Chapter 5: Ranger's Wit
The trio had a breakfast spit-roasted hares and water. While they sat, they observed the people around them. Many of them sat alone, but just as many spoke with others. It was clear that almost no one knew each other
"You guys are going to fix this mess?" A bearded man said , walking to them. He was of hefty weight, and smoked on a pipe. "Word around the camp is that you three are going out to find that giant... thing, and bring it down. Good luck, by the way, 'cuz no ones gonna be able to even get near it."
Canas must have told everyone, probably to give them some hope. Most of the people stranded here looked hopeless.
"That is correct, sir," Strider confirmed. "But there will be no failure, so you needn't concern yourself. As for a solution to our problem, we will have to wait and see, for we are not certain the beast's death will return us home."
"Hmpf, I wish you all the best, then," the man said while he turned to walk away. Now that the trio knew that people knew about their plan, they noticed many people looking at them like they were their only hope. The was even a "You guys can do it!" from the crowd. The pressure to succeed once again set in on Strider. Why was his life always like this? His line of work made some regard him as a hero, but at the cost of the chance of letting those people down. The pressure was lifted by a little girl coming up to them. She had a bow that was much too big for her, with a quiver and several arrows.
"Excuse me?" She said quietly. "You three are going to fight that monster?"
Wander wasn't paying attention, he was focusing on something deep in his mind. Guts didn't care about anything. Only Strider paid mind to the child.
"Yes, we are. We're going to get everyone back home. Are you alone?"
"I got lost in the woods, and I couldn't find my way back." She told him. "I've been with a nice lady here at camp though, so I'll be okay. You three are going to have a hard time with your mission, though, so I thought I'd help as best I can."
She held up the bow and quiver, but it was too heavy for her.
"One of you can take this, it's my father's, but he isn't here right now. I'm sure one of you can use it!"
Guts looked over. "Nice stick," he said. Strider ignored him, and placed a hand on the bow.
"This is a fine piece," he told her. "Did your father use this often?"
Talking about her dad made her seem to light up a little, just as Strider had expected it would.
"This was his favorite! He said it shot the straightest and fastest, so he didn't like to use it very much, to try to keep it in good shape."
"Do you think he would like that his daughter is giving his prized bow to a stranger?" He said with a smile. The girl liked him.
"I'm sure he won't mind! You're going to use it to save us all, anyway. He'd probably give it to you, too."
Strider took the bow into his hands. He tested the draw weight, and checked angles and notches. This was a very fine piece indeed. Having a bow in his hands once again made him realize how much he missed having his. He slung the bow over his back, along with the quiver, and stood. He knelt down to the girl's height.
"What is your name?"
"Theda," she answered.
"Theda, we will meet again, and when we do, I will return this bow. You have my word, and I honor it with my life."
The girl hugged him, and he put a hand on her back.
"Come back safe, okay?" she told the three.
Guts and Wander rose, not saying anything. Strider gave the girl a wink, and stood. He called to Canas, who was helping everyone he could with something or other. Canas came over.
"We are departing now. If we are able to, we will return to this spot when we are done. Make sure you do not leave, or if you do, leave a trail for us to follow."
Canas understood the directions. "Well, you must realize that you may not ever return."
Strider knew the risk, and he was also putting all his faith in a young stranger he just met yesterday, but this was his only lead, and this had to be fixed. If the beast wasn't the answer, then all hope for his role in Middle-Earth was lost.
"Yes, Canas, we may not return. But we will do what we can, or else we will all be lost here longer."
Canas put a hand on Strider's shoulder. "I wish you the best, all of you. You're braver than the rest here. Safe travels, men."
Strider noticed a crowd forming behind Canas. Many of them began cheering.
"Yeah! You can do it!"
"Show that monster how it's done!"
"We know you can do it!"
"Don't give up!"
"TORYAH!"
The crowd of people cheered for their success. Guts turned away and started walking. Wander gave a wave, then followed. Strider faced the crowd.
"We will do what we can, but do not expect us to succeed. This is a grave task, one we may perish in, and it may not even be the solution. You all must work hard to find a way back home. That said, we will also do our best, and hopefully end this confusion. Farewell!"
The crowd cheered as he turned away to catch up to his companions. All their hopes had been riding on them, but now they saw the truth in his words. They had to begin working for themselves, also.
The last they saw of their heroes was Strider's cloak flowing behind him, before he disappeared behind a hill.
...
