Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter.

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Chapter 25- Fire is Catching

Jakan ducks under a slash from the Nazgul before bringing Hadhafang up to block a second slash from the Nazgul. He whips the Darksaber up while activating it again, slashing at the Nazgul's waist, but the Nazgul jumps back to avoid it.

Jakan's duel with the Nazgul has lasted for a quite a while now. The sun, which had been on the horizon when the duel started, has now disappeared and darkness has settled over the city.

Jakan growls as he blocks another slash from the Nazgul using the Darksaber. He raises a first and fires a grappling cable around the Nazgul. The Nazgul almost immediately cuts itself free from the cable and stabs it's sword towards Jakan's neck, and Jakan leaps back to avoid the blade.

Jakan growls at the Nazgul. "You're a good fighter. I'll give you that," he says. He then lunges back at the Nazgul swinging both Hadhafang and the Darksaber down at it's head, causing the Nazgul to bring its sword up to block them. As Jakan struggles against the Nazgul, he gives a single chuckle and says, "But you're not good enough."

The Nazgul, knowing he has to put some distance between Jakan and itself, kicks Jakan in the stomach. Jakan stumbles back a few steps, but quickly recovers and blocks the Nazgul's sword with Hadhafang. Jakan then slashes the Darksaber at the Nazgul's chest. The saber cuts across the Nazgul's robe. The Nazgul screeches in rage and pain.

"Alright. Time to end this," Jakan says with a growl. Jakan then charges at the Nazgul, slashing at its head with Hadhafang, which the Nazgul blocks. However, Jakan then loops the Darksaber behind the Nazgul's sword. He then twists his entire body and twists the sword out of the Nazgul's grip.

Jakan then whips back to face the Nazgul while returning Hadhafang to its sheath and the Darksaber to its spot on his jetpack. Jakan then raises both fists, points both his fists right at the Nazgul, and lets loose with both of his flamethrowers.

The Nazgul begins to screech like never before as the flames envelop it, setting its whole robe on fire. Without even trying to retrieve its sword, the Nazgul runs screeching towards the one siege tower still intact. Mirta had destroyed the other one about ten minutes ago by throwing cauldrons of burning oil into it and setting the oil on fire with her flamethrowers. Jakan feels tempted to pursue the Nazgul, but recognizes he has other priorities.

Jakan draws the Darksaber again and activates it. He then takes to the air with his jetpack, flying in the direction of the Great Gate. The Nazgul attacking him had prevented him from attacking Grond when he wanted to, but now he's ready to do so.

However, as Jakan flies up over the top of the Great Gate, he realizes that this is going to be a problem. Sauron well knew the danger that Jakan would pose to Grond thanks to the Darksaber, and he had taken precautions to avoid this possibility. Sauron had given the Witch-King a spell that would allow him to conjure a magical shield around a specific object. In the time the other Nazgul had been engaging Jakan, the Witch King had landed his fell beast amidst the armies of Mordor to enable him to concentrate. The Witch-King was now using the spell Sauron had given to him to conjure an energy shield around each of the chains of Grond.

Jakan curses to himself before flying back out of range to avoid Orc arrows. He flies back towards the sire of the one remaining siege tower, where Boromir is still leading his troops in fending off the Orcs. Jakan kills several orcs around Boromir with his blasters before landing beside his friend and cutting down the last one within reach using the Darksaber.

"We've got a problem, Boromir. The chains holding that Grond thing are protected by some kind of shield. If I've learned anything in Middle-Earth, they're some kind of sorcery, probably from the Witch-King of Angmar, if I had to guess. I don't think the Darksaber will be able to touch the chains. I don't think there's anything that's going to stop that Grond from reaching the Great Gate," Jakan says.

Boromir looks at Jakan for several moments, clearly thinking about what to do next. After a moment, he says, "Very well. Do whatever you can to take out this siege tower, then we'll pull all our forces off the wall and station them behind the gate."

