Chapter 8: Terror Night

The man-beast exhaled smoke from his nose. Or was it steam? Either spelled bad news for Strider, but he wasn't easily deterred, not even by the massive man taking his giant sword into his hand. Still, his face was calm and still as a puddle.

"Aren't you brave?" he chirped. He took one step forward, causing the ground to shake once again.

"You don't even have your weapon drawn, foolish man. Draw your sword, and you will at least die honorably."

Strider remained unmoved, though he exposed the handle and pommel of his blade from behind his cloak.

"Give me the orb," he commanded.

The man laughed in a booming voice that shot off into the darkness above them.

"I am afraid that will not happen, mortal. I've been tasked to retrieve this artifact at all costs, failure is not an option. My master is not a man to cross, or be kept waiting. You will step aside, or die."

Strider didn't move. The large man grunted, but didn't sound displeased.

"Normally, I would graciously accept a challenge from a swordsman, but right now I am in a hurry. Still, I will retain my honor, and give you one last chance to draw your sword, or stand aside."

No one spoke for several moments. The beastly man saw Strider's jaw and mouth from under his hood, and saw it was as neutral and motionless as could be. Strider would not make a move.

"So be it!" the man yelled as he lifted his horseslayer upwards. He took a massive step forward and smashed it down as hard as he could. The ground shattered and cracked under the force of the impact, but when he looked, there was no cloaked man. He had disappeared into the expansive darkness again.

"How can you fight me..." Strider said from behind the man. The man spun around to face Strider, but saw only more darkness.

"...if you can't see me." Strider spoke, this time from behind the man again. The man-beast spun in circles, starting to breathe heavier as he became agitated.

"Show yourself, coward! Face me!"

Then, a slight pain erupted from the man's right leg. He looked to down to inspect it, finding an arrow stuck deep within him. He growled, ripping the arrow out of himself.

"You won't show yourself? Then I'll join you in the darkness!" the man declared as he threw the torch as far as he could in a random direction. He watched it bounce away, lighting the area around it as it rolled.

"Aha! Evenly matched, coward!" he boomed, as another sharp pain rose in his shoulder. Another arrow! But how could the cloaked man see?

Strider silently paced around the roaring beast, firing arrows at him. This fool doesn't realize the orb's glow is giving his position away, Strider thought. As soon as he thought this, the man thought of it, too.

"This cursed orb! It's shine!"

Another arrow hit it's mark. The beast bellowed in rage, and Strider knew this fight was his. Just then, the man dropped his horseslayer. Strider halted his arrows to see what the man was doing, and saw him beginning to convulse violently.

"Well done, swordsman..." he complimented. "It has been long since I've met a mortal who could damage me..."

Mortal?

The man's body began to morph erratically. What was happening to him?

"I haven't met such a worthy opponent since... that man. Forget the orb! I must fight you, swordsman!"

With that declaration the man's body began to grow, until it was twenty feet tall and covered in fur. His clothes simply tore away and fluttered to the ground, including the sack with the orb. Two sharp horns grew from his forehead, right above his eyes, which were now glowing bright red. His muscles were visible under his fur, and the sheer weight of his body cracked the floor under him.

Strider looked on in disbelief as the man-monster became an actual monster. Could this be another demon, like the ones that Guts had brought along with him? Now was not the time to think about it.

"Ahh! Much better!" The beast roared in a louder and more hellish voice as he reached his final form. His head was so high above that the orb's light couldn't reach it.

"Now, about this darkness..." he murmured, then crouched down slightly. The orb revealed two appendages on his body... two massive... wings?

Strider watched on as the wings sped downward at remarkable speeds. A massive gust of wind blasted Strider, launching him several feet backwards onto his back. He looked back to the beast as soon as he could, but found he had disappeared. He heard loud flapping in the darkness overhead, no doubt coming from the beast. The darkness, however, was far too thick to see through, so Strider could only wait. He didn't have to wait long, as a loud smash broke the quiet. Far, far above him, a large hole was smashed into the ceiling. Through it, moonlight poured down, illuminating most of the massive room. Boulders fell from the destruction, smashing into the floor and sending dust everywhere and pebbles everywhere. Strider understood now: the beast had opened a hole to reveal his location! Now, there was nowhere to hide, except behind a pillar.

