Chapter 27: Tunnels and monsters

Maglor was sure that some creatures would find this place inviting, maybe even charming. Too bad he wasn't one of those. The tunnels they did follow were often very steep or narrow or both at the same time and he had a few moments of near panic when he was sure they would get stuck. Rog however did never complain so how could he? How far he had fallen; from the luxury of the emperor's palace to this hellhole. The entire system did stink, a sort of mouldy slightly tangy smell of decay but all they did see was moss and slime and even more slime. Fjalir did lead them on with surprising skill, he seemed more than capable to find the best path and Maglor was again wondering about what Rog had said. How could the dwarf really find the way when the king claimed he hardly ever left the city at all?

Here and there they did encounter rivers or small lakes and the goo they had smeared all over didn't seem to wash off. It made them able to see of course but it did also make them rather visible, Fjalir didn't seem to be too worried about that fact. Maglor was rather sure that those odd water creatures they had caught a glimpse off weren't the only denizens of the deep and he was rather adamant that greater monsters were lurking about. Fjalir saw his concerned face and laughed. "There are creatures down here yes, lots of them as a matter of fact and few are what we would define as pretty, nor harmless. But they are accustomed to a life in complete darkness, most don't even have eyes. Our lights are only visible to us."

Maglor shrugged and Rog smiled. "Listen to him, he do know the deep"

The singer grunted. "If he says so, I cannot imagine how he can find the way down here"

Fjalir did giggle. "I go here every night, when the others sleep. My spirit do roam freely ya see, unbound by flesh you can go anywhere"

Maglor did blink a few times. "Are you telling me that your fëa can leave your body? Unharmed?!"

Fjalir nodded. "Yes, a rare gift. But a useful one. A spy who isn't really there is a spy nobody can catch"

Rog did nod. "That is true, we saw a few examples in Angband, elves who simply…fled their bodies"

Maglor frowned. "And the dark lord didn't do anything to stop it?"

Rog shrugged, he did push a boulder out of their way as if it didn't weigh anything at all. "What could he do? He could force the dead to stay put yes, and I know he did some pretty questionable things of which I prefer not to speak but this was something nobody had encountered before. The bodies were just there, seemingly alright, breathing and all but there were nobody home. I think I encountered it two or three times, it was avarin elves on all occasions."

Maglor found the idea disturbing. "So how did they do it?"

Rog didn't even look at him. "Beats me, must be some sort of inborn gift."

Maglor heard the sound of a distant river. "So what happened to them?"

Rog made a grimace. "If they didn't return they were of course killed, fed to the wolves. But their fear weren't there so the dark lord couldn't trap them. I guess they returned to the woods, the avari weren't that fond of ol' Namo at all"

Fjalir did raise a hand. "We are about to come upon a river now, it isn't large but there is something living in it, some sort of worm. It is as long as a human arm, and pale in colour. They gnaw meat, so be aware"

Rog swallowed. "What do you mean gnaw meat?"

Fjalir made a funny face. "What I said, gnaw meat. They are like meat grinders, can strip an orc of flesh in a few seconds. Wicked things, I am sure not even Sauron could have come up with the likes of them. "

Maglor had seen some of the things Sauron had invented and also some of his masters creations, wicked didn't quite cut it. The river was indeed not very wide but it was forceful and deep and Fjalir walked along the narrow edge above the water until he reached a rock which did protrude from the wall. It was rather thin and stick like and he did attach a rope to it, he had a sort of stone woven into the rope at the other end and now he did toss it over the river. The stone did hit a small slit in the wall and the rope was suddenly a very primitive bridge. The two elves had no problems walking across on the rope but Fjalir was a bit more nervous when he balanced across the raging torrent. However, he did make it across and he sat down on a rock and found his rations. "We do take a break here, I know time is running short but we cannot afford to make mistakes. We are entering an area where we are sure to encounter the enemy in one form or the other and we need to be alert and awake"

The elves did reluctantly open their rations too, Maglor did discover that he in fact was hungry and Rog did not hesitate. He did eat with obvious appetite. Maglor did tilt his head. "Tell me, what did they feed you in Angband? "

