Chapter 21: Let them go you filth! Sam, Ben, and Travis vs. Shelob
Frodo Bagging, Lilly, Clementine, and Duck continued to tread down the rocky, narrow passage of Cirith Ungol, after suffering two terrible ordeals. One with the tunnels of Shelob the She-spider, and the other with Gollum, who fell into a deep ravine when Lilly, Clementine, Duck, and Frodo fended him off, which nearly sapped Frodo's strength completely, but was revived by the intervention of Galadriel.
With Frodo's strength renewed, he, Lilly, Clementine, and Duck continued with the quest by themselves, not willing to wait for Sam, Ben, and Travis to come back. As they continued trekking within the passages…
"Frodo, Lilly, look," said Duck, pointing towards a stairway passage between two peaks, which led towards a black tower in the background.
Lilly, Clementine, Duck, and Frodo walked towards the mountainous stairway, and stood at the foot of the stairs, examining the tower, which burned a bright red light from its peak, though the sky behind was completely dark. Frodo could feel the dread around him and enemies before him, Lilly, Clementine, and Duck in the pass…
"There's a light coming from that tower," said Frodo, continuing to examine the red light, "…I don't like the look of it, Miss Lilly, Clementine, Duck."
"So, this passage was guarded after all," Clementine commented, gloomily.
"As Gollum knew all along, probably," added Frodo.
Lilly nodded as she lowered her head, sadly thinking to herself, 'why…? Why did you do it, Smeagol?'
Even after what had happened… Lilly still thought of Gollum and his sad, sad life, and what made him so lonely and miserable for over 500 years.
Lilly then turned to Frodo, Clementine, and Duck and said, "Frodo! Clementine! Duck… we could wait here. We could still wait for Ben and Travis to bring Sam back to us."
"No Miss Lilly," Frodo quickly interrupted, "…even if Ben and Travis were to bring back Sam… they would still have to go through those horrid dark tunnels. The darkness within that tunnel was even more dreadful than the Mines of Moria. Worse of all, they would have to deal with that monster. And we left Galadriel's gift, along with Sting within the tunnels….
"…I seriously doubt… that Sam, Ben, and Travis will be able to get through, Miss Lilly," finished Frodo, dreadfully.
Lilly took a moment to contemplate Frodo's assessments. And part… to almost all of her believed that Frodo was correct. Without the phial of Galadriel, Sam, Ben, and Travis would be like blind bats, stumbling into the dark without knowing where they were going. It was most likely that Ben, Travis, and Sam would undeniably run into Shelob and be eaten by her in an instant. So, either way… it looked like Lilly, Clementine, Duck, and Frodo were on their own from this point forward…
"…Maybe you're right Frodo," Clementine submitted.
"Our only choice now is to go through this pass," said Frodo, "if we move very carefully, then we'll be through, Miss Lilly! Miss Clementine! Mr. Duck… through before any Orc can stop us."
Lilly, Clementine, and Duck slowly nodded, agreeing with Frodo's advice of caution as Duck replied, "alright, lets go then."
And with that… Frodo, Lilly, Clementine, and Duck began to walk up the stairs.
But then…
Shelob, slowly and silently, crawled out of another opening from within her lair, just above the unsuspecting travelers. As she squeezed her soft, squelching body from out of the opening…
The spider silently made her way toward her prey. Frodo, Lilly, Clementine, and Duck slowly sneaked upon the stairs with great caution, making sure that it was safe to proceed. So much so, that they were completely and utterly unaware of the incoming danger of Shelob…
Shelob crawled up closer and closer, taking support from the surrounding rocks from above her intended prey…
Moments later…
The spider was right above Frodo, Lilly, Clementine, and Duck, who still have no idea of what danger they were in…
Lilly, Clementine, Duck, and Frodo were about to move forward on the stairs, convinced that they could proceed with the climb…
Click!
