bookbashuk Chapter 109 Metamorphosis
Chapter 109 Metamorphosis
Chapter 109 Metamorphosis
After leaving Lonely Mountain, Dui and his two companions stayed temporarily in River Valley City.
Smaug the dragon was too large, so Dui left him to hunt prey alone in the wilderness near Lonely Mountain, and to await his summons at any time.
Many of the buildings in Dale were destroyed by Smaug's dragonfire, and even if Dui wanted to restore them to their original state, he couldn't.
The three of them went directly to the house they had lived in before.
The fireplace here still connects to the valley, and it was not severed by Dui.
Gandalf was a very busy man; he had barely taken a short break before preparing to go find Bard.
Let him lead the residents of Changhu Town to relocate to Hegu City.
River Valley is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Moreover, it is backed by Lonely Mountain. If the orcs make any moves, it can quickly unite with the dwarves of Lonely Mountain to form a force that can resist the orcs.
So that they wouldn't be picked off one by one by the orcs.
However, the area around Longlake Town is vast and without any barriers. Once the orc army attacks, it will be impossible to stop the orcs' destructive advance.
Therefore, for the safety of the residents of Lake-town, Gandalf must move them to Dale as soon as possible before the Orc army arrives.
If possible, Gandalf also wanted to persuade Thranduil, the Elvenking, to join the alliance against the Orcs. After the dragon Smaug was subdued, Thranduil and Gandalf had inquired about cooperation with the Orcs.
Smaug, of course, dared not hide it.
According to him, the orcs had contacted him before Azog was alive, trying to persuade him to cooperate with them.
Smaug was only interested in protecting his treasure and had no interest in ruling or conquering Middle-earth.
Therefore, they rejected Azog's offer of cooperation.
Until recently, Azog's son, Polge, contacted him and informed him of Thorin Oakenshield's intention to retake Lonely Mountain.
Using this as a pretext, he reached a cooperation agreement with Smaug.
Smaug allowed Borgh's orc army to enter the Lonely Mountain region and march north to reclaim the Kingdom of Angmar.
The orcs, in turn, acknowledged Smaug's rule over Lonely Mountain and promised to give him half of the treasures they had acquired through conquest and plunder.
Now that the dragon has been subdued, as the news spreads, Polge will surely be restless and will likely launch a major attack on Lonely Mountain in order to seize this important strategic stronghold in the north.
While Gandalf was anxiously preparing for the impending war.
Dui also faced an important matter at this moment.
At sunrise that morning, as usual, Dui pointed the tip of his wand at his heart and chanted the incantation: "Amado, Animo, Animado, Animagus."
As the incantation ended, it felt as if a second heart had appeared in his chest. The faint heartbeat rose and fell with the original heartbeat, like a duet, which amazed him.
Dui was delighted to discover this, seeing it as a sign of Animagus's impending success.
He then took out the True Knowledge Crystal to check the weather conditions at the high pass of the Misty Mountains.
Upon seeing the dark clouds and lightning at Gao Pass, Dui immediately set off.
Bilbo was left in Vale, while he teleported to the Valley via the fireplace and then immediately rode his flying broomstick toward the Misty Mountains.
At Gao'ai Pass, torrential rain poured down and lightning flashed. Even on his flying broomstick, Dui dared not fly too high, fearing he might be struck by lightning.
They went all the way to the spot where the crystal bottle had been buried and dug it out.
The mixture in the crystal bottle had now turned into a blood-red liquid.
Upon seeing the potion in the bottle, Dui's eyes lit up with joy. He immediately stopped and quickly returned towards the valley.
Now, only one final step remains before the Animagus transformation.
After returning to the Valley, Dui did not immediately return to Riverdale from the fireplace, but stayed in the Valley for the time being.
When performing a transformation, a spacious and safe place is needed to ensure that the transformation process is not disturbed or put in danger.
"Duir, did the trip go smoothly?" Elrond asked with a smile, having already returned to the Valley from Lorien.
Dui nodded and pleaded with Elrond for help: "Lord Elrond, could you please find me a secluded room where I won't be disturbed? I want to make sure nothing goes wrong when I transform."
Elrond naturally wouldn't refuse, and he was also very curious about Dui's Animagus transformation.
To date, only the Skin Changer race has been able to transform into animals.
Now that there's a wizard like Dui who has mastered human transformation magic, he also wants to see what kind of animal Dui will turn into.
Elrond led Dui into a large hall.
There are no tables here, only fireplaces with roaring flames on each side between the pillars.
There was no firewood in the fireplace, but it burned all year round, providing warmth and light for the hall.
Mysterious elven runes were engraved on the marble floor.
As soon as Dui entered, he felt his spirits lifted and his mind clear.
