Disclaimer: Um…I own the weird new creatures, whatever they are… but that's about it!
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Virag growled a command at the small Uruk-hai cowering at his side. It scrambled away over the rocky slope towards the town bellow. Already smoke was rising from behind the crumbling wall.
Virag smiled. Soon the last opposition would be wiped away and then it would be the true end of man and his children would take their place as rulers of this world. The child and its heritage would give him the justification he needed and would cause enough confusing in the world of men that by the time they decided amongst themselves what was to be done they would be too late. All he needed to do was deal with those hiding in the hall in the center of the town.
It seemed his spy had failed. If he had succeeded in eliminating the dwarf and his companions this battle would have already been over. But it would not take long even this way. He had enough warriors under his command to wipe away the entire town much less a small group.
And the elf would never reach the king. He smiled. His scouts had brought him word of the companions gamble as soon as the elf had begun riding across the plains. He estimated that any moment somewhere in the gently rolling hills of Rhohan the special group he had sent out would be reaching the elf.
No birth was an easy one, and there had been many failures before the Uruk-hai had come about. But some of these failures had their uses. This was one such group. They could run as fast as any horse, their misshapen forms concealed by dark rags so that only their eyes and oddly shaped clawed hands were visible, they had begun pursuing the elf as soon as he had received word of the companions' plan.
There was no hope for the men in the town. The elf would die and his friends would soon follow him.
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Gimli swung his axe up, knocking aside the Uruk-hai that loomed over with apparent ease. He grinned. If it were not for the danger this could almost have been fun. He had not seen such action since the final battle at the black gates.
But there was too much at stake now, as there had been then for him to take this lightly. His grip tightened on his axe as he remembered Inara's words as they had stood inside the gate as it shuddered under the onslaught of the Uruk-hai.
She had smiled sadly, "There is so much I had wanted to tell you; about myself, my people."
Gimli had hid his worry replying gruffly instead, "Then you shall tell me when we have finished with this rabble. And I shall tell you the stories of the dwarves."
She had been quiet for a long moment before grinning, "Indeed. We shall finish this together, and then we will both tell our stories to Nodin one day."
He glanced over his shoulder at Inara who stood with her back to him. The small throwing blades she held unerringly found their marks. She stood, unmoving, her face down turned as she listened to the battle around them. He marveled that she trusted him so completely that she never moved from her position as the battle surged around them.
Marja stood beside her guard captain. Badly armed peasants struggled with Uruk-hai of all sizes wielding strange weapons Marja had never seen before. Her hand closed over the dirk she wore sheathed at her side. Though she may have wished to join them someone had to direct the ongoing battle.
They had already fallen back to the older inner wall around the hall. Archers lined the aging stone and inside the thick wood and stone of the hall those who could not fight waited for the outcome of the battle that raged outside.
All through the town small clumps of men and Uruk-hai continued the battle. But there were so many. If the elf did not bring help soon they would not last. Even as she watched the Uruk-hai overwhelmed one of the small clusters of men that were scattered throughout the town.
Her eyes fell on the dwarf and the young woman who stood at his back. A number of her own people stood clustered with them. But it was obvious who was leading the group. The dwarf's heavy axe swung felling each Uruk-hai that dared come within his reach.
And the young woman at his back, Marja had not wanted to let her fight. She had known by the way the young woman carried herself that she would not panic in such a fight, but all the same she had been uncertain as to her ability to defend herself. But such worry appeared to be unwarranted. The thin metal blades that flew from her fingers unerringly found their targets, felling them as surely as the dwarf's axe.
Gimli panted, pausing for a moment to catch his breath. The people of this town fought valiantly but there were so many Uruk-hai. They seemed to fill the streets. For a moment he allowed himself to consider the possibility of failure, but he pushed the thought from his mind. More Uruk-hai meant more to add to his count. The elf would be jealous. Perhaps today he would earn a count the elf would never be able to surpass.
The Uruk-hai approaching the stocky figure of the dwarf hesitated as he grinned. Suddenly it did not look quite as simple a task to defeat him as they had thought. And that thought was all they had time to consider as they came within range of his axe. The foremost Uruk wondered why the dwarf seemed to be counting under his breath as it fell to its knees crumpling from the blow dealt by the dwarf. But it was already beyond such concerns.
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Legolas raised his bow, pulling back the string. The arrow leapt forward arching across the plain and striking the dark creature racing towards the elf. It staggered, tumbling to the ground, melding with the quiet grasses, but on either side of it its companions surged forward.
The elf fit a second arrow to his bow, firing again and again, taking little time to aim. His shots found their marks in the dark creatures making their way toward him but it was not enough. There were more pursuers than he could account for with his bow alone.
