"You brought a group of armed accomplices to my home in the middle of the night to attack me, and then called it a 'test'?"
"The force your companions used — if they had grabbed and thrown an ordinary person to the ground, it would likely have broken several bones, wouldn't it?"
"With a bit of bad luck, death on the spot from a cervical spine fracture would not be out of the question."
Thorin's expression froze, and he opened his mouth as if to explain. But in the end, he swallowed his words, acknowledging that he had indeed misjudged the situation. Initially, Gandalf had spoken very highly of Karl, which he had taken as an insult to the dwarves, so he had naturally been very emotional. Now, they had witnessed Karl's abilities firsthand and heard him directly point out the problems. Thorin's pride would not allow him to continue being stubborn; he took a deep breath and straightened his back.
"I apologise, Mr. Karl. We offer you our sincerest apologies."
"Our behaviour was indeed reckless and dangerous, and we hope you will forgive us for this transgression."
Gandalf, standing to the side, grinned and nearly burst out laughing. He quickly raised his pipe and coughed a few times to hide it. It was rare to see such a stubborn dwarf as Thorin bow his head and admit his mistake. Sometimes dwarves would rather die in battle or enter a blood feud than apologise. This was pride in their lineage, and also one of the reasons they often clashed with other races.
Karl looked at Thorin and sensed the other's sincerity. This was not a formal apology, but a genuine admission of error. That was enough for Karl; he was not truly angry. He just wanted to establish his position — he could not be tested or teased at will.
"Come in, it's cold outside, and I don't want to stand in the wind," Karl finally said, stepping aside to let them in. With that, he turned and entered the house, not looking back at the crowd outside the door.
Hearing this, Thorin felt relieved. He knew Karl had forgiven them — or at least was willing to continue negotiations. He turned to the dwarves behind him and gestured for them to enter. As for Fili and Kili, who had been pushed back, they had recovered fairly quickly while Thorin and Karl were talking. Dwarves were naturally strong and resilient, and because Karl had controlled his strength, they had only felt pain for a while and otherwise remained unharmed. At this moment, they helped each other to their feet, pain still on their faces, but even more so, they expressed respect for Karl.
Gandalf, ahead of the others, cheerfully entered the house. He leaned on his staff and made his way to the chair by the fireplace with his usual ease. The conflict had arisen between Thorin's group and Karl, not with himself. He was even secretly pleased — it would be interesting to see Thorin face a setback.
---
Half an hour later, the negotiations had been going on for some time. The dwarves occupied part of the living room; some sat on chairs, some simply on the floor, and a few leaned against the wall. Gandalf sat on a chair to the right of the fireplace, leisurely smoking his pipe. Thorin sat opposite Karl, with a low table between them.
Though the three conditions Karl had put forward were quite strict — autonomy, freedom from orders, and ownership of spoils — in the end, Thorin agreed. But strictly speaking, there were four conditions. The fourth condition was that every dwarf must sincerely apologise to Bilbo for invading his home. Additionally, he had to compensate Bilbo for the food expenses, ten times the original price.
Over the last half hour, Thorin had repeatedly weighed, questioned, and bargained. But Karl's position was clear: either accept these conditions, or not join the company; there was no middle ground.
There were several reasons Thorin eventually compromised. First, Karl's martial prowess was outstanding. Though the test had been somewhat reckless, the result proved that Karl's abilities far surpassed those of ordinary soldiers. Such combat power was crucial for an expedition soon to face dragons, orcs, and other unknown dangers.
Second, Karl held multiple roles, and Gandalf, standing by, had elaborated on Karl's various talents.
Third, and most importantly, Karl demanded no compensation, took on all risks, and was not even obliged to sign a contract. This meant that if the expedition failed, he would not be liable to Karl. If it succeeded, Karl would not claim a share of the treasure, except for spoils obtained from enemies he personally killed. This was incredibly appealing to Thorin, who was struggling to find funding. The expedition needed supplies, horses, and resupply along the way — all of which cost money. Kili and his group had helped raise some funds, but it was still insufficient. Karl's arrival would not increase the economic burden; on the contrary, it would reduce the company's losses.
Thorin lightly tapped his fingers on his knee, and finally raised his gaze to meet Karl's: "Alright."
The moment the word was spoken, the atmosphere in the living room noticeably relaxed. The other dwarves exchanged glances; some nodded, some shrugged, but no one voiced their disagreement — they trusted Thorin's judgment.
Thorin stood, extended his hand, and said with a smile: "Glad we could reach an agreement, Karl."
Karl also stood, took Thorin's hand, gave it a light squeeze, and then released it. Karl lowered his hand, his gaze sweeping over the group of dwarves, finally resting on Kili and Fili. They were still sitting on chairs in the corner, occasionally frowning, gently pressing their hands to their stomachs. Clearly, although nothing serious had happened, those two kicks had still caused considerable pain.
Karl walked over to a cabinet by the wall, opened one of the drawers, and took out a glass bottle. Then he took two small bowls and went over to Kili and Fili. He tilted the bottle and poured a small amount into each bowl. The liquid was thick as honey, with a strange sheen as it flowed.
"Here, have this." Karl handed the two of them the bowls.
Kili and Fili were stunned. They first looked at Thorin, and only after he nodded did they take the small bowls. They took the bowls and curiously examined the liquid inside. It was a pale golden colour, almost transparent, and had a faint, indescribable fragrance.
"What is this?" Fili asked, both wariness and curiosity in his voice.
Karl corked the bottle and placed it on the table beside him. "Freya's Spring of Life, or simply Life Potion."
"It can heal most internal and external injuries, and I prepare it myself."
Karl spoke in a calm tone, as if mentioning something ordinary, but the atmosphere in the living room immediately changed.
"Life Potion? Can it... be used to heal wounds?" Gandalf's eyes instantly lit up. He put down his pipe and leaned forward. Thorin and the other dwarves also turned their attention to them, not taking their eyes off the small bowls in Kili and Fili's hands.
Seeing this, Kili and Fili immediately grew nervous. They exchanged glances, then, without hesitation, picked up their bowls and drank the contents in one gulp.