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Middle-earth Adventure Journal! - 4
🕑 Added 2025-09-17 16:02:04 +0000 UTCChapter 4: Coordinated Teamwork
"You maggots, why have you stopped?"
A battle-scarred Uruk-hai captain pushed through the crowd. He wore black chain mail, carried an unmarked hide-covered shield in his left hand, and wielded a gleaming metal short spear in his right. Tall in stature, nearly equal to humans in height, his subordinates all showed fear as he passed.
The two Uruk-hai carrying the children shrank their necks and responded quietly: "Urthak, nothing's wrong; nothing happened."
Urthak clearly didn't believe them. His fierce eyes glanced casually and saw the pained expressions on the elf children's faces. His expression immediately darkened as he barked: "You two useless worms, put them down right now! The sorcerer wants us to bring them back intact—alive, unharmed, and healthy. Don't you understand?"
"If anything goes wrong, I'll hand you over. Then you can wait to be flayed alive in the sorcerer's dungeons!"
At the mention of the sorcerer, all the Uruk-hai shuddered. They were his personal guards and often witnessed horrifying scenes of blood and carnage—evil that even orcs could barely endure.
The two subordinates nodded frantically, carefully and gently placing the children on the ground.
At this moment, the golden-haired and black-haired children exchanged quiet glances, still pretending to be in excruciating pain as they rolled on the ground, moaning, "It hurts!" and "So painful!"
Most Uruk-hai didn't know what was happening but dared not act rashly, fearing they'd be implicated if problems arose. Only Urthak looked fierce, his expression constantly changing as if pondering something.
After much hesitation, he threw down his spear and reached into his chest to pull out a waterskin, approaching to pour it for the children. This medicine was prepared for orcs—he didn't know if elves could drink it. But he had to gamble.
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.
Just then, whistling sounds came in succession. He jerked his head up as three gleaming arrows flew like lightning. In his urgency, he only managed to raise his shield to protect his head. With a "thunk," the arrow embedded deeply in the hide-covered wooden board, followed by two screams as nearby subordinates wielding short bows were struck and fell dead.
"Enemy attack!" Nearly killed by the arrows, Urthak shouted loudly, then pointed in the direction the arrows came from: "Over there! Find those sneaky bastards for me!"
At his command, the other Uruk-hai finally came to their senses, stepping forward with roars as they surrounded the area, leaving Urthak and the two elf children isolated.
Truly disciplined obedience. But Urthak immediately sensed something wrong and barked: "Worthless maggots! Leave some behind!"
Hearing the command, most of the charging Uruk-hai came running back. But arrows came from another direction in rapid succession. In the time of one round trip, three more bodies lay on the ground.
Urthak snarled and cursed: "Stinking fools! You worthless scum!"
He crouched to pick up his spear, quickly pointing at six men: "You, you, you... follow me. The rest split into two groups—that way and that way. Move!"
His subordinates followed his pointing directions, roughly splitting into two groups and charging out again.
"Worthless maggots!" Urthak spat in annoyance, then looked down. He instantly froze, jumping and roaring angrily: "Where are they? Where are those two brats?"
In that brief time, the golden-haired and black-haired elf children had rolled several meters away, about to disappear into a clump of bushes.
"You two! Get those brats back for me!" Urthak shouted loudly. Two Uruk-hai subordinates drew weapons and whips, chasing while snarling: "Stop running, you whelps! Try to escape and we'll strip the hide from your bones!"
Though their words were fierce, their hands showed no real intent. They dared not risk being sliced up by harming these valuable "goods." But their feet never stopped. In a few steps they caught up to the still-rolling elves, laughing as they extended black, branch-like hands and crouched to grab the ropes binding their ankles.
Swish.
Aedric emerged from behind the bushes. His right foot stepped forward, both hands gripping the sword hilt tightly, gathering all his body's strength into his arms before striking out powerfully.
The meter-long blade flashed with cold silver light, like a crescent moon bursting from the undergrowth, cleaving everything in its path in half!
A hideous head rolled to the ground. Then came severed hands, scattered branches and leaves, and headless corpses spouting black blood.
For a moment, the ground seemed covered by a cruel and terrifying painting. The pungent stench hit him, making him nearly retch.
