Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of either Godzilla: The Series or The Hobbit, only how the story goes. The characters of Godzilla: The Series belongs to Tristar and The Hobbit belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien and other creators. The only thing that I do own are the OC's of the story. I apologize for any errors in grammar and/or if I was not accurate in reference to something.
A/N: Oh, man, some of H.E.A.T. will be going against the trolls, Godzilla himself will be fighting a horde of them and we get a little comedy in this chapter. Hope you enjoy.
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Chapter Eleven: Trolls, Trolls, Trolls Everywhere
The combined group of Thorin's Company and H.E.A.T. had been traveling for at least four days since reuniting with N.I.G.E.L. and learning a little more about Thorin's past. As he was between some of the Dwarves, Mendel took a whiff of his lab coat and didn't like the smell of it, "Whoo! That reeks."
"You still going on about that?" Randy asked and looked to the scientist with a slightly irritated look. Mendel looked to the hacker of the group and shot back, "Well, excuse me for wanting to smell decent."
"We smell like this pretty much all the time." Nori said with a carefree shrug. Mendel looked to the Dwarf and pointed out, "Well, to be fair, I haven't seen any of you guys caring a single bar of soap."
"Hardly a need to when you're traveling." Bofur said, as if it weren't that big of a deal. This seemed to baffle Bilbo as he rode up next to the squabbling Men and said, "Hardly a need to? It never hurts to carry something to keep you clean."
"See, Bilbo here agrees with me." Mendel smirked, happy that someone was agreeing with him. While the group in the conversation continued to go on and on about cleanliness and soap, Monique looked to Elsie and said, "Those two… such children sometimes."
"Eh, boys will be boys." Elsie cracked as they kept riding. From his spot between the rest of the Company and the head, Nick was a little amused as the dwarfs and their team got into a casual conversation about soap. A thought came to mind and he looked up to Thorin and Gandalf. The Wizard and the Dwarf prince were currently engaged in conversation. Nick urged his horse forward and then trotted to the beat of Gandalf and Thorin's mounts.
Gandalf and Thorin left their conversation they had and turned to see him approach. When he pulled up next to the Wizard, Nick tried to think of something to say. But he didn't know how to put it into words at the time.
"Master Tatopoulos, from your curious eyes, I suppose you wish to discuss something?" Gandalf asked when he could tell that something was on Nick's mind. Nick nodded, "I do, but if you're busy right now, I can ask later."
"Ah..." Gandalf shook his head. Looking to Thorin he had explained, "Thorin and I were just explaining how much further we should travel. I had suggested at least another day's journey before stopping."
"And I told you that it would probably do everyone some good to stop before the sun sets." Thorin countered. Gandalf just sighed as he was getting a little tired of Thorin's thickheadedness.
Nick noticed this, but didn't comment, just stood silent as they both had a slight staring contest. Finally it was the dwarf who relented, and giving a glance to Nick before he focused his attention to what was ahead of them.
"So, Nick, what is your question?" Gandalf questioned, gaining the leader of H.E.A.T.'s attention. Nick then said, "A couple of questions."
"Well, you may ask." Gandalf nodded. He chuckled when he added, "And I shall do my best to answer them."
Still a bit uncomfortable from the exchange between the two, Nick decided to ignore it all and just ask the wizard out right. He knew that it would be a little touchy, considering who was on the other side of the Wizard, but he had to know.
"The first question. It's about, Dragons…" Nick began, immediately noticing how Thorin tensed up. When he glanced over at Nick again, Nick offered an apologetic look. Thorin just huffed before looking ahead again. Nick then looked to Gandalf and asked, "Stories are one thing, but reality can be another. So, I'm really curious… just how strong are they?"
Gandalf seemed a little perplexed by that question, however, and after a sidelong glance at Thorin, he replied, "Dragons, or at least the Dragons that I have been made aware of, are creatures of evil, created by an ancient, fearsome enemy to destroy everything in their path. Small villages, big cities, entire Kingdoms could fall in a matter of moments under their attack." Gandalf's voice was grave as he commented on this, his eyes suddenly had a cloudy glow, as if remembering something, "The mightiest of the Dragons was a beast that could ridicule the mountains, his scales so black they absorbed light and its power so great that a single flap of his wings created devastating hurricanes."
Nick listened to this with concern, not really knowing how to process what the wizard was telling him. The scientific part of his mind told him that the stories could be exaggerated, but the look in Gandalf's gaze showed something else. Plus, with what he's been seeing so far since arriving, it was hard not to ignore it.
Something very real and not to be taken lightly. And this only worried him more. Something Gandalf must have noticed, and it didn't take him long to discover the cause.
"You are worried that your Godzilla could face off against Smaug." And it was not a question, but a statement, and the way Nick tensed up, told the wizard that he was correct. Gandalf then asked him, "From the stories that we have been told, this Godzilla is a force to be reckoned with, possibly of the caliber of great Dragons?"
"It is, the G-Man is strong." Randy's voice came from behind them. The Dwarves beside him looked to see that he had pumped fist.
None of them had noticed, but they had all fallen silent when Gandalf began his explanation, paying close attention to his words.
The wizard looked at the dark-skinned young man with dreadlocks for a moment, causing him to scratch the back of his neck in embarrassment. Dismissing it however, the wizard's gaze focused on Nick, searching for his answer.
