleaming silver armor.

Having visited Tarnes' territory many times, Gandalf was naturally well aware of these two silver-armored knights' capabilities.

"With two Storm Knights guarding here, even if Azog's Orc army passed through, they should be able to hold out until we arrive." Gandalf praised the two Storm Knights' abilities extensively.

Hearing Gandalf's praise, the two Storm Knights simultaneously raised their great swords and lightly tapped their shoulder guards with the hilts, expressing confidence in their abilities and gratitude for Gandalf's compliments.

After giving a few more instructions, Tarnes turned toward Gandalf: "Not only are they guarding it, but some Stormveil Castle guards are also on their way. I encountered these two Storm Knights on my way to find Nepheli Loux. When I went back earlier, I noticed these two seemed to have nothing to do, just chatting in the castle corridors. When I returned again and saw them still chatting in the same spot, since they were so leisurely, I simply brought them here to help guard the portal."

These two Storm Knights were precisely the pair who, when Tarnes and Radahn had passed through the corridors earlier, felt they had no chance to participate in this expedition.

As it turned out, they were brought here ahead of time precisely because they appeared too leisurely.

In a sense, these two Storm Knights' wishes had been fulfilled.

After all, they had arrived at the destination even earlier than the Redmane Legion soldiers. Perhaps this was a kind of unique fate.

Tarnes hadn't planned to bring Oleg or Engvall, since he had just assigned these two assistants to share some of Nepheli Loux's workload. If he called them over within half an hour, Tarnes felt Nepheli Loux's resentment would surge toward him like a raging tide.

She might even directly challenge him to a sparring match, Tarnes thought.

One of the Storm Knights, upon hearing Tarnes' words, immediately said in a respectful tone: "Please rest assured, Lord Tarnes! We will guard this portal with our lives!"

His voice was firm and powerful, as if making a military oath.

"If you encounter trouble you can't handle, be sure to call for reinforcements," Tarnes nodded slightly, his tone carrying a trace of seriousness. "Though I don't want to say this, this portal's value is temporarily indeed more important than both your lives. No matter what happens, before the Redmane Legion soldiers arrive, you must protect it."

The two Storm Knights now abandoned their earlier relaxed chatting demeanor, becoming serious and solemn as they responded earnestly: "Yes, Lord Tarnes!"

After Tarnes and Gandalf's figures disappeared in the portal's light, the two Storm Knights exchanged glances, a trace of understanding in their eyes.

"I'll stay here while you scout the surrounding area and note all possible enemy ambush locations?" the left Storm Knight suggested.

The right Storm Knight nodded, dropping a "leave it to me" before striding away with vigorous steps, leaving deep footprints in the cold snow.

"Portal, if you could speak, tell us if anyone tries to destroy you. But don't worry, we'll protect you."

After his companion left, though the left Storm Knight still chatted with the speechless portal, he had actually shed his earlier relaxation, his gaze becoming as sharp as a blade as he watched every corner around them closely.

Meanwhile, Tarnes and Gandalf returned to Lake-town.

However, unlike when they left, this time they discovered Lake-town's gate guards had been completely replaced.

Under Gandalf's magical influence, their figures were cleverly concealed, successfully avoiding the Lake-town guards' sight.

"Is that... Bard?"

As they entered the gate, sharp-eyed Tarnes unexpectedly spotted a familiar figure moving among the guards.

Night torches flickered, and in the interplay of light and shadow, Bard's handsome, upright face was clearly illuminated.

Tarnes and Gandalf exchanged glances, both showing understanding in their eyes. Neither decided to directly approach Bard to inquire about the situation, instead choosing to first return to the inn where Thorin and the others were staying.

Along the way, though nighttime Lake-town remained cold with few residents outdoors, there were still several family breadwinners who hadn't returned to their houses. They were still organizing fishing boats and equipment needed for early morning.