Rog did shudder. "Do not ask me that again, you don't want to know the answer. Remember, it was an area covered with darkness and sooth and most of the soil was ruined and poisonous, no crops would grow in such a place"

Fjalir grinned. "Meat then I guess, and mushrooms"

Rog nodded. "Yes, and moss, and slime, and…well, if you didn't ask questions that was for the best, or else you would go insane"

Fjalir tilted his head. "The iron hells, I have heard tales about that place so many times. Some of my kin escaped that place but they never fully recovered, neither in body nor in spirit"

Maglor did finish his food, he didn't feel hungry anymore but had to eat to keep up his strength. Fjalir did caress the cold rock next to him. "That dark bastard wanted slaves, more of them. But the Khazad are not easily tamed nor broken, we weren't worth the effort."

Rog nodded. "Yes, I remember that. Your kin were tough, but that was a problem for they weren't allowed to work. They were simply used as bait for the fighters, to train the orcs and other monsters. The things I saw…"

Maglor did squint. "That is terrible"

Rog had a sort of indifferent look upon his face. "Is it? At least they got to die fighting. Not all had that privilege."

Fjalir tilted his head. "You were a fighter weren't you?"

Rog nodded. "Yes, I was large and strong and fast and the dark lord appreciated those traits, he tried to break us in every possible manner and he was ruthless, saw straight through you. He knew just what buttons to press to make you cooperate even if you didn't want to. "

Rog hadn't talked about that before, Maglor wondered why. "So, what was your weak point?"

Rog grunted. "I had a younger brother, he got caught with me. They would spare him if I fought, and so I did and I fought well too. They taught me so much and didn't even for a minute believe that I one day would turn it against them. They were rather self assure"

Maglor heard the bitterness in his friends voice and got curious "What happened?"

Rog sighed and got the food back into the backpack. "They wanted to turn my brother into a breeding slave, he wasn't as large or strong as me but he was pretty. "

Maglor had to cringe. Rog did stare at him, his eyes were dark. "They feed them concoctions which makes them wild with sheer lust, it transforms you into a beast, in constant rut. It is a most terrible fate for an elf, the females usually didn't survive for very long. They were chattel, nothing more. "

Fjalir made a grimace. "They tried that on the dwarves they caught too, but we are not like others, it had no effect on us and there are few womenfolk. "

Rog nodded. "Yes, well, my brother did manage to slit his own throat, after having been forced to sire several elflings. Then they tried the same trick on me, I was probably good breeding stock or so they thought but I was too strong. I was able to stay in control of myself and well, females have never been my weakness anyhow. So I was sent back to the mines and that was when I saw my chance and ran away"

Maglor shuddered. "Sounds absolutely horrible"

Rog nodded. "Yes, it was, but it was even worse for the ellith, some were raped by orcs or other beasts, the dark lord was obsessed with the idea of hybrids"

Fjalir did pat his thighs. "Enough dark tales for now, it is time to move on. The tunnels ahead are booby trapped just so you are aware of it. Do not step on the black rocks"

Rog frowned. "Do not step on the black rocks? I beg your pardon?! All rocks here are black!"

Fjalir grinned. "No, they are not. But I guess you have to be a dwarf to truly appreciate the subtle nuances between colours when it comes to minerals. Just step where I step, you guys have excellent balance, orcs do not!"

The tunnel ahead was rather large and clearly manipulated a long time ago, there were few stalactites and the floor was very even. It did look black all over but Maglor did see that some of the rocks were a wee bit darker than the others. Fjalir did chuckle. "Ya see it don't you? Good, do not touch those"

They had walked for a while in absolute silence when Fjalir suddenly stopped and sniffed the air, he had a rather large nose and it was clear that he had caught the scent of something. He grasped Rog by the hand. "Silent now"

The dwarf did pull them with him into a very narrow alcove and there he did mumble something and moved his hand in intricate patterns. The air shivered a bit and Maglor realized that the dwarf had some sort of magic, to anyone coming along the tunnel it had to look as if there was untouched wall everywhere.

