Bear School Astartes

People watched the two elves that suddenly appeared in the square with caution.

The Firstborns usually had no dealings with ordinary people, at most buying wine from Lake-town and transporting it to the Woodland Kingdom, and even then, they dealt directly with the mayor, paying him directly as well.

Legolas and Tauriel were indifferent to the townsfolk’s gazes around them.

Though elves are benevolent beings, they also have differences among themselves, and the elves of the Woodland Kingdom are somewhat reclusive and have little contact with humans.

The two elves briskly walked through the busy crowd toward where Lann and Bard were located.

”Last night, we saw the commander of the beastman army. It was a strong one-eyed beastman.”

Legolas called out to them loudly before even reaching them.

”We intended to intercept and kill him, but after the floating bridge at the town’s gate was broken, he took a boat and escaped onto the lake.”

Bard stood up somewhat bewildered, having never interacted with elves before, unaware that these two elves had even fought alongside them in the town last night.

He stood up and first gave a puzzled look towards Lann for guidance and, upon receiving it, thanked Legolas and Tauriel.

”Sorry, I didn’t know you were helping us deal with the beastmen last night,” Bard said sincerely, ”Everything is in chaos now, and we haven’t even gathered the exact number of casualties yet.”

Legolas shook his head, indicating it wasn’t necessary to mind.

”I completely understand your difficult situation. No one would have anticipated the beastmen’s activities reaching such a rampant level.”

”But it would be best for you to raise your vigilance immediately.”

Legolas lowered his voice, his gaze filled with pity as he looked around at the surviving townsfolk, and those who were busily hustling for the coming days.

”The beastmen have started acting recklessly, which indicates that the darkness on this land has grown to a certain degree. The dark forces are colluding, and perhaps many things previously only heard in frightening tales might take the opportunity to emerge.”

Lann didn’t understand this too well, but Bard’s face almost immediately turned grim.

This land lies in the middle of the northern region of the Middle-earth Continent, with the ruins of the Angmar Kingdom to the west—once a fortress established by the Angmar Witch King, which the combined forces of the Northern Kingdoms destroyed.

To the east are the Eastern Barbarians allied with the beastmen.

Because the Lonely Mountain stands between the two dark forces, its strategic position and geographical location are crucial, prompting Gandalf to organize the Reconquest Expedition Team for the Lonely Mountain Dwarves.

But today, with the Lonely Mountain Region so weakened, the situation is no longer about ’evil forces being separated in the middle,’ but ’two evil forces converging toward the center’!

In the past, Eastern Barbarians, Angmar Kingdom...none of these were part of the Lake-town people’s daily lives.

After all, they have lived in poverty and peace for a long time.

But now, it’s clear that darkness is expanding, and even beastmen, enemies who disappeared from this land even before the dwarves, have appeared again. Thus, the appearance of other things shouldn’t be surprising.

”But what can we do?”

Bard clutched his forehead, voicing helplessly.

”We are unarmed, struggling even to assemble a few proper warriors. Our homes are destroyed, and with the current weather, shelter is a problem, let alone the lack of food and clothing. Even without the beastmen event, the winter might starve us to death.”

Shelter, food, defense.

These are Bard’s urgent issues to address, as even a healthy person would fall ill after staying outside in this weather for a long time, not to mention the townfolk having just experienced the greatest scare of their lives last night.

What is even more terrifying is...

Bard’s gaze unintentionally shifted to the north, where from the charred, collapsed debris, one could see a lonely snow-capped mountain previously hidden.

”I’m sorry, we can’t help much with that,” Legolas spoke up, only to close his mouth powerlessly again.

As an elite among the elves, his combat prowess was indeed commendable. But clearly, what Lake-town needed now was more than mere combat capability.

”However, I saw the direction the beastman leader fled last night—it was towards the Angmar Kingdom. I’ll scout the situation.”

”Wasn’t the Angmar Kingdom destroyed?”

Lann asked, looking up.

”It was broken, but after breaking it, we didn’t occupy it. Due to the dark corruption, its environment had long become unsuitable for humans and elves. Thus, even after sealing the Angmar Witch King, we couldn’t control it for long,” Legolas said, shaking his head.

”I suspect it might be reviving again, otherwise, how could there be such large-scale beastman activities in the north?”

”They silently bypassed our surveillance in the Dark Forest, along with a series of defense lines, to appear in Lake-town for a massacre. There’s something wrong about it.”

”How fortunate you can at least recognize the problem,” Lann nodded to Legolas, ”It’s better than failing to notice altogether.”

