I do not own Doom or Lord of the Rings.

The feedback I've been getting from you guys is appreciated. So in return, this chapter contains a Doom vs Balrog smack-down! I hope it does not disappoint.

"Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than Orcs, in the deep places of the world."

What exactly did Gandalf mean by that? Could it be why he was hesitant to take this route before? All Doom knew, though, was that something was following the Fellowship if the distant figure he kept on noticing was indication. But none of the other Fellowship members seemed to notice, not even Gandalf paid heed as he examined a vein of an unknown metal within the cave wall. "The wealth of Moria was not in gold, or jewels, but mithril."

To show what he meant, the wizard gestured toward the edge with his staff. He then intensified the staff's light, resulting in illuminating the entire cave and drawing amazed looks from the rest of the Fellowship along with a question from Doom. "So, was mithril used just for currency, or were there other uses, like armor."

Gimili was quick to answer with a gleam in his eye. "There are rumors of weapons being forged with mithril, but the more common usage was for armor pieces, although those were still a rare occurrence."

Gandalf then added to the conversation. "In fact, the last time I saw such armor, was 60 years ago, when Thorin gave Bilbo a shirt of mithril rings."

Gimli exclaimed in amazement at that revelation, "Oh, that was a kingly gift."

"Yes. I never told him, but its worth was greater than the value of the Shire."

Doom was admittedly impressed with that value, he had seen his fair share of maps back at Rivendell, and the Shire appeared to cover a large swath of land. Unless most of it was barren wasteland, it would be worth some serious cashola. His thoughts were interrupted by the Fellowship suddenly halting at a three-way split of the path, prompting Doom to inquire of Gandalf about it. "So, you know which route we should take?"

The wizard's answer was not one he was hoping for. "I'm afraid I do not. For I have no memory of this place."

Doom's response was to turn towards the rest of the Fellowship and say, "Alright then, find a seat. This might take a while."

As the Fellowship proceeded to rest up while Gandalf tried to figure out the route, the only noise that could be distinctly heard was Pippin's ramblings that were getting annoying. But Doom was not paying attention to those as he was fixated on the same distant figure that had been following them for the past three fucking days! How has nobody else noticed this?! Wait, he thought too soon, appeared that Frodo had noticed as well, seeing as he notified Gandalf. "There's something down there."

"It's Gollum."

"Gollum?"

"He's been following us for 3 days."

This tidbit of information prompted Doom to sigh in relief. And I was beginning to think that I was hallucinating.

Frodo, however, grew concerned as he processed that revelation. "He escaped the dungeons of Barad-dûr?"

Gandalf then turned his head towards Frodo and spoke, "Escaped...or was set loose." Doom's body instinctively stiffened at those words as the wizard continued to speak, "Now the Ring has brought him here. He will never be rid of his need for it." Doom suddenly felt a pair of eyes bore into him, prompting him to turn towards the source and find the creature now identified as Gollum staring at the three of them with what appeared to be desire. This caused Doom to silently reach for his plasma pistol as Gandalf spoke once more. "He hates and loves the Ring, as he hates and loves himself. Sméagol's life is a sad story."

This got Doom confused as he launched an inquiry towards Gandalf without taking his eyes off Gollum. "Aren't you talking about Gollum?"

"He was once known as Sméagol, before the Ring found him. Before it drove him mad."

Frodo then gazed in Gollum/Sméagol's direction and said with disgust, "It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance."

"Pity? It is pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to the, Frodo?"

Doom, upon hearing this, couldn't help but agree with Gandalf. "He's right, Frodo. We cannot be too eager to deal out death and judgment. Even the wisest of us cannot see all ends." He then added as a side note, "Although it would probably be a good idea to kill him anyway. Before he leads the enemy straight to us."

Gandalf, however, was quick to dissuade that suggestion. "No, for my heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play yet, for good or ill, before this is over. The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many."

Frodo, upon hearing this, became disheartened as he gave his opinion. "I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."

Gandalf then sought to comfort the Hobbit with words of wisdom. "So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case you also were meant to have it. And is an encouraging thought."

After a few moments of silence, Gandalf suddenly exclaimed in realization, catching the Fellowship's attention. "It's that way."

Merry then said with relief, "He's remembered."

"No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down here." Gandalf then turned towards Merry as he spoke, "If in doubt Meriadoc, always follow your nose."

The journey from there remained uneventful until the passage opened up to a vast expanse, prompting Gandalf to speak. "Let me risk a little more light." He then will the light on his staff to increase in surrounding the amazed Fellowship members. "Behold the great realm and Dwarf-City of Dwarrowdelf."

Most of the Fellowship was speechless, for Sam's comment on this summed up their collective thoughts. "There's and eye opener, and no mistake."

The feeling of wonder was short-lived, however, as Gimli unexpectedly exclaimed in shock and ran towards a nearby room. Said room merely possessed a few more Dwarf corpses and a single tomb where Gimli knelt and despaired at its feet. Coming in after him, Gandalf read tomb's inscription. "'Here lies Balin, Son of Fundin, Lord of Moria.' He is dead then. It's as I feared."