It wasn't a moment too soon, a whole troop of orcs did show up around the bend and among them as a tall creature which did resemble an elf a wee bit but it was taller and wider and the skin looked as if it had scales in some places. It was both pretty and terrifying and Maglor did realize that this was what the valaraukar did look like when they weren't fighting. Fjalir did take a deep breath and Rog went tense, he was obviously nervous. The troop did walk down the tunnel and for a second things did look normal. Then a flash of intense light did flood the tunnel together with a very sharp boom. Orcs went flying by and Maglor did see that few of them were intact, most were more or less torn into shreds. Fjalir held his hand in front of his mouth in order not to make any sounds which could be heard.

The remaining orcs and the balrog did turn back in a hurry, obviously shocked and scared and Fjalir did take a deep breath of relief. "Thank Mahal, those goddamn valaraukar can smell us easily"

Rog whispered. "What the heck was that?"

Fjalir did snicker. "A little secret of my people, sometimes the rock is too hard to simply dig through and that is what we use to blast our way through those hard layers. Mixed with shrapnel from the forges it is one heck of a weapon"

Rog nodded slowly. "No doubt"

Fjalir did step into the tunnel again. "Come on guys, we have to get moving, now we are heading downwards again but no more sliding, I promise"

Maglor could only send him a faint grin, the explosion had been terrifying and he wondered what the dwarves truly had stored of secret weapons.

The tunnel did open up into a natural sort of gallery or rather crack which did tilt downwards at a gentle angle and there was a visible path there between the rubble and loose rocks. It was rather low beneath the roof and Rog was swearing constantly since he and Maglor had to bend over to avoid banging their heads on the uneven rock. Here the system was dry, there were no water and the rocks were no longer cowered with anything. Fjalir did point to long streaks of ore and he did grin the whole time, here he was in his right element and he did speak rather loudly too. But as they reached the bottom of the crack in the earth he did slow down and lowered his voice again. "Alright, we have entered a danger zone, the enemy haven't gotten this far down but there are other things to look out for here. We are getting closer to the lake with the flower, and I am rather sure that we can get there in a few hours if we are lucky but down here luck doesn't mean shit"

He did pull off the sack he was carrying and reached into it, brought out a tiny tin container. He did crack the lid open with his knife and a smell did spread through the surroundings. It made Rog turn around and retch and Maglor felt dizzy, it was the most horrible smell he had ever encountered. It was worse than the concoction Curufin had made when he tried to come up with a new method to use to give blades that sought after bluish tint. Rog wheezed. "Gods, what the heck is that?"

Fjalir giggled. "I have been down here many times in spirit, the thing which do live down here? It has a very good nose, I don't think it can see much and it has bad hearing too from what I have seen but it hunts by using its nose. "

Maglor tried not to gag. "Then it will sense that box from miles away!"

Fjalir giggled again, the dwarf did look even more mad than normally. "Exactly, and flee. A sensitive nose cannot deal with this"

Rog was rolling his eyes. "No shit, nobody can deal with that. What the fuck is it?"

Fjalir did put on a very mischievous expression. "Oh, a little of that and a little of this…"

Maglor sighed. "And by that you mean?!"

Fjalir sort of scoffed. "Let's not go into details shall we? Let us just say that it is…very well fermented"

Rog did scoff. "This isn't fermented, it is beyond that. It has been killed, eviscerated cremated soaked and then brought back to life through the use of the darkest and most foul of magic. It has to work, no living creature would wish to approach something that stinky!"

Fjalir did grin. "Right, see?"

He did stir the tiny container with a stick of wood and Maglor felt tears running down his cheek, it was beyond anything he had ever imagined. When the dwarf started rubbing huge globs of the stuff onto their clothes Maglor just stood there, he was barely able to breathe and Rog was light green already.

From now on it wasn't as much a tunnel as a natural crevice and they went from tight crampy areas to huge vast halls, the air was raw and smelled of something musky and Maglor saw that Rog did pet the small bag with the jewel rather often. He hadn't yet gotten an answer to what the tall noldo wanted to do with the darn thing. Fjalir was sniffing the air constantly and Maglor wondered how he could smell anything after that terrible goo being smeared onto him. The dwarf did stop in front of a very steep wall, there was a small hole up there and it was obvious that they would have to get up there to go on. The dwarf did make a grimace. "Now, this is the tricky part. The mushroom grows up there, in a cave. It is the only place you can find it, but getting in there is tricky"

Rog did scowl. "And by tricky you mean pretty darn near impossible?"