"This is the Hall of Flames. I spend some time here whenever I want to find peace, to meditate and reflect."
Elron explained.
"You can transform here without anyone bothering you."
Dui never expected that there was such a good place in the valley. He felt that practicing magic here would be several times more efficient than usual.
He suddenly felt more confident in his Animagus transformation.
After sincerely thanking Elrond, Dui began to focus all his attention on the transformation.
He pressed his wand against his chest once more, at his heart, and chanted the incantation one last time: "Amado, Animo, Animado, Animagus."
Then he opened the crystal bottle and drank the red liquid inside in one gulp.
The next second, two rapid heartbeats came from his chest, the loud thumping so loud that it could be heard even in the empty hall.
What followed was an intense pain, as if the entire body was being reshaped, no less painful than the Crucifixion.
Meanwhile, the image of an animal gradually emerged in Dui's mind, becoming clearer and clearer.
Dui was determined and tried hard not to resist the change.
His body began to shrink rapidly, and his clothes, jewelry, and other items melted into his skin and turned into hair.
In the end, only one enormous owl remained in the hall.
To be precise, this was a eagle cursing.
Its round head is topped with its signature tufts of ear feathers, its body is covered in a mixture of yellow and black fur, its large, golden eyes gleam with a sharp, cold light, its beak is like a hook, and its powerful claws conceal sharp blades.
The eagle-cuckoo is one of the largest owls, and the eagle-cuckoo that Dui has transformed into is even larger than a regular eagle-cuckoo.
It stands a full meter tall and has a wingspan of over three meters.
Upon first transformation, Dui was somewhat bewildered. He looked down and saw his reflection in the smooth ground.
"So, describing his Animagus in this way aligns with his guardian spirit—an owl?"
Dui was surprised, yet it was also expected.
Although it wasn't the handsome bird of prey like the eagle that he most wanted, an owl would be fine too.
Owls not only have excellent flying abilities, but also night vision and hearing, allowing them to move freely at night and making them ideal for stealth.
However, just because he turned into an owl doesn't mean he can fly.
Dui flapped his wings and tried to fly repeatedly in the hall, stumbling and falling countless times, his feathers flying everywhere. Finally, after many attempts, he successfully took flight.
Although I've already experienced flying on a broomstick, flying on my own is a completely different experience.
Immersed in flight, Dui felt the hall wasn't big enough, so he quickly drifted out of the window and flew over the valley, circling and soaring, taking in the entire valley's scenery.
On the viewing platform below, Elrond looked up at the sky and smiled.
After flying enough, Dui flew directly towards Elrond, and immediately returned to human form upon landing.
"Thank you for your help, Lord Elrond. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to transform so quickly."
Dui thanked him gratefully.
Elrond shook his head.
"This is your own hard work; I'm just providing you with a space to practice."
He then asked, "By the way, how's your mission going?"
Dui briefly recounted everything that had happened on the lonely mountain.
Upon hearing that Dui had subdued the dragon Smaug, even the well-informed Elrond was taken aback.
Since Morgoth created the dragons, no one other than Morgoth has ever been able to subdue them.
Even the Demon King Sauron was no exception.
Unexpectedly, things have changed here in Dui.
At first, Elrond was worried that this might be a trick by the dragon Smaug, but after learning the nature of the Unbreakable Oath and that the contract was made under Gandalf's witness, Elrond was finally relieved.
He believed in Gandalf's wisdom and that he wouldn't speak without reason.
So after Dui requested to treat the dragon's injuries, Elrond readily agreed.
Dui did not linger in the valley and returned to the city of Vale once more.
This time, however, he did not choose to return through the fireplace. Instead, he transformed into an owl and prepared to cross the Misty Mountains to familiarize himself with his Animagus.
Although he has successfully mastered Animagus transformation, he is still only at the beginner level and cannot do without his wand.
If someone is a Transfiguration master like Professor McGonagall, they can cast Animagus spells without a wand at all, and can even integrate the wand into their body, making it a part of their body.
Therefore, even if Dui successfully masters Animagus, he still needs to practice continuously until it becomes instinctive.
The Misty Mountains soared into the clouds. Dui flew along, encountering many ogres, orcs, and dire wolves in the mountains, but he did not stop. He continued flying eastward until he crossed the mountains and arrived at the eastern side of the Misty Mountains.
Here he encountered the giant eagle clan.
The giant eagle also spotted him and quickly swooped down towards him.
Dui was startled. Could it be that they mistook him for prey?
Just as he was about to transform back into human form, a voice reached his ears.
"What are you? Although you look like an owl, you don't smell like an owl; instead, you have a human scent?"
A giant eagle circled around Dui, curiously observing him and asking questions.