"You've got it," Jakan says. He quickly takes off again, flying back up to the gatehouse. Reaching the gatehouse in seconds, he grabs two cauldrons of burning oil. He immediately flies back towards the siege tower. As soon as he reaches the siege tower, Jakan slings both of the cauldrons into the siege tower, sending the oil all across the top level of the siege tower and the orcs on it. Orcs are covered in scalding oil and begin screaming in pain. Jakan then raises his fists and shoots out a burst of flame from his flamethrowers, setting the oil on fire. The oil soaked wood of the siege tower quickly catches on fire, the fire spreading down to lower parts of the siege tower as burning oil drops down. Within a minute, the whole siege tower is on fire.

Jakan lands on the Othram in front of Boromir. "Well, that's taken care of," he says.

Boromir nods. "I'm going to keep all the archers on the Othram as long as we can afford to do what they can against the army. I want you up here as well. I'm sending Mirta to retrieve some more of her grenades from the armory," Boromir says.

Jakan nods once to show he understands. Boromir begins to call every warrior not armed with a bow down off the Othram to set up behind the Great Gate. Meanwhile, Jakan takes cover behind the battlements of the Othram to avoid arrows, while slinging his blaster rifle off his back. Jakan begins to fire his blaster rifle into the surging army, killing an Orc with every shot. The archers are supported by the remaining trebuchets, of which there are about half the original number. Jakan knows it's only a matter of time before Grond reaches the Great Gate. And Jakan knows once that happens, this battle is going to reach a whole new level.


Jakan sprints along one of the cobblestone streets, heading straight for the Great Gate. It's been hours since darkness fell. Most of the night has passed. Sunrise is only an hour or two away.

Jakan had been on the Othram, assisting the archers for several hours. However, as it turned out, the armies of Mordor didn't intend to stick with plain rocks for their catapults. Somewhere around midnight, Sauron's army had switched to catapult shot covered in tar and other flammable materials, which was ignited before the catapult released it's load. The result was flaming catapult shots raining down on the first level of Minas Tirith, starting a number of fires across the first level.

While most of the civilians on the first level had either been evacuated from the city or taken to the upper levels, there were still many civilians left on the first level. Boromir had ordered Jakan to lead a few soldiers to help get all remaining civilians on the first level out of harm's way.

Jakan had spent several hours leading the men assigned to him to find any civilians left on the first level, going from house to house while trying to avoid the spreading flames. Jakan had to enter several burning buildings to rescue women and children trapped by rubble or flames. Thankfully, his armor protected him several times from being burned.

Jakan had finally finished clearing the first level only minutes earlier. He had been ready to escort the last civilians to safety when a soldier arrived and informed Jakan that Boromir had sent the man to fetch Jakan, as Sauron's army were about to breach the Great Gate.

Jakan leaps over a pile of rubble, the soldier that had come to fetch him struggling to keep up. He dodges a falling piece of flaming debris, then rounds another corner, coming into the courtyard just inside the Great Gate. Right as Jakan sprints into the courtyard, he sees the Great Gate shudder as it is struck.

Jakan makes his way through the Gondorian soldiers to the front of the group, where Boromir is standing. Without even waiting for Boromir to say anything, Jakan asks, "How many times have they hit it?"

"Maybe a dozen. It's shuddering worse and worse every time. I don't think it will last much longer," Boromir says.

Gandalf rides onto the scene on Shadowfax, calling out, "Steady! Steady!" Only moments later, Grond strikes the Great Gate again, this time smashing a hole right in the center of the Gate.

Jakan looks around and sees nervous looks on the faces of some of the Gondorian soldiers. Boromir seems to notice the same thing. He raises his sword and shouts, "Men! We are soldiers of Gondor! No matter what comes through these gates, we will stand our ground, and give a fight that Elendil would be proud of!"

A second later, Grond comes surging back through the hole it already created, but now going even further and finishing the job, finally breaking open the Great Gate and causing it to swing open. Immediately, three Olog-hai storm through the breach in the gate, followed by Orcs and some Easterling warriors.

Several Gondorian soldiers try to attack the Olog-hai, but are quickly scattered. Gandalf then bellows, "Volley!" Sveeral dozen Gondorian archers raise their bows and fire. One of the trolls is pierced by many arrows, but is shoved aside by another Olog-hai before it can even die.

