The Tarnished in LOTR with Elden Ring

Just as Gandalf's words fell, Smaug's dying scream reached everyone's ears like a final trumpet of doom.

At the same moment, Millicent approached Tarnes. Glancing at Thorin and his companions, she told him with barely contained excitement, "Smaug is dead. General Radahn has won."

Her voice wasn't loud, but in the quiet following the dragon's roar, everyone nearby could hear her crystal-clear announcement.

Before Tarnes could respond, Thorin excitedly turned to Fili and the other Dwarves behind him, his eyes blazing with fierce joy. "Azog's greatest advantage is gone! Today we shall consecrate our fallen kinsmen with its blood!"

Then he looked at Tarnes, his battle-scarred face alight with eagerness. "Tarnes, do you still think this decapitation mission is throwing our lives away?"

Tarnes' expression also relaxed, tension draining from his shoulders. He shrugged with newfound confidence. "Plans have changed. Prepare to uproot the entire problem!"

He then turned to Millicent with authority. "Since Radahn has successfully dealt with Smaug, you no longer need to monitor him constantly. Come with us and help Thorin take down Azog."

Millicent smiled and nodded eagerly. "Of course."

Bilbo, who had been watching Tarnes and the others nervously, hesitated slightly before suddenly looking up at Gandalf, his throat bobbing gently. "Perhaps... perhaps I should witness the finale of this journey to the Mountain with my own eyes? Please take me with you."

Bilbo's voice was soft, as if questioning himself, yet deliberately making each syllable clear.

Before Gandalf could stroke his beard and respond, Thorin acted first.

Riding his war-goat to Bilbo's side, he laughed heartily and clapped the hobbit's thin shoulder, though Bilbo didn't stagger as he used to.

Thorin said with genuine warmth, "Bilbo, I remember you saying you wanted to write a book recording this journey. But you're already part of the story. When you dip your quill in ink, just add two strokes for me: Thorin Oakenshield slew Azog within the Lonely Mountain."

Having said this, he looked at Bombur and gestured for him to sound the horn.

Bombur immediately understood, puffing out his round belly and taking a deep breath like a swelling frog until his cheeks turned purple-red before blowing into the horn.

"Wooo↓oooo↑!"

In the horn's trembling call, Thorin beckoned to Fili and the others, charging out of Dale like an arrow from a bow.

Tarnes glanced at Gandalf and Bilbo, wound Torrent's reins twice around his palm, and after saying, "I'll wait for you to catch up," he too led Millicent out of Dale.

Seeing Gandalf remained silent, Bilbo cautiously poked his head forward. "Uh, Gandalf?"

The next moment he was hoisted onto the horse, hearing the wizard's huffing voice. "I somewhat regret bringing you to the Mountain. I don't know when you picked up the Dwarves' stubborn temperament!"

At this moment on the Lonely Mountain, Azog's eyes also contracted sharply, pupils reflecting Smaug's corpse falling like a mountain collapse.

It couldn't believe Smaug had simply died like that.

In the thunderous crash of the dragon's fall, Azog suddenly tightened his warg's reins, knuckles cracking like popping beans.

Its eyes showed rare panic, though it quickly controlled itself. The surrounding Orcs noticed nothing of Azog's condition.

Then Azog noticed that after Smaug's fall, Dale's gates burst open once more, and a small cavalry squad of humans and Dwarves pierced through the smoke, charging straight for the Mountain.

Simultaneously, nearly all catapults and ballistas in Dale were clearing Orc armies trying to intercept the cavalry from left and right.

Next, a sky-blue beam of light suddenly appeared from within the cavalry squad, causing snow to evaporate and ground to crack wherever it passed.

Orcs didn't even have time to raise shields. Their twisted bodies disintegrated in the radiance, and several wargs charging at the front of the cavalry were reduced to scattered ash without even a howl.

That human wizard!