Doom then took the opportunity to place a comforting hand on Gimli's shoulder. Meanwhile, Legolas turned towards Aragorn with slight concern evident on his face. "We must move on. We cannot linger."

Gandalf then noticed a book enclosed in the embrace of one of the corpses. So the wizard pulled the book out and opened it before reading the text within. "'They have taken the bridge, and the second hall. We have barred the gates, but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes...drums...drums in the deep. We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark...We cannot get out...They are coming.'"

As the recital came to an end, Doom noticed Pippin fiddling with an arrow embedded in another corpse, on top of a well. "Pippin, don't!"

Too late, the arrow suddenly broke, ruining the corpse's balance and causing it to fall into the well, the bucket attached to it following and causing a lot of noise on the way down. Gandalf finally snapped at Pippin in light of that accident. "Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time, and rid us of your stupidity!"

It was then that they heard it. Drums coming from the deep, signaling an attack. A more significant sign came from Frodo's sword glowing blue, cluing Legolas as to who it was. "Orcs!"

Doom then bolted towards the doors in order to close them, but before he could do so, two arrows embedded themselves in the doors, just inches from his helmet, taking him by surprise. "Close one."

Aragorn then turned towards the Hobbits and gestured for them to stay back. "Get back! Stay close to Gandalf!"

Boromir quickly joined Doom in closing the doors as a deep roar echoed through the area, prompting him to make a sarcastic comment as they barricaded the entrance. "They have a Cave Troll."

Upon barricaing the doors, the Fellowship took positions as a small breach appeared, Aragorn and Legolas launching arrows into it and killing the Orcs responsible. Gimli felt rejuvenated from this and roared out a challenge. "Let them come! There is one dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!"

Doom chuckled in response as he brought out his super shotgun. "Oh, there is something far worse than a dwarf here."

Suddenly the doors burst open, leaving a clear path for a horde of orcs, which were mowed down by the two consecutive shots of Doom's weapon. Unfortunately, there were plenty of survivors that quickly closed the distance, forcing Doom to put away his shotgun and engage the Orcs with his fists. His first unfortunate target was disposed of by a brutal punch to its head, shattering it and spraying a small area with gore. Two more Orcs charged at Doom only to have their legs and whipped around like ragdolls into a group of five of their comrades, throwing them all of balance. "Strike!"

It was at that moment that the Fellowship joined the fight, each one cutting down Orcs at a rapid pace. All except Sam, who instead took down two Orcs with his frying pan before speaking. "I think I'm getting the hang of this."

Doom then disposed of two more Orcs by smashing their heads together into a mess of brain matter. Afterwards, he brought out his chainsaw and swung it into the unfortunate Orcs, the teeth cutting into Orc metal and flesh like a hot knife through butter. But at that moment, a deep rumbling echoed through the area, signaling the arrival of the troll Boromir mentioned, which broke down the doors and some of the surrounding stone. Upon noticing the Fellowship, it bellowed out a roar of challenge, which Doom met with a roar of his own as he met with a roar of his own as he swung at the troll's leg. But before he could damage the beast's leg, it's club came down on Doom, sending him flying into the wall in a mess of rubble.

Meanwhile, Gimli caught the troll's attention by throwing one of his axes at its face. However, this merely angered it as it brought down its club on Balin's tomb in an attempt to crush the dwarf nuisance on top, forcing Gimli to evade. Realizing that it had missed, the troll swung at the dwarf repeatedly, although Gimli avoided the strikes as the unfortunate victims were Orcs that happened to be in the way.

It was then that Doom finally freed himself from the rubble to discover the Dwarf's plight and targeted the troll with his rocket launcher. The shot went wide however and hit the troll's club instead, shattering the weapon and rendering it useless. In response, the troll roared in anger as it yanked its chain free from its orc handlers and whipped it at Doom, who then possessed a worried look behind his helmet. "Uh-oh."

Fortunately, the chain ended up wrapping around a nearby pillar, creating an opportunity that Doom couldn't pass up. He immediately climbed onto the chain, displaying agility that fied his weight and bulk. But as he made his way across the chain it suddenly snapped, forcing Doom to jump toward the troll, grabbing onto its collar in the process. He didn't hold on for long before the troll threw him off. Upon recovering, Doom noticed that the troll had picked up an enourmous spear and was proceeding to throw it at him. Upon throwing the spear, Doom rolled out of the way, only to regret that decision as the spear sailed past Doom and into Frodo's chest.

Seeing Frodo's pained expression filled Doom with an uncontrollable rage. Upon instinct, Doom launched himself toward the troll, bringing it to the around and unleashing a furious assault of fists upon its face. He finally relented upon finding the trolls head to be nothing but a bloody paste and turned towards where Frodo lay, only to find the Hobbit sitting by a surprised Aragorn alive and well. "You should be dead. That spear would have skewered a wild boar."

Gandalf was the one to answer with relief. "I think there's more to this Hobbit, than meets the eye."

Frodo's response was to partially tear open his shirt, revealing a coat of rings underneath, which amazed Gimli. "Mithril. You are full of surprises, Master Baggins."

