A/N: It's been nigh onto three months since my last update. Actually, it has been exactly three months. There wasn't a cliffie last time, though, so I hope any old readers will forgive me. I'm laughing really dryly.
But I have been quite busy. Okay, not really, but I was concentrating on learning how to vector and stuff (graphically speaking, not mathematically speaking). I did actually post a story. A stupid story. A Harry Potter story. I recommend it if you're seriously bored out of your mind.
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Corruption: Chapter IV
By iced1
An orc held his hand up, and it's comrade halted beside him. Behind the two leaders, the rest of the troop screeched to a stop, tumbling one over the other in a jumble of limbs and sharp weaponry.
"Ashgûl! By Incánus' will, do not stop moving so suddenly and without warning!" an orc whined as he stood from the edge of the pile of orcs with a grunt.
"If you paid any attention to me, you wouldn't have fallen." Ashgûl sneered back at the lesser orc.
"It is no easy task noticing your hand rise when your arms are so short," another said, brushing saliva off of his bloodstained armor. "Why don't you ask the master for longer arms the next time your kissing the ground on which he – arrgh!" His sentence was cut short by a sword that had made its way through his leather jerkin.
"That was uncalled for, Ashgûl," said the other leader, "what did you smell?"
"Man flesh."
"When last you said that, Ashgûl, we wound up sitting atop of the rocks from sunrise to sunset. There are no men in these parts, only elves."
"You shut your mouth or you'll be doing the same on your own." Ashgûl laid the edge of his blade on the offending orc's neck. "We march forth!"
"Wait!" hissed a scout, "listen!"
"To what? The lute that plays naught? The birds without voice?"
"Can't you hear it?"
--
"Then my father yelled for all to hear –"
"Stay your tongue, dwarf. This is neither the time or place for your loud banter."
"Dare you tell a dwarf to stay his tongue? You and that man have done nothing but talk – amongst yourselves!"
The short figure hurried after two fast-paced beings that were twice his height. To anyone passing by, this may have been a strange sight.
It was but three days after Gimli and Aragrorn's arrival at the halls of the elven realm, and they were trekking through bush and foliage. The forest was overgrown and had the dwarf been silent, only the scuttling of insects could be heard.
"Keep up if you wish to converse with us and remain in our society." Legolas called over his shoulder.
The dwarf ran after the man and the elf who were disappearing in between giant oak trees. As he shoved both beings aside and strode alongside them in between them, he rapped both in the shins with the handle of his axe.
"Well? I've caught up with you, what more must I do to have either of you converse with me?"
Aragorn grinned down at the dwarf, answering that the dwarf would have to be quiet.
"It's rather hard to be quiet when my tongue is parched!"
"Contradictory, Lord Gimli. Were your tongue genuinely parched, you could not say a word. Besides, we've only one small pouch of water left, we have none to spare." Aragron said, knocking Gimli's head with the sheath of his sword.
Legolas bade the two of them be quiet, and they continued forth in silence.
--
"Do you see that?' On that shore yonder."
"Legolas, we have not the same eyesight your kind has been gifted with."
"Blood. Orc blood by the looks of it. It still glistens in that little patch of sunlight that filters through those leaves above it."
"Shall we track the orc down? It may be a trap."
"It may also lead us to a camp. It cannot be a trap, Estel, they would not expect a man to be so wayward that he becomes lost in these woods. Nor could they possibly think an elf would venture so deep into this place without light."
"What say you, dwarf?"
"I say that I am so thirsty that Aluë could pass afore me and I would not even blink."
"Well, to track the orc down, we will have to pass that stream. You can drink from it if you're so thirsty."
"Legolas!" Aragorn reprimanded the elf, "how can you tell Gimli to drink from these streams? The water could contain something foul."
"Oh for Eru's sake, Estel, these waters have been void of toxins since the cleansing of Dol Guldor. I will drink and step into the water first, and you will see that I will not fall asleep."
True to his word, Legolas placed stepped into the water and jumped lightly onto the other bank. He kneeled down and drank the stream water out of his hands. "Do you take my word now, Estel?"
Gimli ran through the stream and was drinking greedily already; Aragorn only shrugged before jumping onto the other side of the stream.
"Gimli, come away from your liquid feast and let us leave this place."
Gimli reluctantly drained his hands and stood up. His eyes grew wide, and he shouted "Legolas!"
Aragorn followed the dwarf with his eyes and saw that the fair being was beginning to slump onto the ground. He ran and joined Gimli in trying desperately to wake the elf up.
"Legolas, wake up!" Aragorn slapped the elf on the cheek while Gimli shook his torso. Suddenly, Gimli stopped moving and Aragorn grew panicked.
"Gimli!" He reached his hand out to steady the falling dwarf. His eyelids began to droop and he saw the rocks and dirt path begin to swirl around him.
He knew no more.
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A/N: A short chapter, I know that much. I know it wasn't worth a read, but at least something happened, yeah?
Anyway, Incánus is Gandalf's name in the south. I'm going to say that these orcs came from the south. Acceptable enough, yes?
Also, I am quite aware that my Mirkwood geography isn't accurate.
Let's just pretend that a stream was created in the middle of mirkwood through very fast erosion or something. I don't know.
Hope I didn't lose any reviewers since the last update, and I'm really truly very sorry if you're still reading after such a long time.
Aislynn Crowdaughter: nope, no Legomance in this one. I love that word, I think I'll use it unintentionally. I actually didn't notice that little bit. :meek grin:
Deana: Didn't exactly heed your words, and I'm sorry. Thanks for the explanation.
Esselar: ah, that bit about elves flirting, it's an inside joke thing I have with a few of my friends ;). I always imagined elves to be serene unhurried beings as well. Haha.
Dimwitted Dimathiel: so I added the first bit to your name. I'm laughing at nothing. I've updated, so now you have to review. And yes you may slap the cheeky grin off my face.
