"Prepare your weapons!" Thorin gave the order without hesitation after hearing Arthur's words.
He still trusted Arthur implicitly.
Thorin drew the frozen shell axe Arthur had given him from his waist, while Fili and Kili tacitly gripped their Sacred Seals for Prayers, and Dwalin and Gloin vigilantly scanned the surrounding trees.
The remaining dwarves were noticeably a half-beat slower in their reactions, as they were not professional warriors.
However, despite their slower reactions, their coordination showed no errors, and they quickly formed a formation on horseback.
Thorin shouted loudly, "Arthur, Gandalf, can you two find the right path! We can't stay in the forest forever; this is their territory!"
Arthur frowned and glanced at the surroundings; the trees, seemingly aware that they were subtly shifting to alter the path, became increasingly undisguised, even brazenly lifting their roots to move.
This caused the surrounding scenery to change every second; one moment, a path might exist between two trees, but the next, it would vanish, reappearing in the opposite direction.
Moreover…
Arthur looked at Bilbo, whose face was gradually turning a pale purple, and realized that the trees were even slowly depleting the oxygen in the forest.
While not enough to cause suffocation, a low-oxygen environment would greatly affect one's consciousness and judgment.
However, pathfinding was not Arthur's strong suit; in fact, he would get lost in The Lands Between without maps.
Therefore, Arthur looked at Gandalf, who nodded gravely and said loudly, "Leave the pathfinding to me! Be careful not to get entangled by those Huorn! Charge in the direction I indicate, no matter what's ahead!"
Thorin shouted without looking back, "Sons of Durin, full charge!"
Gandalf picked up his still-lit pipe and began chanting a lengthy spell, but before he could finish, the ground beneath the expedition party began to tremble slightly.
The nearest old tree was already swinging its branches towards them.
"Hmph!"
Thorin's roar cut through the tense atmosphere; he gripped his frozen shell axe tightly, gracefully leaped from his horse, and landed heavily on the solid ground.
As his feet touched the earth, a wave of frost power rapidly spread out, gleaming like white waves in the sunlight, instantly encasing several sturdy ancient trees in their path with a layer of crystalline armor.
Immediately after, he gripped the reins of the saddle, leaping back onto his horse, his movements as fluid as a perfectly rendered painting.
Fili's fingers deftly searched his coat pocket, as if touching the cold metallic feel of his throwing knives. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Kili having already drawn his bowstring, an arrow poised for release.
The frost-covered area Thorin created sent a biting cold wind across the brothers' faces.
Fili's hand whipped forward, and a throwing knife, like a silver lightning bolt, cut through the air, flying towards the branch adorned with sparkling frost.
Kili's movement was even faster; his arrow left the string first, like an agile hawk swooping down on its prey. The arrow and throwing knife intertwined in the air, like two crossing beams of light, striking the branch with pinpoint accuracy.
Though their combined force wasn't enough to sever the branch, their momentary cooperation caused the branch, which was originally rushing straight at them, to change its trajectory, as if pulled by an invisible hand, deviating from its original path.
The branch drew a curving arc in the air, finally drooping powerlessly and falling onto the snowy ground with a dull thud.
The other dwarves were largely similar to Fili and Kili; what seemed inconceivable coordination to ordinary people was like common play in the hands of the dwarves. They were often able to perfectly cooperate to knock away the frost-covered branches.
But this was still the Old Forest, the territory of those trees, and even with the dwarves' perfect coordination, there were bound to be oversights.
Thorin shouted loudly, "Gandalf, hurry up!"
Gandalf had just finished his spell and, urged by Thorin, anxiously shouted, "I'm already fast enough! Don't rush an old man!"
The white smoke wafting from Gandalf's pipe transformed into the shape of a sparrow and quickly flew into the sky. The trees did not notice this, allowing the smoke-bird to pass through the canopy and find the correct direction.
At this point, the dwarves were under immense pressure and were close to giving out.
If Arthur hadn't had the foresight to apply [Uplifting Aromatic] to them a short while ago, some dwarves would probably have been struck by branches and dragged away by now.