Orcs charge at Gondorians. Jakan and Mirta kill several of them with blaster bolts before the two sides clash, the GOndorians slashing with their sword or driving their spears through Orcs' chests, while blocking and striking back with their shields.

Mirta draws her sword and lunges into the fight. Jakan, meanwhile, draws the Darksaber and ignites it as he takes off with his jetpack, flying right at one of the Olog-hai. Before the Olog-hai can react, Jakan drives the Darksaber through its chest. Jakan then kicks off the troll and flies back with his jetpack as its body falls to the ground. Only moments later, Gandalf rides up on Shadowfax and cuts down the last Olog-hai with a slash of Glamdring.

Jakan draws Hadhafang and lunges into the massing Orcs, the Elvish sword in one hand and the Darksaber in the other. Orcs begin to feel fear as they see the warrior in green who wields both a blade of light and a blade of darkness. Their fear quickly expands to the warrior in blue who is soon fighting beside him, both with a sword and a weapon that seems to discharge bolts of flame at great speed.

Jakan and Mirta, fighting side by side, tear through every Orc that faces them. However, both of them feel they have had there skills so tested. Every Orc they kill seems to be replaced by five more, with five more surging past them to attack the GOndorians around them. The two move as quickly as they can, utilizing their armor to its fullest extant, fighting as if they were possessed with demons. The Orcs and few Easterlings among them begin to feel very afraid, and start to pull back a bit, strengthening their lines.

Jakan, seeing a lull in the action, darts over to Boromir, right as Boromir cuts down an Orc with his sword. "Boromir, I don't think this is going to be the most effective way to combat this attack. The Orcs are already spreading out across the first level. If we want to fight them more effectively, we should pull back to the second level and let them be funneled through the passages leading to the second level and keep them from overrunning us."

"I do agree, Jakan, although it may be best to pull back to the third level. I just received word that some catapult shots destroyed the arch leading to the second level, and fires are spreading to the second level as well. It may be better to pull back to the third level. It will also give our archers even more chances to cut down their forces," Boromir says.

"Good idea, Boromir. Mirta and I will cover your escape. Pull all the men back to the third level, and make sure any women and children still on the second level are pulled out as well," Jakan says.

Boromir and Jakan exchange a nod before Jakan turns to Mirta and says, "Alright, Mirta. Let's hold off these Orcs while they pull back."

"Sounds good," Mirta says. She and Jakan face down the Orcs and let rip with their blasters, gunning down the first rank of Orcs before drawing their swords.

Some Orcs charge at them. Jakan charges at them, slicing them all in half with a stroke of the Darksaber. Several more Orcs try to attack him, but Mirta beheads them with her own sword. The two then stand back to back, cutting any Orc that approaches them while Jakan tries to monitor the progress of the retreating Gondorian forces.

Agonizing minutes pass as the two Mandalorians cut down every enemy they face. Several Orcs manage to land hits on them, but their blades only hit their armor, of course failing to penetrate the durasteel and beskar of their armor.

Finally, Jakan hears Gandalf's bellowing voice, possibly magically amplified, echo down to the Gate, "Jakan! Mirta! Fall back!"

The two Mandalorians finish cutting down the Orcs around them, then take off with their jetpacks. They stow their swords away, drawing their blasters and firing a number of shots, killing multiple Orcs. Mirta then throws out several grenades before they fly off to rejoin the defenders, the grenades exploding in their wakes, killing dozens of orcs with every blast.

Jakan and Mirta quickly reach the entrance to the third level, where all of the defenders who have not been cut off have gathered.

The two Mandalorians set down in front of Boromir. "We haven't bought much time, but we've bought another minute or so before the whole force starts attacking. But we saw some Orcs that gpt past us. They've already flooded the second level," Jakan says.

Suddenly, they hear a horn. Looking behind them, striding up a gap in the ranks of soldiers, they see a formation of Tower Guards. To their surprise, leading them are Pippin and Denethor. None present had expected to see Denethor during the battle. To their surprise, they also see that he seems to have regained a bit of vitality he's been missing as of late. He is now wearing chain mail armor and wielding his sword.