A very quiet, yet eerie sound of falling rocks suddenly came from behind their backs, startling them greatly. Frodo, Lilly, Clementine, and Duck turned around to gaze at the area… but saw that nothing was behind them…
Not taking any chances, Frodo, Lilly, Clementine, and Duck continued to look at the pass behind them for any signs of trouble… as Shelob slowly lowered her baggy back from behind the travelers… extending her stinger, ready to strike…
"What was that," asked Clementine frightened.
"Maybe it was just nothing Frodo, Clementine, Duck," commented Lilly quietly, receiving a nod from Frodo… then turned to proceed upon the stairs…
STING! STING! STING! STING!
Shelob had used swift reflexes to jab Lilly, Clementine, Duck, and Frodo. Lilly was hit somewhere around the torso and lower body, Clementine and Duck were hit on the arm, as Frodo was hit in the right shoulder, just before the neck. Frodo, Lilly, Clementine, and Duck let out pained groans and jerked from their hits, but they did not fall…
The look on Frodo, Lilly, Clementine, and Duck's faces were anguished and shocked as their eyes continued to stare forward, knowing that Shelob had surprised them…
Frodo, Lilly, Clementine, and Duck had stayed on their feet for a while, after they were stung, making slow, brief, but faint gasps…
Their mouths began filling with foam, Shelob's poison slowly taking effect within their bodies…
"L-lee…," Kaoru gargled Kenshin's name with her mouth, full of foam…
"Le-lee...," Clementine gargled Lee's name with her mouth, full of foam...
"M-mom... D-dad...," Duck gargled his parents with his mouth, full of foam...
Then Frodo, Lilly, Clementine, and Duck finally collapsed and Shelob caught them with her spinnerets, just before they hit the ground. The spider quickly began to cocoon her victims in her spider silk, using her legs to turn them around and around… as more…
And more…
And even more of the silk had covered Frodo, Lilly, Clementine, and Duck in a giant cocoon. It would be a fresh four feasting for Shelob the She-spider, as this was the first time, perhaps in a very long time… that she would eat something fresh and sweet, instead of eating every Orc she came across…
"Hey ugly!" a voice unexpectedly cried out from the shadows. Shelob looked in front of her…
"Yeah you!" a second voice unexpectedly cried out from the shadows. Shelob looked in front of her…
And saw that Ben and Travis, armed with their Elven wooden swords, and Sam, armed with Sting in his right hand… and the phial of Galadriel, glowing very brightly in his other hand.
"Let them go, you filth," snarled Samwise the Brave at Shelob, who shrieked at the arrival of the Hobbit and two teen boys.
"LET THEM GO!" roared Sam.
Shelob released her catch as she snarled at the nuisance of Sam, Ben, and Travis, willing to take her on. Sam, Ben, and Travis's faces flashed with a hint of worry as they thought that it was too late to save their friends. But despite this, Sam raised the glowing phial proudly, unwilling to falter in his purpose.
"You will not touch them again!" Sam gritted at the eight-legged terror.
"If you want a piece of them," Ben the Adventurous fiercely growled at Shelob, also not willing to back down.
"…THEN YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GET PAST US FIRST, YOU HEAR?" Travis the second Adventurous fiercely growled at Shelob, also not willing to back down,
Shelob snarled in response to Brennan's Travis's challenge as she made her way toward them and Sam…
"Come," Sam also challenged, "…come on and finish it!"
And so…
Shelob and Sam, Ben, and Travis began to charge at each other, engaging in battle. Sam, Ben, and Travis swung their weapons, hitting Shelob's legs, managing to hurt her, but…
Shelob roughly pushed her attackers away from her, letting them fly into the air… and skid onto the ground as Sam dropped the glowing glass from his hands, allowing the glow to fade from it. The Spider then used one of her legs to kick the glass away from Ben, Travis, and Sam and charged, with all her speed to her offenders. Sam, Ben, and Travis quickly got onto their feet, with their weapons in hand…
But Shelob was faster as she was able to pin Sam, Ben, and Travis to the wall, trying to reach them with her fangs. Sam gasped in fear as Shelob reared up on her backside of her legs, hoisting her new victims up the rocky wall, still trying to bite them with her pincers. Ben, Travis, and Sam continued to struggle against Shelob's strength as Ben and Travis grabbed one of her pincers, while Sam grabbed the other, trying to keep the Spider from taking a bite out of them.