But what puzzled Arthur was that the branches seemed to have conspired, not attacking Arthur, Bernal, Millison, or Igon much; even Gandalf, who was chanting a spell, was not interfered with.
Instead, the trees were wildly swinging their thick branches at the dwarves, which made it difficult for Arthur to use his staff for large-scale Glintstone Magic to support the dwarves, as the Glintstone Magic's area of effect would certainly include the dwarves.
"Arthur, we need help!" Thorin's frozen shell axe knocked away another whipping branch, and he shouted breathlessly.
Due to the frequent use of Battle Skills, Thorin's stamina was depleting rapidly, and he was already finding it difficult to grip his weapon.
But Gandalf had not yet spoken to tell him where to go, nor would he let Thorin rush him, so he had no choice but to ask Arthur for help.
Before Arthur could open his lips, Igon's rough and hoarse voice suddenly rang out: "Everyone, plug your and your mounts' ears, and open your mouths! There's going to be a deafening sound coming!"
Bilbo rode his pony close to Arthur, his curious heart beating even faster.
His gaze tried to look at Igon behind him, but as soon as he straightened up, he was pressed down by Arthur, forcing his eyes to only look at the dense thicket, where mottled light and shadow faintly seeped through the dark crevices.
"Hide well, and cover your horse's ears. These trees are clearly after the hobbits, but they can't tell the difference between dwarves and hobbits, mistaking Thorin and the others for hobbits." Arthur's voice was low and urgent; he knew Igon's plan.
Bilbo's hands involuntarily tightened on the reins; the pony also seemed to sense the tension, restlessly pawing its hooves.
Though Thorin and the others didn't understand why, they still acted under the attack of the branches at Arthur's urgent shout.
Bernal and Millison had already ridden to the front of the group, their weapons' sword winds continuously helping the dwarves cut down the constantly attacking branches.
Of course, the ears of their mounts were already plugged with small objects to block sound.
Thorin's gaze swept across the company, one by one, until the last dwarf, Ori, also plugged his and his mount's ears, then he quickly covered his own ears, accompanied by a loud shout: "All good!"
Bilbo, meanwhile, lay on his horse's back, his vision obscured by the mane, able to vaguely see Thorin's outline ahead, but unable to hear the specific words.
Suddenly, fear spread like a pall, and he felt a chill shoot from his feet to his head.
Bilbo almost instinctively turned his head, his gaze falling on Igon's hand, which was clutching a scarlet glow, and an incredible sight met his eyes—a monstrous Dragon head, appearing out of thin air before him.
Though he had never seen a true Dragon, Bilbo just knew it had to be a Dragon's head.
Dragon Communion Incantation—Roar
The Dragon's head, belonging to the Dragon that died at Igon's hand and whose heart was devoured by him, was bulging with muscle, full of menacing fangs and terrifying Dragon horns, its piercing eyes glinting with a cold red light. The Dragon's roar was like thunder, shaking every inch of the forest floor, echoing through the deep woods, and stirring up waves of wind.
Bilbo felt his head swell, his heart pounding as if to burst from his chest, the surrounding trees twisting in his vision, and the entire world seeming to move in slow motion.
The Dragon shadow, conjured by the Dragon Communion Incantation, cast huge shadows among the trees, causing the surrounding Huorn to recoil in fright.
However, the effect of the Dragon Communion Incantation seemed too good; Thorin and his companions, along with their mounts, although their ears were plugged, were still stunned in place by the overwhelming pressure brought by this superior species, the Dragon.
At this moment, Gandalf's smoke bird also flew back, bringing back information about the correct route.
"Thorin, lead your kinsmen straight ahead to your left! Don't stop!!!" Gandalf's figure appeared unusually large in the gloomy forest path, his voice rising as if from an abyss, echoing in every dwarf's ear.
This was an undeniable command, carrying a heart-pounding power that entered the dwarves' plugged ears.
Thorin's movements were swift and decisive; the cloth strips plugging his ears fell from his hands as he gestured for the dwarves to follow him on horseback.
Bilbo awoke from his shock, the world in his eyes seemingly refocusing. The expedition had already traversed the dense Old Forest and was now moving across a meadow rich with autumn colors.
