Fili shook his head: "Impossible. I surveyed the terrain when we made camp yesterday. The cliff was intact."
"Such a loud noise would have woken us instantly; how could we have slept through it?"
They were silent for a few seconds, their thoughts racing. "Among us, only Gandalf is a wizard. Maybe it was him?" Kili whispered.
Fili thought for a moment, then shook his head: "But why would he do it? And why didn't he tell us?"
"Perhaps... he discovered something? Orcs?" Kili speculated.
---
The discovery by Kili and Fili immediately shook the entire camp, and Thorin woke up from the words of the two brothers. Then, upon hearing the news that "the cliff had collapsed and there were orc corpses lying there," his drowsiness instantly vanished.
"Orcs?!" Thorin sprang to his feet and grabbed his battle axe, which had been leaning against the rock. The other dwarves also woke up one by one. When the group gathered at the edge of the camp and looked at the sheer cliff, the morning light illuminated the chaotic scene — the collapsed rock walls and the scattered boulders.
"This... looks like it was hit by a giant," Dwalin squinted, shielding his eyes from the sun with a hand over his brow.
"It looks more like a landslide, but the collapse is too neat, as if..." Balin carefully examined the surface of the cracks in the rock.
"As if it were man-made," Thorin replied, surveying the ruins.
Everyone turned to look at Gandalf, who was leaning on his staff. Of all those present, only the wizard could have caused such destruction. Thorin walked to the edge of the cliff, followed by the others. From their position, they could clearly see the situation at the bottom of the cliff. Among the pile of rocks, four grey-green limbs and black fur were visible — the carcasses of ferocious wolves.
"Those are orcs! These cursed creatures have an incredibly keen sense of smell," Dwalin hissed through gritted teeth.
Thorin frowned, a mix of anger and wariness on his face, and turned to Gandalf, quite surprised. "You discovered the orcs were watching us, so you used magic to collapse the cliff and kill them?"
All eyes were fixed on Gandalf, waiting for his explanation. Gandalf also peered over the edge of the cliff and glanced at the orc corpses at the base of the rock. His face remained impassive, but his heart tightened with unease. It was clear he had done nothing wrong. At least, it had to be done quietly. He couldn't have done it, so who had?
Gandalf's thoughts raced; he remembered that Karl had been on watch at midnight. At that moment, he had vaguely sensed that something was wrong. He had opened his eyes and seen Karl sitting quietly by the fire, adding wood. Karl had once said that witchers also knew magic, and deep down, he had a vague answer to this question. He casually glanced at Karl, who was now also "surprised," having come over to observe the situation. Karl stood beside Thorin, looking down at the corpse at the bottom of the cliff, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He hadn't paid it any attention since the cliff collapsed last night, and yet one lucky survivor had managed to escape?
Gandalf didn't understand why Karl had killed these orcs, but he pretended not to know. But he quickly realised that Karl probably meant no harm and simply wanted to conceal his abilities. In that case, Gandalf decided to play along with this "performance."
In response to Thorin's question, Gandalf stroked his long beard, a smile appearing on his face. "Thorin, I merely cast a small spell to muffle the noise and keep it from disturbing everyone's rest."
"As for the cliff collapse... that was a coincidence. Perhaps erosion from rainwater created cavities within the rock layers, eventually leading to the collapse."
This explanation seemed logical. The dwarves had dealt with stone for years and knew that rock formations could indeed suddenly collapse due to various factors. Moreover, Gandalf's modest claim, attributing the achievement to "luck," actually made his story more convincing.
Thorin nodded, his frown easing into a smile: "Gandalf, well done."
"Though I would have preferred you to warn me earlier, the result is the same — one less group of trackers." He patted Gandalf on the arm, and the other dwarves nodded approvingly, appreciating Gandalf's "timely action."
However, only Gandalf himself knew that the credit was not his. He glanced sideways at Karl; Karl's expression remained surprised, as if all this really had nothing to do with him. Gandalf, despite Thorin's praise, did not smile; instead, he felt some unease.
It was important to understand that destroying a group of orc scouts did not mean the danger had passed. On the contrary, it might anger the orc chieftain Azog, prompting him to send even more pursuers. Gandalf frowned and suggested to Thorin: "Thorin, we need to change our route."
Thorin looked up, a flicker of wariness in his eyes: "Change course? Why? The route we're on now is the fastest."
"And the most dangerous. The orcs have already found our trail." Gandalf thrust his staff into the ground and rested his hands on its top. "This scouting party is finished, but Azog won't give up. He'll send more orcs."
Thorin's face darkened: "Then let them come! We dwarves are not afraid of a fight."
"It's not about fear! Thorin, what is your goal?" Gandalf raised his voice slightly, but then lowered it again. "Is it to lead everyone to the entrance of the Lonely Mountain, and then say to Smaug, 'We have arrived'?"
"To be surrounded and destroyed by an orc army halfway there?"
Thorin fell silent. Gandalf pressed his advantage: "I suggest we turn south and head to Rivendell, where the Elves can provide us with food, shelter, and counsel."
The moment Thorin heard the word "Rivendell," his expression instantly changed. The smile vanished from his face, quickly replaced by coldness, and anger flared in his eyes. "I don't need their counsel!" Thorin's voice was low and deep, like a volcanic eruption.
"Gandalf, I told you, I will never go near that place! Never!"
"But Lord Elrond can help us decipher that map!" Gandalf tried to persuade him.
Thorin's face was already contorted with anger, and his dark expression made the surrounding dwarves instinctively step back. "Help us? The Elves will help us?" Thorin sneered.
"Where were the Elves when the Lonely Mountain was attacked by the evil dragon?!"
"They watched helplessly as my people were killed, burned, and buried in ruined temples!"
"The orcs plundered Moria and desecrated our temple, and what did the Elves do?"
Thorin's chest heaved heavily as he stared at Gandalf, his eyes blazing with fury. "Thorin! You are not your grandfather, nor your father! We need allies, we need help!" Gandalf interrupted him.
"Don't let personal enmity put the lives of the entire expedition company at risk!"
"This is a blood debt! A blood debt between dwarves and Elves!" Thorin's voice suddenly rose, almost to a shout.
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