"It is, Godzilla is strong, stronger than some give him credit for." answered Nick resolutely. Nick remembered all the Mutations that Godzilla had faced and was able to beat. Even those that he had a little trouble with.
"Well, if that is the case, then what's bothering you?" Gandalf asked, trying to understand why Nick was worried.
There was a moment of silence as everyone turned looked to Nick. Nick tried to think of something to say, but was having a little difficulty again. Elsie then asked, "You sure you're okay, Nick."
"To be fair, Heffe…" Randy spoke up again. Nick glanced back to his friend as Randy pointed out, "You have been a little silent and worried looking the whole time that we've been here."
"It's just that, Godzilla's young…" the answer seemed complicated, almost as if he didn't believe it himself, but at the same time, knowing it was true, "Still quite young. Despite his size, his strength, he is still young and he lacks experience. Mostly when it comes to the things of Middle-earth. Many of the Mutations back home have come close to killing him in the past, either through carelessness, surprise, the lack of information, or simply because they were too strong. We have helped him before, during all those times, we helped him to heal his wounds, whenever he was poisoned or infected us we could create the cures to help him overcome them. We were always there, when his power was not enough"
Nick took a moment to breathe, in his mind replaying every moment when they almost couldn't save him.
"But..." Gandalf urged.
"But now? Now we won't be able to do that. If he comes across something he's never dealt with, if something damages him in a way he can't resist..." Nick started, "He'll be alone. We can't even help him. To be with him, we have none of our tools, our weapons."
Nick's eyes had a gleam that Gandalf had seen many times before. The glow of a concerned father, even though he didn't know the entire story. Only now could Gandalf begin to see how close the bond was between this man and the creature known as Godzilla. And he could only hope his worries don't come true.
Looking at the rest of the group, he noticed that the H.E.A.T. members now had worried expressions as well. Monique then raised her head and said, "You may be right about that Dr. Tatopoulos."
Everyone looked to her and she said, "But you must also remember, Godzilla has fought many dangers and nearly died.
"But it is because of you and the rest of us that he has prevailed as well." She pointed out.
"I must agree with her. I can't say that your fears can't come true, Middle-earth is full of dangers, dangers that for visitors like you might be impossible to believe. " The Wizard started. He nodded with a grin when he said, "However, darkness only triumphs when faith is lost , the faith that there will be a tomorrow, the faith in our companions and comrades. That is why my friend, that you must have faith, you must believe that this Godzilla, will be able to overcome any adversity on his journey, faith that you will all meet again, and believe that all of you will be able return home together."
Gandalf didn't feel his words were of much help, however, HEAT's mood seemed to rise a bit, plus the dwarves and their Hobbit seemed affected as well. Nick looked to Gandalf and said, "Thank you for that, Gandalf."
"Glad that I could be of some help." Gandalf nodded as he knew that it may not be much, but at least it had helped something.
Without further words, the group continued their journey.
Unaware that in the middle of the nearby forest, large crimson eyes watched them. They were about to face their first great threat in that land. A new one for the people of Middle-earth, but a very familiar one for H.E.A.T.
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Elsewhere…
Godzilla was currently walking through another of the forests of this strange new world. When he stopped moving to where he felt like he was being called to, and took a look around where he was at. The forest he was in stretched for a few good miles in every direction and could see mountains just about everywhere he looked. When he sniffed the air to see what possible threats were nearby. The giant reptiles eyes widened when he could smell the scent of his parent and could tell that he was close. A lot closer then he had been since the first day when he first arrived.
Godzilla took a step toward where the scent was coming from, but another scent quickly came to his nostrils. One that didn't smell too friendly to him, plus the scent of beings just like his parent and the others that were around Nick. Godzilla was conflicted as he looked in the direction of the scent of his parent and the more foreign scent of whatever was out there.
Coming to a decision, Godzilla looked to the direction of the foreign scent and headed in that direction with a growl.
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Back with the Company…
Back with the Company, they came upon a ruined home. It looked like the place had been smashed, burned down and picked clean of everything valuable if there was anything. While most of the Company were still on horseback, Gandalf, Nick, Elsie and Monique had all gotten off of their horses and started to inspect the destroyed home. Monique leaned down and observed the wreckage. Glancing back she said, "This home has been like this for at least a week if not too."
"Think whoever or whatever did this is still nearby?" Nick asked, a little on edge and feeling sad of whoever once lived here. Back with the others, Thorin glanced back and said, "We'll camp here for the night."
The Company all started to dismount and unpack for the night. Thorin then ordered, "Fili, Kili, you two watch over the ponies. Make sure you stay with them."
"Aye." The brothers nodded as the rest of the Company started to mill about. In the ruined house, Gandalf started to get an idea about what happened, "A farmer and his family once lived here."
"What do you think happened here, Gandalf?" Elsie asked as she picked up a piece of wood. She looked it over to see if there were any clues. The other two members of H.E.A.T. looked to Gandalf and the Wizard said, "I'm not entirely sure." Then with a shake of his head he suggested, "But it would be best not to linger."
"I second that." Monique agreed. Elsie then advised, "We might want to hurry up and tell Thorin then."
While Mendel, Randy and N.I.G.E.L. helped unload the ponies and horses, Thorin looked to a pair of brothers and ordered, "Oin, Gloin. Get us a fire going."
The two nodded and set off to work. Gandalf, Nick, Elsie and Monique came out of the ruined house. Elsie looked to the Dwarf prince and said, "We might not want to stay here?"
