What's up, everyone! This is GKC here bringing you the next chapter of 'Unexpected Journey'. A few people have asked that the Final Fantasy characters get more attuned in the story. You're all absolutely right. Now that I look at it, it seemed that it's more like the movies with the FF characters coming along the ride.
In any case, we've come to the point in which the company encounters the Goblin King and his horde. Bilbo and Gollum's destined meeting will ensure.
Now for the disclaimer: I do not own, except my OCs, Final Fantasy or the Hobbit. All rights belong to their respective owners.
Now let's get this party started… BEGIN!
Italics - Elvish/Telepathy
Bold Italics - Black Speech
Final Fantasy: An Unexpected Journey
Chapter 4: Escape the Goblin Horde
Azog's Warg sniffed the ground, picking up the scent of the dwarves and the humans with them.
"The Dwarves have taken the mountain trail." Azog smirked, eager to spill the blood of the Dwarf who cut off his hand.
Before his pack could continue the hunt, a familiar raspy voice spoke out, "Hold, Azog," Stepping out of the shadows came Lord Belmont. "Let the Goblin horde have their fun."
The pale Orc growled in frustration but obeyed the order nonetheless.
Oakenshield Company
After a quick dinner break, the Dwarves and the humans slept quietly for the night, save for one certain Hobbit.
Bilbo opens his eyes while everyone else slept before he grabbed all of his stuff and began packing up before finishing up by picking up his hiking stick.
Unfortunately, just before he could leave, two members of the party had awoken from their sleep.
"What are you doing?" Zidane asked, rubbing the crust from his eyes.
"Where do you think you're going?" Bofur asked, fully awake.
"Back to Rivendell." Bilbo answered with a serious expression on his face.
The Genome and the Dwarf looked at each other then back at the Hobbit.
"But why?" Zidane inquired. "Why do you want to go back?"
"No, you can't go back now. You're part of the company. You're one of us." Bofur whispered as to not wake the others up.
"Really, am I? Thorin said I shouldn't have come and he was right. I'm not a Took, I'm a Baggins, I don't know what I was thinking. I should never have ran out my door." Bilbo said with all three unaware that Thorin was awake and listening to them.
"You're home sick, I understand." Bofur said.
"Bilbo, it's perfectly normal to feel that you're out of place." Zidane added with a grin. "We've all been there."
"No, you don't understand! None of you do!" Bilbo whispered before focusing on Bofur, "You're Dwarves. You're used to this life, living on the road never sticking to one place, never belonging anywhere!"
Bilbo was silent as he saw the look from Bofur.
"I'm sorry…" Bilbo whispered.
"No, you're right." Bofur said before turning to the sleeping companions. "We don't belong anywhere."
"That's not true." Zidane spoke a little sadly, earning looks from both the Hobbit and the Dwarf. "Home is where the heart yearns. If anything, you guys should be lucky you have people to call family. Me? I've never really had anybody to call a brother, a sister, a cousin…" He paused. "A parent… No, I've had none of those things but on my journey, I've met people that I've grown to care about. They were my friends and my family. You see, here, you all have a place to call home but me? I'm an outcast. No human would think to look past this," He gestured to his yellow-furred monkey tail.
They were silent before Bofur noticed something.
"What's that?" Bofur asked, pointing to Bilbo's sword which he pulled just enough to reveal the blade… and it was glowing blue.
Bilbo looked at the two in realization as he remembered what was said when the sword glowed and Thorin raised his head as he saw sand sliding down into lines in the ground.
"Wake up! Wake up!" Thorin shouted, waking everyone up.
"W-What?!" Sorom snorted, shooting from his sleep, his black hair a mess.
"The hell's going on?" Noctis groaned, rubbing his neck after sleeping on stiff rocks.
Suddenly the ground they were on opened up and they all fell down, going down until they crashed into into a wood and metal net with a wooden bridge.
"Ooh," Cloud groaned, feeling the weight of a certain Dwarf's body on his back. "Bombur, get off! You're crushing my spine!"
Before the fat Dwarf could do anything, they hear chatter, causing all to look and see a very large group of goblins running at them.
"Get up! Everyone get up!" Sorom shouted, reaching for Anguirel to fight off the threat.
But he was too slow and he was grabbed along with the other humans, Dwarves, and the hobbit before they were being led away.
As they were being led away Bilbo stopped and dropped down, using his small height to his advantage as the goblins forced the humans and Dwarves away to sneak away. However, among the humans, only four were accounted for. Overhead, Zidane hung on a stalagmite with his tail, watching as his friends and companions were taken by the goblins.