The beast fell from high above, landing with an impact so heavy it could've been felt miles away. The beast landed with a laugh.

"Ha! Know there's nowhere to hide, little man. You must face me!"

Strider rose to his feet and stared at the monster. It's mouth was salivating, probably in anticipation of a kill. Strider put his bow over his back, knowing it would be of no use now. This monster was definitely indestructible... unless it is a demon, like the others, and weak to elven craft. That was the only possibility. But it would be impossible to land a stab with his dagger, the beast's massive arms would kill him before he had a chance.

"Now I stand before you, us both in full light..." the beast began to speak. "...and STILL, you have not drawn your sword? You must be mad, or have accepted your death. Either way, I will tell you my name before you die. I am called Nosferatu Zodd, scourge of the battlefield, terror to soldiers."

Strider said nothing, but pulled out his elven knife and held it forward with both hands, like a child would.

"Isn't that sad? What are you going to do with that puny toy? And in that stance, as well. You might as well fell yourself with it! Ahaha!"

Once Zodd began laughing, Strider took the chance to sprint over to his fallen clothes. Zodd looked back to see Strider grab the orb sack, and was filled with battle passion. He roared, bringing his wings down to propel himself forward with incredible speed. He grabbed hold of Strider, squeezing him tightly. He pulled back on his wings, sending them upwards into the moonlit space. With a great flap of his wings, Zodd launched the two of them towards the hole in the ceiling, pulled his wings close to him to avoid hitting them on the jagged stone surrounding the hole, and the two of them burst into the quiet night sky.

Strider felt wind blowing through his hair with great speed. In his hands, he tightly clutched the orb sack and elven knife. Now was his chance, he thought. He raised his arm up, then plunged it into Zodd's massive hand, instantly singing the flesh. Zodd bellowed from the unexpected pain. He most likely had never felt elven work before, Strider figured.

The Strike was too much for Zodd, forcing him to release Strider into the night sky. Strider felt his stomach drop as he caught a glimpse of what was below him: nothing, for a hundred feet! The wind around him grew louder as his velocity increased, speeding him closer and closer to the sandy hills beneath him. Is this the end? he thought to himself. Would Middle-Earth prevail from the shadow of Sauron without him? His entire life played in his mind as he fell from the sky like a diving eagle, and in all of his memories, he was holding his sword. Now, he was going to die without it in his hands; instead, a strange, unknown orb, that may or may not hold any significance.

Just then, as he remembered the orb, he felt it pull. He completely forgot about falling to his for a moment, just long enough to reach into the sack. He pulled out the orb, and stared at it closely. He could almost hear it speak to him, between the swooshing of the slicing air. He held the orb to his chest, and struck the sand with enough force to kill an elephant.

...

Guts and Wander emerged from their small tent once they heard a crash off in the distance. It sounded like stone smashing, or a structure collapsing.

"What could that have been, at this time of night?" Guts asked the night sky. The two walked into the cool desert air, both half asleep. "Whoever made that noise, I'm gonna kick his ass."

They climbed up a hill, peeking their heads over to see the ruins Strider was investigating. What they saw surprised them: a massive, furry beast with an intimidatingly large wingspan. It was searching under stones and knocking over pillars, all while screaming, "WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Guts flinched at the sight of his rival.

"Zodd? Here? What the hell did Strider do?!"

He ran back to the tent and grabbed his sword. He rejoined Wander on the hill.

"You know that beast?" Wander asked.

"Yeah, I know him all too well."

Guts stood atop the the hill, his cape blowing powerfully behind him. He watched Zodd closely. Yep, that's Zodd alright.

