Chapter 251 Boggart's Smoke of Fear
Helm's Deep.
Although it is called a fortress, it actually consists of two parts. On the east side, a deep defensive wall connects to the cliffs of the White Mountains, and on the west side, there is a semicircular towering castle built on rocks - Hornburg.
At this moment, Ino and Theoden stood side by side, and under their feet was this solid and spacious deep valley defense wall.
In front of them was the plain at the entrance of the valley and the somewhat gloomy sky.
"Will they really attack by force?" Theoden said hesitantly.
As the most solid fortress in Rohan, he did not think that attacking Helm's Deep by force was a wise choice.
"Are you worried that they will bypass this place?"
Ino knew Theoden's concerns very well. If he had not known the direction of the original story, he would have worried about it.
It was a real worry. If the orcs did not attack Helm's Deep, but chose to wreak havoc in Rohan instead, not only would Rohan perish, but the orcs' troops would also snowball and expand rapidly.
"I'm very worried. What if they bypass Helm's Deep and attack the Morinbrook Plain in the south directly, or even invade Gondor directly..."
Theoden looked into the distance with worry. He didn't know why he couldn't see the clear sun these days. It was either gloomy or rainy.
"Don't worry. My scouts have told me that a large number of orcs are heading straight for Helm's Deep."
Ino said with certainty.
In fact, before leaving Edoras, he asked Fide to patrol and guard in Rohan.
After discovering the orc army, Phoenix has been looking down from high in the sky, accurately locating the movements of the orcs.
"By the way, have you blocked the drainage channel? It is the only weakness of Helm's Deep."
Since he was in the story, he would naturally not allow obvious loopholes in the story to happen, so he told Theoden about the drainage channel early on.
"It was blocked in the morning. It was all made of polished rocks. Even if they were moved without interference, it would take half a day."
Theoden looked at the bottom of the defense wall with lingering fear. In fact, when he first heard about the drainage channel, he didn't care at all. How many people could get in a small hole, not to mention that it was blocked by iron fences.
But soon, he saw his old friend blasting a huge rock, and he reacted instantly.
Saluman is also a wizard and the chairman of the Holy White Council.
...
After Theoden finished answering, Ino said nothing more.
The two stood quietly on the defense wall, looking at the plain outside the valley together.
Time seemed to stop because of this.
After a long silence, Theoden broke the calm again:
"Why do you help me so much? To be honest, neither Rohan nor I can give a decent return."
For the first time, Theoden was a little lacking in confidence, and even a rare bit of embarrassment and lack of confidence.
Rohan is not the prosperous Gondor, nor the rich Lonely Mountain, nor the dazzling Rivendell. As the king of Rohan, he knows this better than anyone else.
On the other hand.
After hearing this heartfelt question, Ino did not answer rashly.
He was also examining himself. You know, he didn't even think about participating in the Battle of Five Armies a hundred years ago.
And now, what exactly made all this happen?
Magic, strength, confidence, friendship with old friends, and even to leave some favors for Lina...
These factors were mentioned one by one, but were quickly rejected one by one.
After a while.
Ino turned around and looked at the Hornburg in the west again.
Because of Theoden's order, all men in Rohan who can fight must take up arms, but...
Those half-grown children who are only ten years old also put on mail armor like adults.
Thin figures, even with helmets, many people are not as tall as the parapet.
"I didn't think about helping anyone. I just did what I wanted to do. It has nothing to do with race or interests."
...
The night fell on Helm's Deep like a heavy curtain.
In the sky, the bright moonlight was also covered by clouds, leaving only scattered stars dotting the distant sky.
In the dark night, countless torches were lit on the walls of Helm's Deep, not only illuminating everything around, but also bringing spiritual comfort to the soldiers defending the city.
In compliance with King Elrond's order, the elven reinforcements arrived as promised.
The appearance of these two hundred elven reinforcements undoubtedly brought great morale boost to the Rohan people, proving that other forces in Middle-earth have not forgotten them.
But even with these two hundred elves, the entire Helm's Deep defenders were only 800 people, and they had to face at least 10,000 or even more orcs.
Unlike other people's concerns about the orcs, Inor was now on guard against Saluman's intervention.
A betrayed Maiar would probably not follow the orders of the Valar anymore and try not to show miracles.
…
Time passed by in the oppression.
“Here they come!”
Inor glanced at Haldir, the elf commander beside him.
He did not choose to defend the Hornburg with Theoden, but instead garrisoned the more dangerous defense wall with the elves.
In the silent night.
Suddenly, a low roar came from the horizon.
Countless orc armies surged like a tide, their lit torches swaying in the darkness. Standing in Helm’s Deep, the stars of fire were endless.
Unlike the orcs in Middle-earth, Saluman also invested a lot. The Uruk-Octos army was not only tall, but also well-equipped.
The heavy armor and rhythmic steps made the whole valley tremble slightly. Especially with the cliffs on both sides, the trampling sound of the Uruk-Octos became more and more obvious.
At the same time, the defenders of Helm's Deep, whether elves or Rohan, quickly entered the battle state.
Similarly, Ino also called Boggart.
The black smoke flowed out from his shadow and began to slowly spread towards the Uruk-Octos army in the night.
In the face of large-scale war, the range of fear of Boggart is undoubtedly the best means.
After the dispersion of Boggart, the color became much lighter, but it still covered the plains outside Helm's Deep.
As the smoke spread, the Uruk-Octos' originally orderly steps became messy in an instant.
Perhaps the fear effect was diluted. Although the rhythm was messed up, the Uruk-Octos' formation was still intact.
However, Ino was already satisfied with this scene.
On the battlefield of cold weapons, morale is everything. If the orcs really come over like this, the elves may not be affected much, but the Rohan of Hornburg will definitely be affected in their performance.
As the orcs lost their accumulated morale, Ino raised the magic wand in his hand again and pointed it to the sky:
"Expecto Patronus!"