'Man,' thought Ben as he and Travis struggled against Shelob's chaps, with gritted teeth, 'We wonder if Katjaa, 'Glenn, Carley, and Mark had this much trouble when they were fighting those giant spiders at Mirkwood forest?'
Continuing to struggle against Shelob…
Sam started to use his feet to kick the spider in the head. Soon after… Ben and Travis were using their feet to kick the spider away as well. Shelob was now at the mercy of Sam, Ben, and Travis kicking as they continued to kick at the eight-legged horror with all their strength… until they finally kicked her back onto the ground. Sam, Ben, and Travis then began to climb the rock face…
But Shelob came at them again as she crawled up the rocks again… and knocked the valiant fighters off the rock, falling haphazardly over her body… crashing onto the ground. Sam, Ben, and Travis then spotted their swords and picked them off the ground and turned to face Shelob as she slowly circled the rocks from above.
Shelob sidestepped onto the stairway, over the cocooned Frodo, Lilly, Clementine, and Duck, and jumped back onto the ground for a second round. The spider knew that Ben, Travis, and Sam were not to be taken lightly as she charged at her attackers…
But Sam managed to use Sting to stab Shelob in the eyes, making her squeal and shriek in anguish. Shelob slowly backed away from Sam, Ben, and Travis as she rubbed at her injured eye with one of her legs, until she was against the wall. The valiant Hobbit and two teen boys had Shelob cornered as they both readied themselves for another attack, aiming their weapons for stabbing…
But Shelob caught their steel and wooden blades with her fangs. Sam, Ben, and Travis were once again struggling against Shelob's fangs as the spider held onto the swords with her mouth, unwilling to release them, swinging her attackers around like they were mere toys to her.
Gaining enough momentum… Shelob released Sam, Ben, and Travis's weapons, letting them fly from their hands. Sam, Ben, and Travis tried to see where their weapons went… but Shelob knocked them down, sending them sprawling onto the ground. Seeing their weapons in front of them, Ben, Travis, and Sam quickly went to grab them…
Unfortunately, Shelob was too fast for them as she used her front legs to step onto the steel and wooden blades. The spider now had the upper hand in this fight as she was now on top of Sam, Ben, and Travis as they looked up… seeing Shelob once again extending her stinger from her abdomen for jabbing as she did to Frodo, Lilly, Clementine, and Duck…
And Sam, Ben, and Travis quickly rolled away as Shelob tried to sting her prey, using her bloated age-old hide to crush them like insects. Shelob followed Sam, Ben, and Travis, using her lighting-speed reflexes to jab her stinger into them, as they both kept rolling away from her attacks. As the narrow escapes increased, Shelob released her hold on Sting and the wooden sword. Ben and Travis managed to get Shelob's attention, allowing the spider to be occupied with trying to sting them both, while Sam went over to grab Sting and Ben and Travis's Elven wooden swords.
"Ben! Travis!" Sam called out to Ben And Travis as he grabbed their weapons.
Ben and Travis noticed Sam's call as they rolled swiftly away from Shelob, and quickly crawled over towards Sam. Shelob turned around to see Ben and Travis crawling towards their companion and swiftly charged over to him and Sam as he gave Ben and Travis their wooden blades. Just as Shelob was over her prey, ready to strike…
STAB!
Sam thrusted Sting upon Shelob's bloated belly with a battle cry, making the She-spider squeal and shriek in anguish. Wasting no time…
Ben and Travis was also able to use all their strength to plunge their wooden swords into Shelob in the belly, making her cry out even more, as her screeching became even louder than it was before. Sam, Ben, and Travis then used the time, with all their strength to twist their blades into the spider, making her wounds even worse. Then… Sam, Ben, and Travis pulled their swords out of Shelob. The spider backed away from her attackers, staggering and crying out, the legs on one side of her body not working properly.