Hooves trod on the withered yellow leaves interspersed with tenacious green, making dull, powerful sounds. The clouds on the horizon were dyed in layers of orange-red by the setting sun, and the sky, moved by this gradient of colors, became soft and warm.
The twilight light stretched their shadows on the path ahead, every step seeming to race against time. The air was filled with the fresh scent of plants and the warm breath of the horses.
In the distance, the roar of a wild beast seemed to echo, reminding Bilbo that he had not returned to Bag End, to his warm little home.
Arthur's sigh of relief came from beside him: "You're finally back to your senses, Bilbo, you really scared me to death."
Bilbo was a bit dazed, then quickly asked in confusion: "Me? Didn't we just pass through the Old Forest?"
Bofur, who was ahead, immediately said: "No, you fainted. Just when Sir Igon transformed into a Dragon and roared, you fainted and lay sprawled on your horse's back."
Bombur chimed in: "Yes, I even heard you snoring. Not only did you faint, but you also slept soundly afterward."
Gandalf chuckled: "To be able to sleep through a Dragon's roar, it seems our Sir Bilbo Baggins indeed possesses extraordinary courage."
Bilbo shook his head, his mind clearing. He said: "Thank you for your concern, but please don't make me feel like I've just emerged from a coffin; that feeling makes me a bit uncomfortable."
Igon's voice came from behind: "Honestly, your face when you first passed out looked like you were dead; you gave this old man quite a fright."
Arthur said gently: "Fortunately, after examination, you only fainted due to lack of oxygen and being startled."
"Me, lack of oxygen?" Bilbo pointed to himself, disbelievingly.
Gandalf nodded: "Yes, your face was purple at that time. Those Huorn were consciously consuming the air in the forest, which led to that result."
Bilbo pointed at Bofur, somewhat unwillingly: "Then why are these dwarves acting like nothing happened?"
Bofur blinked: "The worst environments we dwarves have been to are much more severe than that just now. Scarce air is a minor thing. You haven't experienced digging deep into a cave and encountering lava; that scorching air would practically steam your lungs. If you have a chance, I can take you to a dwarf blacksmith's forge in the Blue Mountains to experience it; the temperature of that furnace should be similar."
Bilbo directly refused: "No thanks, I don't think a normal person would choose to visit a place that could roast them alive."
Bofur, however, said: "But the Dragon Smaug in the Lonely Mountain, where we're going, breathes flames that are much hotter than the fires in a blacksmith's forge."
Bilbo's expression worsened: "If you're trying to change my mood, I think you've succeeded, Bofur."
Gandalf waved his hand: "Alright, Bofur, no more scaring Bilbo."
Bofur turned around, rode to his brothers Bifur and Bombur, and started chatting with them.
Bilbo's ears twitched slightly, catching the faint sounds from Bofur's side. They were likely discussing what kind of magical ability Igon's Dragon roar was.
Curiosity gnawed at Bilbo's heart like ants, and he began to recall the scene before he lost consciousness, it was so shocking that even after waking up, it was hard to erase from his mind.
Arthur saw what Bilbo was thinking, as the hobbit had it all written on his face, and said with a smile: "That is a Prayer. Fili and Kili also know some Prayers. As for what Prayers are, I should have told you."
Bilbo nodded repeatedly: "Yes, I know. I just didn't expect it to be so, uh, breathtaking?"
After saying this, his lips curved slightly upwards, revealing a hint of imperceptible excitement.
Although the experience in the Old Forest had made him feel anxious, and one could even say he did nothing, once it was all over and he was walking on a safe road, Bilbo felt a lingering sense of enchantment.
The blood of the Took family within him told him that this was true adventure.
At this moment, the advancing party stopped, and Thorin's loud, deep voice came: "Stop, any further and we'll be in the Barrow-downs. The Barrow-downs at night are much more dangerous than the Old Forest; we'll camp nearby."
Then Thorin dismounted and, after a moment's hesitation, walked towards Arthur.
He revealed a longing look and asked: "May I inquire about the power used by the Dragon Warrior Igon?"