Fjalir sort of shrugged. "Ah, well."

The noldo rolled his eyes. "Right. So, what is the problem?"

Fjalir did wet his lips. "Getting up there is the first obstacle, then there is a very narrow crawlspace and well…there is a sort of…void"

Maglor grunted. "Void?"

The dwarf nodded. "A chasm, we haven't figured out just how deep it is. And it is wide too, and whatever it is that lives down here, it thrives in that area"

Rog stared at Maglor. "Perfect then"

The singer turned to the sheepish looking dwarf. "So, first things first, how do we get up there?"

Fjalir did tilt his head. "There is a sort of path, to be climbed. We dwarves have little problem with it but you two, you are almost twice my height so…"

Rog sighed. "Alright, let us try. We cannot stay here"

Fjalir did raise a finger to say something but froze, his eyes got huge. "Oh no"

Maglor felt it, a change in the air. It became slightly more damp, with a sort of fishy cold smell and Fjalir got a bit pale. "It is coming, we have to go now!"

He did scurry over to the wall and started climbing. It was like watching a slightly obese squirrel scurry up a tree. The two elves did follow and it wasn't easy at all, the rock was slick and oddly shaped and getting a solid grip was hard. And the goddamn wall was almost vertical too. But they did ascend and Maglor did regret that he had spent the last millennia in relative ease. Rog was obviously in much better shape for he didn't seem to be winded even but Maglor was sweating as he pulled himself up. They all heard a sort of squashy sound by now, like someone was dragging wet rags along a floor and they reached a sort of ledge and Fjalir whispered. "Stay still, do not move and do not make any sounds, the smell I smeared onto us will mask our own scents, it will not notice us unless we move."

The elves sat down on the ledge not to be too visible and Fjalir was trembling. The smell got stronger, there was enough of the fluorescent moss there to blot out the fact that they were glowing still and if the thing didn't see all that well it didn't matter much. Maglor did hold his breath, he had no idea of what this could be, if the dwarves were afraid of it then it wasn't something he really wanted to truly meet. He remembered the tales of the battles of old and how the dwarves had fought even dragons with seemingly no fear. Fjalir had sort of curled into a ball and Rog was narrow eyed and caressed his weapons. The wet sounds were getting louder and Maglor did blink in disbelief. Something did appear in the opening to the tunnel which they had come from, it did look like an almost transparent tentacle and it was moving about as if trying to find something. In the absolute dark it was invisible for sure. It was followed by more and they were long and agile and very strong too, it was obvious that this was just the very front of whatever it was.

More tentacles did show up and it did look like a nest of worms, swirling around looking for prey and Rog did look as if he was in disbelief. Maglor did hold his breath, what was this thing? Some sort of bizarre octopus? What squeezed forth through the opening was not anything anybody had seen before, it did look like jellyfish with the upper body of a snail paired with the spikes of a hedgehog and the jaws of a shark. It did look beyond bizarre, Maglor just gaped and Rog shook his head. The only solid body part was the teeth and they seemed to be able to move to wherever they were needed. There were no eyes and the whole thing did look gelatinous, if it had a brain it had to be transparent too. Fjalir was staring and his eyes were the size of tea cups.

The size was a shock too, it was huge. But since it was all soft it could squeeze through everywhere and Maglor forced himself to stay calm, the thing was probably very sensitive. Rog had a very sinister look within his eyes and he moved slowly, he pulled the dark gem from his pack and weighed it in his hands. Maglor just blinked, he had started to realize what it was the other elf was planning. The former slave did toss the gem at the thing, and he had a very impressive arm for the stone did fly with considerable force and buried itself in the gelatinous flesh of the torso. The beast didn't even react and Maglor sent Rog a confused look. The other elf did grin, a very vicious grin. The beast did pull itself forwards and continued along the wall, it did disappear into a rather narrow opening and they waited for some minutes before moving. Fjalir was wet with sweat and Maglor could hardly believe what he had just seen. What in the name of Eru was that thing? Something left behind from a previous creation? Rog stretched himself with some glee. "Good, the thing will eat well for a while, the orcs and the other creatures will sense the gem and be drawn towards it"

Maglor had to shake his head. "You are clever, and devious"

Rog nodded. "I have to be"

Fjalir was almost stepping. "We have to move on, time is precious remember?"

