---Third-person point of view---
---Rivendell, the area where the dwarves are staying---
Gloin and Fili had left their rooms to train, walking down the corridor while chatting casually, but the sounds coming from ahead abruptly stopped them.
"HELP!"
Fili and Gloin froze and looked at each other in shock. Fili spoke first.
"That's Ori's voice."
Gloin nodded, and at that moment another voice echoed.
"I WON'T EAT RAW VEGETABLES! GIVE ME MEAT!"
Gloin spoke up, alarmed.
"That's Bombur! What's going on?"
Fili moved toward the door.
"Let's go."
Gloin nodded and followed him. As the two opened the door and stepped inside, Dili called out,
"What's go—"
He couldn't finish his sentence as he stared at the scene before him. Gloin was left stunned. Bombur was gripping Bofur by the shoulders and violently shaking him. Ori was holding onto Bombur's arms and was being shaken along with him. Bombur kept shouting the same word over and over again.
"MEAT! MEAT! MEAT! MEAT!"
Drool spilled from Bombur's mouth, his eyes twitched uncontrollably, madness burning in his gaze. As Ori was tossed back and forth by the force, his grip slipped and he fell off the bed, landing on the floor. He lay there seeing pieces of meat flying in circles around his head, overcome by severe dizziness. Bofur, meanwhile, was on the verge of losing consciousness; Bombur was shaking him so violently that Bofur's face was barely visible.
Fili and Gloin snapped out of their shock and rushed forward as the door swung fully open. Fili shouted,
"BOMBUR! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! LET GO OF BOFUR!"
The two warrior dwarves grabbed Bombur's arms, and for a brief moment, both of them were stunned.
'HAS BOMBUR ALWAYS BEEN THIS STRONG!?'
Because they hadn't used full force at first, they were shaken back and forth, but they immediately exerted their strength. The muscles in both of their arms bulged as Bombur's movements began to slow. Bofur, half-unconscious and shaken, finally came to a stop, overwhelmed by intense dizziness. White steam poured from his mouth, forming the shape of Bofur himself—the very essence of his spirit groaned in agony.
"Meat… meat… meat… Why is it always me?"
Bombur looked left and right, the madness still burning in his eyes. He began to hallucinate: Gloin turned into a purple onion, Fili into a parsnip, and Bofur transformed into a steak. Believing that vegetables were trying to get between him and his meat, Bombur snorted through his nose like an enraged bull.
Gloin, barely managing to restrain him, shuddered under Bombur's gaze.
"Ah… Fili, I've got a really bad feeling about this."
Fili, struggling to hold Bombur, first glanced at Gloin.
"What?"
Then he looked into Bombur's crazed eyes and froze.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"
As Bombur struggled violently to free his arm, Fili was shaken off balance. His grip loosened. Bombur tore his arm free, grabbed Fili by the collar, yanked him forward, and slammed his head into him. Fili reeled back in shock while Gloin stood frozen. As Fili fell backward onto the bed, Bombur punched Gloin square in the face.
With his other hand, he pulled Bofur toward himself and locked him into a crushing hug. Bofur groaned.
"Again?! Let me go!"
Still holding Bofur tightly, Bombur rolled off the bed and hit the floor. He quickly retreated to the far side of the room, staring intently at his opponents—Gloin and Fili. Shaking his dazed head, he seemed to regain a bit of awareness and looked at Gloin.
"Are you okay?"
A disoriented Gloin nodded.
"Yes… but what's happening to Bombur?"
Fili looked at Bombur. Bombur was holding Bofur like a sack with one arm while gently stroking his head with the other, mumbling softly. His eyes continued to twitch uncontrollably.
"Don't worry, little meaty… those vegetables won't be able to touch you."
On the verge of fainting, Bofur whimpered weakly.
"…Help…"
Gloin stared at Bombur in disbelief.
"Bombur, my brother… what are you doing?"
Bombur staggered slightly, raised one eyebrow, and pointed at Gloin.
"You can't take my meat, purple onion!"
Gloin was dumbfounded.
"Purple onion? Me!?"
Fili burst out laughing.
"HAHAHAHA! NICE JOKE, BOMBUR!"
Bombur's finger slowly turned toward Fili.
"What are you laughing at, parsnip!"
Fili froze.
"Parsnip!? Me!?"