"Huh, why?" Mendel asked as he and Randy both walked up to them. Even Thorin was a little curious about what they had to say. Monique glanced about and said, "Something isn't right about this place. I suggest we leave."
"It would be much wiser to move on." Gandalf agreed with her. Then he offered, "We could make for the Hidden Valley."
"I already told you before coming here." Thorin said and walked past the Wizard and the three by him. He sounded really bitter about the idea, "I will not go near that place."
"Why not?" Gandalf questioned and his gaze and body followed after the Dwarf. Then he pointed out, "The Elves could help us. We could get rest, food and advice."
"It might not hurt, Thorin." Nick argued in favor of Gandalf. Elsie threw in, "Plus, think of the rest of the Company."
"I, nor us, need anything from them." Thorin disagreed with a glare. Gandalf and the members of H.E.A.T. looked to him as he glanced back. Gandalf then reminded the leader of the Company, "We have a map that we cannot read." Then gesturing to the humans he said, "They have a missing giant, and they are in need of a way back home. Lord Elrond could help us with both quests."
"Help?" Thorin asks as if it seemed impossible. Then he recounted, "A Dragon comes and attacks Erebor. What help came from the Elves that day." The others can see that he was bitterly remembering everything that went wrong, "Orcs plunder Moria and the Elves did nothing but look on."
The six looked to Thorin with slightly sympathetic looks, but knew that he was being unnecessary. The Dwarf looked between them and asked, "You all ask me to seek out the aid of the very people who betrayed my grandfather." He then remembered when he said, "Who betrayed my father."
"You are neither of them, Thorin." Gandalf reasonably argued. Even Randy was starting to agree when he said, "Yeah, let go of the past, Thorin. It's not like it's going to kill us."
"He is right." Gandalf agreed. Then with a stern look he said, "I did not give you that map and key for you to hold on to the past."
"I did not know they were yours to keep." Thorin stubbornly shot back. The members of H.E.A.T. looked to each other and Mendel shrugged, "Well, that happened."
"Air is so thick you can cut it with a knife." Elsie commented, as they could all feel the tension. With a huff, Gandalf turned and walked out of the ruined home. Randy looked to Thorin and said, "Nice going, dude."
Thorin just huffed as H.E.A.T. followed after the Wizard. Bilbo and the Dwarves had just finished unloading the ponies or gathered some firewood for the night. They happened to notice Gandalf storming up to them and Bilbo asked, "Is everything all right?"
But when the Hobbit didn't get an answer, Bilbo's gaze followed after the Wizard and he worriedly questioned, "Gandalf, where are you going?"
"To seek the company of the only ones around here who's got any sense." Gandalf angrily said and marched right up to his horse. It didn't make things any clearer and Bilbo asked, "And whom might that be?"
"Nick, Elsie, Monique and myself, Mr. Baggins!" Gandalf snapped back and walked up beside his horse. He muttered aloud, "I've had enough of Dwarves for one day."
"How come it feels like we're being punished?" Elsie complained as she, Nick and Monique made their way to their own mounts. Nick just shrugged and said, "Just lucky I guess."
"How come he doesn't want us to come?" Randy asked Mendel. The roboticist looked to the hacker and commented, "Knowing you, you'll probably just annoy him even more."
"So would you with your sneezing and whining." Randy shot back with a look. They jumped when Gandalf shouted, "And the both of you with your bickering."
Gandalf, Nick, Elsie and Monique all remounted on their horses and took off. Thorin came out of the ruined house and said, "Come on, Bombur, we're all hungry."
While some were unaffected by the prince's attitude, Balin, Bilbo, Randy and Mendel gave Thorin uncertain looks. Bilbo looked between the three and asked, "Are they coming back?"
"It's hard to say." Mendel said as they watched the four go off. N.I.G.E.L. moved over to them and said in a southern accent, "Well, that sure went down south fast."
It earned the robot some questioning looks from the majority of the company.
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The sun was starting to set as the small group continued riding through a plain. Even though they were behind him, the three humans could hear Gandalf angrily muttering to himself. Having a questioning look Elsie asked the Wizard, "So, Gandalf… How long exactly until we go back?"
"Until my frustrations have subsided." Gandalf said without looking back. Monique then threw in, "Our until we should hear the sounds of screaming?"
"Screaming?" Gandalf asked, his anger alleviating just a little. Nick explained to the Wizard, "Sometimes when we leave Randy and Mendel alone, they tend to get in trouble for time to time."
"I would say how much trouble could they get into, but that's sounding more and more like a dumb question to me." Elsie thought aloud. Gandalf looked a little worried and Monique said, "Worry not Gandalf, the Dwarves will take care of them."
"If you say so." Gandalf said, though his fears didn't feel relieved. A pressing concern came to Elsie and she asked, "Gandalf, is there no one else who can read the map?"
"Unfortunately, there are too few who can read the ancient Dwarvish and hardly enough time to go and find them." Gandalf shook his head. He looked to Nick as the scientist rode up next to him and said, "Lord Elrond would have the knowledge to help us on all of our quests. No doubt by now, he may have seen something out of the ordinary considering your friend Godzilla."
"We can only hope." Nick said as they continued to travel through the country side.