The blade's work was swift and brutal. One orc fell immediately, but another writhed upon the ground, his cries echoing through the forest before falling silent. The stench of foul blood filled the air, making Aedric turn away in revulsion.
"Ahh!" One hadn't died immediately. He looked down at the entrails slowly spilling from his belly and his separated lower half, screaming in agony. The sound was shrill and desperate, echoing through the quiet forest in a bone-chilling way.
The remaining Uruk-hai stared wide-eyed, faces filled with disbelief, their warrior minds struggling to process the sudden carnage. Two consecutive surprise attacks had left them reeling and unable to recover their tactical footing.
Two consecutive surprise attacks left them unable to recover.
Even the captain called Urthak was the same.
Aedric showed no hesitation. He swung his long sword, cutting the ropes at the children's ankles with extreme speed. Then he helped them up, drew his dagger from his waist, and cut their wrist bindings. Finally, he pressed the dagger into their hands.
This series of actions flowed smoothly and efficiently, as if rehearsed countless times in his mind.
Then, looking down at two young faces showing joy, he whispered sternly: "Still smiling! Run! Run!"
The two children blinked. Without hesitation or doubt, they took off on their short legs, one left and one right, like two startled deer slipping past Aedric. They didn't waste even a second.
Aedric also turned and ran. He knew clearly that with just the long sword in his hand and his almost nonexistent combat experience, he absolutely couldn't take on five Uruk-hai alone. Those bastards still held whips, spears, broadswords, curved blades, and various other weapons.
Once they coordinated, he'd be dead for sure! Transmigration wasn't a game. Here, even the slightest injury could mean permanent death in this strange and dangerous forest.
Run! No, move quickly! His long legs alternated rapidly, instantly darting into the dense forest. Leaves rustled underfoot, and thick brush branches constantly scraped his body, bringing stinging pain.
The two elf children moved even faster, their figures already blurring, with only vague outlines visible. The forest was their home turf, after all.
"Chase!" Urthak was first to recover. His spear pointed at Aedric's retreating figure, his black eyes seeming to breathe fire as he roared: "Chase him down!"
With that, he took the lead, charging out like a beast that had lost its prey. If he didn't get them back, he'd probably be sliced up.
Five Uruk-hai hurriedly gave chase, two of them swinging their arms, seeking opportunities to lash out with the whips in their hands. The black whip bodies moved like two serpents, whistling through the air. The metal spikes on the whip ends gleamed coldly as they swept past tree trunks, striking directly at Aedric's back and legs.
Aedric naturally heard those eerie and terrifying sounds, understanding he couldn't just keep running or his legs would be tangled or his back severely injured. A life-or-death moment!
His right hand gripped the sword hilt tightly. Standing on one foot, using the momentum from running, he suddenly turned, his long sword sweeping upward in a brilliant silver arc.
With the sound of ringing steel, the sharp blade cut through the whip like parchment, severing it in two. Aedric used the momentum to turn and continue his desperate flight.
However, this quick glance showed him the pursuing enemies had become separated into three parts.
The largest, most Urthak Uruk-hai led the chase, ahead of everyone by two to three meters. Two curved-blade-wielding Uruk-hai were in the middle, their eyes full of viciousness as they gritted their teeth and desperately pursued. The two who had thrown away whips and drawn broadswords fell behind due to their failed attack, four to five meters behind the front rank.
"Should I turn and fight while they're separated?" A bold idea suddenly flashed through Aedric's mind, but he immediately rejected it.
"No, not yet. Wait a bit longer!"
Before the plan began, he and Luna had already agreed. Aedric only needed to rescue the children, then keep his head down and run north. When Luna shook off her enemies, she would naturally regroup with him. Then with archer support, they could deal with the pursuers. Simpler and safer.
Thinking this, Aedric's pace quickened. The Uruk-hai behind him stuck like mad dogs, their angry roars constantly rising, as if they wanted to devour him alive.
"Let's see how long you can chase!"
As time passed, the forest's hazy shadows gradually deepened. The dappled moonlight was slowly consumed by darkness until it completely disappeared, leaving only faint starlight—weak and cold—illuminating the path ahead.
"Huff. Huff." Aedric didn't know how long he'd been running. His breathing sounded like a broken bellows—heavy and rapid. His heart pounded frantically in his chest as if about to leap from his mouth. His lungs ached as if repeatedly cut by a dull knife.