Bilbo moved to a hiding spot and watched as the group was led away.
Once the goblins were out of sight he drew his sword which the entire blade was glowing blue.
"Psst! Bilbo, up here!" Zidane quietly called out from above the Hobbit.
Bilbo nearly jumped out of his hiding spot before he saw who it was.
"Zidane? How did you get away?" Bilbo asked in surprise.
"I'm a thief. I have my ways." The Genome grinned widely while his monkey tail released the stalagmite, allowing Zidane to drop beside the Hobbit.
"Well, how do we save them?" Bilbo asked in confusion.
"Stealth, obviously." Zidane answered. "Keep your sword out. You might need it."
Suddenly a goblin dropped from above and drew his sword with a menacing growl.
"Like for right now?" Bilbo asked.
"Yep, for right now." Zidane replied as he brought out his Mage Mashers.
Soon Zidane felt a few pebbles land on his shoulder, causing him to look up to see a goblin falling towards him face first with its hands reaching out to him.
With a cheeky grin, Zidane brought his daggers to bear then slashed the goblin across the face.
But he forgot that the Goblin was falling at him and the goblin smashed him to the ground while Bilbo did his best to fend off the goblin that was attacking him.
The four fought for a few minutes before Bilbo's opponent decided to jump on his back, causing Bilbo to start stumbling around.
"Get off me you piece of filth!" Zidane shouted as he tried to get the goblin off him as it began hitting him.
Even though he was stabbing it, the goblin was still not giving up until his foot landed on nothing but air, causing him and his opponent to fall off the edge.
"Zidane! WAH!" Bilbo soon followed after Zidane and fell along with him when the Goblin jumped him.
Meanwhile…
The rest of the company were forced by the goblins to follow them deeper into the caverns. Their weapons taken from them as the mutant creatures snarled and chittered at the Dwarves and humans.
The walk was long and they soon found themselves in what they could guess was the goblin's home.
"Where are they taking us?" Noctis asked as he was shoved forward.
Cloud, despite the fact he could easily escape by using his superior SOLDIER-enhanced abilities, couldn't very well leave his party behind. His mako eyes landed on a rather… disgusting sight. "Maybe to that ugly bastard."
Sitting on some kind of throne was a big fat goblin with some flesh dangling from where his chin would probably have been and had a staff in his left hand while a crown rested on its head. He was also singing a god-awful song that hurt the ears of the Oakenshield Company.
"Alright, I'm gonna be sick." Noctis muttered, looking a little green.
"Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom? Spies, thieves, assassins?!" The Goblin king demanded as he stomped off his throne, looking at the Dwarves and humans.
"Dwarves, men, and a woman, your malevolence." A goblin said to the king.
"Dwarves, men, and a woman?" The king repeated in surprise.
"Is this guy serious?" Sorom asked with a big sweatdrop running down the back of his head.
"We found them on the front porch." The same Goblin said, gesturing to the captured group.
"We'll don't just stand there! Search them! Every crack, every crevice!" The king ordered and the goblins began searching them.
"Oi, get your hands off me!" Noctis shouted, trying to shove the gross creatures away.
Lightning snarled at any that dared to get near her. The Goblins wisely avoided the female's wrath.
The men weren't saved from the goblins because they soon were searched until almost everything was taken off of them.
"What are you doing in these parts?" The Goblin king asked but was met with silence.
"Speak." The king said looking at the group but they remained silent.
"Very well, if they will not talk, we'll make them squak! Being up the Mangler! Bring up the Bonecracker!" The Goblin king shouted, causing the goblins to cheer.
"Oh, well that sounds fun." Cloud sarcastically remarked.
"Start with the youngest!" The king shouted.
"Which one of us is the youngest?" Sorom asked fearful.
"Wait!" Thorin shouted, getting their attention.
Thorin makes his way past his company and the goblins where the goblin king's eyes widen in recognition as a smile appeared on his disgusting face.
"Well, well, well, look who it is. Thorin, son of Thrain, Thror, King under the Mountain." The Goblin king said giving a dramatic bow.
"Oh, I'm forgetting, you don't have a mountain! And you're not a king. Which makes you, nobody really." The Goblin king said, causing some silence while a small few goblins laughed lightly.
"Wow, funny, where'd that come from, your ugly ass mother?" Noctis shot back.
"It seems we have a volunteer for the Bone Cracker." The Goblin king said, giving Noctis an evil smile before focusing his attention on Thorin. "But for now I know someone who would pay a pretty price for your head. Just a head, nothing attached. Perhaps you know of who I speak. An old enemy of yours."