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Elsewhere…
A few good miles from both Gandalf's little group and the majority of the Company of Thorin Oakenshield, Godzilla came walking through the country side. The scent he was following was getting much stronger, and the longer that it lingered, the more he didn't like it. Taking a few whiffs of the scent, he found that it went around a very large hill. Carefully making his way to the hill and climbing over it, Godzilla looked over it to see a large campsite sitting between to large groves of trees. But it surprised him to not find humans there, but large creatures with pale skin and wearing only loincloths milling about.
These large creatures were carrying giant weapons of stone, wood or metal in their hands. There were also large holes in the ground that the creatures would either emerge from or disappear down into. From his hidden vantage point, Godzilla looks about and sees something on the far side of creatures' camp. It looked as if it were a large cate and inside it were; humans.
Though he couldn't fully see the humans from the hill, from the smell of them there was a great deal of fear. He saw one of the large creatures approach the crude holding cell and the humans cried out in fear as it roughly opened up the door before reaching its hand inside. Godzilla heard the frightened screams of a child and a sense to do something came over him.
Standing up to his full height, Godzilla let loose a roar that echoed throughout the area. All the creatures down below looked to the hill to see the giant lizard standing there with the setting sun to his back, making him look both amazing and imposing at the same time. One of the creatures pointed to Godzilla and roared, causing the others to abandon what they were doing and rush towards the mutated lizard. Godzilla's eyes narrowed and he snorted before leaping from the hill towards the vile creatures. He gave a smaller roar as he came down upon them.
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Gandalf's group…
The sun was nearing to being gone over the small group when they heard a noise in the distance. It sounded like a large roar and it spooked the horses. Gandalf looked about and asked, "What was that? It sounded somewhat like a Dragon."
"That sounded like the Big Guy." Nick said, becoming excited. Monique looked about and said, "From the sound of the roar, he sounds to be close and engaged."
"Then let's go." Nick said and flicked the reins of his horse. The four took off to wherever they heard Godzilla's roar.
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Back with the Company…
It had been a while since Gandalf and the three members of H.E.A.T. had left them. While the Dwarves of the Company weren't too worried, Bilbo, Mendel and Randy were starting to wonder as the Hobbit kept an eye out for them. But when he couldn't see anything, he walked back to the campfire and worriedly said, "They've been gone for a good while."
"Who now?" Bofur asked him, not knowing who the Hobbit was talking about. Mendel looked up and he said, "He's talking about Gandalf and the others."
"He's a Wizard. He does as he pleases." Bofur nonchalantly said while pouring some stew into a couple of bowls. Looking to the two humans he said, "And don't worry about your friends, they're in good hands."
"Yeah, between Gandalf and Monique, they have nothing to worry about." Randy agreed on that much. Bofur walked up to Bilbo and handed him the bowls of stew and asked, "Here, take this over to the lads. They're probably hungry by now."
"Very well." Bilbo said and took the bowls from the Dwarf. Mendel rose up from his seat and offered, "I'll come with you, Bilbo."
"Thank you, Mendel." Bilbo nodded in appreciation. The two walked away from the group. Bofur watched them go a moment before turning back to the stew pot. He noticed Bombur trying to help himself to some more when Bofur slapped the ladle on his hand and scolded, "Stop it. You've had plenty."
Bombur sighed and walked away. As the two walked away from the campfire, Mendel and Bilbo could hear a few words from the Company as Randy said, "Man this is a pretty good stew."
"Seems like someone really enjoys your cooking, Bombur." Gloin joked. That earned a few laughs and Nori added, "Yeah, Dori could have made it and it turned into a fiasco."
Another round of laughter went through the group. The two heading to Fili and Kili heard the Dwarf sarcastically say, "Oh, so hilarious."
Bilbo and Mendel entered the trees and came up to the brothers. The two were looking after the ponies, but when Bilbo presented them with the bowls, he and Mendel noticed that they didn't take them. The Hobbit and the roboticist looked at their faces and noticed that they were looking a little worried about something. Bilbo asked, "What's the matter?"
"You look like you've been in trouble." Mendel said and started looking about. Kili, sounding worried, said, "We're, uh, supposed to be looking after the ponies."
"Right. So what's the problem?" Mendel asked when he suddenly noticed the same thing that the brothers were seeing, "And I think I see what you're seeing."
"Yeah, we've encountered a slight problem." Fili said as they looked about the ponies tied to the trees. Kili shook his head, "We had sixteen ponies and two horses." Mendel did a quick count while Fili said, "Now, we're down to fourteen ponies and one horse."
"That's not good." Mendel said as the ponies neighed while still being tied to the tree. The four quickly inspected what might have happened to the missing mounts. Kili looked to the others and said, "Daisy, Bungo and Jiminy are missing."
"Jiminy?" Bilbo asked and looked to Mendel. Mendel shrugged and defended himself, "What? He felt like a Jiminy to me."
"Still, it's not good." Bilbo said with a nervous chuckle. They soon came across an overturned tree and the Hobbit pointed at it with one of the bowls in hand, "And that fallen tree means that it's not good at all." Then he fearfully suggested, "I think we should go and get Thorin."
"I actually like that plan, you guys." Mendel agreed as he looked about, knowing what could have taken their mounts could still be around. But Fili shook his head, "Eh, let's not worry him just yet." He glanced to the two and said, "As our official burglar and the creator of an advanced metal being, we're thinking that you could help with this."
"I guess." Both Bilbo and Mendel shrugged and looked about the scene. Bilbo started to think about everything, "Well, uh… something big must have uprooted this tree."