Yet the footsteps behind him continued relentlessly!
"Like bloodhounds! So persistent! Can't keep running like this! Luna still hasn't come—she must be in trouble. Got to fight! If I keep running, I won't even have strength left to struggle."
The thought of battle swirled in Aedric's mind. When chasing the Uruk-hai group, he'd already expended some stamina. The recent mad dash had consumed much more. If he didn't fight soon, he'd collapse from exhaustion.
Just then, the golden-haired child emerged from behind a tree trunk, winking at him while raising her arm to display vine branches full of leaves.
On the other side, the black-haired child also appeared from behind a trunk, similarly showing his vine, then immediately ducked back to avoid detection by the pursuing orcs.
Aedric instantly realized these children planned to coordinate with him in an ambush, completely changing their desperate situation of being chased by five Uruk-hai.
"So clever?" He felt a flash of surprise, then realized it wasn't too surprising. Elves had completely different growth patterns from humans, with lifespans stretching across ages. Their childhood lasted quite long—most elves didn't stop growing until fifty, some not reaching true adulthood until one hundred.
Though these children looked no taller than Hobbits, they might be older than thirty-year-old Aedric.
In this situation, no verbal communication was needed. A wonderful understanding arose between humans and elves.
Aedric immediately made his breathing louder to deceive his pursuers while deliberately slowing his running speed, stumbling as he passed between two large trees.
"Chase! Quick, chase! He can't run anymore—catch up and kill him!" Urthak suspected nothing, shouting excitedly to encourage himself and his subordinates.
Two curved-blade-wielding subordinates, eager for glory, gritted their teeth and accelerated past their companions, following their quarry's path in hot pursuit, their eyes gleaming with greed and viciousness.
Snap. A light sound.
The two children immediately pulled their vines taut, wrapping them around tree roots and branches several times for safety.
"Thud." "Bang. Bang."
The running Uruk-hai were caught off guard, tripped by the vines, and crashed heavily to the ground, even their weapons flying away.
Dazed, they looked up to see a pair of strange, brightly colored shoes that were neither leather nor cloth. Looking higher, they saw the human who had just been fleeing, along with a cold, soul-stealing long sword.
The silver gleam grew larger and brighter in their vision.
"Splurt. Splurt." Two ugly heads fell with the sound.
Aedric flicked his arms, flinging all the black blood from his blade into the grass. He gave the two children a thumbs up: "Well done."
Then he pointed his long sword at the three Uruk-hai who had stopped, adjusting his breathing slightly, his eyes showing sharp, murderous intent. He was ready to fight them!
Fighting five was impossible, but fighting three might be worth a try?
"I'll stand with you, sir." The black-haired child picked up a curved blade from the ground, standing beside Aedric and adding: "I've been receiving combat training for two years. I'm best with blade and shield!"
He was a boy. Aedric nodded without refusing. Male elves received combat training from childhood and often fought on the front lines against evil after coming of age.
Girls learned healing, farming, and other skills. Luna was rather exceptional among them.
Depending on their race, elves used different weapons. The Noldor especially favored heavy armor with sword and shield.
Now, a brave young soul was willing to fight for himself and his people. Besides admitting their martial spirit was abundant, there seemed no reason to refuse.
Aedric whispered: "Just call me Aedric. I'll hold them off—you act as opportunities arise."
"Understood. My name is Carl." The black-haired boy responded quietly, his hands trembling slightly as he gripped the curved blade.
"I'm Isa. Thank you for your righteous intervention, honored Aedric." The golden-haired girl hiding behind the tree looked somewhat panicked but still introduced herself politely.
"Mm, I know. Hide and try not to get caught." Aedric nodded in response, his eyes fixed on the Uruk-hai as he provocatively crooked his left index finger: "Stinking rats, after chasing so long, what are you spacing out for? Come fight me!"
The Uruk-hai were stunned momentarily, then looked around in confusion. "Stinking rats" was what they usually called Snaga to insult them.
"You're insulting me?!" Urthak's expression instantly turned furious as he roared like a beast. "Attack! Chop him to pieces! Don't worry about those two brats!"
Two Uruk-hai attacked from left and right, their broadswords whistling down heavily. Aedric stepped left, avoiding one while quickly raising both arms to block the other with his sword spine.
