Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter.
Let's get to it.
Chapter 8- Darkness of Moria
Clint again swivels his head around once more, trying once more to make out his surroundings. The Fellowship has been going through Moria for about two days now, moving slowly through the abandoned Dwarven realm as carefully and quietly as they can, hoping any creatures still residing in Moria would not notice their traveling.
Clint climbs up over a fallen rock and continues following the rest of the Fellowship as they walk along a path running along the edge of a mining shaft. They can see little of the shaft, save that it is deep.
As Clint glances at the rock face on their left, he sees veins of some kind of material running through the rock. He runs his hand over it, recognizing it as some kind of metal.
"Gandalf. What exactly did the Dwarves mine here?" Clint asks curiously.
"A good question, Clint. The wealth of Moria was not in gold, or jewels, but mithril," Gandalf responds. He then turns to the mining shaft and extends his arm holding his staff. The crystal resting at the top of the staff begins glowing, sending light down into the shaft to illuminate the shaft. Everyone looks down over the edge of the shaft, and begin to feel awe fill them as they realize that they can now see very far into the shaft, but cannot see even a hint of the bottom. Those not knowing much about Moria find themselves in awe at how deep the Dwarves must have dug their mines.
Gandalf continues speaking, saying, "Bilbo had a shirt of mithril rings that Thorin gave him." This makes T'Challa smile a little bit, remembering when that happened.
"Oh, that was a kingly gift!" Gimli remarks in awe at the idea.
"Yes!" Gandalf confirms Gimli's sentiment before he adds, "I never told him. But it's worth was greater than the value of the Shire."
Clint looks over at T'Challa. "Wonder whether mithril or vibranium is the more valuable metal," he wonders aloud, and T'Challa smiles a bit in response.
The Fellowship continues its trek through Moria, carefully skirting the deep pits of the mines and climbing several sets of very steep stairs. After some time, they finally come to a set of three doorways cut into the stone, with three different passages leading in different directions. Gandalf stops in front of the doorways, a contemplative look on his face. However, after a moment, just loud enough for everyone to hear him, "I have no memory of this place."
The Fellowship quickly feels a sense of discouragement that Gandalf, who has been their guide so far, cannot guide them here. The Fellowship begin to scatter in the immediate vicinity to rest while Gandalf sits down on a large rock to ponder the situation and try to figure out which path to take.
As the Fellowship settles in for who knows how long, Clint looks over at T'Challa, who is sitting just a foot away from him. "T'Challa, what exactly is Gandalf? He doesn't seem like a normal human. I've seen magic before, but he doesn't just seem like a human who learned how to use magic. There's something about him that just seems…strange."
"I couldn't answer your question, Clint. I agree, yes, he doesn't just seem like a human who learned magic. I just don't know exactly what he is. What I do know is he is one of the greatest individuals I've ever known, and I trust him with my life," T'Challa responds.
Clint is quiet for a moment before he says, "I trust you on that, T'Challa, and I trust Gandalf by now too. He's just got me intrigued." He doesn't speak up again, just looking at Gandalf as Gandalf is staring at the doorways.
Hours have passed since the Fellowship stopped at the juncture. The members of the Fellowship are getting impatient, but are trying to remain calm and patient as they can while Gandalf is still trying to puzzle out which doorway to go through. Frodo is now up with Gandalf, talking with him about something that had been bothering him.
Meanwhile, Marc and Clint are sitting together against a boulder, taking in hushed tones. At a pause in their conversation, Marc sighs a bit and says, "I don't like this place. There's something really not right about this place. For whatever reason, Khonshu has hardly spoken to me since I arrived here. Maybe he can't really contact me on this world for some reason, but I got a snippet from him since we came here. It was garbled, but it was definitely a warning about something here in this place."
Clint is quiet, thinking about that, still not fully trusting Marc's "connection with Khonshu" is real and not just another part of his multiple personality disorder. However, he also feels unease at this place too.
Clint looks back up towards where Gandalf is sitting. He's starting to think about suggesting somebody check out each path, but before he can say anything, Gandalf suddenly declares, "Ah, it's that way."
That draws everyone's attention before Merry says joyfully, "He's remembered."
"No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down here," Gandalf says loudly as he walks up to the doorway he identified. He pauses for a moment, then looks back at the Fellowship as he adds, "If in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose." Clint rolls his eyes a little bit at that statement, but follows the rest of the Fellowship as they follow Gandalf through the doorway.
Gandalf leads the Fellowship down a long flight of stone stairs, solid walls of stone on either side of the stairs. More than ever, they can hear each individual footstep as it hits the ground. It takes a few minutes before they finally reach the bottom of the stairs, emerging into a vast, dark hall.
As the Fellowship emerges into the hall, Gandalf remembers where they are, and whispers, "Let me risk a little more light." He then blows a bit on the tip of his staff, then raises it as the jewel on top of the staff begins glowing very brightly, illuminating all of their surroundings, far beyond what they had realized the hall even extended to.
As more and more of their surroundings are illuminated, the Fellowship's eyes widen as that sight as Gandalf declares, "Behold, the great realm and Dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf!"
The sight illuminated before them stuns all in the Fellowship. Tower, intricately carved pillars extend upwards almost out of sight, and rows and rows of them extending out in all directions as far as the eye can see. This massive stone hall is larger than anything they've ever seen.
Clint and Marc are stunned by the sight before them, thinking it perhaps even more a magnificent sight than the towering skyscrapers of New York City, while T'Challa considers grander than architecture he's seen in Wakanda. None of the Earth natives can think of anything in Earth's ancient history that could match the grandeur of this hall of Moria. In the midst of their awe, Sam speaks for the rest of the Fellowship as he says, "Well there's an eye opener make no mistake."
