Nemesis.
The word meant only one would walk away alive.
Eric never thought of orcs as particularly strong enemies. But the feeling clearly wasn't mutual.
"You," growled Azog, lumbering forward with a massive war hammer slung over one shoulder, "and those blasted dwarves-you killed the Chieftain of Goblin-Town!"
Behind him, the gathered orcs roared and banged weapons together, a savage cheer echoing through the valley like a warped celebration.
"Orc-slayer. Enemy of Orcs. Tch-what revolting titles. You really think all of us fear you? That'll be your final mistake."
Thud!
With a casual swing of his war hammer, Azog smashed a nearby sapling in half, the splintered trunk toppling with a dramatic crash. It might've been more impressive if it hadn't been such a skinny tree.
"First, I'll kill you," he snarled, "then drag your corpse back to the dwarves and crush them with your bones!"
[HP: 30/30]
Eric didn't bother replying to the trash talk. Instead, his eyes flicked up, scanning the approaching orc. Azog wasn't bluffing. The brute was massive-easily over seven feet tall, bulging with corded muscle. Honestly, for an orc, he looked premium. Saruman's later "Uruk-hai" might someday surpass him, but for now, Azog was top dog.
Eric rolled his shoulders. "Talk is cheap. Don't throw your back out trying to impress the boys."
With a smirk, Eric drew his sword.
"Right back at you!" Azog bellowed, raising his hammer.
CLANG!
Steel met steel-or in this case, enchanted sword met blunt, brutal iron. The force of the impact was tremendous. Eric's arms rang with pain as the strike knocked his blade wide, leaving his chest exposed.
First strike, advantage Azog.
That was the first time Eric really felt what it was like to have a weapon smashed aside by sheer brute force.
Azog grinned-a smile full of cruelty and followed up with another hammer swing, this one aimed straight for the chest.
THUD!
The blow landed. Even through his enchanted netherite-forged armor, Eric felt the impact reverberate through his ribs. He staggered half a step back.
[-1 HP]
"Huh. He actually chipped my health bar…"
That was rare. Even with his Protection IV Netherite Armor, Azog's ordinary strike had still chipped away some health.
Still, his full-protection armor soaked most of the blow. A flash of red shimmered across his HUD, and then--
[HP: 30/30]
Instant regen kicked in.
Eric lunged, sword flashing in a deadly arc. He moved fast-faster than Azog expected. A thousand battles against orcs and wargs had honed his reflexes. His swordplay might not win any tournaments, but when it came to drawing, slashing, and resetting for another strike, Eric was a master of efficiency.
This sword had eaten its way through hordes. But this time--
CLANG!
Azog's metal-plated left arm shot up, catching the blade between its sharp prongs. He snarled and swung again.
THUMP!
Eric whipped out his shield in time to block, but the impact sent a shimmer through the magic runes. Shield: Cooling down.
"RAAAH!"
Feeling dominant, Azog raised his arms like a prizefighter and strutted around the makeshift arena, muscles gleaming in the fading sunlight. His orcs and wargs whooped and hollered. Some even mimicked him, raising weapons and snarling mockingly.
They thought he'd won.
Eric scanned the crowd with a slow, unimpressed gaze. Any orc who accidentally made eye contact quickly looked away, hunched over like they'd been caught misbehaving.
Honestly, if Azog hadn't been here, the entire mob would've scattered the moment they saw him. Such was the morale boost a big boss could bring.
As the battle continued, the sun dipped low behind the mountains, and the Pale Moon rose high. Starlight glimmered over the gathering, and in that moment, a change swept over the orcs.
Their posture straightened. Muscles tensed. Weakness fell away. Night had come-and night belonged to the orcs.
Several of them, emboldened by the moon and their boss's presence, dared to meet Eric's gaze directly now.
"You're doomed!" one called. "We'll—"
CLANG!
Azog was back on him. Another shield block. Another cooldown.
This time, Eric could feel the increased pressure. Azog was ramping up. But no matter how hard he hit, the shield would always block once before it needed to cool down.
"That's getting annoying…" Eric muttered.
