Eric politely turned down Legolas's invitation to join him, instead following Bilbo to a quiet, secluded hallway within the Woodland Realm. Once they were alone, Eric asked straight to the point:
"What happened?"
"I went to visit Thorin and the others," Bilbo said with a weary sigh. The moment he'd stepped away from Thranduil's throne room, he'd gone straight to check on the imprisoned dwarves. Running into Eric on the way back had been something of a happy accident.
After giving a brief update on the dwarves' condition, Bilbo hesitated, then added, "Actually… Thorin asked me to do something."
Eric raised a brow. "And did you agree?"
"I… well…"
"I haven't said yes yet," Bilbo admitted, scratching his curly head. "It's a tricky situation, really, and I wasn't sure what to do. That's why I came to ask you. I needed a second opinion."
Eric didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked out toward the towering trees of the Elven kingdom and said, seemingly off-topic, "Seven days from now, the Woodland Realm will host the Starfall Feast. Every elf will be there, including the prison guards. And they'll be drunk as dwarves in a brewery."
Bilbo blinked. "What's that got to do with--?"
"I trust your judgment, Bilbo," Eric said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "During the feast, I'll have to slip away for a while. Actually, I might be gone for several days. Maybe longer."
He rummaged through his pack and pulled out a golden apple, gleaming with a smooth, magical sheen.
"This," he said, handing it over, "has powerful healing properties. It can cure nearly any wound."
Bilbo's eyes widened. "Oh no, no--this is clearly far too valuable. You should keep it! You're the one always getting into fights!"
"You'll need it more than I will," Eric said gently.
Bilbo stared at the apple, then at Eric. For a moment, words failed him. He opened his mouth once, twice, and finally just nodded.
"Alright. I understand now."
"Thank you, Eric," he said sincerely. "I know what I have to do. I will do it."
Eric's trust had rekindled a fire in Bilbo's heart. The hobbit who once longed only for tea and quiet evenings was gone. What remained was someone with conviction, someone who had made a promise to his friends.
"I said I'd help them take back their home. And I meant it."
"I'm glad to hear that," Eric replied, smiling.
There were still seven days until the Starfall Feast.
After parting ways with Bilbo, Eric went to visit the dwarves himself, asking how they were holding up -and what they were planning.
"Couldn't you just dig us a tunnel or something?" one dwarf muttered hopefully.
Eric glanced at the Elven guards standing by the cell entrance and shrugged.
"Oh, I could dig a way out, sure. But getting you all past those guards? That's another story entirely."
He could, of course, bulldoze through the defenses and forcibly extract the dwarves. But best case scenario, that would damage Thranduil's reputation. Worst case? It could spark an outright war.
"You won't rot in here forever," Eric said, lowering his voice. "Don't forget -there's more than one person out there who hasn't given up on you."
The dwarves looked at one another in silent agreement. They all knew who the "other person" was.
Thorin had already asked Bilbo for help. The elves were the only ones still in the dark.
"This isn't the end of your journey," Eric said with a knowing look. "Trust me."
The dwarves straightened, reassured. They just had to wait now. Wait for their thief in the night.
"What about you, Eric?" Kili asked.
"I've got a few things to take care of," he replied. "But if all goes well, I'll meet you again soon."
"Alright."
With the dwarves more or less covered, Eric left the dungeons and wandered through the grand halls of the Elven kingdom. Then he paused mid-step.
"Oh right… I almost forgot."
He immediately flagged down an elven guide and requested a tour of the palace. As they moved through the elegantly carved stone corridors and moonlit bridges, he quietly took note of every crafting station, storage room, and forge.
[Crafting recipes for Woodland Elven gear: unlocked.]
Eric grinned. One more collection for the compendium. You could never have too many blueprints. The more the merrier.
To be honest, most Elven gear didn't differ much in function, just style. Fancy patterns, elegant flourishes… but the stats were pretty standard.
Still, something else caught his eye.
Not gear. Training.
Scattered across the palace courtyards were elves engaged in swordplay. Unlike the peaceful valley of Rivendell, where swords were ceremonial more than practical, the Woodland Realm trained constantly. Their proximity to danger meant they had to stay sharp.
These elves weren't just good. They were very good.
Their precise movements and dazzling swordplay reminded Eric of a mod he'd once installed back home. And now that he thought about it, the system always seemed to respond to exposure. Every time he encountered a new culture or weapon style, a corresponding mod was unlocked.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, Eric spotted a familiar face.
Legolas.
The prince was training with focused intensity, frustration written all over him. His blade danced through the air, elegant and deadly.
"Wow," Eric muttered, impressed.
Hearing him, Legolas halted and turned.
"Thank you," he said curtly. "Though I doubt my swordsmanship compares to the legendary warrior of the Wilds."
Eric winced. "Uh, that's… flattering."
Legolas took a step forward, serious.
"If you have time, I would request your guidance in battle techniques."
Eric scratched the back of his head. Awkward.
What was he supposed to teach? "Eat a golden apple, chug a potion, and run in swinging"? Or maybe "Hide behind obsidian and spam explosives"?
Honestly, most of his tricks weren't worth using on basic orcs. They were reserved for bosses. The big ones.
"I'm afraid I don't really know any formal swordplay," Eric confessed. "Never studied technique. Mostly I just… swing really hard."
Legolas looked baffled. "You're saying… you never trained?"
"Nope. I specialize in brute force and occasional blind luck."
The elf prince looked at him as if trying to decode a very unusual creature.
"Well, then allow me to teach you something for once," Legolas offered. "I can demonstrate several forms - sword, dagger, bow, unarmed combat… even evasive maneuvers. Whatever you wish."
"That sounds great," Eric said with a grin.
Legolas handed him a practice sword. And just like that, their impromptu training session began.
At first, Eric was a little nervous. He wasn't sure how to hold back properly. He didn't want to accidentally knock Legolas into a wall - or a tree.
But those worries quickly vanished.
Because he couldn't land a single hit.
Seriously. It was like trying to duel a breeze. A breeze with perfect footwork and impossible reflexes.
Eric wasn't human anymore, technically, but even he couldn't keep up.
If this had been a real fight, with real stakes, Eric had plenty of tricks to turn the tables. But in a straight-up swordplay contest? He was outclassed.
CLANG!
Once again, Legolas parried his strike and exposed a weak spot in his stance.
Then the prince stepped back, lowering his blade.
"That concludes the first lesson," he said politely.
And right on cue--
[MOD UNLOCKED: Dynamic Swords Skills]
It worked.
Eric's eyes lit up with excitement. He hadn't expected that to actually trigger a mod, but there it was.
Legolas, oblivious to the floating interface, continued speaking. "What I showed you were only the fundamentals. You'll only master them through experience. But someone like you, who's fought on real battlefields, should adapt quickly."
"You're absolutely right," Eric nodded, while opening his skill panel.
[Dynamic Swords Skills Mod: Skill Unlocked - Basic Swordplay Lv.1]
In-game, this ability let you automatically track enemies in combat without manual aiming. Here, it translated to enhanced focus and sharper perception during battle.
Further skills in the mod would require "skill orbs," which were dropped by defeating enemies.
So basically, if Eric wanted to grow stronger… he just had to keep swinging.
"I understand everything now," he said with a grin.