"Father! What are you doing here?" Boromir asks.

Denethor walks up to him and says, "You showed me the error of my ways as of late, Boromir. When Master Peregrin informed me of the progress of the battle, it became clear to me that I could wait no longer. So, I have brought half the Tower Guard to reinforce you."

Boromir smiles slightly as he embraces his father before pulling away again a moment later. "Then let us hold these Orcs back until reinforcements arrive!" he declares, drawing a small smile from Denethor.

Suddenly, they all hear the sound of running boots. Looking around, thinking that it's Orcs, they see a wounded Ranger scrambling up the road in their direction. As the Ranger reaches them, he looks at Boromir and says, "Lord Boromir! The Orcs have cut off several teams of Rangers stationed on the second level. Lord Faramir is among them!"

"Where?" Boromir demands of the Ranger.

"They were trapped on the eastern promenade, last I saw them," the Ranger says.

Jakan and Boromir look at each other. At the same time, Jakan sees the look of fear on Denethor's face.

"Father! You know a way to that promenade without having to face many of the Orcs. Take Jakan with you and some of the Tower Guard and get Faramir out of there," Boromir says.

Denethor nods for a moment before he says, "You have made me proud with your leadership today, Boromir. Continue to do so in my absence." Denethor then turns to Jakan and says, "I apologize, Lord Jakan, for my earlier treatment of you.,"

"All is forgiven, Lord Denethor. Now, let's save the reintroductions for after we rescue your son," Jakan says as he draws the Darksaber and activates it.

Denethor stares in awe at the weapon before he nods in agreement, readying his own sword. "Follow me," he says. He sets off through the arch leading back to the second level, Jakan following close behind, and half of the Tower Guard detachment following them.

Denethor leads Jakan and the Guards down side streets and behind buildings, leading them in the direction of the promenade the Ranger indicated. Being off the main road, they are able to avoid Orcs for a minute or two before they begin to see some. Even then, there are not many Orcs to contend with.

Several Guards keep the rear of the group covered while Denethor and Jakan leading the others forward. Jakan fires his blaster at any Orc out of reach while scything through those within reach with the Darksaber. At the same time, out of the corner of his eye, he keeps an eye on Denethor. When he first saw Denethor after his arrival in Minas Tirith, he thought the Steward seemed rather frail and older, and definitely far past his prime in terms of physical fitness. However, Denethor's skill with a blade does not seem to be too diminished. Denethor cuts down every orc to come across him with single strokes of his sword. Although it's clear he's not what he used to be, and not quite as skilled as Boromir or himself, he is still a force to be reckoned with. It privately makes Jakan wonder just how skilled Denethor was in his youth if he is this skilled now.

Jakan and Denethor, followed by the Guards, move quickly through the streets while trying to avoid drawing too much attention from orcs. Moving at great speed, it doesn't take them long before they reach the promenade.

Outside the promenade, they find themselves faced with a wall of Orcs. Jakan fires his blaster, gunning down four Orcs. He then lunges into them, striking down three more with the Darksaber. Denethor and the Guards still with them join Jakan, hacking down any Orc that stands in their way. It only takes them a minute to kill the Orcs outside the promenade. While a number of the Guards remain outside the promenade to defend against any more Orcs, Jakan and Denethor lead the rest onto the promenade.

Immediately, they see that the promenade is covered in Orcs. Faramir and his Rangers have been backed up against a wall, desperately trying to fend off the orcs with their swords.

Jakan and Denethor together attack the orcs in the rear, cutting them down with their swords and the Darksaber. As the orcs turn to face this new threat, Faramir and his men take advantage of this and attack them. Caught in between the two groups, the orcs are all soon dead.

Faramir looks at Denethor in surprise. "What are you doing here, father?" he asks.

Denethor walks up to Faramir. "I had to come rescue you. If only to say how sorry I am," he says. He then looks at Faramir with a proud smile and says, "You have proven your quality, Faramir. Many times over. I apologize I have refused to acknowledge it until now."

