Chapter 3: By the Grace of Ulmo
*Tolkien owns all characters and places
He could feel the sun slowly climb his Elvin cloak. He awoke with a startle and realized he has slept through the day that night and into the next morning. He felt very refreshed and stood up and stretched. After looking around for a few moments he found a tree that he cut down with his sword. He did this to two other and cut them in half's. He tied them together and made another raft. "Be a miracle if this thing holds." Darenth murmured out and then snickered. It didn't have to be a work of art just get him across the river. He looked up at the sky and saw dark clouds starting to gather around him. "Hmm.Rain," he thought out loud. "The river will be uncross-able if I don't leave right now." He hoped on the raft and pushed out into the river. It slammed against several rocks and should have sunk but did not. He pushed it farther and harder than before. He was more than half way across when a piece of the dying wood broke off from the back and the raft began to tilt. "The shore is so close," Having little time before the raft completely fell apart he grabbed his pack and threw it as hard as he could towards the shore. It hit the solid ground with a *Thump*. "Good," he thought "At least all my food wont get soaked." He dove in towards the shore and began to swim hard. He swam as hard as he could until he hit a pickup in the current and it slammed his right side into a rock. He grabbed the rock and pushed off it towards the shore until he could finally stand again. He stood up and walked a shore soaked with, what felt like, a broken rib. He clenched his side with his left arm and rubbed his left shoulder with his right arm. "I must have hurt my shoulder when I threw that pack." He started "Speaking of which."
He began to walk towards his pack when he heard a squeal of dieing animal. He walked behind a column of rocks and saw the dead spinal lizard. The lizard lay on the ground its poisoned filled blood spilled all over the ground. And the spear that did the slaying dipped itself into the blood covering the tip of it in the venom. The spear was held by a orc who stood six feet tall with broad shoulders a shield clenched in his left hand the venom covered spear in the right. "Little far from home aren't you elf?" the orc managed to slur out before being cut off from another voice from behind Darenth. "What should we do with him boss?" Said the second orc. Darenth turned quickly to see this one was about as tall as the other but carried a sword instead of a spear. "Kill him, what else would we do with him you idiot?" Yelled the first orc as he charged Darenth. Darenth reached for his sword and swung around and deflected the spear and swung out his leg and knocked the first orc to the side. The second orc let out a battle cry and swung his sword at Darenths mid section. The sword went through the cloak and sliced a gash into Darenth's back. Darenth let out a scream of pain and fell to one knee. He realized he was vulnerable and grabbed his knife and unsheathed turn and let it go in one motion. The orc was dead by the time it had figured out what Darenth had done. He struggled back to his legs and turned to see the second orc. "A elf that doesn't use a bow.how odd." said the orc almost trying to taunt him. Before Darenth could answer a bang of thunder rung out and it began to pour rain. "Don't ponder it to long orc. You wont be alive much long to think such things." Said Darenth with a smile on his face. Blood trickled down his back and out of his cloak. The orc threw his shield at Darenth and lunged forth with his spear. Darenth raised his sword and faced the blunt side of the blade toward the shield and placed his hand on the other blunt side to back it up. The shield clashed off Darenths sword and flew off to the side. Darenth moved to the side and lowered his sword down to the approaching spear. He wasn't fast enough as the venom covered blade sliced across Darenths side. Darenth continued to bring his sword down only now into the orc's back. The orc felt Darenth's sword enter his back and then nothing as it fell lifeless to the ground. Darenth dropped his sword and tore off his cloak and rapped it around his back and side. "That should slow the bleeding" Darenth thought. He stumbled over to where his pack lay and picked it up. It was hard to lift the poison was already taking effect and slowing him greatly. He turned back around and began to walk north East.
He made it about a mile before he fell to one knee. He tried to raise himself up but the raindrops as gentle as they were before were like bricks now. His second leg fell to his knee and dropped the pack to one side. He looked up at the sky and the rain fell on his face. "Strange." He thought, "Rain drops so gentle and harmless now fell like a thousand rocks pouring from the endless skies." His thoughts trailed off. Then one thought filled his head, his mother. "Forgive me." He thought, "I have failed you." With that thought he could bear the wait no more. The combination of the loss of blood and the poison had taken its toll. He fell face first into the wet grass. There he lay for what he thought what was an eternity. As Darenth felt him self-slipping out of time he heard a thundering voice. "Do not give up Darenth Son of Dar-Nuth, They will be here soon." And then all was quite. "Who.. Who is there?" Darenth barely managed to say. "I am the one who kept you raft a float. They call me the Dweller of the Deep.But I must go now your rescuers have arrived." And with that last sound from the thundering voice all was quite. "Hey guys look at this!" A voice yelled, "I think I found what happened to those orcs." Darenth could not pick his head up all he could feel was some sort of liquid being poured into his mouth. He swallowed it and felt himself slip out of consciousness.