"I think Strider's in trouble. You look for him, and I'll keep Zodd busy."

Wander looked at Guts, then back to Zodd.

"You're going to fight that thing? It is as tall as a tower."

Guts started down the hill towards Zodd, stretching his neck and cracking his knuckles.

"Yeah, I've done it before."

Wander felt unsure about this plan, but agreed nonetheless. He dashed around the hill, disappearing into the sands. Guts walked towards Zodd calmly, though he knew he would not get out of this unharmed.

"Oh wow! I can't believe it, my old friend Zodd! What are you doing here, good buddy?" Guts joked.

Zodd turned quickly, his eyes glowing brighter than ever. At the sight of Guts, his size increased ever so slightly.

"Struggler... I had a feeling I'd meet you here. You felt the call of the orb, also."

Guts was confused.

"The call of the what? No idea what you're talking about."

"Then you don't know the cloaked man I met down in the depths here?"

"Oh, yeah, I know him. Don't know nuthin' about an orb, though. Speaking of the cloaked man, where is he now?"

Zodd chuckled, pulling an arrow out from his arm and tossing it at Guts' feet.

"He tried to oppose me. How foolish. You can imagine what happened next." he grinned.

Guts took a step back. Strider was dead? That couldn't be, he would've ran and hid, or something. He's dead?

"Zodd, that was my friend, the first man who earned my respect in a long time. This time, I won't hold anything back."

"Ha! That man earned your respect? All he did was run and shoot arrows from the shadows. As soon as I saw him, he stood no chance. He is a weak swordsman."

Guts grit his teeth in anger. Zodd had killed his companion, and was now mocking him.

"Oh, here, you might want this, if he meant so much to you," Zodd said as he threw some shiny shards at Guts. They landed in the sand, and Guts saw that it was Strider's elven knife, broken into pieces. Guts knelt down to look at the broken artifact. He held the sand-covered shards in his hand, then put them in his pocket.

"Your friend's body has something I require, but I cannot find where it landed. After I kill you, I'll retrieve the relic, then deliver it to my master. This day could not go any better."

"One problem with that plan, Zodd," Guts rose his sword. "I'm not dying today."

"Feeling confident, are we? I can change that, struggler."

"HOLD"! a powerful voice commanded from the east. Both combatants turned to face the source, and both were surprised at the sight: Strider, atop a tall sand hill, his cloak cast off, his sword beaming brilliantly in the moonlight. In his off-hand he held an orb that was shining a deep blue. The orb was almost too bright to look at. The moonlight seemed to channel directly to his sword and the orb, giving them a magical presence.

"I haven't gotten my duel with Zodd yet, Guts," Strider spoke as he strolled down the hill towards them. "You wouldn't interrupt our fight, would you?"

Guts was in shock, firstly because Strider was alive, and secondly by the way he was speaking. Strider never spoke so... rhetorical, he was always serious, and he NEVER wanted to fight. Something was off about this whole night.

"Swordsman!" Zodd yelled. "You survived that fall? Impossible! Perhaps you have more mettle than I thought!" Zodd applauded, expecting an answer. Instead of an answer, he saw Strider increase his pace to a jog, then to a run, and finally a sprint. But no, that wasn't the end, as Strider began to run even faster, as fast as a hawk. Zodd stepped back in surprise, then raised his arms to meet Strider with a blow. As Strider reached him, Zodd swund downwards with all his might, intending to smash the swordsman through the earth. Instead, one of his arms was deflected by a parry from Strider's moon-lit greatsword. Zodd couldn't believe it, but before he could even understand what had just happened, his chest shot blood forth like a fountain.

"RaUGHahh!" he screamed as he covered his gushing wound. Strider wasted no time, dashing around the back of Zodd, cleaving an entire wing off. It fell to the ground, pushing a heap of sand and air out from under it. Zodd turned to Strider, who was holding his sword in front of his face. Guts watched in utter disbelief of Strider's skill and power. Where had he gained this energy? Did he have this power the whole time, and was only using it now? Or was it something to do with that orb? Whatever it was, Strider was destroying Nosferatu Zodd, bit by bit.