They did continue climbing and the opening up there was narrow indeed. It felt claustrophobic getting in there but they had to endure. Luckily it was rather dry there and Fjalir was leading the way with confidence. But soon the opening did widen and they entered a sort of wide ledge, in front of them was a huge cave but there was no floor. Just a vertical drop into a veritable void of darkness and Maglor saw that there was a ledge on the other side but it was far away. The chasm had to be several hundred feet wide and the roof was also very hard to spot. Rog did cross his arms over his chest. "So, now what?"

Fjalir made a grimace. "We have to rely on magic, sorry. It is not very trustworthy but the only chance we have"

Rog grunted and Maglor took a deep breath. "I didn't know that you dwarves have magic?"

Fjalir smiled. "Oh the maker has given us gifts we don't show to outsiders that often, it is just the way it is. "

He did go over to the edge and took something from his pack, it was some small pebbles and he laid them carefully down in a sort of patterns. Then he started to chant in khuzdul and the pebbles seemed to multiply. He threw a stern glance at the elves. "Remember, you haven't seen this"

Rog was tilting his head, he did look as if he found this very puzzling and Maglor was stunned. He had never really thought of the dwarves as a race capable of doing anything magic. The pebbles did form a sort of beam, perhaps one square foot in size and it did stretch towards the roof like a plant reaches for the sun. Fjalir was chanting and his eyes were rather dark. Maglor did notice that the dwarf was sweating and he was a bit pale, this had to take a lot of energy. The beam suddenly bent at the bottom and stretched across the void with amazing speed, it was an unnerving sight. Before ten minutes were gone there was a bridge there, about a foot wide and not very solid looking but it was there and Fjalir did grin, he was soaking wet. "There, it is done. We have to go now, it won't last that long I fear"

Rog stared at the bridge, he shrugged. "Right, I have risked my life doing things which were probably less foolhardy than crossing this so why not?"

He did walk onto the narrow structure and it didn't move at all. To an elf the narrow rock formation was like a highway but Maglor tried not to think of the void underneath it still. It was just darkness down there, not even a hint of the light from the moss. Fjalir was the last to scurry over, he was panting when he reached the other side. He did make an apologetic grimace. "I am sorry, normally I don't get winded that easily but keeping the bridge up takes a lot out of me."

He did touch the bridge and suddenly it was simply gone, there were a small pile of pebbles on the ground and he picked them up and put them in his pockets. "There, we cannot be followed now, and the way back? We have to use another route"

The path ahead was wider and more elaborate and it was clear that somebody had worked on it once upon a time. Fjalir did grin. "One of our first kings did try to expand the city into this area, some tunnels were expanded and refined and they didn't stop digging until they reached the cave with the mushrooms."

Rog did look a bit sinister. "Why did they stop then?"

Fjalir made a sort sheepish grimace, he did that kind of often. "The cave wasn't safe, the mushroom isn't the only thing which does grow there"

Maglor frowned. "So, there is danger there?"

Fjalir nodded but smiled. "Where is the place in his mountain where danger is absent? Not here, I can assure you of that"

Rog shook his head. "So, what sort of danger are we talking about?"

Fjalir walked on. "A moss, when it does flower it does produce a sort of pollen and it can cause some hefty hallucinations, or visions or whatever one should call it. I have never experienced it but one is caught in it for hours. It isn't really dangerous in itself but it can cause people to walk straight off bridges and things like that. Some of the young do enjoy tripping on the stuff but there has to be at least one sober person present at all times. One dwarf I heard about got so high he tried to couple with a statue of one of the kings favourite wives, it wasn't appreciated to say the least. "

Rog had to snicker. "I can imagine"

The tunnel was winding and probably leading upwards a bit. Here and there were traces of what had been steps and Maglor did recon that it was a very long time ago indeed that this passage had been expanded. Fjalir stopped when they saw a faint light up ahead. "If the moss is flowering now you would be wise not to disturb it in any manner. Just grab that darn mushroom and follow me."