Thorin looked up at the fat goblin who got his full attention at the mention of an old enemy.
"A pale orc astrid white warg." The Goblin king said.
"Azog the Defiler was destroyed." Thorin said lightly before shouting, "He was slain in battle long ago!"
"So you think his defiling days are done, do you?" The king asked before he began to laugh with his subjects laughing as well.
The king walked over to a goblin that was hanging from what looked like a suspender and a zip line.
"Send word to the Pale orc, tell him I have his prize." The Goblin king said to the goblin that writes down the message before he begins sliding down the makeshift zip line to his destination.
Crevice
Zidane awoke with a groan. He looked around and found the corpse of the goblin that had tried to climb onto him. At least the ugly critter is dead.
"Bilbo?" He spoke softly, sitting up albeit with a bit of pain. He reached into his pouch and pulled out a Potion. The thief took a swig of the medicine, grimacing at the bitter touch but swallowed it all the same.
Bilbo opens his eyes and blinked. They heard deep breathing and both look to see a goblin lying on its back while a few feet away a goblin lied with its neck at an odd angle with multiple lacerations.
They both hear another kind of breathing and both hide before some deformed person began crawling out and towards the still breathing goblin.
"Yes, yes, yes." The creature said, circling around the surviving goblin.
"Yes! Gollum, Gollum!" The creature said before moving around and grabbed the goblin by the legs before it begins to drag it away.
The goblin soon regained consciousness and began attacking the creature who grabs a nearby rock to defend itself but as it did they notice a gold ring fall out of a pocket in its loincloth.
They both feel strange when looking at the ring before the creature beats the goblin and began dragging it away once again.
As it dragged the goblin away the creature was muttering some words that they barely could make out as it moved further and further away.
"Did you see that?" Bilbo asked as he and Zidane came out of cover.
"Kinda wish I didn't." The Genome grimaced.
They were about to move but Bilbo stopped to look down at the gold ring which lies at his feet. For some reason Bilbo felt drawn to the ring like it was calling him.
Bilbo looks at the ring before they hear the creature speaking but because of how far he likely is and the tunnels it echoes, it was hard for them to understand.
"We shouldn't stay here. We need to find the others." Zidane whispered to the Hobbit. He felt uneasy about the ring that Bilbo picked up. There was something about it that was just… evil.
They two moved around trying to find a way out until they stop when they see the creature on top of the goblin.
Bilbo held his sword out of sight before the goblin tried to grab the creature but it smashed a rock into its face and the goblin goes limp.
Bilbo looks at his sword which flickered before the blue light vanished.
With the goblin dead, they look where the creature was but found it missing, unaware that the creature was slowly approaching.
"Where is it?" Zidane asked quietly as he readied his daggers.
His answer came when the creature climbed over the rock they were using for cover and lands in front of the two.
"Blesses and splashes precious, that's a meaty mouthful." The creature said and reached for Bilbo but stopped when he felt the tip of his sword at his chest.
"Gollum, Gollum!" The creature coughed as it slowly backed away.
"Back! Stay back! I'm warning you, don't come any closer!" Bilbo said as he and Zidane stood up.
"It's got an elvish blade but it's not an elfses." The creature said as he crawled away.
"Not an elfses no, what is it precious? What is it?" The creature said in confusion.
"My name, is Bilbo Baggins." Bilbo answered.
"Bagginses? What is a Bagginses precious?" The creature said, still confused.
"I'm a Hobbit from the Shire." Bilbo answered.
"And I'm Zidane Tribal," The Genome kept a watchful eye on the bony creature. "Who are you?"
The creature looked to Zidane with a curious look before gaining a smile, focusing on Bilbo with a look that said he was looking at a piece of meat.
"Oh we like Goblinses, batses, and fishes but we hasn't tried Hobbitses or Tribalses before!" The creature said as he slowly approached Bilbo, "Is it soft, is it juicy?"
"Now, now! Keep your distance!" Bilbo said, swinging his sword to keep the creature back while Zidane stood behind Bilbo.
"I will use this, if I have to!" Bilbo said, pointing the tip at the creature while Zidane still standing behind Bilbo, wanting to stay away from the obviously hungry animal/man/thing.
The creature screeched before going silent as Bilbo swung again.
"We don't want any trouble! You understand?! Just show us the way to get out of here, and we'll be on our way." Bilbo said to the creature.
"Why? Is it's lost?" The creature asked.
"Yes and we won't to get unlost as soon as possible." Bilbo answered.
"Oh we knows, we knows safe passages for Hobbitses and Tribalses! Safes paths in the dark-SHUT UP!" The creature said at first in a friendly tone before growling and looking down.