Before anything else could be said on the matter, Doom spoke up. "I don't want to ruin the moment, but we should get out of here before more orcs show up." As if on cue, a huge commotion could be heard outside. "Speak of the devil. Gandalf, where to now?"

"Quickly, to the bridge of Khazad-dûm!"

The Fellowship immediately began the dangerous sprint towards the bridge, but they did not get far as orcs began to swarm from all directions, quickly surrounding the Fellowship. Weighing his potions, Doom called out to the Fellowship. "Hang on! I'm gonna clear a path!"

With that, he increased his speed to the max as he began plowing into the horde, shattering bones and flinging aside bodies. Unfortunately, as soon as Doom made the gap, the orcs quickly closed it up, cutting him off from the others. Before he could attempt to regroup with them, a loud rumble resonated throughout the hall, scaring the orcs away. With only an orange glow to indicate what it was, Doom ran back to the Fellowship, intent on inquiring about it, but Boromir beat him to the punch. "What is this new devilry?"

Gandalf's answer was grim. "A Balrog. A demon of the ancient world. This foe is beyond any of you.

Doom merely scoffed at that notion as he strode past the wizard and responded. "Oh please, I've made a living out of killing demons."

Before Gandalf could stop him, Doom dashed towards the glow, shotgun in hand. As he drew close to the source, the wall suddenly burst apart, revealing the Balrog in all its tainted glory. The beast easily stood the size of a cyberdemon, with a similar visage and two enormous horns protruding from its head. It also possessed a wingspan of easily 40ft. Its body was a corrupted swirl of shadow and flame that let out a deep roar of challenge at its new foe, who merely responded by sliding underneath its legs as he pumped three consecutive shots into its chest. Before the Balrog could react, Doom got himself upright and threw an armored fist into the back of its knee, forcing it to kneel. Then he was suddenly swept off his feet by the Balrog's tail, leaving him vulnerable as the Balrog wrapped its fingers around his form and smashed him into the ground. Fortunately he recovered in time to avoid a downward swipe of its claws. He then noticed the beast's tail trying to sweep him again. No way in hell was that happening a second time. Moving faster than the eye could see, he leapt over the tail and with proper positioning, took out his chainsaw and chopped it off. The Balrog then roared in agony as tainted blood gushed out from the stump that was once its tail, a distraction that Doom did not hesitate to exploit.

Doom quickly climbed one of the nearby pillars and launched himself toward the Balrog, grabbing hold of the nape and positioning himself to dig his chainsaw into its neck. But he was thrown off before he could do so. Luckily, he maintained a sure footing upon landing, letting him bring out his heavy assault rifle and fire off an entire rocket salve at the Balrog, each one blowing off chunks of corrupted flesh as a steady stream of bullets poured into the demon. As the weight of the Balrog's wound finally took its toll, it collapsed in a bloody heap in front of the Doom Slayer, barely alive. So Doom proceeded to finish this by ripping off one of its horns, using it to smash its skull, killing it instantly.

As the Balrog corpse lay there, Doom returned to the Fellowship and found them staring at him with surprised expressions, Gandalf's in particular was comical. A quick snap of the fingers brought them out of their stupor as he gestured for them to follow. "Come on guys, let's get moving."

The trip through the rest of the mines went unimpeded due to Doom's achievement being an orc deterrent. That is, until they reached the bridge. The ceiling suddenly caved in to reveal a second Balrog which prompted Gandalf to hasten the Fellowship onward. "Over the bridge! Fly!"

Most of the Fellowship made it across uninjured, but Gandalf suddenly turned towards the demon, staff raised in defiance, causing Doom to grow concerned. "You cannot pass!"

"Gandalf, what are you doing?!"

The wizard did not seem to hear, as he continued speaking. "I am a servant of the secret fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. The dark fire shall not avail you, Flame of Udûn!" The Balrog did not seem fazed by this declaration as it merely roared in challenge, to which Gandalf responded with zealous resistance. "Go back to the shadow." The Balrog then drew out a whip of fire, which it flexed in a threatening manner in an attempt to intimidate the wizard. His dis response was to slam down his staff in a flash of bright light while saying his most defiant statement yet. "You! Shall not! PASS!"

Seeing no visible effect from the display, the Balrog stepped onto the bridge, only to have its half collapse, sending the Balrog plummeting into the depths. But the demon decided that if it was going, the wizard was coming with it. So the whip cracked one last time, snagging Gandalf's ankle and dragged him towards the edge.

Seeing Gandalf hang on for dear life prompted Doom to dash toward him in an attempt to save him. But he was momentarily stopped short by the look on Gandalf's face, suggesting to him that shouldn't try to save him, with Gandalf's words confirming it. "Fly, you fools!"

Doom came within inches of grabbing hold of Gandalf when the wizard lost his grip. Doom was left witnessing Gandalf plummet into the depths, speechless. Thankfully, for him, Frodo pretty well spoke for everyone, not just him. The Hobbit's echoing voice would be about as forgetful as the scene it described.

"NO!"

I do not own Doom or Lord of the Rings.

As usual, constructive criticism only.

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