Chapter Twenty-Six: The Watcher in the Water
Written in story form by Carithawen
Webposter's notes: This is written from the roleplaying that we did.
The Fellowship slowly and quietly entered the dark of Moria's entrance, Gimli looking around proudly as they did so. He spoke towards Legolas, Elfindel, and Halien. "Soon, my Elven comrades, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the Dwarves! Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone!"
Pippin and Merry were salivating at this lavish description.
Gimli continued. "This, my friends, is the home of my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine. A mine!"
Boromir looked around the quiet cave, now illuminated by the roaring fire of Aragorn's torch, and he paused. "This isn't a mine... It's a tomb..." he spoke breathlessly.
Halien stumbled upon something that lay in the ground, and she looked down to find the remains of a dwarf covered in webs. She gasped, and drew her sword turning back to the group.
Elfindel quickly darted her eyes around the floor, images of rotting Dwarf and Orc corpses covered in cobwebs filling her vision.
Gimli saw the corpses as well, and he began to panic. "No—! Nooo—! Nooooooooo!"
Boromir's angered voice could be heard in the confusion. "We make for the Gap of Rohan! We should never have come here! Now get out of here! Get out!"
Halien stood, her eyes traveling towards the door. She turned her head to Frodo—and her eyes widened in dismay as she saw an immense tentacle wrap around the hobbit's legs, dragging him off. She screamed despite herself, and her screams joined those of Frodo's.
Elfindel spun around and saw him being dragged out of the cave by the tentacle that protruded from the lake outside, and her eyes widened as well.
Merry saw this and gasped. "Frodo!"
Pippin ran to him, trying to pull him free, but the hobbits were only dragged out along with him. "Frodo!" He turned to the taller folk. "Help!"
"Strider!" Frodo yelled out.
Halien jumped over the corpses and headed for the door. Thoughts raced through her head, but her only objective was to retrieve Frodo, and she had to do it fast.
The hobbits slashed at the tentacle with their small swords, managing to free Frodo from its grasp… but as soon as he backed away from the water's edge, pairs upon pairs of tentacles shot out of the water. They wrapped around Frodo's legs, pushing the other hobbits away as it dragged him high into the air.
Halien raced into the water, slashing wildly at all the tentacles that had shot up. Her vision was blurred slightly by the hair in her face, and every time she turned to knock down a tentacle, it would lash at her face, injuring her.
Boromir, Aragorn, and Elfindel drew their swords. Elfindel's sword rang as it slid out of its scabbard, gleaming in the moonlight. They rushed into the water, slashing away at the creature's tentacles.
"Hang on, Frodo!" she yelled above the roaring water. Just as she sliced through a tentacle, Elfindel was struck in the stomach by another, sending her reeling backwards into the rough water, disappearing.
Pippin cried out in vain from the shore. "Elfindel!" He paused, finally figuring out what he just yelled.
Aragorn saw Elfindel disappear, and took down two tentacles with one swipe of his blade before scavenging the currrents, looking for her. "Carithawen!"
One of the tentacles that he had cut in that last swipe held Frodo, and Boromir managed to catch the young hobbit as he fell.
From the shore, Legolas drew back his mighty bow, and sent an arrow hurtling at the monstrous face of the Watcher that had recently appeared, hitting its mark. The creature boomed as the arrow imbedded itself in its forehead.
Gandalf called to them. "Into the mines!!"
Boromir, with Frodo in arms, ran out of the water as Aragorn still looked for Elfindel. He yelled breathlessly. "No... Carithawen!"
Pippin stood still on the shore, his little hobbit heart racing as he looked straight at the fear-taken Aragorn. A deeper fear overcame him, and his whole face turned deathly pale… when Aragorn found nothing.