"I didn't say anything." Bilbo said in confusion.
"Wasn't talking to you." The creature said to Bilbo as if he was telling someone he was busy before he moved to the side and began talking to himself, "Unless we was precious, we was."
"Okay, seems we've landed in the hovel of a crazy person." Zidane deadpanned.
"Look I don't know what your game is-" Bilbo was interrupted by the being who jumped onto its hiding rock saying, "Games! We love games doesn't we precious? Does it's like games? Does it, does it, does it like to play?"
"Maybe." Bilbo answered for himself.
"Are we seriously gonna play with this guy?" The thief questioned quietly.
"It's either this or let him look at us like food, plus he was... a little vague on the way out." Bilbo whispered to the Genome.
Zidane groaned but nodded in reluctance. "Fine, let's get this over with so we can get out of here."
"What has roots as nobody sees, is taller than trees, up, up, up it goes, and yet never grows?" The creature asked.
"The mountain." Bilbo answered.
"Yes, yes! Let's have another one. Yes, yes, do it, do it, go on. Ask us." The creature said joyfully before it turns into a look of anger, "No! No, no riddles! Come on, finish them off! Finish it now! Gollum, Gollum!"
The creature was about to attack before Bilbo moved over, stopping the being and said, "No, no, no, no! We want to play. We do. We want to play, we can see you are good at this game."
The creature looks down before raising his head to show a smile.
Zidane understood what the Hobbit was trying to do. "Oh yes, you seem like you're really good at this game. Which would make it all the more challenging."
"So why don't we have a game of riddles? Just the three of us." Bilbo said to the creature.
"Yes, yes, just, just us." The creature said to Bilbo and Zidane.
"Yes, yes, and if we win, you show us, the way out." Bilbo said.
"Yes, yes." The creature said joyfully before turning menacing, "And if its loses, what then? Well if its loses precious then eats them! If Bagginses or Tribalses loses, we eat them whole."
There was a moment of silence with both Hobbit and Genome contemplating their next move.
"Fair enough." Bilbo said for himself.
"Fair enough!?" Zidane exclaimed in comical shock.
Bilbo just sheathed his sword and looked at the creature.
"Well, Bagginses first." The creature said.
Bilbo tries to think of something before coming up with a riddle.
"Thirty white horses on a red hill, first they champ, then they stamp, then they stand still." Bilbo said.
The creature was silent, thinking what the answer to the riddle was, a few times he thinks he had the answer but stopped before finally getting it, "Teeth? Teeth!"
The creature laughs as he moves, "Yes my precious! Breath! We, only have nine!"
The creature shows its mouth, revealing nine teeth in its mouth.
"Charming…" The blonde boy grimaced at the sight.
"...Our turn." The creature said as it crawled to the side, "Voiceless, it cries, wingless, flutters, toothless, bites, mouthless, mutters." The creature said.
"Just a moment." Bilbo said as he walked to the water.
"Oh, we knows, we knows-SHUT UP!" The creature said to itself.
"Wind." Bilbo whispered before looking towards the creature's location, "It's wind, of course it is."
"Very clever Hobbitses! Very clever!" The creature said crawling towards the Hobbit who drew his sword and pointed it at the creature, keeping it back.
"Uh, uh, uh, uh! His turn." The Hobbit said, pointing to the Genome.
"Hmm…" Zidane snapped his fingers. "I'm by your side, yet you do not know. I appear at day, but am gone by night. I am your oldest friend that keeps out of sight. What am I?"
The creature was silent, thinking about the answer for a full minute before looking down. The creature cried up smacking his head a few times before coming up with the answer.
"Shadow, its shadow!" The creature said.
"Huh, correct." Zidane nodded. He actually thought he had the creature that time.
"Uh, my turn?" Bilbo asked.
"I think so." Zidane nodded.
"Uh, a box without hinges, key, or lid yet golden treasure inside is hid." Bilbo said causing the creature to look to the side.
He moves to the side muttering about the riddle.
"Well?" Bilbo asked.
"It's nasty." The creature said moving to the water before holding the side of a rock.
"Give up?" Bilbo asked.
"Give us a chance precious give us a chance!" The creature said before continuing with his thinking before coming up with the answer.
"Eggses! Eggses!" The creature cheered with Bilbo just minding his own business before raising his sword when he sees a bat foy by, completely ignoring what the creature was so joyful about.
Zidane looks to Bilbo before both look to the creature, only to find it missing.
"We have one for you." The creature said, sounding close, closer to Zidane the most.