Faramir stands there for a moment before embracing his father. "I love you father," he says.

Denethor embraces Faramir in return, a tear in his eye. "And I love you, my son," he says.

Suddenly, there's a terrible screeching. Denethor and Faramir break apart, and turn in the direction of the scrreching, as does Jakan and all the Guards with them. A second later, the Witch-King's fell beast flies in and lands on the edge of the promenade.

Everyone on the promenade is frozen from the fear induced by the Witch-King's previous screech. However, one foollhardy Guard rushes the fell beast. However, the fell beast grabs the Guard in its mouth, killing it.

"Do you not know death when you see it, fools?" the Witch-King says in his terrifying voice. He then draws his sword and raises it, the blade catching fire, an unnatural flame. Power seems to radiate out from the Witch-King.

Then, with the terrible sound of snapping metal, the armor of the Guards fracture and burst apart, killing the Guards. All of the Guards drop, leaving just Faramir, Jakan, and Denethor left on the promenade.

Jakan takes off with his jetpack, flying towards the Witch-King. However, the fell beast swipes a wing at Jakan, sending him flying into a stone wall.

The Witch-King now turns his attention to Faramir. However, the Witch-King arrogantly assumed which of the two Gondorians was necessarily the bigger threat. Terrified of losing Faramir, and determined to stand against this leader of evil, Denethor charges at the Witch-King, yelling, "You will not take my son from me!"

The Witch-King quickly turns his attention to Denethor, blocking Denethor's strike. Denethor strikes again, but the Witch-King again parries his blow. The Witch-King and Denethor exchange several more blows before the Witch-King kicks Denethor in the chest, then drives his sword through Denethor's armor and into his stomach. Denethor cries out in pain before the Witch-King kicks him away.

"Father!" Faramir cries, dashing to his father's side. The fell-beast prepares to try and eat Faramir, but recoils when it is hit in the side of the head with a blaster bolt.

The Witch-King again turns his attention to Jakan, who is back on his feet, albeit a little dazed. He is holding the Darksaber in one hand and Hadhafang in the other.

"Come on and finish this like a real warrior," he says.

"Fool. The world of men will fall," the Witch-King says. He raises his sword, ready to do battle with Jakan, until a horn blows.

Jakan and the Witch-King both freeze, both recognizing the horn. The Witch-King looks in the direction of it, then back at Jakan before urging his fell beast to take off. The fell beast flies away from the city.

Jakan is tempted to pursue, but knows he has other priorities. He turns to where Denethor had fallen and rushes to his side. The Steward is still alive, but only just. Jakan quickly examines his wound, and realizes his medical supplies can do nothing to save Denethor.

Jakan looks at Faramir. "I can't save him" he says. Faramir had been partially hoping his friend could save his father, but this sentence dashes his last hope.

Denethor looks up at Jakan. "I thank you for your aid. Jakan Shan, my last decree as Steward is that all Mandalorians are welcome in Gondor from now henceforth," he says. Jakan simply inclines his head respectfully.

Denethor then turns to Faramir. Clearly growing weaker by the second, the Steward says, "You have made me proud, my son." Denethor then closes his eyes for the last time.

Faramir kneels there for a moment before beginning to cry. Jakan, wanting to give Faramir some time alone to mourn his father, stands up. At the sounds of the horns again, he walks up to the edge of the promenade, looking out over the Fields of Pelennor, and the massive cavalry force now massing near Minas Tirith.

Rohan has come at last.


And, I'll the chapter there. Hope you liked this one.

Obviously, with the Darksaber, Jakan could take out Grond easily. So, I had to come up with a way to protect the chains, and used an idea previously used by Dr. Matthattan of having the Witch-King protect the chains with magical shields. Which, honestly, given who he was and the fact he had a ring of power, makes sense he could do something like that.

I may conclude the battle in the next chapter. Depends on how long it will end up being. If it's too long, I may split it into two chapters.

Next chapter will be up soon. Until then, leave a review and stay tuned!