"And that was our thinking." Fili agreed on that much. Mendel then said, "And for some odd reason, we didn't hear any sounds of a struggle." He looked to the other three and recalled, "We've been here for a good while."
"It's a real head scratcher." Kili nodded. Mendel looked about and suggested, "Why don't we go and look for a few other clues and see what we're dealing with."
With nothing better in mind, Bilbo, Mendel, Fili and Kili all started looking about for more clues.
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Elsewhere…
Godzilla had landed amongst the large, pale creatures and crushed a few under his large feet. With a growl, he turned and swatted a few away with his tail. The Trolls crashed either into others or into the crude camp. One of the Trolls leapt at Godzilla with a large branch and the mutated lizard reared his head back. Godzilla then lunged forward and grabbed the Troll's head with his jaws before shaking it around. Throwing the Troll away, Godzilla turned to the other Trolls as they were running at him with their various weapons.
Opening his jaws, the scutes on his back flashed green before reaching his eyes and he unleashed his Green Atomic Breath attack. The Trolls roared in pain from the burn of the flames. While some had been caught in the breath attack, others had managed to get some really long rope and threw it over Godzilla. The giant lizard.
The trolls tried use their great strength to force Godzilla down, but the mightiest of the Mutations had even greater strength. With another roar he started thrashing around and it ripped a few Trolls off of their feet. The Trolls yelped as they were spun about as they kept a grip on their ropes. Some lost their grips and were sent barreling into other Trolls, trees or boulders.
From inside their cages, some of the humans were watching in awe and fear. While they were afraid that the new creature could hurt them, or be defeated and leave them in the thrall of the Trolls, they were sincerely hoping that the creature would defeat the Trolls so they could be free again.
With a slash of his claws, a stomp of his feet, a whip of his tail, and a breath of fire, Godzilla made short work of the rest of the Trolls. When the large brutes were laying unmoving at his feet, Godzilla looked about to see if there were any more about. A breath of air came from his nostrils when he snorted in satisfaction and he gave a roar of victory. The humans in the cage covered their ears from the loud sound and when they looked to the large beast they gasped with fright.
Godzilla was currently making his way over to the cages and gave a small growl as he bit off the front end of one of the cages. The humans watched as he let the wooden bars fall from his mouth. He repeated the action with the remaining cages.
The humans took cautious steps out of the crudely made cages and looked up to the being that saved them. Godzilla looked over the former captives before turning away and walking back the way he came. The humans looked to each other before shouting in praise for the one who had saved them. Their shouting caused Godzilla to stop for a moment and glance back to the grateful people. He only lingered for a second more before continuing on his way.
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Gandalf's group…
The four on their horses soon came upon a large cliff face. As they had been riding towards it, they could many a roar coming from it. They stopped at the rocky surface and looked about for a way over it. When they couldn't find a way, that's when the roars had stopped. Nick looked to Gandalf and asked, "Is there any way around this thing?"
"If there was, it would probably take too long." Gandalf sighed. Looking back the way they came he suggested, "We should be returning to the Company."
"I guess." Nick agreed, a little down about the unfortunate development. Gandalf noticed this and said, "But do not worry, yourself, Master Tatopoulos. For all could be well."
"Wait, listen." Elsie told them as a new sound could be heard. The sounds of grateful cheers came from over the ridge. The four even heard some shouts like, "A miracle/the giant creature has saved us."
"Sounds like a certain reptile is getting praised." Elsie smirked. Nick looked to Gandalf and said, "It kind of feels like Godzilla's taking good care of himself."
"So it would seem." Gandalf agreed with a grin of his own. Then he said, "Now, let us return to the Company."
The three members of H.E.A.T. nodded in agreement and they all took off back to their friends.
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Randy's Group…
Back in the forest where Mendel, Bilbo, Fili and Kili were searching, they hardly found any clues to what happened to their missing ponies. Fili pointed when he saw something, "Hey. Over there's a light. Come over here."
"Stay down." Kili said as they moved closer to what was going on. They all got down low and moved through the woods. They came to a stop at a log and they could all see the glow of another campfire. The sound of grunting and laughter came from the darkness. Those who didn't know what it was looked to the two Dwarves and Bilbo asked, "What is it?"
"Trolls." Kili said with a slight glare. Suddenly, they heard the sounds of light footsteps and looked to see Randy joining them. Mendel asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Bombur keeps trying to take more stew and it was starting to get a little boring back there." Randy answered. He threw in a shrug when he said, "Plus, when you and Bilbo didn't come back from your little scenic walk, I got curious."
"Well, if you must know, some of the ponies and a horse have gone missing." Mendel explained the short version. Bilbo then looked a little worried when he said, "And now we learn that there are Trolls nearby."
"That doesn't sound good." Randy nervously said. Mendel, Bilbo and Randy's attention was stolen when the brothers jumped over the log and started running towards the light. Randy and Mendel climbed over the log after them with Bilbo following behind. But when he started running after them, Bilbo turned around and grabbed the two bowls of stew. They kept running through the brush but stopped when they heard something stomping by. All five stayed low and out of sight as a Troll, a creature with pale skin, chubby gut and brown loincloth stomped by, not noticing them at all. But they noticed something in the Troll's arms, two more of their ponies were neighing and squirming about in the Troll's grip. Bilbo was horrified when he saw who the ponies were, "He's got a hold of Myrtle and Minty."