"All things, it devours, birds, beasts, trees, flowers, gnaws iron, bites steel, grinds hard stone to meal." The creature said, Zidane was silent for a moment.
"Answer us." the creature said with a bit of an echo.
"Please give him a moment I gave you a good long while." Bilbo said for Zidane who was thinking.
The Genome thought about the riddle. It was confusing for him but there was something about it that sparked a memory about magic. It sounded almost like…
"Time… The answer is time!" The thief exclaimed.
The creature growled in annoyance.
"Last question." The creature said to Bilbo.
"Ask us. Ask us!" The creature demanded.
"Yes, yes alright." Bilbo said before he walked over to the water.
Bilbo puts his hand unconsciously to his pocket, making him confused when he feels something in it.
"What have I got... in my pocket?" Bilbo asked in confusion.
"Huh?" Zidane tilted his head in confusion then realized the simplicity of it. "Oh…!"
"That's no fair. No fair! What's a game of who's?!" The creature demanded, tossing a rock it seemed to have been holding.
"Hey, it's Bilbo's turn so you have to answer the question." The Genome thief of the duo pointed out.
"Three guesses precious. It must give us three!" The creature growled.
"Three guesses, very well, ask away." Bilbo said, being gentlemanly.
"Handses!" The creature guessed but Bilbo held out his open hand which was not even in his pocket.
"Wrong, guess again." Bilbo said.
The creature was mumbling to itself, grabbing and tossing rocks around, smacking the ground along with his head.
"Knife! Oh shut up!" It shouted at first before growling at itself.
"Wrong again, last guess." Bilbo said.
"String or nothing." The creature said.
"Two guesses at once, wrong both times." Bilbo said, causing the creature to moan in disappointment as he falls onto his side.
"Oi, stop whining. You wanted to play this game so you have to follow the rules." Zidane scolded the bony creature.
"Come it, we won the game. You said you'd show us the way out." Bilbo said walking up next to his companion.
"Did we says so precious? Did we say so?" The creature asked before slowly turning its head to show a menacing glare, "What has it gots in its pocketses?!"
"That's not a concern on yours. You lost." Bilbo said to the creature.
"Bilbo, what did you take?" Zidane asked apprehensively.
"Lost? Lost? Lost?" The creature said insanely as it slowly crawled towards the two who slowly backed away and reached into his loincloth's pocket until he stopped when he felt it empty.
He looked down and began searching for something.
"Where is it?! Where is it?! No! AH!" The creature began screeching as he began looking around, tossing bones in random directions, "Where is it?! No!"
The creature jumped to the water and splashed, hoping to find something, "Lost! Splashes and splashes! The precious is lost!"
Bilbo stealthily took something out of his pocket while Zidane was focused on the creature.
"What have you lost?" Bilbo asked.
The blonde, monkey-tailed thief kept his daggers ready for a coming skirmish.
"Mustn't ask us! Not its business! No! Gollum! Gollum!" The creature cried as he began looking at the way crying.
Soon the creature was silent for a good few seconds.
"What... has it got... in its nasty... little... pocketses?! The creature asked quietly.
The creatures turned with a look of realization, "It stole it… it stole it!"
The creature screeched, tossing a rock at Bilbo and Zidane, missing Bilbo and almost hitting Zidane in the face.
"Hey, watch it!" The Genome shouted.
"Run!" Bilbo said as he began to run away from the crazed creature. Zidane followed after the Hobbit with the snarling being following right behind.
Meanwhile…
As the party is being dragged to the torture devices, the Goblin King sang a song of said torture.
As this happened a goblin picked up Orcrist but when it pulled it an inch from the sheath the goblin screeched in terror where it tosses the sword to the ground, showing all the sword.
The goblin king scampered onto his throne in terror.
"I know that sword! It is the Goblin Cleaver! The Biter! The blade that sliced a thousand necks!" The goblin king shouted.
Seeing the retracted fear in their eyes, Sorom grabbed his own elven sword, revealing its black-edged blade. "Then say hello to Anguirel, ugly!"
"No! Slash them!" Just when the king said that goblins began jumping on the party with most dogpiling on Sorom.
"Look what you put us in you fool!" Dwalin shouted to Sorom.
"Kiss my ass, baldy!" The explorer shot back.
"Beat them! Kill them! Kill them all!" The Goblin king shouted as they pinned the party to the ground with a goblin raising a dagger over Thorin while a Goblin raised a rusted axe over Sorom's neck.
"Crap…" The red-eyed young man gritted his teeth. There was no way for him to escape or use his magic. This could be the end for him.