Sam then was able to get to pick up the phial of Galadriel that Shelob kicked away as it glowed within his hands. Ben and Travis grasped the star-glass also, assisting Sam…
"…Gilthoniel… A… Elbereth," Sam began to mutter unknowingly, making the light glow a little brighter…
"…A… Elbereth… Gilthoniel," Ben also began to mutter the language that neither he nor Sam knew, which made the light glow a bit more…
The ever-increasing light slowly intolerable for Shelob to handle as it began to sear her sight…
"O menel… palan-diriel," Sam said, with his voice filling with courage…
"Le nallon si… di'nguruthos!" Travis cried out in boldness, making the light glow brighter and brighter within Sam, Ben, and Travis's hands as they slowly lifted the light high above their heads…
"A TIRO NIN, FANUILOS!" Sam, Ben, and Travis roared out together…
FLASH!
The Glass blazed a very bright white light, as if it were a white torch within Ben, Travis, and Sam's hands. The blazing light flamed like a star that leaped from the firmament, searing the dark air with an intolerable light. It was even able to clean the slime off of Sting, as well as Ben and Travis's wooden swords, making the Mithril from within it to glow along with the light.
The light symbolized Sam, Ben, and Travis fighting spirits, for they both had something to fight for. Sam was fighting for Frodo, as well as for the Shire. And Ben and Travis were not only fighting for the future of their world, as well as for Lilly's safety as he promised Lee… but for Lee's mother who died trying to provide a peaceful life for him during the chaos of the Revolution.
The searing light was like a terror out of heaven that burned Shelob's face. The beams of it entered her wounded head and scored it with unbearable pain… and the dreadful infection of the light spread from eye to eye. Her mind was in total agony from the torturous, shining light as she fell back away from the light, recoiling in defeat.
Sam, Ben, and Travis came onto the recoiling Shelob, with the blazing light, driving it off.
"Back! Get back!" said Sam, as he, Ben, and Travis, still holding the searing light, took threatening steps toward Shelob.
"Go on!" Ben cried out, forcing Shelob to retreat,
"Get out of here! Get lost you creep!" Travis also cried out, forcing Shelob to retreat
Shelob cowed at last, shrunken in defeat as she tried to hasten away from Ben, Travis, and Sam. The giant spider struggled awkwardly backwards towards one of her many holes, and backed slowly into it…
…Until she, at last… disappeared into the darkness, with her pained squeals fading. Shelob was finally gone. The blazing white light then dissipated, letting the dark air return to the passageway.
After Shelob had left, Ben called out into the hole, "and you better not think about coming back out again!"
"'Cause if you do," Sam added his cry, "…THEN WE'RE REALLY GONNA HURT YOU!"
"Mr. Frodo!" Sam called out as he, Ben, and Travis rushed toward Frodo, Lilly, Clementine, and Duck, who lay within Shelob's cocoon.
"Lilly!" Ben called out also.
"Clementine! Duck!" Travis called out also
The three brave travelers squatted down toward their respective masters… and pulled the spider silk from their faces. However, Lilly, Clementine, Duck, and Frodo looked deathly pale and yellowish, their lips blue, and their eyes were open, surrounded by dark rims… staring into void.
"Oh no!" Sam muttered in growing despair, "Frodo… Mr. Frodo…!"
"Come on Lilly," said Ben, slowly starting to fear the worse for Lilly, "wake up. It's me, Ben."
"Come on Clementine! Duck," said Travis, slowly staring to fear the worse for Clementine and Duck, "wake up. It's me, Travis."
Sam's eyes began to fill with tears as he whimpered hoarsely, "wake up…!"
But alas… there were no responses from either of them. Desperate for any signs of movement… Sam moved his face closer to Frodo, softly stroking his hand against Frodo's lifeless face…
"…Don't leave me here alone… don't go where I can't follow," Sam sobbed greatly, fearing that Frodo will never respond, "…wake up!"