Azog's pupils contracted as it immediately realized this mixed human-Dwarf cavalry was coming for its life.

Based on its knowledge of its Orc soldiers, Azog knew they couldn't possibly stop this cavalry breakthrough.

"Full effort to block..." Azog's thoughts raced, forcibly stopping his impulse to order the Orc army to intercept the human wizard.

No, no good. Commanding these weaklings won't stop that human wizard and would only expose my position, letting them know I'm out of options.

Even in this extremely unfavorable situation, Azog remained calm, thinking of ways to successfully escape.

Within just half a minute, Azog conceived a plan.

It narrowed its eyes, looking at an Orc messenger beside it, roaring loudly, "Pass the order! All forces retreat rapidly to the Mountain and defend the great hall to the death!"

"Yes, master." The Orc messenger didn't think much, immediately going to relay Azog's command.

Then Azog looked at another Orc messenger, showing a cunning smile and whispering seductively, "Do you want to survive this war?"

The Orc messenger was stunned. Though it was unclear why Azog asked this question, it still fearfully knelt and answered, "I won't run away, master."

Azog kicked it. "Coward, I'm asking if you want to live!"

"Yes, yes, yes..." it replied uneasily.

Azog actively helped it up, even becoming cordial. "Good. Go find the wargs, choose a white warg as your mount, and then leave here from the Mountain's western face with my most elite Orc warg riders."

The Orc messenger listened in confusion. "L-leave here? But master, didn't you just order us to defend to the death? I, I won't run away!"

"Fool! Without them defending to the death, how can we escape while the humans and Dwarves are distracted? Now quickly find a warg, or I'll throw you off the Mountain!" Azog threatened.

The Orc messenger immediately scrambled up and headed for the warg location.

Azog watched the messenger's retreating figure, then turned its gaze to the battlefield growing chaotic from the retreat order, sneering coldly.

The Orc armies first saw Smaug fall, then received Azog's retreat order, immediately realizing they'd lost this war. Now only the slow would die.

So even the best-equipped Orc soldiers began running back without order after receiving Azog's command, even turning on weaker comrades blocking their escape.

Some Orcs, seeing they couldn't retreat to the Mountain in time, began fleeing in other directions to save themselves.

This disorder and chaos was exactly what Azog wanted. Even if these Orc soldiers retreated in order, the war was already lost. Better to let the battlefield become chaotic, slowing down Tarnes and Thorin's charge to the Mountain with the numerous, scattered Orcs.

Azog watched Tarnes and Thorin drawing closer, teeth grinding audibly, eyes filled with hatred and unwillingness as it deeply etched their faces into memory.

"When darkness covers the Mountain again, I'll brew mead from your skulls and sew banners from human skin. Then you'll kneel begging me for the mercy of death!"

It then turned and left its position, walking quickly into the Mountain.

Whether the Orc army was ordered to retreat to the Mountain or the warg riders were fleeing from the Mountain's western face, all were bait to ensure its own successful escape.

Thorin's Icerind Hatchet froze a squad of panicked Orcs who crashed into their cavalry, then after catching his breath, he shouted to Tarnes beside him, "Tarnes, the battlefield's too chaotic now! It's actually hindering our advance! Can you use that spell you just cast again?"

Tarnes nodded slightly. "Yes, though my remaining magic power allows only one more use."

Thorin grinned with savage satisfaction. "That's enough!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Tarnes cast [Comet Azur] again, completely annihilating the scattered Orcs in a straight line ahead.

Seeing this, nearby Orcs were so terrified they scrambled away, abandoning armor and weapons as they fled from Tarnes' group.

"The path is clear; accelerate the charge!" Thorin pulled his reins, his war-goat running even faster.

Fili and the other Dwarves quickly accelerated, following their uncle.

Though Gandalf's face was dark, he silently spurred his horse to catch up.

