Chapter 21: The War of Mordor

The two armies clashed as they fought against each other. Orcs and elves fought, while Sauron, Gorthaur and the Nazgul stood watching. Arrows flew threw the air as the elves fired, aiming at the Orcs. Some Orcs fell as the elves charged, cleaving the Orcs in two with their swords. Within minutes, the Orcs were dead. Elrond looked at his army and nodded. The held their ground and waited as more enemies marched across the plains. The Alliance of Men and Elves waited patiently until every creature in Mordor had appeared.

Sauron grinned and started laughing. "The fools; they are outnumbered! We have a massive army, twice as many as they do! They will never win; we shall be victorious!" He looked at his army and yelled, "Attack!"

The army of Mordor charged at the Alliance of Men and Elves, swords at the ready. Elves reacted swiftly, dodging the swords and stabbing some goblins in the chest. The goblins screeched and fell dead. More waves of the enemy came at them, forcing the Alliance to go into battle. They dealt heavy blows, forcing the army of Mordor back. Both Elrond and Aragorn were shouting orders, directing their armies in battle. Trolls appeared, swinging their clubs and thinning the Alliance's ranks with swift blows. More enemies appeared, laying waste to the human army.

Gandalf, along with the rest of the Fellowship, were also fighting. Legolas was shooting arrows at trolls and goblins with deadly accuracy. Gimli swung his axe, killing enemies that stood in his way. Pippin and Sam had also drawn their swords and were fighting against Orcs and goblins. The Fellowship fought with all their might before killing the enemies in their path. Trolls, goblins and Orcs attacked with more ferocity. They swung their weapons, wounding their attackers. Before long, the battlefield was overrun with Sauron's army. Aragorn and Elrond looked at their army of elves and men before looking back at Sauron's. Their eyes widened as they witnessed Sauron's army destroying their own.

"It's no use!" Elrond yelled to Aragorn. "There are too many of them; we need to find a way to thin their ranks!"

Aragorn nodded and looked at Gandalf. "We need your help; Sauron's army has grown too powerful and is slaughtering our troops!"

The wizard nodded and looked at the Fellowship. "I must go somewhere; I'll be back in a few minutes." With that, he teleported away.

Aragorn looked at Elrond in confusion. "Where is he going?"

Elrond just shrugged. Minutes later, Gandalf came back holding something. Elrond looked closer and saw that it was an animal skin. Immediately, he knew Gandalf's plan. "You want one of us to transform into another animal? How will that help?"

"This is the skin of Gothmog, the Balrog we fought on the way here. One of us must transform and fight. I am sure that the strength of a Balrog will give us an advantage."

"Do you want Pippin and I to transform into a wolf and dragon?" Sam asked him.

Gandalf thought about it for a minute. "Not yet, Sam. When Sauron sends out the Nazgul and his werewolf, then you two can fight the respective opponents."

"But who shall wear the skin to transform?" Aragorn asked.

"I will," Gimli said, taking the skin from Gandalf's hands and holding it. He examined it for a bit, looking over its features.

"What? Don't you remember what happened in the Mines of Moria? A Balrog killed your ancestor, Durin!"

Gimli nodded. "Precisely, and now I will be transforming into the very creature that caused his demise."

Aragorn looked at Gandalf, who nodded in approval. "Very well Gimli, just put the skin on and you will instantly start the transformation."

"Will this transformation be permanent?"

Gandalf shook his head. "You can transform back at will, just like Pippin and Sam. But I do warn you: if you stay in the form for too long or lose yourself to the Balrog's instincts, you could forget your humanity and become a true Balrog."

Gimli hesitated for a bit and looked at the skin again. Finally, he nodded. Then, he looked at the Balrog skin in his hands with determination, closed his eyes, and threw the skin over his body.