"Cut off their heads!" The Goblin king shouted, pointing to Sorom and Thorin.
Just before the blades went down a bright light and a blast of wind sent the Goblins all to the ground and knocked the torture devices off the platform.
The light faded as quickly as it came and bathed the place in darkness.
The light slowly returned to reveal Gandalf who stood tall with his staff in his left hand and sword in his right hand.
"Take up arms, fight." Gandalf said as everyone began to regain their bearings. "Fight!" He shouted as he ran to the now standing horde of goblins.
With battle cries of their own, the company broke free from their jailers. The Dwarves working in tandem to knock the goblins away. Lightning kicked off two of the mutants, allowing Cloud to grab one of them out of the air then smack a group of Goblins off the platform. Noctis used his abilities to phase through the enemy attacks. Sorom retrieved his sword and started hacking at the disgusting creatures.
Gandalf smacked a few goblins with his staff and cuts down a few other goblins.
"He wields the Foehammer! The Beater! Bright as daylight!" The Goblin king shouted, recognizing the sword the wizard was wielding.
As they fought the goblin king moved to attack Thorin.
"Thorin!" Nori called, getting Thorin to turn in time to see the king raise his staff.
Thorin swung Orcrist as the goblin swung his staff and the two weapons clash with Orcrist overpowering the bigger sword and cause the king to stumble back before smashing into his throne and falling off the platform.
"Say hi to your mother for me, fatass!" Noctis shouted, summoning his Engine Blade to cut a goblin in half.
They continued fighting, killing many goblins before the number was down to a handful.
Gandalf swung his sword at a goblin and he drops to his knees, looking confused before Gandalf taps the side of his head, showing that it was cut off.
"Follow me, quick!" Gandalf said to the company.
"Let's go!" Lightning shouted after she recovered her gunblade and round buckler.
They all began running with Gandalf to find a way out of the goblin hoard all the while being chased by a large group of them.
The dwarves and humans fought with every part of their being. Swords cut into flesh, axes carved meat, and shields slammed into disgusting faces.
Dwalin saw multiple goblins running at them from in front and cuts the rope holding a wooden railing before he along with Fili, Nori, and Gloin use the railing to knock the goblins off the bridge they were running across.
The fighting kept going with the Dwarves, wizard, and humans running on bridges and cutting down any goblin that popped out of nowhere with Gloin knocking a goblin off the bridge they were on and shattering the bridge below them.
Crevice
As Zidane and Bilbo ran away from Gollum, the Genome quickly stopped to look back. "Bilbo, we have to split up!" He informed the Hobbit.
"Okay!" Bilbo said without complaint as he runs in a random direction.
Zidane used his impressive agility to leap higher into the rocks then took off in a different direction from Bilbo.
Bilbo ran until he ended up at a fork in the road before stopping when he saw the creature crawling down a tunnel.
Thinking fast he ran to a small passage but when he tried to squeeze through his buttons kept him in place.
Soon the creature crawled back and saw him before running at him, stopping at the pass.
"It's ours! It's ours!" The creature screeched but Bilbo managed to get through with the buttons popping off and landing on the creature.
As Bilbo slipped through he fell onto his back and the ring he was holding popped out of his hand.
Bilbo reached for the ring but it slipped on to his right middle finger, turning him invisible.
Bilbo looked and everything looked different.
The creature soon came through but passed Bilbo like he wasn't even there.
"Thieves! Baggins! Tribals!" The creature screeched before moving off with Bilbo quietly following.
Goblin Town
The company was running on a wood bridge with a group of Goblins chasing them. And that group was growing very quick.
"We need to soften the herd!" Cloud shouted, slashing three goblins in half with his combined Fusion Sword.
"Easier said than done with how quickly they are growing in numbers!" Sorom shouted as he cuts down two goblins before stabbing another through the chest.
They all fought hard, cutting down any and every Goblin that got in their way with Dwalin knocking Goblins off the bridge.
Dwalin saw a group charging from in front and cuts the ropes of a railing.
Dwalin and two other Dwarves grab the railing and use it to knock rows of goblins off the bridge with ease until the number was small enough to not worry about being overwhelmed.
Lightning noticed below that a swarm of the mutants were gathering to ambush the company. "Below!" She shouted, channeling a Ruinga in her palm then tossed a large black-white orb at the goblins. Cloud and Sorom followed suit by tossing a Thundaga and a Firaga respectively.
The spells collide with the beasts and either exploded in lightning, fire, or just magical energy, killing them.
Noctis looked ahead. "There's more coming!" He exclaimed.
"Move!" Gandalf shouted as he cuts down a goblin.
