Chapter 7: The Wandering Soul

*Mordor*

"This Warchief has been a pain in my side for a while." He complained. "Now that we have one of his bodyguards, he will die easily after he gives us what he knows."

"Talion, we will destroy this Uruk with delusions of grandeur, but we will have to draw him out first."

"Oh, wraith. How long have we been at this? I know that part by now, but how do we get him out?"

"His bodyguard 'willingly' provided the information that this Warchief has a favorite Uruk. Cut him up, and his master will surely come to take revenge."

Talion sneaked his way into the eastern stronghold, utilizing the training he had received as a ranger. Dead silence was his companion throughout his trek, masked by the whispers of hundreds of souls lost in the wind. Come to think of it, it might now be thousands, given how many Uruks he and Cerebrimbor had killed. Then again, these orcs might not even have souls.

Over, above and around he sneaked, searching for his target. He found him, with an escort of two archer Uruks. The Wraith drew his bow, Azkir, and let loose four elf-shot arrows in rapid succession. Two struck the archers' heads, and the other two pinned the last Uruk's feet to the floor upon which he stood. He panicked, yelling out in pain, but not loud or long enough for it to attract any attention before Talion gave him five brutal knife wounds.

Later, a patrol found the body. "There's been a murder! Inform the Warchief!"

The Warchief entered with his two bodyguard captains. "Who dares to kill my favorite? 'E was mine! Whoever killed 'im is going to feel my blade! Come out, unless yar a coward!"

Talion leapt down from his perch, accepting the challenge.

"The Ranger? The bloody Ranger killed my favorite? I'll gut you like a Caragor! There's a handsome reward in it anyone who brings 'im to me!" A this request, every Uruk in the area surrounded Talion, hoping for a reward.

"Is this everyone?" The Ranger asked. Resounding grunts of confirmation answered him. "Good. I need plenty to witness this."

"YAAAAARRRR!" One lone Uruk dared to attack first, confident in his skills. Of course, he hadn't heard the rumors about the Ranger. If he had, he might not be missing his head. Might. Shocked but angered, the other orcs attacked Talion in full force, attempting to overwhelm him. They hacked and slashed, to no avail. With his Ranger training, Talion caught and countered nearly every attack that came to him. When more than one Uruk attacked at a time, the Wraith took on one himself. Soon there was black blood, the blood of orcs, coating the stronghold. But there was no end in sight to the forces coming to the stronghold. Talion had to rethink his plan, lest he eventually be overwhelmed. He needed reinforcements on his side, and he knew exactly how to get them.

His left hand clenched the face of a nearby berserker. "Forsake the shadow!" A glowing blue brand in the shape of a human hand burned into the skull of the Uruk. The branded Uruk began to lash out at his former comrades. Since it was a berserker, it was quite effective at killing others. Better than the average Uruk, anyway. Satisfied with the quality of this troop, he proceeded to brand a couple more berserker, hunter, and shield-bearing Uruks, then a couple dozen more. With this force of Uruks, Talion fought his way to the Warchief and his bodyguard captains.

"Tark!" One of the captains, a beast-master, called out Talion to combat. "Well, lookie here! I got a ranger for me to gut! Don't bother running; I will find you, wherever you run!"

Talion didn't need to deal with him himself, so he activated the other captain he branded, the one that spilled the beans about the Warchief's favorite. The captain clenched his face, receiving his orders, and engaged the beast-master. This gave Talion free reign to attack the Warchief.

"Do you even fight, or do you have others do it for you? Because that is what it seems to be, Warchief. Or perhaps I am speaking to a coward?" Talion taunted.

"I'll 'av your tongue, murderer! You kill my favorite, then you accuse me of being a coward? Be mindful of your next words; they will be your last!" The massive Uruk swung his large polearm, which was on fire, making it even more damaging if the bladed part hit something. Talion was lucky. He didn't get the blade, but the pole, which slammed into his chest with enough force to clothesline him. Talion landed on a wooden workbench, breaking it.

Disoriented by the blow, Talion barely managed to roll away from the flaming blade that came down hard into the wooden boards covering the ground. With the weapon stuck, Talion was able to unleash a flurry of sword strikes upon the Warchief after stunning him with one wraith-empowered punch. The final hit of the flurry knocked him down hard enough that his blade came loose from the ground. Talion struck the Uruk with his dagger as he did to most of whom he let fall down without dying. The Warchief cried out in pain, angry that a human could do this kind of damage to him.

Next, Talion tried an execution attack on the Uruk. It was aimed it his head, but the big guy managed to catch it without getting cut. In response, Talion delivered a swift knee in his side. The cycle of flurries and stabs continued until the Warchief was stunned one last time. Then Talion slid his sword down his back, cutting open his spine. The Uruk fell to his knees, at the mercy of the Ranger.

"Be mindful of your next words Uruk. They will be your last."

"Never will I beg for my life like a coward. Kill me and be done with it. I die honorab-" He received a massive stab in the back of his neck. It went completely through him, then exited from whence it came. Then his head went flying. The Warchief was dead, with no chance of returning.

"Honor, I think not. You were an Uruk." He walked over to the unbranded bodyguard, who had been taken down by the branded one.

"No! Please! Don't kill me! I'll t-tell you anything! I'll do anything!" He begged for his life.

Talion's hand gripped his skull. "Yes. You will." What the Captain knew flowed into their head. All information was looked over by the Wraith, but something caught its eye.

"What is this is I see? Something a petty Uruk should not know, for sure."

"What do you see, Wraith? What does this Captain know?"

"Something that he shouldn't. In a cave to the northwest lies something of much interest. That Uruk should be the new Warchief. It would not bode well if the source of our knowledge is destroyed, and you know the protection they receive."

"The logic you preach is sound. He may be a bigger target, but will be a scarier one. Let us go to this interest, then. But before that, we have some orcs to brand."

"NO! PLEASE! NOOO. . . Praise the bright master."

*Interruption-*

"That man's story is so sad. Brings a tear to my eye."

*Really?*

"Not!"

*That's just cold man. Well, so was the previous chapter.*