Tarnes, carrying Millicent on Torrent's back, easily caught up to Thorin, shouting beside him, "This retreat order was obviously issued by Azog! It's using these Orc stragglers to block us! But I think Azog didn't just issue this one command. See those Orc soldiers on the Mountain's walls? They plan to defend the palace inside to the death."

Just as Thorin looked up at the Mountain palace gates, sharp-eyed Kili loudly warned, "Look at the Mountain's top, on the western side! A squad of warg cavalry is sneaking out!"

Bilbo, cowering in front of Gandalf, heard Kili's shout and looked up hesitantly. "Yes, there is indeed a squad of warg cavalry escaping... wait, one of those wargs is white!"

"A white warg? That's Azog's mount! I knew this cunning Orc filth wouldn't sit waiting to die in the Mountain! It's using the entire Mountain's Orc army as its scapegoats! Turn around; let's chase immediately! Those wargs aren't as agile as war-goats in the mountains!" Thorin immediately roared.

But Bilbo waited a while only to find neither Gandalf nor Tarnes turning their mounts.

Thorin noticed this too, turning back to ask, "Tarnes, Gandalf, what now?"

Tarnes frowned deeply. "With Azog's cunning character, would it really expose itself in such an easily discovered position for escape?"

Gandalf silently nodded in agreement with Tarnes' words.

Thorin also calmed down somewhat, though his tone remained anxious. "But what if Azog is using your and Gandalf's overthinking approach and actually is escaping with that warg cavalry?"

Tarnes said without hesitation, "Then we divide forces! You, Fili, Kili, and I, along with Gandalf and Bilbo, continue into the Mountain, while Millicent, Balin, Dwalin, and the others pursue that warg cavalry on the Mountain's western face."

Thorin didn't hesitate. "Agreed. Did you hear Tarnes' grouping? We're splitting up! Everyone be careful. I still want you all to drink yourselves to death in the Mountain!"

The cavalry split into two groups. Millicent nimbly leaped from Torrent's back, landing gracefully on Balin's war-goat, making the old Dwarf sigh with relief. "Excellent performance, my lady."

Millicent replied plainly, "I also thank you for saving landing space for me."

After Tarnes' group separated from Millicent, Thorin said, "When we're in the Mountain, how do we find Azog? There are many Orcs inside now. If we can't find Azog quickly, we might be overwhelmed."

"Jerren and Dain, seeing the Orcs retreat, will definitely order pursuit from the city. No need to worry about being isolated in the Mountain. The only concern is Azog escaping before we find it."

As Tarnes said this, he looked behind them. Indeed, the Redmane Legion and Dwarf armies from Dale were charging toward the Mountain.

Thorin nodded. "So the question circles back. Where will Azog escape from the Mountain? It might escape through Dwarf secret passages I don't even know about!"

Bilbo, who had been listening to their conversation, suddenly spoke. "No, Azog definitely won't escape through Dwarf secret passages! Because it doesn't dare gamble on whether we know those passages and would intercept at their exits."

Thorin asked, "Then where will it go?"

At this moment, Tarnes and Thorin's group happened to pass near Ravenhill. Bilbo looked at Ravenhill's collapsed ruins, and inspiration flashed in his mind as he urgently shouted, "Those big worms! They were were-worms! Azog will definitely escape through tunnels created by were-worms! Only these aren't secret passages dug by Dwarves!"

"Excellent! My burglar master! Worthy of a hobbit who likes living in holes!" Thorin praised.

At the bottom of the Mountain Palace, Azog alone reached the original were-worm resting place.

It carefully pushed open the door, noticing the Orc corpses killed by the previously invading human soldiers. After confirming no other humans were guarding here, it entered.

Azog looked at the branching underground tunnels and chose one without hesitation.

But before Azog could feel relieved, faint Orc screams came from its entry direction, followed by increasingly loud hoofbeats.

"Azog!"

Thorin's furious roar arrived before the person, then war-goats leaped from the steps and landed smoothly on the ground. Azog's surprised pupils met Thorin's burning angry eyes.

