The Tarnished in LOTR with Elden Ring

"Look out!"

In the howling wind and rain, Dwalin roared at the top of his lungs, rainwater taking the opportunity to pour into his mouth, making him quickly spit several times.

Seeing the massive stone block flying toward him, Thorin shouted in panic: "Tarnes!"

"Everyone against the wall! Watch for debris!" Tarnes also shouted urgently.

Facing the whistling rock that was like a small hill, even he couldn't guarantee he could resolve it perfectly and even worried the Dwarves might suffer casualties.

"Igon! Help!" he roared.

Igon also nodded seriously, the great bow for dragon hunting already drawn from his back. Two "harpoons" made from ancient dragon scale fragments aimed at the flying rock.

However, he didn't rush to act but waited for Tarnes.

Because Igon knew that facing such a massive stone block, these two arrows couldn't play a decisive role.

So he waited for Tarnes. Igon believed, could only believe, that Tarnes had a way to deal with that deadly large rock first.

The weapon in Tarnes' hand transformed again, Azur's Glintstone Staff manifesting.

Comet-like radiance burst from the staff, dispelling all shadows in the canyon. The azure brilliance flowed like a liquid galaxy between the stone walls, refracting countless stars.

"Rumble!"

The hill-sized rock, under the impact of Comet Azur's magical torrent, split in two as if cut by a sharp blade.

But the remaining two large stones carried residual fury, roaring like startled beasts as they lunged toward Thorin and the others.

At this moment, Igon acted.

His breathing stopped, time seemed frozen, and all sounds disappeared, leaving only his heartbeat drumming in his chest.

The bowstring in Igon's hand was drawn to its limit. He suddenly released it, and arrows longer than adult Dwarves whistled through the air with a piercing sound.

In Thorin and the others' panicked gazes, the two arrows struck like the most brilliant lightning in the night sky, accurately hitting the two rocks respectively.

The moment they collided with the stones, the sharp arrowheads mercilessly penetrated the rocks' defenses, embedding deeply with only the fletching visible.

But these two rocks, due to Igon's arrows, were impacted, causing subtle changes in their trajectory.

Thorin and his companions watched helplessly as the two massive rocks fell from the sky with whistling wind, then at the last moment shifted direction, brushing past them and plummeting into the bottomless valley below.

As the rocks hit bottom, dull echoes reverberated through the valley.

Standing at the cliff's edge, Thorin and the others couldn't help but hold their breath, hearts filled with the lingering fear of their brush with death.

But Tarnes showed no sign of relaxation, instead shouting loudly: "Don't stop! Keep moving forward!"

Bilbo also pointed toward where the giant rock had come from with terror: "Good heavens, what is that!"

Bofur grabbed Bilbo to prevent the Hobbit from falling into the valley while looking over, his pupils vacant as he murmured: "The legend is true..."

Clouds thick as ink covered the original sky. Lightning flashed across the heavens, thunder roaring like the wrath of gods, echoing between the cloud layers.

A towering giant stood there at some unknown time, its body composed of tightly fitted hard rock.

Tarnes' gaze was involuntarily drawn to that figure. Each step the stone giant took seemed to cause minor tremors in the canyon.

It was an indescribable vastness. The stone giants of ancient legend were now manifesting in the world.

Of course, Tarnes' primary thought was: How do you fight something like this that I've never seen before?

Bad weather? Massive enemy size?

No, these weren't enough to make Tarnes panic or fear.

Rain poured down, but Tarnes had fought in worse conditions.

Massive size... well, he had to admit that perhaps only the great ancient dragon that fell into the royal city could compare in size to this stone giant.

However, Tarnes had indeed never encountered enemies like stone giants before, and facing unknown enemies required sufficient caution and care to ensure survival.

This was the experience the Lands Between taught all warriors.

And more importantly now, Tarnes had to protect these Dwarves.

But Tarnes felt there was something strange about the stone giant walking toward them, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly what was odd.

Bernahl's voice came from behind Tarnes: "With such massive size, I'm afraid even my Giant Hunt combat art would have no effect."

"Don't think about it. That's equivalent to a small mountain. Unless your combat art is something like Mountain Hunt." Tarnes replied irritably.

At this moment, the Dwarves were jogging along the slippery cliff precipice, praying the stone giant hadn't noticed them and that they could quickly leave this area.

"Balin, don't you come this way often? Why are there stone giants here?"

While fleeing, the Dwarves didn't forget to complain to Balin.

Balin ran while stroking his long white beard: "How should I know? Maybe you should personally ask the stone giant why it's here."

"I'm not stupid enough to ask questions of a rock," Kili quickly retorted.

Thorin shouted loudly: "Enough! Listen to Tarnes. Run, don't slow down!"

"Thump, thump!"

At this moment, similar footsteps came from the valley not far behind them.

Millicent's voice came urgently: "Tarnes, another stone giant has appeared behind us."

Not just Tarnes, even Bernahl, who had been eagerly fingering his sword hilt, abandoned his desire to fight and focused on fleeing.

This was no joke. One such massive creature was already a huge problem.

Now two had appeared at once, which was practically a death sentence.

Tarnes gripped Azur's Glintstone Staff tightly, his Cerulean Flask already prepared at his waist to ensure his magical power wouldn't fall into shortage.

That Comet Azur had only consumed half of Tarnes' magical power. He had to constantly guard against the stone giants hurling more hill-sized rocks.

Where are these stone giants' cores? What drives their movement?

Various thoughts filled Tarnes' mind, then he felt the narrow path beneath their feet begin to shake.

"Everyone against the rock wall, hold on!" Thorin immediately began loudly warning the expedition members the moment the ground shook.

Wait, could it be? No way...