"…This isn't funny Lilly! Clementine! Duck," Ben said, with tears beginning to flow from his eyes, imploring Lilly to move, or something,
"…you're not dead… I know that you aren't… so stop showing off already. You hear me, ugly?" Travis said, with tear beginning to flow from her eyes, imploring Clementine and Duck to move
Sam continued to look upon Frodo… who didn't appear to have any signs of life within him… neither did Lilly, Clementine, and Duck. Then…
The Hobbit slowly lifted his head and stuttered, "…no… they're not asleep… not asleep at all Mr. Ben! Mr. Travis."
Ben and Travis bolted their heads in disbelief at Sam as if they knew what Sam was going to say…
"…Dead," Sam finally said, whimpering and crying, "…they're dead."
Ben and Travis's face then began to swell in anger… and both roared out, "…NOOOO! NO, THEY'RE NOT DEAD SAM!"
Unwilling to believe it… Ben slapped Lilly's face, at least three times… trying to do things that Lilly would hate them for.
"WAKE UP UGLY!" Ben continued to scream out fiercely, "HEYYY! UGLYYYYYY!"
"WAKE UP CLEMENTINE! DUCK!" screamed Travis.
But… there were no signs of movement from Lilly, Clementine, and Duck. Ben and Travis knew that whenever he called Lilly something bad, she would either hit them… or try to strangle them to death. Only this time… there were no attempts of any retaliation… no shouting, no mangling, no slapping… absolutely nothing whatsoever.
Ben and Travis paused a moment, waiting patiently for a response from his assistant master…
Then Travis began to stutter in great pain, "…you… y-you and the kids can't do this… you and the kids can't… do this to me, Lilly. We-We… We promised Lee and Kenny… that We'd look after you and the Kids… that We would keep Clementine and Duck safe. It was a promise… between two men…
"…we need you Lilly," Ben added, beginning to sob hoarsely as much as Sam, "…We-We… We need you… to train Me and Travis. To train us to be strong- at the Robins Air Force Base… like Lee wanted me and Travis to be. We need-to be strong enough… that-that we will be able t-to stand up for our parents… t-to… to defend their honor and strength… because they helped me so much during the revolution, enough to be worthy of being called, Army. So… s-so there's no way-that you can be dead… do you hear me, ugly…?
"…THERE'S NO WAY YOU THREE CAN BE DEAD!" Travis bellowed out again in his anguish, refusing to believe Lilly, Clementine, and Duck pronounced death.
But alas… Ben slumped over, cradling over Lilly as he repeated, with tears flowing greatly, "…there's no way you can be dead…"
Travis slumped over, cradling over Clementine and Duck as he repeated, with tears flowing greatly, "...neither Clementine and Duck can be dead either."
"…T-they're dead… Mr. Ben, Mr. Travis," Sam muttered to Ben and Travis, who now was starting to be convinced, but not entirely. Sam then cradled himself over Frodo, crying with flowing tears.
Ben paused before he grunted out, "…Gollum… it's all his fault. He's responsible for this!"
Sam heard Gollum's name as his blood began to boil at the mere mention of his name, knowing that the creature was responsible… and meant for this to happen.
'You'll pay for this, you creep,' Travis thought angrily, clenching his fist in great rage, cursing Gollum for his betrayal, '…we'll make you pay for this, We swear it!'
'Gollum,' Sam also thought angrily as he slowly balled his hand into a trembling fist, 'you better pray that that monster of a spider had eaten you first. Because if Ben, Travis, and I ever find that you're not… then you'll be sorry for it-you'll be very, very sorry you betrayed us!'
Sam, Ben, and Travis's thoughts were set as the red fury in their brains burned with the desire to kill Gollum. But despite that, what could they do now? Without Frodo to take the ring to Mount Doom… all hope seemed to be lost.
But now, Ben, Travis, and Sam were left to take the ring. Despite their desire to take revenge, they both knew that it wasn't why they were on this quest. They've got to go on now. And as soon as they had their period of grief… they would take the ring and continue the quest, whether the council gave it to either of them or not.