At that moment, Ori pulled himself together, shaking his head from side to side before mumbling,
"What the heck is going on?"
Bombur turned toward the voice and narrowed his eyes with deadly seriousness. In his vision, Ori had turned into celery. Bombur spoke cautiously.
"Now the celery has shown up too."
Ori was stunned. Fili looked at him.
"What's happening to Bombur?"
Ori looked back at Fili, confused.
"I don't know… He was having a nightmare, screaming in his sleep. Ever since he woke up, he's been acting strange."
Bombur staggered slightly, stroking Bofur and muttering to himself, his eyes twitching with madness.
"Don't worry, my beloved steak! I will protect you!"
Gloin stood up and spoke gravely.
"Whatever he saw… it looks like he never fully woke up."
Fili nodded in agreement.
"I had seen something like this once before. A mercenary had been traumatized by monsters—he was screaming from nightmares at night, and when he woke up, he attacked everything in front of him. It had been very difficult to stop him without hurting him."
Glóin spoke nervously.
"What are we going to do, Fili? He thinks we're vegetables!"
Fili replied cautiously.
"I don't know…"
Carefully, Fili called out to Bombur.
"Bombur! It's me, your friend Fili! Thorin's nephew! Your companion!"
Bombur, swaying from side to side, pointed at him.
"Don't imitate Fili, you wild carrot! I can see what you are! You're a vegetable! A vegetable trying to take my meat!"
Fili froze in shock as Glóin shouted.
"Bombur! We're dwarves, not vegetables! I'm Glóin! Get a hold of yourself, my friend! That's Bofur in your hand! Not meat!"
Bombur stared at Glóin with twitching eyes.
"Nice try, purple onion! But changing your voice won't change what you are! You're a vegetable, and this time I'm not going to eat you!"
Bombur clenched his free hand; cracking sounds echoed from his joints. Ori spoke in shock.
"What do we do now?"
Fili answered calmly.
"I'm not sure. He's completely lost himself."
After shaking his head, Glóin looked at the slowly waking Bofur and shouted.
"Bofur! Do something!"
Bofur flinched and looked around.
"What the hell is going on?"
Realizing he was being held, Bofur lifted his head and looked at Bombur. When he saw Bombur staring at him like a starving bear, he shuddered and spoke cautiously.
"Bombur, brother… are you alright?"
Bombur nodded eagerly.
"I'm perfectly fine, my delicious steak brother! I can't wait to take a bite out of you!"
Bofur froze in disbelief.
"Steak?! I'm your cousin, Bofur!"
Bombur pressed a finger to Bofur's mouth.
"Shhh, don't worry, steak brother."
Drool began to drip from his mouth.
"I'll enjoy taking a bite out of you!"
Bofur trembled in shock and turned to Fili.
"FILI! DO SOMETHING!"
BANG!
"UGH!"
Bombur slammed his fist hard into Bofur's head, knocking him unconscious. Everyone in the room froze in shock. Fili moved instantly—this had gone completely out of control.
"GLÓIN! WE NEED TO SNAP BOMBUR OUT OF THIS—THIS IS GETTING OUT OF HAND!"
Glóin sprang into action as well.
"Alright!"
Ori stood frozen in disbelief while Bombur tossed Bofur aside and assumed a stance, ready to face the incoming enemies. Fili threw a quick punch—Bombur ducked effortlessly and countered with two lightning-fast uppercuts. Fili staggered back in shock. Seeing this, Glóin attacked more cautiously, throwing a punch. Bombur dodged and swung a hook. Glóin blocked by raising his arm and immediately followed with an uppercut, but Bombur leapt sideways and escaped, then slapped Glóin across the face with the back of his hand. Glóin stumbled.
Recovering himself, Fili stared at Bombur with caution and spoke.
"Bombur, snap out of it! Don't force me to do things I don't want to do."
Bombur snorted through his nose, threw a few punches into the air theatrically, then crooked his finger at Fili, staring at him with twitching eyes.
"Don't hold back, wild carrot!"
Fili clicked his tongue in anger.
"Tch!"