In Tarnes' widening eyes, the narrow path suddenly broke in the middle, but fortunately the Dwarves were all agile, and none fell off the cliff.

However, their group was now split in two. Thorin, Fili, Balin, Dwalin, Oin, and Gloin were on the opposite side, while the remaining people were left behind due to the path's sudden break.

"Kili!" After discovering this situation, Thorin immediately turned back anxiously, shouting his nephew's name.

Kili immediately called back loudly: "I'm fine! Teacher Tarnes is with us!"

Dwalin also wiped away rain, feeling the tremors underfoot as he said to Thorin: "It's too dangerous here, even earthquakes. Let's go over and lend a hand; get Kili and the others to jump across."

This answer somewhat reassured Thorin, but the next moment his heart rose again.

Because he suddenly discovered that Kili and the others on the other side of the broken path were getting farther away from him.

"Damn it, we're standing on the third stone giant's knee!" Thorin realized and immediately led the Dwarves with him to jump to another narrow path.

Then he turned back but couldn't see Kili and the others. The rock they'd been standing on had risen up, blocking Thorin's view.

Moreover, at this time they saw the first stone giant's large rock slam into the newly risen stone giant.

This stone giant seemed to have just woken up and couldn't dodge in time, taking the hill-sized rock head-on. Unable to maintain its balance, its entire body fell against the cliff edge.

From Thorin's perspective, the broken path where Kili and the others had been standing was also struck.

For an instant, images of Kili, Tarnes, and the others being crushed flat and mangled by rocks appeared in his mind, causing Thorin to roar in despair: "No! Kili! Tarnes! Bilbo!"

The other Dwarves also stood with mouths agape. Behind them, the approaching stone giant began brawling with the first stone giant, head-sized stone fragments flying from their bodies.

Dwalin firmly held back Thorin, who wanted to jump back, while turning to shout to Balin and the others: "Quick, hide in the alcoves! Watch for those stones!"

Thorin struggled, reaching out into the rain and air: "I order you to release me, Dwalin! I'm going to bring back Kili, Tarnes, and that Hobbit!"

But Dwalin showed no sign of letting go: "No, Thorin. Unless you cut off my hands, I cannot watch you go to your death."

"Fili, help me!"

Thorin flew into a rage. Just as he called for Fili's help, he felt a bone-chilling cold blow across his wet face.

Though it was already winter, Thorin could still sense this cold was extraordinary.

At this moment, Fili, his blonde hair soaked, burst into a joyful expression and pointed toward where Tarnes and the others had been, shouting: "Look! Kili and the others are alive!"

"Oh my... this is simply an ice storm," Balin also exclaimed in surprise.

Thorin looked and discovered that where Kili and the others had been was shrouded in massive ice fog. Frost domineeringly froze the stone giant's knee, and Kili's shouts reached their ears.

"Wooooh!"

Kili's expression was fierce, his palm holding the Beast Claw Sacred Seal.

Above Bilbo and the others' heads, a rock the size of two Dwarves or one Bombur was firmly wedged between the cliff wall and the stone giant, allowing them to survive without being crushed by the stone giant's movements.

Of course, the reason that rock could protect Kili and the others under the impact of the stone giant's fall was because thick ice had formed in other positions.

It was precisely the ice storm that Fili and Balin saw that created these ice blocks.

Behind Bilbo, Tarnes knelt on one knee on the narrow path, his staff driven hard into the rock, continuously maintaining the ice storm.

Stone of Gurranq, Zamor Ice Storm. The incantation Kili comprehended in the moment of life and death and the sorcery Tarnes cast each played miraculous effects, saving their lives.

"You all go quickly! Kili, you too, go!"

Tarnes' voice also became rarely strained. The stone giant's strength was terrifying. He had to maintain his casting posture and continuously channel magical power to ensure the ice wouldn't shatter.

Otherwise, breaking free from the ice blocks freezing it to the cliff would be child's play for the stone giant.

Kili immediately nodded, but the moment he released the incantation, the rock above their heads trembled like glass, developing cracks.

Noticing this, Tarnes silently increased his magical output, the ice storm encasing the rock above everyone's heads as well.

"No, Teacher Tarnes, I have to stay..." Before Kili could finish speaking, his entire body went limp, collapsing to his knees on the narrow path.

The recent incantation had consumed too much of his stamina. Kili was now in a state of exhaustion.

"Take him away quickly!" Tarnes urged sternly this time.

The remaining Dwarves said nothing more. Bofur and Bifur grabbed Kili's shoulders from left and right, tossing him to the safe position where Thorin was, then jumped across themselves.

Bilbo looked back at Tarnes with concern, opening his mouth to say something, but was scooped up by Bernahl as he passed by, who then leaped to safety with the Hobbit.

Millicent had no extra words either. After Igon also jumped to the safe platform, she drew her sword and turned back.

She wanted to try using her swordsmanship to cut the stone giant's knee, giving Tarnes safety.

"Don't worry about me, Millicent," Tarnes said briefly, seeing this.

Then he pulled his staff from the rock and blew his spectral steed whistle. Torrent snorted and let Tarnes mount the saddle.

The ice crystals immediately collapsed without magical power maintaining them, but Tarnes had already reached Thorin's side through Torrent's leap.

"?"

The stone giant didn't understand why it had been unable to move just then. Though somewhat puzzled, seeing its two companions happily playing immediately made it cast this question aside.

Assuming stone giants have brains.

So it stood up again and happily swung its fists to give its two companions crushing blows to the head.

Seeing this scene, Tarnes breathed a sigh of relief.

Watching the brawling stone giants gradually move away, Thorin asked curiously: "What's happening? Why did they go away?"

Tarnes sighed: "If I'm not mistaken, they probably didn't notice us at all..."