Thinking what was going on, Bilbo said, "I think that those trolls are going to eat them. We have to do something quick."
"Like what?" Mendel questioned as he didn't know what to do and was very frightened. Kili then said, "Okay, here's the plan," Pushing the three forward he said while taking a bowl of stew from Bilbo, "Mountain Trolls are really slow and very stupid. You're small enough to get around them."
But Bilbo didn't seem all for it when he said, "No, no."
"Yeah, there's gotta be a better idea." Mendel agreed with the Hobbit. Fili then suggested, "Perhaps the two of you should go with him?"
"What?" Both humans cried out and it caused the brother's to cover their mouths. They all looked to see if the Troll had stopped but were grateful when it didn't.
"It's perfectly safe. We'll be right behind you." Kili reassured them as he and his brother removed their hands. Then he reminded, "Plus, you two are monster hunters. Trolls should be a piece of cake compared to what you've faced in the past."
"More like we'll be a piece of cake when this is over." Randy commented and glanced to the other two. Fili then took the other bowl and said, "But if you are in need of assistance, then hoot twice like a barn owl and once like a brown owl."
"Wait, what?" Mendel asked before the three were pushed further away. Bilbo tried to remember, "Twice like a barn ow." Then he shook his head, "Now, twice like a brown- Once like a-"
"I think you had it right the first time." Randy said as they started moving towards the Trolls. But Bilbo was still unsure of the plan and looked back as he asked, "Are you two sure that this is such a good idea?"
But when all three looked to see if the brothers were still there, they were surprised to see that they weren't. Mendel looked to the other two and then muttered, "So much for being right behind us."
"Let's get this over with." Randy said and they were on the move again. As they got closer, they heard one of the Trolls say, "Mutton yesterday, mutton today and, blimey, if it don't look like we'll be having mutton again tomorrow."
They were able to sneakily come up on the Troll's campsite. One of the other Trolls said to the first with a lisp, "Quit your griping, Bert.
They peeked over the brush to see three Trolls by their campfire. Two were sitting by the fire while the third placed the ponies into a pen behind them. All three Trolls had pale skins, chubby guts and brown loincloths. There was also a big cage sitting next to the corral. The Troll carrying the mounts then reassured the one called Bert, "These here ain't sheep. These is fresh nags."
"Oh!" The third Troll complained. With a shake of his head, "I don't like horse. I never have in my life. There's not enough fat on them."
The three stayed low in the brush before moving on. They were able to hear every word the Trolls were saying when Bert said, "Well, it's better than leathery old farmer. All skin and bone, he was. And I'm still picking bits of him out of me teeth I am."
The three's eyes widened to this, but they had to keep quiet for the time being. But as they moved behind a tree, the third Troll let out a sneeze that landed in the stew pot. The three Trolls looked into the pot and disgusted the three when Bert said, "Well, that's lovely, that is. A floater."
"Oh, it might improve the flavor." The first Troll said, making the three's faces turn green and made them gag like they were going to be sick. Making sure to keep his voice down, Bilbo whispered, "Wait here."
"Okay. Just be careful." Mendel whispered back. Bilbo nodded and then snuck off while the two humans kept track of the Hobbit. The Trolls continued to talk as the third then tried to be helpful by saying said, "Oh. There's a lot more where that came from."
The first Troll just rolled his eyes and grabbed a really large potato and started to skin it. Tom snorted as if to give more, but Bert grabbed his fellow Troll by the nose and said, "Oh, no, you don't, Tom!"
"Ow!" Tom yelled as Bert had a good grip on his nose. Bilbo snuck up to the corral holding the captured ponies while Bert shoved Tom and yelled, "Now sit down!"
Tom did just that while Bert did the same. Tom started sneezing again, but this time he reached around and grabbed a large handkerchief and blew into it. Bilbo started to try and untie the nots around the pen, but he wasn't having any luck with it. Bilbo silently groaned in frustration when he couldn't get them undone. He looked and saw that Tom was turning his way. The Hobbit was able to hid and avoided being seen. Randy and Mendel both tensed a little when they saw Tom look back. Tom then asked, "Well, I do hope that you're gonna gut these nags." He rose from his seat and said, "I don't like the stinky parts.
"Ow!" The Troll shouted when Bert whacked him in the head with the ladle. Bert glared at Tom and said, "I said sit down there."
Tom whimpered as he returned to his spot. The first Troll then complained, "I'm starving here! Are we having horse tonight or what?"
"Shut your cakehole, William." Bert warned. As he tried the knots again, Bilbo turned his head and saw a blade tied to Tom's loincloth. He looked between it and the ropes while Bert said, "You'll eat what I go and give ya."
"How come he's the cook?" William questioned and glanced to Tom. Then he complained, "Everything he makes tastes the same. Everything tastes like chicken."
"Except the chicken." Tom reminded with a half-grin. William nodded and said, "What tastes like fish!"
"I'm just saying," Bert started, "that a little appreciation would be nice."
One of the ponies neighed, making Bert stop his stirring for a second. Then he continued and said what he wished, "Oh. 'Thank you very much, Bert. Lovely stew there, Bert.' How hard is that?"
The large crudely made cage started shrieking from the inside and it scared just about everyone at the moment. William reached over and gently patted the top and smirked, "Seems like ouw new pet wants a taste."