He rushed forward. Bombur swung—Fili dodged and struck Bombur's jaw. Bombur staggered slightly but quickly recovered and counterattacked. Fili dodged and headbutted him. Bombur jumped aside. At that moment, Glóin rushed in from behind and grabbed him. Bombur slammed his head backward into Glóin's skull. Dazed, Glóin released him and stumbled back. Fili seized the opportunity and launched a barrage of punches. Bombur reeled from the blows—then caught the eighth punch midair and glared at Fili. Fili froze, unable to believe his punch had been caught.
Bombur spat onto the ground.
"Is that all you've got, wild carrot?"
A bad feeling twisted in Fili's gut. Bombur yanked Fili toward himself, grabbed him by the waist with his other hand, lifted him into the air, and began spinning him around. Ori and Glóin stared in stunned silence as Fili shouted in panic.
"BOMBUR! PUT ME DOWN!"
Bombur chuckled.
"As you wish."
He hurled Fili straight at Glóin. Glóin instinctively opened his arms and caught him, but their heads collided with a loud crack. Both dwarves collapsed to the ground, dazed. Bombur clenched his fists and marched toward them.
"Time to finish this, raw vegetables!"
At that moment, Ori snapped out of it and leapt onto Bombur's back, wrapping his arms around his head.
"BOMBUR, SNAP OUT OF IT! THEY'RE OUR FRIENDS!"
Staggering for a moment, Bombur grabbed Ori from his back and hurled him through the open doorway. With a sigh, he muttered:
"Celery is always sneaky…"
Ori rolled across the floor and out the door. Groaning, he tried to get up, but his gaze fell on a pair of feet. He looked up, and his eyes lit up with hope. The newcomer looked down at Ori and spoke angrily.
"What the hell are you idiots doing?! I'm trying to sleep!"
Ori grabbed the dwarf's leg desperately. The dwarf flinched at the sudden movement as Ori spoke in panic.
"BOMBUR HAS LOST HIS MIND! HE THINKS BOFUR IS MEAT AND US HIS ENEMIES! GLÓIN AND FILI TRIED TO STOP HIM BUT THEY LOST! EVERYTHING'S A MESS IN THERE—PLEASE DO SOMETHING, DWALIN!"
Dwalin stared inside in shock and saw Bombur gripping Fili by the collar, lifting him up, his free hand clenched into a fist, ready to strike. Without hesitation, Dwalin lunged forward and delivered a brutal punch straight to Bombur's face. The impact warped Bombur's features in slow motion as he spun around himself and staggered backward. Dwalin shouted angrily,
"What do you think you're doing, Bombur?!"
Dazed by the blow, Bombur violently shook his head from side to side, regaining his senses, and locked eyes with Dwalin. His expression grew unnaturally serious. In Bombur's eyes, Dwalin transformed into something he deeply feared. He took a battle stance and spoke.
"My old enemy… Count Broccoli!"
Dwalin froze and turned to Ori in disbelief.
"What the hell is he saying?"
Ori quickly explained the situation. Dwalin was stunned. He had encountered situations like this before, just like Fili had—but Bombur's condition was absurd and completely new to him. The fact that Bombur hadn't snapped out of it despite that heavy punch showed just how intense the nightmare was. Clenching his fists, his knuckles cracking loudly, Dwalin spoke without taking his eyes off Bombur.
"Ori, go find Balin or Thorin. They'll know what to do. I'll handle Bombur."
Ori nodded and rushed off. Dwalin glanced at the groaning Gloin and Fili on the floor, then frowned as he looked back at Bombur.
'Did Bombur really take down these two? You've got to be kidding me…'
The idea that the strongest fighters of the company had been defeated by one of its gentlest members shocked Dwalin. Such a thing shouldn't have been possible even in his wildest dreams—yet here it was. Dwalin stared at his chubby companion, who was now watching him with deadly seriousness, and began to walk calmly forward. Bombur moved as well, equally ready for battle. The two dwarves began circling each other, forming a loose ring as they prepared to fight. Dwalin spoke sternly.
"Bombur! Pull yourself together before this gets ugly."
Bombur shifted through several fighting stances and replied calmly.
"You're right, Count Broccoli. Things are going to get ugly—but for you!"
"Call me broccoli one more time and we're going to have a problem!"
"Don't deny your own existence, Broccoli!"
Dwalin and Bombur stood face to face, eyes narrowed as they stared each other down. Bombur spoke again.
"This time you won't win! OUR FIGHT WILL BE LEGENDARY!"
Dwalin was certain now.