After another mutual nod between the elves and humans, the elves prepared to set off.

But just at that moment, Bofur’s anxious voice came from the busy crowd.

”King’s Leaf Sword Grass! Who has King’s Leaf Sword Grass! Someone’s in critical condition here!”

”King’s Leaf Sword Grass?” Tauriel frowned as she turned back, walking to the flustered dwarf. ”What are you going to use it for?”

”An injury! An arrow wound!”

Bofur swallowed hard, gasping for breath as he spoke.

”Someone got hit by a beastman’s arrow yesterday, and our doctor—he’s just realized what the symptoms are. He told me to hurry and find this herb.”

”King’s Leaf Sword Grass... for treating Demon’s Arrow?”

Legolas, behind Tauriel, reacted almost instantly.

The endless lifespan of the elves had given Legolas vast knowledge and skills.

Though he was a young elf born in the Third Era, barely over two thousand years old, his skill in herbalism was ordinary.

Tauriel and Legolas exchanged glances, and the handsome blonde elf whispered.

”It seems something has indeed happened in the old land of Angmar... It’s certain now. Just not sure to what extent.”

The weapon of the Angmar Witch King is the Blade of Mogul, a wicked weapon now kept as evidence in Rivendell.

And while the evil of Demon’s Arrow doesn’t quite match the Blade of Mogul, it’s not something any random beastman could come across.

”Anyway, if one can be saved, we should try.” Tauriel said to Legolas.

The two elves nodded to each other and walked towards Bofur.

Bard also shouted from nearby, ”King’s Leaf Sword Grass is just wild grass to feed pigs here. Now it’s all chaos; you guys have to find it yourselves.”

Bofur could not care less at this point.

He saw a townsman pulling along his big pig that miraculously survived the fire and beastman attacks last night, heading towards the plaza deemed safe.

The pigs raised by the townspeople seemed to be a good breed, chunky and robust but lacking long snouts, making them appear endearingly naive compared to ordinary pigs.

A strand of green grass with small white flowers dangled from the pig’s mouth, which was chewing away with juices flowing.

Bofur quickly snatched the grass leaves from the pig’s mouth, cradling them in his hands as he ran into the plaza.

Tauriel and Legolas followed Bofur.

Around the waterways by the plaza, the sun was gradually rising, reflecting golden sheen—the treasure carried by the mayor as he fled last night, some falling overboard as they rowed.

But these heart-stirring gold and silver glows were now only being lazily retrieved by two townsmen found by Bard.

Gold is essential, needed for town rebuilding and everyday survival.

But it had just been a disaster, and there was nowhere for trading even if they wanted to buy things with gold.

The townspeople were tired, cold, and hungry; hence, they had little energy even for dredging up gold.

Qi Li’s leg wound had turned his face yesterday into that of a drowned corpse, but the injury caused by Demon’s Arrow was difficult to diagnose.

Once Ouin, who cared for him, confirmed the diagnosis, King’s Leaf Sword Grass had an almost immediate miraculous effect under elven medical skills.

Though Qi Li’s face was still plastered with sweat from the pain sticking to his hair, he visibly gained more blood color and vitality.

Even with the extraordinary resilience of the Ardan dwarves, he was walking within twenty minutes.

Seeing that the two elves healed Qi Li, Long Lake Town temporarily gained another dwarf warrior capable of fighting ten men, but Bard and Lann’s expressions were not relieved.

Because many problems remained unresolved.

”We can’t stay here any longer; the combination of cold, fear, and hunger will be fatal.”

Bard dashed around the ruins of Long Lake Town, seeking out all blankets and garments, mobilizing the townspeople to gather them together.

”This place is definitely unlivable.” Lann agreed. ”But do you have anywhere else to go?”

”Yes...” Bard initially responded decisively but then sighed heavily. ”River Valley City.”

”That city, unlike Long Lake Town, was built using a lot of stone. Even though it was overrun by Smaug in a day and abandoned for a long time, I’m sure many buildings there are still intact.”

”But the only issue is...”

Bard gripped the corner of a blanket pulled from the ruins, gazing northward.

A lonely snow mountain stood there, at its foot lay River Valley City.

Lann followed his complicated gaze. He softly stated the problem.

”River Valley City... It’s too close to Smaug.”

”But now there’s no other path to choose.” Bard gritted his teeth, continuing to haul blankets out of the ruins.

”The dwarves have already set out; no matter what happens, prophecy has it that Smaug will reignite the flames of war. There’s no point in worrying any longer!”