Clang. A crisp metallic sound rang out.
Feeling his opponent's strength, Aedric's heart immediately steadied. He seemed to be stronger!
The next second, he rapidly twisted his wrist while his body moved sideways, suppressing his opponent's blade to one side while his gleaming sword edge shot forward.
Swish. At an extremely cunning angle, it tore open the enemy's throat.
The Uruk-hai, already marked for death, clutched his neck and staggered backward. Coughing, black foul blood spurted between his fingers.
No time for a finishing blow—the enemy leader had charged forward, his short spear reflecting pale starlight as it struck like a viper's tongue.
Aedric couldn't raise his sword in time, only dodging sideways, and then his pupils contracted. Swish—the spear tip tore his large checkered shirt and left a shallow wound, blood seeping out.
The Uruk-hai leader, his attack missing, roared continuously. His left arm swung violently, the hide-covered shield whistling toward the human.
"Bang." Aedric, having just dodged, had no time to avoid it. He took the blow squarely on his back, stumbling several steps as swelling pain and numbness immediately followed. But it wasn't unbearable.
"This is the power of adrenaline!" Aedric planted his feet, quickly regaining balance, then swept his sword horizontally. The blade's frosty edge forced back Urthak, who tried to press his advantage.
He immediately retreated from his opponent's attack range, then turned to slash, leaving a savage wound on another Uruk-hai's back.
When Urthak attacked, Carl decisively stepped forward, engaging the other broadsword-wielding enemy and relieving considerable pressure from Aedric. But he was just a child after all.
Facing vicious enemies, he was in dire straits after two or three moves, only able to dodge repeatedly, using his agile form to avoid the frenzied curved blade.
Aedric noticed this while dodging and immediately helped after breaking free. Severe pain made the Uruk-hai turn around frantically, wildly swinging his broadsword. Aedric had to retreat to avoid it.
But Carl seized the opportunity, moving forward like a prowling cat to plunge his curved blade into the Uruk-hai's back. He then quickly retreated, avoiding the enemy's dying mad counterattack.
Aedric could no longer spare attention for that side. Urthak roared and charged again, his short spear sweeping like a club. Aedric blocked with his sword, forcefully deflecting it, then kicked out fiercely.
Continuous combat had given him more confidence in his abilities. He no longer fought as cautiously as before, becoming bolder.
Urthak blocked with his shield, feeling tremendous force hit him. Unable to maintain his footing, he swayed backward. Hastily pulling back his spear, he transformed it into a cold gleam stabbing at the human's shoulder, hoping to gain a moment's respite through attack.
Naturally, Aedric wouldn't give up. He stepped forward, deflecting the spear with his sword, then pulled his arm back and gathered strength before thrusting forward powerfully.
Without much resistance, the blade tip penetrated the iron armor, then skin, flesh, and bone, straight into the heart. A spray of black blood burst from the back.
Urthak's roars grew weaker, turning to whimpers before he collapsed.
Aedric also sat on the ground, breathing heavily amid the stench of foul blood. As adrenaline faded, exhaustion, aches, and drowsiness surged like a tide, completely overwhelming his barely supporting vessel.
Isa approached, her face showing concern: "Are you alright, sir?"
"I'm, I'm fine." Aedric struggled to his feet, sheathing his sword: "Let's go. We can't stay here long. Other enemies could come anytime—too dangerous."
Just as he prepared to move, Carl suddenly stopped. He placed his hand behind his ear and suddenly said: "Someone's coming already, nearby."
Aedric was about to draw his sword when a tall elf figure suddenly appeared ahead. It was Luna. And she was injured!
She walked unsteadily, her left hand pressed firmly against her abdomen. Fresh blood appeared dark red under starlight, dripping into the messy grass.
"How could this be?" Aedric looked completely surprised. Noldorin elves' combat abilities were among the best in Middle-earth.
Even with individual differences, she shouldn't have been injured by a small group of Uruk-hai in an ambush situation. She should definitely have been able to escape!
"Aooo! Wooo!" A large brown beast leaped from the undergrowth, standing and howling skyward as if calling companions.
This also answered Aedric's confusion. His pupils contracted slightly, his brow furrowing tightly as he cursed inwardly: Damn it, even Wargs are joining the fun!