The cave they did enter was enormous, Maglor was gaping for a second. You could have fit Finwe's palace in Tirion inside of it three times at least and there was a thick layer of fog or even clouds obscuring the view of the roof. It was lighted by glowing moss and also by some huge crystals which did protrude from the walls here and there and Maglor could only guess at the value of them. Fjalir was hesitating, it was obvious that he was trying to find the best path and Rog was pointing at an area ahead of them. It was covered with mushrooms and they had the most insane colour Maglor had ever seen. He remembered that Indis had developed a love of orchids and had sent elves out to all the corners of Valinor to gather rare species. One she had managed to get her hands on had stunned everybody who saw it, it had a colour of pale purple which was absolutely gorgeous but the purple was mixed with specks of what could only be described as neon green. These mushrooms were even worse, the colour a sharp purple which did look unnatural and the specks were either sharp apple green or a ghastly pink. If any creature walked by these mushrooms and didn't understand the warning of "I am poisonous, be aware" they were getting what they deserved.

Fjalir pointed at the tufts of bright green moss between the mushrooms, the mushrooms were almost two feet tall and the tops shaped almost like an upside down bowl. "The mushrooms are ripe, but so is the moss. Do not disturb it"

Maglor saw that the moss had some sort of tiny flowers, bright yellow and very pretty, like tiny stars. Rog took out a knife and cut away at a few mushrooms, the stems were surprisingly hard and tough to get through and Fjalir did look impatient. Maglor saw that the mushrooms were bleeding a sort of bluish liquid and it did smell too. The scent wasn't unpleasant but odd, not like anything he had smelled before. Rog bent over to cut at yet another mushroom and as the knife did make contact with the stem there was a sort of thin shriek being herd and something did rush forth from behind the tall mushroom. It was a sort of furry creature with no eyes and it did look a bit like a flying squirrel but it had some bizarre long arms instead of wings and it ran straight through a huge tuft of moss before scurrying away up a column at an insane speed. The moss was disturbed and a small cloud of bright yellow pollen was released, it spread with lightning speed and Maglor was straight in its path. He did try to duck out of its way but it was too late. His nostrils were filled with an intense sweet almost sickening smell and it felt like an explosion within his head. He couldn't find his feet, they felt as if they were floating and he keeled over and felt how the entire world was spinning in front of his eyes.

Rog cursed and Fjalir was obviously very distraught. "Quick, pick him up, we have to get out of here, now!"

Maglor knew something was wrong but he couldn't put his finger on it, everything was so very pleasant. He was back in the harem of the Sha'al and Artemar was manhandling him in a most suggestive manner. He felt how his body did respond to the stimulation and he arched into the touch. Everything was blissful, he wanted to stay there with his love and just be lost in the moment. He was unaware of the fact that Rog carried him through the cave and followed Fjalir into a side tunnel where the air was free of the dangerous pollen. Fjalir was cursing. "Mahal's crap, I didn't remember those cave animals."

Rog did place a moaning Maglor onto the ground very gently. He was strong even for an elf but Maglor was not small and he was writhing a lot. It was very obvious what sort of effect the pollen had on his friend and lover. "How long will he be affected?"

Fjalir did roll his eyes. "I have no clue, I haven't heard of an elf who has been exposed to that pollen, like ever!"

Rog grunted, Maglor was clawing at his clothes, eyes huge and pupils blown wide. Holding the elf still was not easy at all. "Give me an estimate damn it"

Fjalir shrugged. "An hour? Two? My guess is as good as yours"

Rog rolled his eyes and sat down, he held Maglor firmly. "So, any ideas of how to get the pollen out of his system?"

The dwarf was blinking, "Ah, grog may help, a bit?"