"Whoosh!"

An arrow broke through the air. The moment Kili saw Azog, he drew and shot, hitting Azog's right shoulder and making the Orc howl in pain and anger.

"Gandalf and I will block the Orcs outside! Finish him, Thorin!" Tarnes' shout came from above, making Thorin quietly say, "thanks."

After hearing that both wizards wouldn't come down, Azog's lips curved in a cruel smile.

After dodging three throwing knives from Fili, it forcefully broke off the arrow in its shoulder, looked at Thorin, and mocked, "Without your wizard friends, you are nothing, Thorin. You can't even avenge yourself alone."

Seeing Azog, Thorin seemed to calm down, only breathing heavily as if excited, eyes looking ready to devour his opponent.

Fili and Kili stood beside Thorin, glaring with shared hatred at this culprit who had caused Dwarves years of suffering.

Seeing Thorin make no move, Azog continued trying to use words to make Thorin lose his composure and charge alone in anger.

Azog was confident he could defeat this irrational Dwarf and capture him to bargain for safe passage.

So Azog deliberately approached Thorin step by step, using that mocking tone. "Are you wondering why I abandoned the Mountain so easily? Why was my elite army so small? And why only two were-worms attacked Ravenhill?"

Thorin suppressed his anger and asked calmly, "Why?"

Azog was satisfied with Thorin's cooperation and took another step forward, his good hand gripping a knife handle behind his back.

Calculating the distance between himself and Thorin, he said, "Because they went to attack your father's army, Thorin Oakenshield! Your father should have died in Dol Guldur. Prey my master decides to kill cannot escape! By my calculations, your father should now be trapped under some broken rocks, crying out your name!"

Thorin's eyes trembled as he stared at Azog. Sensing the wavering in Thorin's heart, Azog pushed off with his foot and lunged forward while drawing his blade.

"Smack!"

But a stone from nowhere suddenly hit Azog's head. Before it could recover from the pain, it met Thorin's cold smile.

Wait? He wasn't shaken by my words?

Before Azog could react, it felt both legs surrounded by bone-chilling cold, then its entire body knelt right before Thorin.

No, not a feeling. Azog's legs were actually frozen to the ground.

Thorin slowly raised his Icerind Hatchet to Azog's neck, glancing at Bilbo, who had somehow hidden behind an Orc corpse. "Thank you, Master Baggins."

Feeling the cold and pain from the axe blade at its neck, Azog cried out in panic. "Wait, Thorin Oakenshield! I didn't lie to you! I really ordered an elite army to ambush your father again! If you spare me, I can command them to abandon the attack."

But in Azog's vision, Thorin only slowly raised the Icerind Hatchet, looking at its neck as if considering how to sever it with one blow.

Simultaneously, Thorin said to Azog, "Guess where those soldiers who invaded the Mountain and made you design to anger Smaug went?"

What...

Before Azog could understand why Thorin thought a hundred-man squad could save Thrain, severe pain shot through its chest, making it cry out.

"Ahhh! Master..."

Thorin's pupils reflected the black blood churning in Azog's chest cavity. The Icerind Hatchet's frost spread along the broken bone gaps, freezing the spraying blood drops into black crystals.

Azog's ruined throat squeezed out hoarse curses, but they were completely extinguished as the Icerind Hatchet's cold light fell.

The axe blade cutting through cervical vertebrae mixed with ice-cracking sounds. When this pale beast's head rolled onto the frost-covered ground, Azog's frozen, ferocious eyes seemed to be looking toward somewhere in the south of Middle-earth.

Thorin's boot stepped on the skull, crushing the last half of the unspoken word "master" into ice fragments.

In the Third Age 2940, [The Defiler] Azog perished at the hand of [Lord of the Mountain] Thorin Oakenshield.

Thus, after 171 years, Durin's Dwarves returned to their homeland.