He could feel the sun slowly climb his Elvin cloak. He awoke with a startle and realized he has slept through the day that night and into the next morning. He felt very refreshed and stood up and stretched. After looking around for a few moments he found a tree that he cut down with his sword. He did this to two other and cut them in half's. He tied them together and made another raft. "Be a miracle if this thing holds." Darenth murmured out and then snickered. It didn't have to be a work of art just get him across the river. He looked up at the sky and saw dark clouds starting to gather around him. "Hmm.Rain," he thought out loud. "The river will be uncross-able if I don't leave right now." He hoped on the raft and pushed out into the river. It slammed against several rocks and should have sunk but did not. He pushed it farther and harder than before. He was more than half way across when a piece of the dying wood broke off from the back and the raft began to tilt. "The shore is so close," Having little time before the raft completely fell apart he grabbed his pack and threw it as hard as he could towards the shore. It hit the solid ground with a *Thump*. "Good," he thought "At least all my food wont get soaked." He dove in towards the shore and began to swim hard. He swam as hard as he could until he hit a pickup in the current and it slammed his right side into a rock. He grabbed the rock and pushed off it towards the shore until he could finally stand again. He stood up and walked a shore soaked with, what felt like, a broken rib. He clenched his side with his left arm and rubbed his left shoulder with his right arm. "I must have hurt my shoulder when I threw that pack." He started "Speaking of which."
He began to walk towards his pack when he heard a squeal of dieing animal. He walked behind a column of rocks and saw the dead spinal lizard. The lizard lay on the ground its poisoned filled blood spilled all over the ground. And the spear that did the slaying dipped itself into the blood covering the tip of it in the venom. The spear was held by a orc who stood six feet tall with broad shoulders a shield clenched in his left hand the venom covered spear in the right. "Little far from home aren't you elf?" the orc managed to slur out before being cut off from another voice from behind Darenth. "What should we do with him boss?" Said the second orc. Darenth turned quickly to see this one was about as tall as the other but carried a sword instead of a spear. "Kill him, what else would we do with him you idiot?" Yelled the first orc as he charged Darenth. Darenth reached for his sword and swung around and deflected the spear and swung out his leg and knocked the first orc to the side. The second orc let out a battle cry and swung his sword at Darenths mid section. The sword went through the cloak and sliced a gash into Darenth's back. Darenth let out a scream of pain and fell to one knee. He realized he was vulnerable and grabbed his knife and unsheathed turn and let it go in one motion. The orc was dead by the time it had figured out what Darenth had done. He struggled back to his legs and turned to see the second orc. "A elf that doesn't use a bow.how odd." said the orc almost trying to taunt him. Before Darenth could answer a bang of thunder rung out and it began to pour rain. "Don't ponder it to long orc. You wont be alive much long to think such things." Said Darenth with a smile on his face. Blood trickled down his back and out of his cloak. The orc threw his shield at Darenth and lunged forth with his spear. Darenth raised his sword and faced the blunt side of the blade toward the shield and placed his hand on the other blunt side to back it up. The shield clashed off Darenths sword and flew off to the side. Darenth moved to the side and lowered his sword down to the approaching spear. He wasn't fast enough as the venom covered blade sliced across Darenths side. Darenth continued to bring his sword down only now into the orc's back. The orc felt Darenth's sword enter his back and then nothing as it fell lifeless to the ground. Darenth dropped his sword and tore off his cloak and rapped it around his back and side. "That should slow the bleeding" Darenth thought. He stumbled over to where his pack lay and picked it up. It was hard to lift the poison was already taking effect and slowing him greatly. He turned back around and began to walk north East.
He made it about a mile before he fell to one knee. He tried to raise himself up but the raindrops as gentle as they were before were like bricks now. His second leg fell to his knee and dropped the pack to one side. He looked up at the sky and the rain fell on his face. "Strange." He thought, "Rain drops so gentle and harmless now fell like a thousand rocks pouring from the endless skies." His thoughts trailed off. Then one thought filled his head, his mother. "Forgive me." He thought, "I have failed you." With that thought he could bear the wait no more. The combination of the loss of blood and the poison had taken its toll. He fell face first into the wet grass. There he lay for what he thought what was an eternity. As Darenth felt him self-slipping out of time he heard a thundering voice. "Do not give up Darenth Son of Dar-Nuth, They will be here soon." And then all was quite. "Who.. Who is there?" Darenth barely managed to say. "I am the one who kept you raft a float. They call me the Dweller of the Deep.But I must go now your rescuers have arrived." And with that last sound from the thundering voice all was quite. "Hey guys look at this!" A voice yelled, "I think I found what happened to those orcs." Darenth could not pick his head up all he could feel was some sort of liquid being poured into his mouth. He swallowed it and felt himself slip out of consciousness.