However…
That option may not be available as Sam lifted his head… and noticed that Sting glowed with its warning signals.
"Ben! Travis," Sam silently called as he tapped Ben and Travis on their shoulders.
Ben and Travis lifted his weeping face at Sam as he gestured toward the glowing blade, knowing that Orcs were coming…
"You get back, scum!" a surly Orc-voice snarled from within the stairway, as well as a couple of very faint grunts from other Orcs. Sam, Ben, and Travis had no time to linger, as they had to move quickly, and out of sight…
A Company of Orcs and Uruk-Hai made their way down the pass. As they rounded a corner in the rocks… the lead Orc, Gorbag, spied the web-wrapped form of Lilly, Clementine, Duck, and Frodo lying on the ground alone.
"What's this?" Gorbag asked gleefully as he stepped down to take a closer look, "looks like ol' Shelob's been having a bit of fun. A four for one, by the looks of it."
Sam, Ben, and Travis had been hiding in one of Shelob's holes as they heard the Orcs and Uruks talking grimly about Lilly, Clementine, Duck, and Frodo's demise by the hands of Shelob.
"Killed four more, has she?" the lead Uruk, Shagrat, asked grimly, as the company stood over Frodo, Lilly, Clementine, and Duck's still form.
"No," said Gorbag, with a second thought, as he squatted down towards Frodo, Lilly, Clementine, and Duck, poking at them one at a time, with his whip… then gave off a wicked, reassuring smile afterwards…
"…These fellows ain't dead," Gorbag pronounced positively.
"Not dead?" gasped Sam in bewildered shock, sharing a glance with Ben and Travis as they, though disgusted by the presence of the Orcs and Uruks, felt a great wave of relief come over them when Gorbag said that Frodo, Lilly, Clementine, and Duck were still alive.
'Then…they're really alive,' Ben thought brightly, 'but how?'
"She jabs 'em with her stinger," explained Gorbag with relish as he nudged a little at Shelob's victims with his hand, "and they goes as limp, as a boned fish! And-then she has her way with them. That's how she likes to feed-fresh blood. Ha!
"Get them to the tower!" Gorbag gruffly ordered his company, gesturing with his whip as they obediently went to pick up the cocooned Frodo, Lilly, Clementine, and Duck.
Though relieved to hear that Shelob had more than one poison, Sam, Ben, and Travis felt like imbeciles after believing to themselves that Frodo, Lilly, Clementine, and Duck were really dead.
'…Samwise you fool,' Sam thought miserably with self-contempt, as he, Ben, and Travis watched the Orcs and Uruks take Lilly, Clementine, Duck, and Frodo to the Tower of Cirith Ungol, 'you should've trusted Ben and Travis instead of your own head. It isn't the best part of you.'
'You're such a jerk, Ben,' Ben, with gritted teeth, chastised himself in his thoughts as Sam did, 'you almost made yourself believe that Lilly, Clementine, Duck, and Frodo were dead. Now they've got them, the creeps!'
"You're such an idiot, Travis,' Travis, with with gritted teeth, chastised himself in his thoughts as Sam and Ben did, 'you almost made yourself and Ben believe that Lilly, Clementine, Duck, and Frodo were dead. Now they've captured them, the creeps!'
"These pieces of scum will be awake in a couple of hours," said Shagrat as they moved off with the cocoon.
"Then they'll wish they'd never been born," Gorbag returned with anticipation as he looked around one last time for any possible sign of Shelob, trying to reclaim her meal… before hunching off after his company.
When they left… Sam, Ben, and Travis filled themselves with a renewed sense of determination and hope, as they now had to go after the fiends to save Frodo, Lilly, Clementine, and Duck from the Orcs and Uruks' tortures…
Disclaimer: I do not own Telltale Series The Walking Dead or Lord of the Rings. TWD is the property of Darrell Rodriguez and Lord of the Rings is the property of Professor J. R. R. Tolkien