Wander rose his sword to the sky, creating a golden beam from the tip. It shone directly forward. They were going the right way.
"Wander, you must tell us more about why you think this will send us back," Strider said without looking at him.
"There was a forbidden land of immeasurable power. The land was sealed by a magical ward to prevent anything from going in, and anything from going out. Some days ago, I was able to breach the ward, and travel to the temple at the center of the land. My quest was to... it isn't important to share. What is important is that I've seen the capabilities of the beasts. They have an ancient demon within them, and it has the power to create and destroy. A friendly voice has guided me along this path thus far, and informed me that the demon may have incomprehensible tactics. This is one of those tactics, I believe."
Strider listened carefully, then rebutted.
"If this demon caused this in order to send you to another realm, then why would it also come? That beast is here with us. Would it not have sent you away, and stayed where it was?"
Wander thought about it. "There are many possibilities, and we have little information to prove anything. This is the only explanation I can think of."
Strider understood the boy's perspective. He was fighting an ancient evil when the shift occurred, so it made sense to him that it would try anything to be rid of it's only assailant. On the other hand, Strider was also combating an ancient evil, as well. Could Sauron be behind this? There were far too many possibilities, and they had to make a move. If Wander was wrong, they would continue until they found the truth.
The trio walked through several fields, over many hills, and past many trees. Every so often, Wander would shine the blade in the sun.
"So what's up with that sword? Magic, or somethin'?" Guts asked Wander.
Wander ran his hand across the flat of the blade.
"It was given to me by a friend," he said after a long pause. Guts decided he was satisfied. His own sword held magical properties as well, though he knew it was of a different form.
The companions came to a deep valley, with a river at the bottom, and dense forest on either side. Strider took a look and wished he had a boat. He looked at Guts.
"You don't suppose we could use that thing you call a sword for a boat, do you?" He laughed.
Guts returned with a smirk, acknowledging how ridiculous his sword was. It was almost as tall as him, and there were few things taller than him. Only demons and ceilings, some of them.
"We're going to travel through the woods on the right, it appears less full," Strider decided. There were no objections from his partners. Together, they navigated down the valley, and veered to the right.
Walking into the forest, Strider was relieved to see the forest here was less thick than he thought. They would have little trouble passing through, but the sun couldn't shine in, making Wander's blade unable to guide them. They would have to pass through as quickly as they could. There was no telling if the beast would change course, and cause them to travel in the wrong direction.
"Draw your swords," Guts commanded out of nowhere. Strider and Wander did as told, scanning their surroundings for a threat.
"What is it Guts? What do you see?" Strider shouted to Guts, before noticing a dark stream of blood pouring from his brand.
"They've found us!" Strider yelled. "Quickly! Backs together!"
They stepped back into each other, facing three different directions. They waited for their foes to appear from the dark woods.
They appeared on Wander's side. Tall, disfigured, armed orcs. They looked like failed products of Sauron's army. There were over fifty of them, and they spread out to surround the three swordsmen.
"These are no orcs I've seen..." Strider wondered aloud. "Are these from your land, Guts?"
"I've never heard of an orc, but these things are definitely demons."
Strider was confused. Orcs being demons? There was something off about these orcs, they looked... corrupted. Even more so than usual. Perhaps they were conjoined with demons?
Strider rose his sword to the center of his face. He prepared his stance.
"Are you prepared?" He asked the others. Wander said nothing. Guts reacted with a chuckle, like he couldn't care less. The orcs stood, waving their weapons and making loud grunts and roars.
"Focus on your sword, it is your only hope here."
The demon-orcs began approaching.
"Go!" Strider yelled. The trio burst into the crowd at three different points. Guts cleaved five orcs in one swing. Strider parried a thrusting spear and severed the orc's arm. Wander ran through the crowd, passed behind them, and climbed a tree. Atop a branch, he perched himself, and a bow appeared in his hands, an arrow at the ready. The orcs stared up at him, some moving to begin chopping the tree. Wander let several arrows fly, each finding their mark.
"Strider!" Guts called amid ten orc corpses. "The amulet!"
Strider had completely forgot that his elven amulet repelled demons. If it worked before, it could work now. He grabbed it, pulling it out from his chainmail, and held it high. The orcs gave a slight murmur, then continued their assault.
"It failed!" Strider called to Guts.
"Damn!" Guts exclaimed. "Guess we gotta do this the normal way!"