This made Bilbo, Randy and Mendel's eyes widen to this news. They didn't know what exactly was in the box, but they grew curiouser when it continued to shriek, hiss and rattle from the inside. But they could worry about it later as Bilbo moved to set the ponies loose. Bilbo kept moving forward when his hand touched a bone and moved his hand away in silent disgust. Mendel and Randy gasped when Tom started reaching behind him and Bilbo had to lower himself a little more. Bert looked to the stew and said, "Now it just needs a sprinkle of squirrel dung."
"Uh, I feel like I'm gonna puke." Mendel commented. Randy took in a silent breath before agreeing, "You're not the only one, dude."
Tom finally grabbed onto something, a mug sitting on a rock. But as Bilbo moved closer to the Troll, Bert saw that Tom had the cup and growled a warning, "Here now, that there's my mug of grog."
"Uh, sorry." Tom said with a whimper before setting the mug back down. But Bert whacked him again with the ladle, making Tom cry out in pain, "Ow!"
Bert sat back down and took a sip of the stew with the ladle. He took a moment to observe it and said, "Ooh, that is beautifully balanced, that is."
He brought the ladle of to Tom and Bert said, "Go on and wrap your laughing gear around some of that, eh?"
Tom took a little while Bilbo snuck a lot closer to the Troll. When Tom finished, Bert asked him, "Good there, isn't it?"
Bilbo moved to take the knife from Tom, but the Troll kept moving about. Bert chuckled when he saw that Tom was enjoying the stew. With a proud grin he said, "That's why I'm the cook."
Bilbo started to move the knife, but Tom stood back up and the Hobbit backed up. Tom started scratching his behind, making Bilbo look away in disgust. Tom sat back down while William's gut growled and he said, "Oh, me guts are grumbling. I got to snaffle something right now.
"Flesh, I need flesh." He said as Tom started sneezing again. The Troll reached behind him just as Bilbo started reaching for the knife. The Hobbit gasped when Tom grabbed him by mistake along with the handkerchief and used them both. Tom blew his nose again, but this time on Bilbo as well. Mendel and Randy both cringed at their friend's gross misfortune. Tom screamed when he saw what was in his handkerchief and alerted the other two Trolls when he said, "Blimey!"
The two Trolls looked to see what it was while Tom was a little nervous, "Bert. Bert! Look what's done come out of me hooter." He leaned to the cook and said, "It's got arms and legs and everything."
"What is it?" Bert asked as he started moving around. It made Tom even more nervous when Bilbo started moving around, "I don't know. But I don't like the way it wriggles around there."
The Troll dropped Bilbo to the ground and the two members of H.E.A.T. came running from the brush. They knelt down beside their friend and surprised the Trolls. Mendel looked to the Hobbit and helped him up as he asked, "You okay."
"I'm fine." Bilbo said as he rose to his feet. But looking up at the three Trolls he said "But we have bigger problems."
"I know that these to are a couple of Men." William said pointing to Mendel and Randy. He chuckled when he said, "Other than us, I wonder if our new pet might fancy some Man flesh."
The two's eyes widened in fear of that. William then pointed his knife at Bilbo and asked, "But what are you, then? An oversized squirrel?"
"I'm a burglar-" Bilbo started but quickly changed his answer, "Uh, Hobbit."
"A burglar Hobbit?" Tom asked, never hearing of such a thing. Hungry still on his mind, William asked, "Can we cook 'em all?"
"We can certainly try!" Tom growled as he tried to grab the three, but the three quickly moved out of the way to avoid capture. Bert moved in front of the three when they tried to run through the trees, "These two wouldn't make more than a mouthful. Not when their all skin and bone."
He knocked Bilbo back with this ladle and the two humans grabbed him before he could fall over. Mendel kept Bilbo close while William came closer and said, "Perhaps there's more of these lot around these parts." He shoved them down while saying, "Might be enough for a pie."
Randy was quick to get back up and picked up a rock and threw it at one of the Trolls. The rock ended up hitting Bert in the face and he roared in pain from it. Mendel pulled Bilbo back onto his feet, "Let's go!"
They all started running, but the other two Trolls were blocking their way. When he looked, Bert shouted to Tom, "Grab 'em Tom!"
"They're too quick!" Tom shouted as they were able to get around him. They were able to get past them, but William was able to get ahold of Bilbo's legs. The Hobbit yelped when he was hoisted up, "Right. Come here, you little-"
"Bilbo!" Mendel and Randy shouted when they saw that their friend was in trouble. But Randy then yelped when Bert got a hold of him by the legs as well. Mendel was scared out of his wits, but the thing happened to bust out of its cage.
"Looks like someone wanted to come out and play." Bert said to the escaped creature. The three looked to see that a creature that looked like a red skinned rat monster with four eyes and large buck teeth. Mendel cried out as the mutated rat came closer to him and he was suddenly grabbed by Bert.
"What a nice rat?" Bert said with a roll of his smile. William then said, "Enough of this. We need answers." Pointing his blade at his captive he questioned, "Are there any more of you little fellas hiding where you shouldn't be?"
"No. No, there isn't." Bilbo was quick to say, keeping the Company's very close location from them. Even Randy said, "We ain't got nothing to say to you creeps."
"Oh, how you wound us." William mockingly said. But Tom heard the nervousness in Bilbo's voice, walked up to the dangling upside down Hobbit and said, "He's lying." Then glancing to Takato he said, "I bet they both are."
"No, we're not!" Both Bilbo and Mendel exclaimed. Tom then suggested, "Hold their toes over the fire."