He did reach into his pack and brought out a tiny flask, the cork came off and a very intense smell could be felt. It did make Rog wheeze. "Is this really what dwarves drink? Then by Eru I am not surprised you are a tough bunch"

Fjalir giggled. "It is good, don't mind the smell."

Rog took the flask and had a tiny sip, he made a grimace. "It burns, but it doesn't taste half bad"

He did put the flask against Maglor's lips and the writhing elf did in fact swallow a little, Fjalir smiled. "It will do him good I am sure"

Maglor was hovering, Artemar was there, and someone else he did feel was important to him and he felt as if he was flying somehow. He saw his home, or what had been his home. He saw his brothers and parents and had to laugh, he was witnessing the one time Celegorm did embarrass the entire family by bringing some of his dogs to a family dinner, and one of the bitches were in heat. Needless to say the dinner turned into mayhem as the king had several male dogs running around in the garden and they didn't obey when they smelled such a temptation. He saw how he got captured by that beach, centuries did flow by in mere seconds and he saw the death of Artemar and the journey east. It was all going by slowly and yet so fast and then something changed.

He didn't recognize what he saw at all, he was in an alleyway somewhere, between tall walls and he heard the sound of wailing and then a voice singing and that voice was like hearing one of the maiar sing. It was a voice unlike anything he had ever heard before and he was drawn towards it. Then he saw a pair of pale blue eyes and a necklace made from cheap blue gemstones.

He didn't understand, he saw himself standing next to a small veiled woman who did sing to a crowd of many people and then he saw himself bidding that same woman goodbye, sending her away. He tried to make sense of it all but it was impossible. This was something which hadn't yet happened and he knew that the gift of foresight was known to surface from time to time in his family. He saw a very beautiful woman with thick dark hair travelling in a carriage, her face veiled and her demeanour very humble. Then he saw a vast hall filled with life and light and yet it was underground. He saw a very tall ellon sitting on a throne, it had to be a sinda judging by the height and colours and something about him did remind Maglor of Elu Thingol. He saw that two dance, a very slow and elegant dance and yet there was some sort of tension there and he didn't understand. The woman was a peredhel and he saw her name in his mind. She was humming a song and he did recognize the tune and the words. What was this? Did he see the future?

Then everything changed yet again and he was leading an army, everyone well armed and riding good horses, he somehow felt that this was in a different time from what he had just seen. He saw himself riding through a dense forest and then the vision did end and he just floated there, feeling oddly empty.

Rog was holding the other elf for a long time, Maglor was clearly hallucinating and Fjalir was standing there shifting his weight from one side to the other, clearly impatient. Suddenly Maglor did gasp and sat up so fast he almost headbutted Rog. The other ellon had to throw himself backwards and Maglor was gasping. Fjalir blinked. "Good trip?"

Maglor gaped. "Are you kidding me? How long was I out?"

Rog sighed. "Too long, a couple of hours I think. How do you feel?"

Maglor did swallow. "I am hungry, and thirsty. And I feel like shit!"

Fjalir giggled. "A normal reaction. So, what did you see?"

Maglor frowned. "I don't like to discuss it now, I need some water please?"

Rog handed him a bottle and Maglor did drink greedily. His head hurt like heck and he still felt a bit odd, as if he was hovering. Rog got up. "We better get moving. There is no saying what Pallando is up to"

Fjalir did nod. "Right, we have to hurry. We have lost precious time"

Maglor got back on his feet, he felt unsteady and strange and he had a faint memory of a lovely voice and blue gems. The things he had seen were fading from his memory even if he tried to grasp onto it. Fjalir did almost jog. "We have to get to the lake of black goo, it should be rather easy to get there from here"

Maglor did sigh, he had a feeling that it would be everything but easy.

The creature had been scouting its hunting grounds and it did slowly pull itself back to its lair deep within the rock, it was even larger than one would expect for it was like some sorts of fungus, it had several parts which would attach or come off whenever they were needed. In the lair it did merge with the rest of its body and it filled the cave almost entirely. Within it was the dark gem but it didn't feel it at all. This thing was beyond good or evil, it simply was and it was too primitive to be affected by magic. It was unaware of the attraction the gem did produce and it was resting. It had no thoughts and no real conscience, it didn't need anything except simple instincts to survive and it was very efficient when it came to that. It was capable of eating just about anything, some absorbed through the very skin and other larger things torn apart by the sharp rows of teeth. If it had been a member of a large species or if it was the only one of its kind to ever exist was beyond its comprehension, it didn't care and it didn't really have a concept of its own being. It knew only hunger and darkness and it felt content in a very simple manner.