They were closer now the faint light filtering through the clouds above picked out metal weapons held in gnarled fists and ragged armor covering strange twisted limbs of the creatures loping towards him.
A slight breeze rustled the grass, the only sound besides the harsh breathing of the creatures and the snap of the elf's bowstring as they fell, eerily silent. Above the cloud passed by the moon, drifting away so the world was once again bathed in the cool blue moonlight. It was then that the black shadows reached the elf.
It was as if the ground itself rose up, breaking around him as he stood, pale hair lit by the returning moonlight. Legolas let his bow fall to the ground as he drew his blades. The silver shone in the dim light reflected in the eyes of the misshapen creatures that surrounded him.
He fell to one knee, his knife tearing through the creature that lunged, arcing up and over the elf. Its breath rushed out as it fell aside, missing Legolas by a mere hand's breadth. The elf spun his other blade sinking into a second creature.
He tore it free, crossing the blades as the rest reached him. Strangely shaped claws bit into his shoulder, dragging him off center. He staggered, with his free arm he jabbed his blade into the thick twisted arm that gripped his shoulder. It jerked then pulled free.
He had no time for further retaliation as the creature to his right and its fellow lurched forward. His blades flew up, flashing in the pale moonlight, though they were now stained by the blood of the creatures that surrounded him.
He did not know how many of them there were, only that there were far too many. Every time he turned another shadowed figure stood before him. Spinning endlessly his blades moved quickly flying so they seemed almost like silver streaks in the air, but it was not enough. A gnarled fist flew past his face, drawing a thin line of blood with its strange claws.
Legolas leaned away to dodge the blow, but a second creature was waiting. His breath flew from his body as something slammed into his injured side. He flew back into another of the creatures though it seemed it was surprised as he by this turn of events.
The elf tumbled to the ground, but he struggled back to his feet, sweeping a blade at the legs of the creatures that leaned down towards him, forcing them to back away. His breath came fast as he forced himself to his feet.
His vision blurred for a moment, but he shook his head to clear it. It seemed that he had made some progress at least. The ground at his feet was littered with the bodies of the odd creatures.
There were gaps now in the shadows that surrounded him. He tightened his grip on his weapons. The creatures too paused but it was only for a moment. One shifted slightly and the wind rustled the grasses around them. Then as if they were one, they lunged toward him.
He held one blade high, knocking away the claws that sought his throat as the other pierced the beast that threw itself at him. Another of the creatures slammed into his back as his blades were tangled with its fellows.
The elf staggered, pain flaring warning him that the creature's claws had found its mark. But he dragged himself free, lifting his own blades crossed before the creature, whipping them to either side. He did not wait to see his enemy fall as he turned in time to catch the claws of the creature that had attempted to take advantage of his distraction.
Legolas could taste blood in his mouth but he did not slow. Overshadowing his enemies he saw Inara sitting alone in the room, waiting, Gimli standing shaking with emotion as he swore to return with her child, Marja standing over her fallen husband, hands stained red. He could not fail now.
But he could feel himself begin to falter. A blow knocked him off-balance, he stumbled, catching himself. His blades were heavy now and seemed to move so slowly for a moment he wasn't sure if they were moving at all.
The dark shadow rose, towering over the elf. The moonlight shown in its eyes, reflecting duly on the odd dark claws as they descended toward him. Legolas took a ragged breath, gathering his strength, pushing himself forward. The world grayed around him, he felt his blades connect with something heavy.
Whatever it was fell away as he crumbled to his knees gasping for breath. It was a long moment before his vision cleared again. He tried desperately to move but could only wait for the blow he was certain was coming. But when the light returned there was nothing.
The wind rustled the grasses and the long hair of the fallen creatures. Legolas laughed, but it was really more of a pained gasp. He had not failed. He pressed a hand against his side as the world spun. He had not failed here, but he still had not yet saved them. Slowly he stood as the moon drifted once more behind the clouds, leaving the elf standing alone amidst the shadowed forms of the fallen creatures, a fading light amidst the darkness.
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Lots of action this time around, that took some effort to write. And a nice big Legolas part for those of you who are fans. Probably only two chapters away from the part I've already written and then a couple more after that.
Swasti- Thanks! I hope the action scenes came off ok, I had to rewrite parts of them, they're tough to write. For me at least anyway.
quizzabella- Hi! You have good timing. It's getting to the conclusion now so you'll be able to read it without having to wait, as you can probably tell unfortunately I'm a little slow with the updates sometimes…
Coolio02- Well I updated reasonably soon this time at least? Sort of… but there was action scenes so it took longer to write and… I should just write the crazy thing and not make excuses right? Hopefully I'll have the next one up soon!