"You surprise me, swordsman! You survived that fall, and now you're besting me in combat! Now you understand..."

"Understand what?" Guts demanded.

"Now you understand the power of the orb, and why I must have it. Why my master must have it. You will give it to me!" Zodd roared as he smashed his fist into the ground at Strider's feet. Strider jumped over it, far into the air, landing on Zodd's massive head. He grabbed hold of his horns for stability, but Zodd quickly threw his hands towards Strider. In a lightning fast motion, Strider struck both hands away, nearly severing one of them. He held his sword to the sky, the blade seemingly absorbing the moon's light. With his sword glowing bright blue, he sunk it deep into Zodd's skull. It made the same sizzling effect as his knife had, which made pulling the blade out much easier. He leapt off the beast just as it fell to the sand, lifeless. Guts stood nearby, mouth agape. He couldn't form any words at the moment, only strange sounds that sounded like he had trouble breathing. Strider looked over the massive corpse of the monster, Zodd. Then he looked at the bright orb in his hand. It's light seemed to be slipping back to it's neutral state, and Strider could feel immense pain setting in. Whatever effect the orb had on him was now slipping away. He knelt to the ground, breathing deeply.

"Strider! How did you do that? Any of that?"

Strider couldn't respond. He felt the pressure of a mountain on him, and seconds later he was unconscious.

...

Strider opened his eyes to see a blue glow far away in front of him. All around him was endless darkness, even below him. He recognized the blue light as the orb. He looked down to his hands, but there were no hands, only darkness. In fact, there was no body, either. Strider was nothing more than a walking viewpoint. He didn't think about it much, because soon he felt the call of the orb again. He could hear silent speech emanating from inside the relic. He began to walk forward, but he didn't move any muscles in his legs. Instead, his mind knew where he wanted to go, and he simply went. As he proceeded, the light grew brighter, and brighter, until he was there. The light was so beautiful. If he had eyes, he would cry from the beauty. He got closer to the orb, and heard it speak to him. It told him to touch it, and that if he did, he would never have to go back to the world again. He could stay here in the darkness, in eternal peace and comfort, accompanied by the friendly orb. He remembered the pain he felt during his last moments on the earth, and dreaded the thought of feeling that again. He looked deep into the orb, and told it he would stay, forever. All he had to do was touch the orb, and he would never return to the world he knew so well, yet so little. The choice was almost too easy. He began to reach for the orb, but decided he wanted to hold his sword while he did it. He reached instead for his sword, but there was no sword in his sheath. There wasn't even a sheath, just more dark. The orb told him that he wouldn't need his sword where he was going. He wasn't sure. His sword was everything to him. Since he was young, his sword had been by his side, always. To stay here with the orb, he would have to leave his sword behind? As he thought on it, he remembered other things he would leave behind as well: his elf-friends, his cloak, his amulet, his bow. He wouldn't be able to return the bow to the little girl, even though he promised. The little girl made him remember the rest of the stranded refugees, and then he remembered Middle-Earth. He would be leaving Middle-Earth forever. Would it survive without him? Was his task that important?

The orb beckoned him to touch it. He wanted to so badly, but instead he spoke to it.

"Middle-Earth, my friends, this world... they need me. I can't give up yet. My task is not yet complete."

The orb seemed to hiss at him, turning a dark red. The ground began to shake, despite there being no ground at all. What was happening? The orb was so friendly... No, the orb wasn't friendly. It was tricking him! He began to walk backwards, away from the light. As he struggled to escape, he saw something coming into the light behind the orb. Red, pulsating flesh began to form around it, and he could just barely make out what was behind the orb. His vision was fading quickly, but the last thing he saw... were wings of darkness.

...

Strider opened his eyes, this time seeing the inside of a tent. He tried to raise himself up, but he felt like a sack of stone. He noticed his pack beside him. Perfect. If he could reach into the sack he might be able to find...