And Tarnes actually saw genuine heartfelt smiles on these residents' faces, rather than the previous lifeless numbness.

Gandalf also noticed this, quietly telling Tarnes beside him: "It seems some good changes we don't know about happened in Lake-town during the half day we were absent."

Tarnes nodded in agreement: "Indeed, good changes. At least these residents' spirit is completely different from daytime. Probably only Thorin and the others know what happened."

The two quickened their pace, reaching the inn and heading directly to the second floor.

The moment Tarnes stepped on the stairs, he heard the Dwarves' simple songs entering his ears, mixed with a little girl's laughter, crisp and pleasant as silver bells.

"Looks like something good happened?" Gandalf spoke first with a smile, his voice carrying a trace of teasing.

He dispelled his magic, and the Dwarves were startled by the suddenly appearing old wizard, their cheerful singing interrupted for several seconds.

However, the Dwarves quickly recovered, all casting enthusiastic and happy gazes toward Tarnes and Gandalf.

Tarnes scanned around and found Bilbo, Thorin, and his Dwarf expedition team were all here but didn't see Bernahl and Igon.

"Oh, look who's back! Our good friends and wizard have arrived!" Bofur was first to speak, then blew his flute, light and bright notes flowing from the instrument, adding cheerfulness to the warm atmosphere.

Fili thoughtfully said: "Teacher Tarnes, Teacher Bernahl, and Mr. Igon are currently at the mayor's house, guarding the former mayor and his secretary."

Tarnes nodded to show he understood, not asking further questions.

Thorin also smiled as he raised his wine cup to Tarnes and Gandalf: "You've worked hard. Would you like some authentic Lake-town wine?"

Seeing Thorin's relaxed state, Tarnes shook his head, declining the drink invitation, and instead asked: "What happened in Lake-town? I actually saw Bard at the main gate. When did he return?"

Before Thorin could speak, a cute little girl emerged from behind the Dwarves.

She boldly said to Tarnes: "My Daddy was called back by the Dwarf uncles. After Daddy returned, he told all Lake-town's uncles and aunties about the bad things the bad fat mayor did, then returned the money the bad mayor stole to them."

Only then did Tarnes notice that the little girl speaking to him was one of Bard's two daughters they had rescued earlier, the youngest one, with large eyes sparkling with lively light, particularly endearing.

Thorin nodded, draining his beer in one gulp, but his eyes showed no trace of drunkenness as he clearly supplemented: "This human girl is basically right. That human called 'Bard' has even higher prestige in Lake-town than we imagined. Especially after he distributed all the money that mayor had extorted to the townspeople, his prestige reached its peak, naturally becoming Lake-town's new mayor."

Bilbo also came over, still holding half an unfinished sausage, smiling: "Many guards in Lake-town also support Bard. They believe that on the night of the dragon attack, Bard made great contributions resisting the dragon. Without him, Lake-town would have suffered much greater losses. So Bard, together with guards supporting him, imprisoned all guards supporting the fat mayor."

Then the Hobbit quietly muttered: "Originally Bard invited us to stay somewhere better, but Thorin worried you and Gandalf might be anxious if you couldn't find us immediately upon return, so we continued staying here."

Tarnes and Gandalf exchanged glances, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.

Tarnes laughed good-naturedly and shook his head: "Well, it seems a wonderful story requiring half a book to tell happened during the day we were absent."

Bilbo agreed: "Exactly. I've already decided to write these events in my travel memoir after returning. But if I write it, it should only take four pages... oh no, five pages to explain what happened in Lake-town."

Gandalf chuckled approvingly at Bilbo, while Tarnes gestured for Thorin to come out. He had something to discuss privately.

Thorin immediately understood, set down his wine cup, and walked out alone with Tarnes.

Before Tarnes could speak, Thorin first shared good news: "There's good news. After Bard became Lake-town's mayor, he promised me: when Dwarves are attacked by Orcs, Lake-town's guards will fight as our allies."