"…This guy has completely lost it…"
Both dwarves charged forward at the same time and threw punches. Their fists collided midair and stopped dead, a deep, heavy sound echoing through the room. Dwalin was stunned—Bombur's strength far exceeded his expectations. Bombur grinned fiercely and attacked with his other fist. Dwalin countered, and their punches collided again. Dwalin frowned.
"You have got to be messing with me…"
That alone was enough to shock him. They picked up speed, their fists constantly colliding in the air. Dwalin found an opening and slammed his fist into Bombur's face. Bombur staggered but immediately countered with a powerful uppercut. Dwalin reeled in surprise but recovered quickly and smashed a left hook into Bombur's face. Bombur staggered, then answered with a right hook to Dwalin's waist, followed by an uppercut to his jaw.
Ignoring the pain in his side, Dwalin barely slipped away from the uppercut and caught Bombur's next punch midair. He swung with his other fist—but Bombur caught that too. Dwalin's shock multiplied. He headbutted Bombur. Bombur staggered but didn't release Dwalin's fist, recovered instantly, and slammed his own head into Dwalin's. Dwalin stumbled, then straightened up. Both dwarves headbutted each other at the same time. The crack of impact echoed through the room as they both staggered back.
Dwalin began seriously questioning reality.
'Is this really still the same Bombur?!'
But his shock was only beginning. Breaking free, Bombur spun around rapidly and hurled Dwalin over his shoulder, slamming him into the floor. Dwalin was stunned. Bombur sprinted toward the bed, climbed onto it, and leapt off, launching himself through the air straight at Dwalin.
Seeing Bombur flying toward him, Dwalin's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. He rolled away just in time. Bombur crashed into the ground with a heavy thud.
Dwalin sprang to his feet and took a stance, a thin layer of sweat forming on his brow. Things were rapidly spiraling out of control. He frowned and spoke.
"I'm sorry, Bombur, but it's time I got serious. Brace yourself for a few bruises."
Bombur chuckled.
"Don't hold back, green face!"
Dwalin's eyebrows knotted in fury as he thought to himself.
'Ori, if you don't come back with Thorin or Balin, this group is about to have a third severely injured member…'
The two dwarves clashed again, this time even more violently. Hooks, uppercuts, and headbutts were exchanged relentlessly. Both dwarves' lips were split, their noses cracked, blood spilling from their mouths. Gloin and Fili, now conscious, watched the two in stunned disbelief.
Fili, wide-eyed and questioning his existence, asked Gloin,
"Are we still unconscious? Because I'm pretty sure I'm watching a really stupid dream right now."
Gloin, equally doubtful of reality, slowly nodded.
"I'm seeing the same kind of ridiculous hallucination—Bombur is fighting Dwalin evenly…"
Fili shook his head in disbelief.
"I'm seeing the same hallucination too…"
At that moment, footsteps echoed through the corridor. Ori rushed to the door and shouted,
"Here! It's here!"
But the moment he saw the scene before him, he froze in shock. Thorin and Balin arrived quickly. They first saw the three stunned dwarves, then noticed Dwalin and Bombur—and were left utterly speechless. When Balin saw Bombur fighting his own brother, he began questioning reality itself.
"Durin's beard… I must be hallucinating from old age…"
Thorin, on the other hand, felt a pounding headache coming on.
"Why can't I ever have a normal morning?!"
Then he shouted in an authoritative voice,
"YOU TWO—STOP THIS IMMEDIATELY!"
But the pair were far too focused. They didn't hear Thorin at all. Thorin bellowed again, even louder,
"I SAID STOP THIS!"
Hearing the voice, Bombur glanced sideways at Thorin and froze. In his eyes burned a deep, infinite reverence.
'The Great Meat King!'
Seeing that Bombur's attention had slipped, Dwalin seized the moment and slammed his fist into Bombur's jaw with all his strength. Bombur's face twisted grotesquely as he fell to the ground in slow motion, completely unconscious. Dwalin spat blood onto the floor, then raised his arms triumphantly, striking a victorious pose as he shouted,
"THAT'S IT!"
The other dwarves stood there, utterly stunned. Thorin felt a sharp wave of pain surge through his head.
"Durin, grant me patience…"
And so, the dwarves began their day in an energetic state of absolute chaos…
---
(2843 World)