The Fellowship takes slow, deliberate steps into the Twenty First Hall, taking in the magnificent sight that lies all around them. Then, Gimli notices something. A doorway off to the side leading into a smaller chamber that seems to be lit slightly. Gimli sees something within it that he can't quite make out, but it catches his attention. With a loud gasp, Gimli begins running towards the doors. Gandalf calls after the dwarf, but Gimli cannot be deterred. He continues running until he enters the room, coming to a stop at the foot of a large stone sarcophagus right in the center of the room.
The rest of the Fellowship follows Gimli into the chamber, where they find him kneeling and crying out in anguish over the sarcophagus. Clint takes a moment to gather a layout of the room, and sees ledges along either side, and what looks like ruined bookcases and chest around the edge of the room. Maybe this was a records room of some sort?
Gandalf walks up beside the sarcophagus to read the inscription in Khuzdul on the surface of the sarcophagus. His expression sombers as he realizes what it says, and he slowly and sadly reads aloud, "Here lies Balin, son of Fundin. Lord of Moria." He pauses, then mutters, "He is dead, then. It is as I feared."
T'Challa feels a great pang of sadness in his heart. He had grown very fond of Balin during his time in Thorin's Company, especially since Balin seemed to be the most reasonable member of the company. T'Challa bows his head, and makes a customary Wakandan gesture meant to honor the dead, while whispering a tribute in his native tongue to his old friend. Both Clint and Marc notice this and realize that this Balin must have been a friend of T'Challa's from his first adventure in Middle-Earth.
As the Fellowship tries to stay quiet for Gimli for a moment to allow him a moment to grieve his fallen kinsman, Gandalf glances around and sees another skeleton lying next to the sarcophagus, holding a large, somewhat disheveled book in its hands. Gandalf hands his hat and staff to Pippin and carefully picks up the book, thinking that perhaps these fallen dwarves had recorded exactly what happened to them. As Gandalf opens the book, dust falls out of it, along with a page, and the spine creaks, showing just how old and delicate this book is.
Although the rest of the Fellowship is still wanting to give Gimli a moment, Legolas is growing anxious. The plethora of skeletons and the tomb are making him anxious regarding the Orcs he thinks could still be here in Moria. "We must move on. We cannot linger," Legolas says urgently, making Aragorn and Clint shift a little bit on their feet, wanting to get going too.
Suddenly, the rest of the Fellowship hears Gandalf beginning to read slowly from the book he picked up, "They have taken the bridge. And the Second Hall. We have barred the gates, but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums, drums in the deep."
Gandalf glances up at the Fellowship, all of whom are getting an ominous feeling as Gandalf reads, then turns the page and reads from the few lines, the last ones written in the book, "We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out." Lastly, he comes to the final line of the book, hastily scrawled in what Gandalf considers could possibly be the writer's blood, "They are coming."
While Gandalf has been reading, Pippin had noticed a skeleton resting on a well at the back of the room with an arrow in its chest, and slowly walked up to investigate. Right as Gandalf finishes reading, Pippin's morbid curiosity gets the better of him and he reaches out to touch the arrow. As he touches the arrow, it causes the skeleton's head to break off of its neck and fall down the well. A loud clanging noise seems to blast through the chamber and its surrounding as the skull falls down the well, hitting the sides of the well. Everyone whips their heads towards Pippin, the clanging still ringing. Then, the rest of the skeleton, seeming to want to follow its skull, falls into the well, eventually dragging a metal bucket with it.
The massive crashing noises continue for almost 20 seconds, blasting through the halls of Moria. At last, the skeleton finally comes to a halt at the bottom of a pit. The crashing sounds die down a few seconds later. Everyone stands absolutely still for a few seconds before they begin to let out the breaths they've been holding in.
Gandalf, thinking after a few seconds that perhaps the noise hadn't attracted anything, angrily shuts the book and snaps, "Fool of a Took!" He puts the book and snatches his staff and hat back from Pippin, snapping, "Throw yourself in next time and rid of us of your stupidity!"
Pippin shrinks back a bit from Gandalf, chastened by Gandalf's words. Then, he hears something. A faint sound of a heavy drum. Pippin looks up at Gandalf, who tenses up before turning back to Pipin slowly as another drum beat is heard. The beats continue, as the rest of the Fellowship tenses up upon hearing them. The beating slowly increases in tempo. And then, they begin to hear loud screeching sounds.
T'Challa's blood chills. He hasn't heard that sound in a long time and had hoped he'd never have to hear it again. Right then, Frodo, at Sam's exclamation, draws his sword partway from its sheath, showing that the blade is glowing bright blue.
"Orcs!" T'Challa exclaims loudly.
Boromir reacts quickly, turning around rushing towards the doorway leading into the chamber. He looks out of the doorway, then has to yank his head back to avoid two arrows shot at his head, which embed themselves into the rotten wood of the door. Aragorn hurries up to him and helps Boromir shut the doors. Boromir leans against the door and says, "They have a cave troll."
T'Challa frowns as he hears this, knowing a troll will make things far more difficult. As he does, legolas throws a few weapons to Aragorn and Boromir that wedge them into the door to try and keep it shut for a minute. Then, the two men pull back to the rest of the group.
Everyone in the Fellowship readies themselves to fight, drawing their weapons. Marc allows the Moon Knight to take over, the suit and his weapons materializing. T'Challa summons his suit, and his claws extend, the sound heard by all in the Fellowship. Clint then draws his bow, joining Legolas and Aragorn. The Fellowship readies themselves, ready to fight for their lives.
And, I'll end the chapter.
Next chapter will finish up the whole Moria arc. I'll try and finish it by the end of the year. Until it's up, please leave a review and stay tuned!