Lord of the Rings: Warriors

"Lonely Mountain Expedition: Joined. Reward: 10 Battanian Archers, available for recruitment at any time."

"Pfft!" Rynar almost choked on his own spit. What did he just see? The legendary Battanian archers, hailed as the best sharpshooters in Mount & Blade... This is just too absurd!

Summoning these ten archers, Rynar couldn't help but marvel. Wow, they were impressive.

First of all, their rank was leagues above the norm.

Archers in this world were categorized by rank: Apprentice Archer, Archer, Sharpshooter, Eagle-Eye Archer, Sniper, and finally, the highest rank — Starhunter.

Then there was their equipment. Rynar was positively envious. 

They wore luxurious gear — mithril undergarments layered beneath silver-embellished chainmail. In their hands, they carried mithril bows made from purple yew, and strapped to their backs were 50 piercing arrows made of star silver and steel. 

At their waists hung mithril dueling swords, and on their left arms, they wielded steel bracers. 

To top it all off, they carried massive war hammers, each a meter long... Rynar couldn't help but think: With all that armor, they might as well be heavy infantry...

Rynar almost wanted to stop them and ask if they'd forgotten they were archers. With this setup, they'd make any close-combat heavy infantry jealous...

As if sensing Rynar's confusion, the archers silently nocked arrows and released them into the night.

 Moments later, they brought back eleven startled birds for Rynar, essentially adding a bonus meal. 

Why eleven birds, you ask? Because one of their arrows had passed through two birds...

Rynar closed his mouth and decided never to question their duties again.

...

At dawn, Rynar stood outside the woods near Hobbiton, waiting with his men. 

His 100 apprentice knights formed an immaculate square, and the 10 Battanian archers were mounted on fully armored Shire horses, further adding to their resemblance to heavy knights... 

Rynar decided not to care anymore. If you ignored the massive bows, they looked exactly like a unit of melee soldiers...

"I've been waiting for you for ages!" Rynar finally saw the expedition's slowly approaching figures.

"1, 2, 3... 14. Good. Looks like Bilbo hasn't shown up yet." Rynar counted the group and nodded in satisfaction. 

Just like in the movies, Bilbo hadn't decided to join last night, but by now, he was probably on his way.

"Is everyone here? Are we not waiting for Mr. Baggins?" Rynar asked.

"No, we're all here. He won't be joining us," Thorin replied decisively.

"Heh, Rynar, your troops are impressive!" The dwarves were full of praise, even Gandalf looked on in amazement.

"Thank you. But I still think Bilbo will come," Rynar added, speaking to Thorin.

"Doesn't matter. He'll catch up to us," Rynar muttered to himself, glancing toward Hobbiton. After all, Hobbits were renowned for being quick on their feet.

"Oh, by the Forge! Mithril, fine gold, and star-silver steel!" Fili suddenly exclaimed.

"Yeah, I spent a fortune on this gear. No wonder I'm broke right now..." Rynar joked easily.

The group seemed to believe him, though they had no way of knowing the armor came from a system beyond their understanding.

"Wait! Hold on!" Suddenly, a voice called out from the distance. Sure enough, Bilbo Baggins was running toward them.

The Battanian archers immediately drew their longbows, and a few rear-guard knights raised their lances, ready to pin the small figure to the ground.

"Oh! Mr. Baggins! It's fine, lower your weapons. He's one of us," Rynar said as he recognized Bilbo, a knowing smile on his face.

"Oh! Mr. Rynar, hello. Thorin, sir, I signed the contract!" Bilbo greeted Rynar before hastily holding up the contract for Thorin to see.

"Well, everything seems in order," the dwarves said after inspecting the contract. They announced it to the group.

"Welcome to the expedition as our 14th member!" Thorin said, spreading his arms wide.

"14th? Wait, what about them?" Bilbo asked in disbelief, pointing at Rynar's soldiers.

"We're mercenaries, Mr. Baggins," Rynar explained.

"They're receiving a different kind of payment," Gandalf added.

"So, wizard, which way do we go?" Rynar asked.

"We'll take the Eastern Road, cross the Misty Mountains, and then follow the Old Forest Road up the River Running to the Lonely Mountain."

"Sounds good, but the journey won't be peaceful..." Rynar muttered as he looked into the distance. 

He knew all too well the dangers that lay ahead, including plenty of Orcs — not to mention the Battle of the Five Armies.

"Sir, your troops are impressive! I've never seen armor like that before..." Thorin remarked as he rode alongside Rynar.

"Ah, I come from the Zaltarion. That armor is unique to our homeland. After a devastating war against the Rovaroth Tribes, our people were forced to wander the North," Rynar quickly made up a plausible excuse. 

The system-provided armor was vastly different from Middle-earth's styles, especially the knight's plate armor, which resembled the Milanese armor of Rynar's previous life. 

Only the chainmail worn by the Battanian archers looked somewhat normal here.

...

"My lord! Enemies are approaching! It's Orcs!" A Battanian archer, acting as a scout, galloped toward the group with grim news.

"Did you see how many?" Rynar asked.

"About 300!"

"Sir, I think we should rally the knights. The power of a knightly charge lies in their momentum. If we stay spread out, we'll be sitting ducks," Caslow advised as he rode up to Rynar. 

He knew Rynar wanted to keep his identity as a dragon knight hidden for now.

"Rally the knights! Let's crush them under our iron hooves!" Rynar snarled. With an army at his back, he felt no fear.

Sure enough, within minutes, a ragtag horde of hundreds of Orcs came crashing out of the trees, wielding a chaotic assortment of weapons. 

Rynar even spotted a few wielding pitchforks…

"Whew..." Gandalf exhaled. "At least they're not from the Misty Mountain Orc army."

"Don't get too comfortable. Our plans might already be exposed," Rynar coldly replied, throwing a metaphorical bucket of cold water over Gandalf's relief.

"Charge! Crush them!" Rynar drew his dragon-slaying sword and led the charge.

The knights' warhorses and weapons became enveloped in colorful auras of combat energy as they galloped forward, the force of their charge combining into a single cohesive unit.

Each knight's weapon began to glow with a half-meter long aura, extending their lethal reach. 

This was the difference between knights and mere cavalry — their ability to channel their battle energy into a united force.

As long as their energy wasn't depleted, they would share each other's strength, turning them into a nigh-unstoppable force known as the "Kings of Land Combat".

Thud! 

The sound of heavy impacts and the tearing of flesh echoed through the battlefield as the knights slammed into the Orc vanguard. 

Rynar, along with his knights, skillfully maneuvered their weapons, shredding the nearest Orcs to pieces. 

Behind them, the 10 Battanian archers raised their longbows. 

With each shot, an Orc was felled, whether by an arrow to the eye or throat. 

Any Orcs that had managed to slip past the knights' charge were swiftly taken down by the archers.

"Are you not going to help?" One Battanian archer asked, turning toward the stunned expedition members.

"Er... Charge!" 

The dwarves, startled, grabbed their axes, swords, and hammers and rushed into battle. 

Bilbo, on the other hand, was left standing in shock, while Gandalf raised his staff and chanted a spell. 

The next moment, a head-sized fireball flew over everyone's heads, crashing into the rear ranks of the Orcs.

"Nice! Finally, not just a movie prop wizard!" Rynar glanced at Gandalf in surprise and thought to himself.