It didn't sleep, it just laid there, in a state of slightly reduced awareness. When it felt the first vibrations it didn't even react at first for it had fed well over the last days. It didn't really need that much food for its system was efficient and the body was not using much calories to stay alive. But the slight vibrations got stronger, this had to be something other than just rats and it did slowly awaken. It could be danger or food and it knew of few dangers. Some tentacles did stretch out, like invisible hands exploring the very air itself. There was something getting closer and it was rather large, or rather, it was more than one being. The creature did awaken fully, this could mean danger and it sort of compressed its own tissues, became more dense and tough. The teeth moved to the front and the tentacles did gather too, forming a ring around the newly formed maw.

There were noises, sharp and unpleasant and it felt the ground shake. Some cells along its sides were capable of creating colour and now they turned a bright red, the colour of warning and anger.

The horde which came rushing down the tunnel were mostly orcs, they were under the command of Pallando but right now their original lord were the one steering them, the spirit of Sauron was strong here and tried to get the gem with any means possible. The orcs and the two balrogs carried torches and were heavily armed and they had abandoned the siege of the dwarven city when their masters felt the presence of the gem deeper within the mountain. They were drawn to it like moths to a flame and the leaders were huge burly orcs who had at least some intelligence. The balrogs were at the back of the group, this was below their dignity and they didn't like obeying anybody but they had to. The lieutenant of their original leader was powerful even in his disembodied state and if their true lord did return they didn't want that little weasel to squeal on them. So they pretended to be obedient and followed the orcs even if they felt more like frying them.

The creature had only two things on its mind right now, defence and food. The light from the torches wasn't even visible to it, it felt the heat from afar but heat meant life which meant food. The thing got eager, it blocked the entire tunnel and positioned the tentacles for a feast. The first orcs which came within range did run for quite a bit before something happened, even if the creature as primitive it was sly and it didn't want to scare off this plentiful prey before it had as much as possible within its reach. It could store nutrients for quite some time and a huge meal would mean that it didn't need to hunt again for a while, maybe for whole years to come.

The orcs did see something which did look like long branches made from slime and didn't react until it was too late, They were snatches off their feet and brought towards the gaping maw shrieking in fear and shock and the others did stop, too confused to know what to do. The teeth made short process with the first orcs, the jaw was strong enough to cut through armour like it was butter and the taste of blood was egging the thing on. There was plenty of nutrition there now, much food and it was determined to gorge itself. It did stretch the tentacles out and caught even more orcs and now the petrified orcs did burst into action. They raised swords and axes and torches and hacked away at the tentacles. The creature reared, it didn't feel pain, it was too primitive for that but it could sense that it had lost pieces of itself and it couldn't afford that. It got angry, or what was its version of anger.

It burst forth with tremendous power and speed and now the tentacles went into overdrive, moving with incredible speed and power. The two balrogs were out of reach and now they did turn around and moved back a bit, not sure of what to do. It was some sort of denizen of the deep, not an intelligent enemy and not one they could convert to their cause. But the gem was nearby and they knew by instinct that they couldn't get anywhere near it as long as that creature was there. It was too dangerous. Even their flames were not hot enough to kill this thing, it would simply get angry and then it would present a danger even to them. They chose the most safe action. The orcs were expendable, if that thing got a nice huge dinner it would perhaps calm down and they ran off to report to their master. There was no point in wasting energy on an enemy they couldn't hope to defeat, no, that wizard had tricks up his sleeve for sure, perhaps he had some trick which could defeat even a horror like this? They left the dying orcs behind, it didn't cost them anything at all. Empathy wasn't something they knew and there were plenty of orcs available. Their master would know what to do for sure, the gem was calling to them still and they had to retrieve it. Their lord did demand it.