"Let's get going everyone!" Sorom ordered, slashing with Anduril and removing the head of an unlucky goblin that tried to attack Kili.
They ran but as they did they see goblins about to swing at them on ropes.
"Cut the ropes!" Thorin ordered, cutting a piece of rope that held a bridge.
The others understood and cut some ropes before the bridge began to fall, catching the swinging goblins and sent many flying while some got tangled in rope and wood.
"Burn them!" Sorom commanded, as he, Noctis, Cloud, and Lightning sent Fira spells that burned the mutants to death.
Kili cuts down a goblin but soon saw several goblins shooting arrows at him which he miraculously blocked with his sword before he grabbed a wooden ladder.
He brings it forward and luckily blocked a few arrows before he brings it down on the goblins and began pushing them off the edge, using the ladder as a makeshift bridge.
"Come on quickly!" Gandalf called out as they crossed the bridge before Dwalin kicks it off, preventing the chasing goblins from following but that didn't stop others from jumping out of nowhere only to get cut down almost instantly.
"What the heck is our exit plan!?" Noctis shouted.
They soon reached a dead end via a drop but on the other side was another bridge.
Thorin cuts a piece of rope that held the bridge, releasing it and making it swing to the other side.
"Jump!" Thorin shouted before Bofur, Balin, Kili, Lightning, Noctis, and Ori jump onto the other bridge.
The others didn't have the chance to jump as the bridge swung back and goblins began jumping onto the swing.
They fought the abominations as the swing reached back to the bridge and they all jumped off.
Thorin cuts the rope that held the bridge, causing one side to fall and drops the chasing goblins into the abyss.
They continue running from the goblins as well as killing some but it felt like there was no end to them.
Bombur had multiple goblins on him even a few running up to him before he jumped, letting his weight shatter the bridge he was running on and the bridge under him but miraculously didn't destroy the third bridge.
Gandalf soon tapped his staff on a low ceiling, creating a boulder that rolled and crushed several goblins, clearing a path.
They continued fighting through until they reached a single bridge.
As they were about to cross the bridge the Goblin King smashed through, blocking their path while the others behind them was blocked by a very large group of goblins with a just as big group on the other side.
"Oh shit, tubby's back!" Noctis growled.
"How did he survive the fall?" Lightning inquired.
"Who cares!? Let's just kill him and run!" Sorom shouted.
"You thought you could escape me?" The goblin king taunted before he swung his staff, hitting the ground in front of Gandalf before swinging outward and causing Gandalf to lean back onto his comrades who kept him standing.
"Gandalf!" Cloud helped the wizard up along with several of the Dwarves.
"What are you going to do now wizard?" The king asked, only to be answered by Gandalf poking him in the eye with his staff.
This one action caused him to stumble a little before Gandalf sliced open his stomach.
"Ow!" The king shouted, dropping to his knees and holding his open wound. The king looked to the sides before nodding his head as he said, "That'll do it."
Gandalf finished the job by swinging his sword, slicing open the goblin's throats and causing him to fall onto the bridge.
When the large body hits the wooden floor, the bridge began to creak from the mass of weight.
Suddenly the bridge they were on snapped and they all began to slide down the rocky slope.
Some of the group screamed as they fell, smashing through goblin bridges until finally they stopped at the bottom unharmed but they were covered in wood and rope.
Gandalf was the first to climb out while everyone else was still under the wood.
"Well that could have been worse." Bofur said, before the goblin king's corpse smashed on top of them, crushing them in the process.
"Way to open your freaking mouth…" Sorom groaned.
"You have got to be joking?!" Dwalin growled.
It was at this moment that Zidane arrived from out of a cave. "Hey, guys! What're you doing under that disgusting troll?"
"You picked a real good time to arrive, monkey." Lightning growled sarcastically at the Genome.
Kili slowly looked around before his eyes widen in concern when he looked up the slope and shouted, "Gandalf!"
And he had a right to be concerned because running at them was a large group of goblins that seemed to be growing larger, far too many for them to fight.
"There's too many! We can't fight them!" Dwalin said as everyone was digging themselves out.
"Only one thing can save us, daylight! Come on! Here! On your feet!" Gandalf ordered as he assisted the Dwarves and heroes out of the pile.
"Balin." Oin said as he helped the elderly Dwarf.
"Come on! Run!" Cloud shouted, dragging Noctis out from the wreckage.
Soon they were all out of the wreckage and began running down a passage.
They ran for what seemed like minutes before they see daylight at the end of a rocky hall.
Meanwhile
The creature that Bilbo was following now stopped at an intersection.