Bosses in games were easy. Just stack their health and damage until they became a walking spreadsheet.
But Azog? Azog was real. He wasn't just stat padding-he knew how to fight.
Time to get serious.
Eric stopped playing around. Sword flicked, flashed, and blurred through the night air. His strikes came faster, more precise. Azog faltered - backpedaled - but parried, blocked, grunted. His raw strength was still a threat.
But stamina?
That was finite.
Eric's wasn't.
As long as he had food, he was an infinite engine of pain.
SLASH!
SWOOSH!
Finally, Azog slipped.
BOOM!
A single clean strike connected. Fire bloomed across Azog's chest, the enchanted blade splitting his torso open like a cracked furnace. He roared in agony, staggering, blood pouring like lava.
His health plummeted.
In desperation, Azog hurled his hammer. Eric ducked, but by the time he looked up—
The horde was already on him, throwing themselves at Eric like a flood of angry zombies, trying to protect their boss.
Eric felt like he was chopping through a wall of meat-no matter how many he cut down, more took their place.
By the time the bodies finally stopped falling, Azog was gone.
Far off in the distance, Eric spotted him being lifted onto a massive white warg-easily twice the size of the others.
The Warg Matriarch.
Eric fired several arrows in rapid succession, but the beast dodged every shot, weaving like a trained rogue.
"Seriously, I need an auto-aim enchantment..."
The warg growled viciously at him before sprinting away. On its back, clutching his chest, Azog glared back at Eric with burning hatred-as if trying to etch his face into his memory.
The remaining orcs broke and ran after their wounded leader.
[-300 Orc Reputation]
Current Reputation: -3756
Eric had a feeling… if that number dropped much lower, something was going to happen.
He took a step forward, trying to pursue, but then—
HOWL!
Dozens of wargs came sprinting back, surrounding him in a tight circle. They didn't attack, just kept him penned in. Orders from their king, most likely.
Eric took a step forward.
They stepped back.
He drew his sword and feinted a charge.
The nearest warg yelped like a puppy with its tail stepped on and crashed backward into its comrades.
"You've got guts staying here... shame you're all red-named and un-tamable."
He sighed. A whole pack of rideable mounts-if only they weren't trying to eat him.
But time was ticking. He unsheathed his glowing blade once more. It gleamed with runic light-and the wargs had seen enough. They scattered like skeletons at sunrise.
[New Title Unlocked: Bane of Wargs]
Eric dashed off in the direction Azog had fled, but after the delay, there was no sign of him—just trampled dirt and blood trails.
"You can run, Azog... but I'll be the last thing you ever see."
He sheathed his sword.
"That head of yours? I'll just let it stay on your shoulders for now."
The battlefield was eerily quiet now. Orcs and wargs were gone. Eric turned and began making his way toward where the dwarves had gone.
He found only destruction. Flames roared across the clearing. The cliff edge was blackened. Of the dwarves, Bilbo, or even Gandalf, there was no sign.
"...What."
He stepped over a flaming log, peering around.
"You left me behind?! Really?!"
WHOOSH!
A powerful gust of wind nearly knocked him back.
"ERIC!"
A massive eagle soared up from the cliff's edge, Gandalf perched on its back like some kind of pipe-smoking wizardly cowboy.
"Took you long enough! Hop on!"
Moments later—
Eric sat cross-legged on the eagle's back, wind in his hair, talking with Gandalf.
"Honestly, I thought you'd all gotten eaten. Or just left me to die."
"Don't be ridiculous," Gandalf said, lighting his pipe. "This party might lose me-but they'd never leave you behind."
He blew a cloud of smoke and added, "We got surrounded by wargs near the cliff. The dwarves held their ground, but they were exhausted, nearly forced over the edge. I used a little magic to separate us from the beasts."
Gandalf nodded to the eagle.
"Then I called in a few friends."
These great eagles weren't ordinary beasts. They were intelligent, noble creatures with a status far beyond that of common animals-and they were allies of Gandalf.
Gandalf exhaled, looking tired.
That so-called little spell was probably a full-blown Firestorm or something.
Gandalf let out a long sigh. "Today has been… exceptionally tiring."