Lembas bread! Magical grain cooked by the elves, known for it's healing properties. He pulled out a small bag containing a couple of pieces. He ate just a small bit, and he instantly felt better. With some minor stretching, he lifted himself up, and walked out into the sunlight.

"Oh hey! Look who isn't dead!" Guts jeered, happy to see his friend alive and walking. "Do you remember anything about last night? You were incredible!"

Strider thought about it. Yes, he remembered everything, even though it happened so fast. He went down into the ruins, found the monster Zodd, grabbed an orb, then survived a hundred-foot fall. Even after surviving that, he then went on to slay Zodd with incredible speed and power. Then he remembered the orb in his dream last night, and how it tried to trick him into death.

"Guts, where is the orb?"

Guts pointed to the orb resting on the sand a few yards from them, still glowing blue.

"That orb cannot be trusted," Strider told him, pulling out a cloth from a pocket. He took the orb and wrapped it in the cloth, tying it with a string. He put it in his sack.

"That orb...," Guts started. "...it caused you to do whatever the hell you did last night. With the running, and the slicing, and stuff. You might not know it, but that demon, Zodd, is one of the most powerful demons there is. I've never been able to kill him, and every time we face, I usually end up with broken bones. You were able to kill him with three strikes."

Strider lit his pipe.

"Yes, and not only did it give me energy beyond measure, it also saved me from a fall as high as a mountain. The orb is capable of great power, which must have attracted Zodd's master. Zodd said his master must have the orb at all costs. The whole situation is eerily similar to my own, back home."

Guts laughed. "So you're used to this then, eh?"

"The plight of Middle-Earth has yet to unfold, Guts, I do not know how it will end. What I do know, however, is that there is a powerful artifact being seeked out by a great evil. The artifact has incredible power and influence over the world around it. I think this orb may have the same power."

Guts looked confused.

"So what do we do with it? Smash it?"

"No, that wouldn't work. I can feel it. It cannot be destroyed by normal means. What I don't know, is if this relic holds the key to our situation. It could help us somewhere, so we mustn't leave it behind."

"Yeah, like if we need you to kill another immortal enemy, eh?" Guts joked.

"No, we must never use the orb like that again. It almost took me last night. I fear that one who hasn't the will I have would be easily swayed by it's temptation. We must keep it secured at all times."

"Whatever you say, you're the smart one."

Strider looked towards the mountain, where their battle would be happening shortly. He felt frustrated at all the questions without answers.

"I am bothered by our lack of knowledge, Guts. We're following a lead that may or may not have anything to do with our problem, and now we've found a powerful artifact that's being sought after by a ruler of demons. Were we fated to be here? Could this be the path we must take to save Middle-Earth..."

"If you say one more damn thing about Middle-Earth..." Guts cut him off. "...then I'm gonna take that orb and smash you over the head with it."

Strider looked to Guts, interested on what he was going to say.

"All you do is worry about that place, and how you're going to get back to it and save it, or whatever. What could one man possibly do? You've gotta have some faith in that place, don't you? It won't burn to ash in the week you're gone, will it? Gods' sake, man! Don't you think our current mission needs your focus? It's time to start thinking about right now, and not what could or may happen later. That's how you get yourself killed in a fight."

Strider couldn't help but reveal a smile. Guts' berating had caused him to loosen up a bit.

"What? Is that funny or something?"

"No, Guts, you're exactly right. I must stop worrying so. We have a task at hand, and... well, I must be an awful drain on your motivation right now. I apologize, and I thank you for bringing me back to reality."

Guts was caught off guard by that response. He wasn't expecting Strider to actually accept his criticism.

"Until we solve this mystery, I shall give it my foremost focus, passion, and ability. I will help to the best of my ability."

He held his hand out to Guts. Guts looked down, then back to Strider, and smiled.

"Good," he said, standing tall and ready. "Now let's get back to our job."