All three of them gasped at this dark suggestion. It sounded fun to the three as Tom said, "Make 'em squeal!"
Suddenly, a yellow blur came out and hit Tom in the back, and an electrical charge came from the trees and into the Troll. Tom cried out from the immense pain and staggered backwards when Kili came running out of the trees and hacked at Tom's leg with his sword. It caused the Troll to squeal instead while Kili moved in front of him and swung his blade once more. Tom let out another pained cry before falling against a tree. N.I.G.E.L. came rolling out of the woods and stood with the young Dwarf. Looking to the other two Trolls and large right, the robot ordered them, "Drop them now, you ugly…!"
"You what?" William questioned with a glare. Kili twirled his sword in his hand before holding it at the ready and repeated, "The golem said… Drop 'em."
The Troll with the lisp growled at the order. Both Bert and William responded by tossing the three at the Dwarf. All four of them yelled when the two were flying through the air. Kili was able to catch Bilbo while N.I.G.E.L. caught the other two. The giant rat snarled just as the rest of the Company came rushing out of the trees. The sight of the giant rat caused the Dwarves to gasp at the sight.
But seeing that they had enemies to fight, the Dwarves shouted war cries and engaged the Trolls and giant rats. Mendel and Randy picked up a stick to help defend themselves while N.I.G.E.L.'s arm converted into a minigun and opened fire on the enemy creatures, particularly at the giant rat monster.
Neither side was able to truly get the drop on the others during the entire scuffle. The Dwarves were able to hit the Trolls with their weapons, but the bigger creatures were able to retaliate by swatting which Dwarf closest to them away. But the Company of Thorin Oakenshield didn't stay down long as they were on their feet and helped their comrades in the attack. Dwalin struck William in the side with a hammer while Thorin hacked at Tom's legs. Bombur came in and whacked the nasally Troll in the side with his weapon. Bofur swung his hammer down hard on Bert's toe, making him roar in pain. Looking to the two Men Bilbo said, "Give me a hand."
"Huh?" Both Mendel and Randy asked while the Hobbit started to move off. Seeing what Bilbo had in mind, both Mendel and Randy moved to help him.
Bilbo, Mendel and Randy moved to the corral of captive horses to free them. Bert was about to stop them, but had his attention stolen on Balin when the Dwarf swung at him with a hammer. Randy and Mendel stuck by Bilbo's side towards the ponies. William shouted to the other three, "Get the sacks! Stick them in the sacks!"
The ponies were neighing with fright from the battle while the boys and Bilbo continued to sneak through the fighting. They had to dodge when a Dwarf came flying their way or duck under a swinging Troll arm. The Dwarves kept slashing or swinging, the Trolls were bashing or grabbing and the robot shooting his gun attachment. Kili slid underneath Tom's legs and slashed at his feet. And when the Troll turned to the Dwarf, Kili stabbed the Troll in the gut with his sword, making Tom scream in pain. Bombur followed up with a swing to the foot with his hammer.
Bilbo and the two humans were able to reach the knife and the Hobbit hoisted it up. Then walking over to the corral, Bilbo then said, "Help me guide the ponies out of here."
"Got it." Both Men said and they all ducked when Dwalin came flying at them. The Dwarf warrior got back up before raising his axe and running forward into the fight again. Bilbo then started to saw his way through the ropes the blade while the three were able to watch out when something came their way.
Thorin slashed at Bert's legs, but the Troll was able to move away from the swing of the sword. It left him vulnerable to an upward swing from Dori's hammer that hit him between the legs. Bert gave a high squeal from the blow and fell back onto his knees. Dwalin came in with a swing of a hammer that busted out a few of Bert's teeth.
Bilbo finished sawing through the ropes of the ponies' corral and it fell away. The Hobbit, Randy and Mendel all ushered for them to run away. But his actions didn't go unnoticed by William when he turned and saw the escaping ponies. An idea came to the Troll as he rushed up to the three. Bilbo, Randy and Mendel all looked to see William coming right at them and the three picked up a rock each. But before they could throw them, William used his giant fist to knock the boys onto their backs. Bilbo gasped when William grabbed ahold of him.
Tom had gotten ahold of Ori, but Fili came to his rescue with a slash to the Troll's wrist. Ori fell to the ground and Kili rushed to help him, "Come on! Get back up!"
But most of the Company saw what two of the three Trolls were doing. Randy and Mendel both moved amongst them as well. When they all looked, Kili rushed forward with a cry, "Bilbo!"
"Don't!" Thorin said and held his nephew back. William and Bert both had a hold of Bilbo's arms and legs while the giant rat had knocked down N.I.G.E.L. and held the robot down. William then ordered the Company, "Lay down your arms.
"Or these three gets it." William warned. The Company knew that the Troll was serious. Bilbo, Mendel, Randy and most of the Company looked worried as they looked to their friends. Thorin glared, knowing that they could have taken the Trolls, but didn't want to suffer Gandalf's wrath, decided to comply. The Company looked to their leader before he plunged his sword blade first into the ground. The rest of the Dwarves followed suit and dropped what they had.
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Author's Note: I hope to make future battles consisting of Godzilla and the creatures of Middle-earth to be more interesting. We will continue the business with the three Trolls from Tolkien's story in the next chapter. I look forward to reading your reviews. Be sure to leave a comment either about if I've done something wrong or if you want something specifically to happen. See you next time.