His sword crashed through another two, felling them instantly. Strider dodged and parried multiple attacks at once, following up with lightning-fast counterstrikes. He saw several orcs falling to the ground, dead, with arrows in their heads. He looked up to see Wander in a tree, firing precise shots. He was impressed.
The orcs' numbers were depleting rapidly. Only ten remained, and they grouped up for an attack on Guts. They surrounded him, lunging in unison. Strider and Wander could only watch as a rain of steel rushed down on Guts. Guts, of course, planned this bait, and used their formation against them. He held his blade close, and spun in a 360, sending orc torsos flying. Not a hit landed upon him. He walked over the mound of corpses.
"Well! They didn't put up much a fight, did they?" He said, almost sounding disappointed.
"There was something with these orcs. They are not regular Mordor-spawn. Their reflexes and strategies were nearly non-existent."
An arrow zipped past the two men and landed in the head of an orc.
"That one wasn't dead," Wander said, whilst dropping from his branch. "It moved."
Looking at the ground, Strider noticed others that still moved. Then, they all began to move! The orcs grabbed their weapons, and rose to their feet, even the ones missing this lower halves and heads.
"These orcs... they are unkillable!" Strider determined. There was no way they would be able to rise with the damage they've taken, were they normal orcs.
"Persistent bastards, aren't they?" Guts muttered.
The orcs, rather than going after the swordsmen, gathered together in a pile. The three watched in disbelief as the orcs began to fuse together, forming a giant, fleshy sphere. Blades stuck out of the sphere at all sides. Once it reached it's final height, it began rolling towards the three with great speed. Strider and Wander rolled to either sides, but Guts went for a strike. He brought his greatsword down on the center of the sphere, driving the blade deep into it. Blood splashed onto his entire body. Turning his hips, he ripped the blade out of the mass, leaving a sizable chasm. The sphere stood still for a moment, before reforming and correcting the damage. It had healed itself!
"Oh hell..." Guts said, quickly realizing that they would not be able to destroy this monster. "RUN!"
The three ran into a thick part of the woods. There would be no way the mass could follow them through the tight treeline. Elven items failed, swords failed, there was no stopping it. All they could do was hope to lose it, but Strider and Guts both knew that the brand would make it easy to follow them.
They ran for several minutes, then slowed to a jog. They crossed many miles this way, and lost little strength. Whenever Strider traveled with anybody, they always had difficulty keeping pace with him, but these companions had a seemingly limitless energy supply. This was the company he needed on this quest.
"Alright, there's no chance it can follow us through that," Guts said, looking back to the thick forest. They had come into a lighter area, indicating the exit nearby.
"Come," Strider instructed. "We are almost out. We need the sun."
Walking between the trees was easy here, each was growing 5-ft away from one another. The ground was covered in pines and sticks that made the area feel rather soft.
"Those creatures, you said you knew them?" Wander questioned Strider. Strider wasn't sure how two people he met didn't know about orcs. They were the biggest threat in Middle-Earth! For two swordsmen to not know about them...
"Yes, they come from a land not far from my own. They are bred for one purpose: To destroy the world of man. For you both to have never heard of them..."
Guts shot an eye at Strider.
"For you to never have heard of them, along with me not knowing anything about where you have come from, by this I speak of Guts' demons, and your mythical beasts of legend. All this seems to exist outside of one reality, but many conjoined. Believe me if you will, but I don't think we are from different lands. I believe we come from different worlds."
Guts didn't seem too surprised at Strider's guess. He was well accustomed to other-worldly events, and, truth be told, he wasn't surprised at anything that had happened yet. Wander saw truth in Strider's theory, but there was no way to prove anything. Perhaps once they had completed their quest, they would find an explanation, but for now, they had to move on.
They came into the beaming sunlight overhead. There was a field that stretched far, with a river running quietly beside it. Wander wasted no time, and held his sword high. The beam pointed slightly to the left. This was good news.
"Strider, your sense of direction is impressive," Wander pointed out. "We've only slighty veered off course, unless the beast altered it's path. Regardless, it should be landing soon, if it hasn't already. I feel our battle is approaching."
Strider agreed. He looked to Guts, whose neck had stopped bleeding. They had escaped the demons, for now.
The companions pressed forward, and before long they saw the land in front of them drying out. The grass began to thin and color, as well as appear absent in several patches. Soon, there was little grass at all, only dry dirt. A hill lay in their way, forcing them to scale it. Atop the sizable hill, they saw the landscape they would be entering next, and none of them were pleased at the sight.
They descended down the hill, and walked into an endless desert.