"Wait! My precious, wait! Gollum! Gollum!" The creature cried before he saw something approaching and crawled behind a rock.
Soon Bilbo sees Gandalf who stops at the cross and gestured people to keep moving before he sees the rest of his friends running.
Not sure what to do he remained silent until the last person who was Bombur ran past.
Bilbo takes out his sword and puts it at the creature's neck without touching.
Bilbo brings it back to cut the abomination's head off, only to stop when the creature turns to look in his direction or more specifically down the tunnel behind him.
Bilbo puts the sword at the being's neck without touching it and saw his face was expressing sorrow.
Bilbo looked at the creature before dropping his sword, feeling pity for him.
Soon coming to a decision he takes a few steps back as the creature's sorrowful expression turned into one filled with rage.
Bilbo runs and uses the creature as a spring to push him towards the exit of the cave and ran.
The creature screeched for a few seconds.
"Baggins! Tribals! Thieves!" The creature screeched before moving down a tunnel, "Curse 'em and crush 'em! We hates them forever!"
Bilbo runs down a hill after the company who continued to run to get some distance from the goblins until they finally stopped to take a breather.
"Five, six, seven, Bifur, Bofur. That's ten. Fili, Kili, that's twelve. Noctis, Lightning, Sorom, Cloud, Zidane. That's seventeen. And Bombur, that makes eighteen." Gandalf said counting how many were there before he saw they were missing one, "Where's Bilbo? Where is our hobbit?"
"Where is our hobbit?" Gandalf asked loudly with the group minus Zidane looking around.
"Curse that halfling! Now he's lost? I thought he was with Dori." Dwalin said loudly.
"Don't blame me." Dori said insulted.
"Well where did you last see him?" Gandalf asked.
"I think I saw him slip away with Zidane when they cornered us?" Nori said.
"But what happened exactly? Tell me!" Gandalf said, only for Thorin to interject.
"I'll tell you what happened. Master Baggins saw his chance and took it. He's thought of nothing hit his soft bed and warm house since he first stepped out of his door. We will be not seeing our Hobbit again. He is long gone."
"Can you hardly blame him?" Sorom shouted. "He wasn't meant for this kind of life."
"And most of you Dwarves demeaning him on this quest didn't help much." Lightning pointed out, folding her arms over her breastplate.
Noctis and Cloud kept silent while Zidane looked back at the caves, wondering if he should head back and look for the hobbit.
"No, he isn't." Said a familiar voice, causing everyone to turn to see Bilbo standing behind the group.
"Bilbo!" The heroes exclaimed.
"You're alive!" The Genome hugged the Hobbit. "You managed to escape that ugly frog."
"Glad to see you again, Master Baggins." Noctis nodded with a thin smile.
"You had us worried half to death." Sorom grinned.
"Bilbo Baggins, I've never been so glad to see someone in my entire life." Gandalf said in relief.
"Bilbo, we've given you up." Kili said with a smile.
"How on earth did you get past the goblins?" Fili asked.
"How indeed?" Dwalin asked in curiosity.
Bilbo was quiet for a while as he moved his coat and stealthy hid a familiar ring in his pocket with Gandalf catching a glimpse of it.
"Oh what does it matter? He's back." Gandalf said with a smile.
"Yep, but why did you come back?" Zidane asked. "You didn't have to come with us. You could've turned to the path down on Rivendell."
"Look, I know you doubt me. I know you always have. And you're right, I often think of Bag-end. I miss my books. And my armchair and my garden. See, that's where I belong. That's home. And that's why I came back. Because… you don't have one. A home, it was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can." Bilbo said with conviction in his voice.
Everyone looked at the Hobbit with awe and respect, finding his conviction to be satisfying.
Up on top of the mountain, a familiar white orc on a white warg stood over a cliff.
"Run them down! Tear them to pieces!" Azog shouted as Wargs began running down the hill, howling and barking.
"Out of the frying pan," Thorin started.
"And into the fire." Gandalf finished looking at them, "Run. Run!"
The company fled down the mountain while their foes trailed behind them. All the while, Lord Belmont watched the scurrying heroes with sinister eyes.
A/N: Cliffhanger! Next chapter will feature the battle between the five travelers and our mysterious dragoon. Plus, it will mark the end of the first arc.
Big thanks to Nexus Gundam for the assistance.
Please review and comment on this chapter but inform me if there are any problems with it. Refrain from using flames or rude criticisms because I have a low tolerance for such things.
If you continue to pester me aggressively then I will report you. Or delete your comments if you're guests.
Peace out, everyone!