Disclaimer: I have no creative rights over the characters and places you can identify in this story and have no way profited from this work.
28/10/2013
I'm glad I was able to publish this chapter before the Thor sequel comes out later this week.
Just about everything I've written so far has been towards this moment. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as I did writing it.
darkangelmanz: To me it's a matter of timing as much as tactics. This chapter indirectly outlines my thinking in that regard.
marmota-b: Any connotation was purely unintentional!
Fireheartnija: Compared to the Mouth of Sauron, I'm glad your loss of words was in the good sense.
Point Mann: Many thanks for taking the time to do all those reviews. I'll indirectly respond to a number of your points through the remaining chapters in this crossover.
Chapter 42 – Last Stands
A lull had descended between two sides ready to do battle on the plains of the Morannon. The Hosts of Mordor had the Army of the West completely surrounded. All Fellowship members present stood behind Aragorn in the Army's front line.
From what Thor sensed of Sauron's fume, Gandalf's prediction at the Citadel still held true. The fume wouldn't hinder Thor's powers of weather control too much. However, the fume was too close to the power that created it to be totally dispersed. Sauron's orcs would at least not have to fight this battle in daylight.
Thor felt no fear about Mordor's numbers. Unfortunately, he still didn't have enough power to wipe them all out immediately. He remembered the conversation he had with Coulson about Bilgesnipe. The Asgardian realised he'd have to use his powers judiciously once close-quarter fighting began. The last the thing the Army of the West needed was to suffer 'friendly fire' casualties from his elemental attacks. Thor also remembered how drained he felt after using a mystical blast against the Witch-king. In this battle, Thor decided he'd use such blasts only if all his other attacks failed. This was further complicated by the self-inflicted challenge the Avengers would soon face.
Aragorn trusted Rogers's discretion to manage the Avengers effectively throughout the battle. The plan Rogers had developed would see the trio with quite specific roles in the battle's early stages. Thor thought Hulk and himself would be walking something of a tightrope. They would certainly have to use their powers to offset Mordor's numerical advantage. But not too much that Sauron changed his mind about committing all his forces to the battle. This included his most feared servants.
There was no currently sign of the Nazgul. The Army of the West correctly deduced they were being held in reserve somewhere in Mordor. When fighting a battle against the forces of Mordor, the Free Peoples would normally welcome the Nazgul's absence. But Sauron needed to commit them to this battle for Aragorn's strategy to be a success. The Nazgul were the servants of Sauron most likely to find the Ring-bearer before he reached Mount Doom. If this happened, the fate of the Free Peoples would be sealed regardless how the battle played out.
The Fellowship saw Mordor's limitless reserves deployed within the Udun as far as the eye could see. They all knew somewhere beyond the Isenmouthe was Mount Doom and, hopefully, the two Fellowship members travelling towards it. Aragorn looked over his shoulder at the Fellowship behind him. Speaking to them as equals for possibly the last time, Aragorn chose to simply remind them of their quest's purpose.
"For Frodo," he quietly urged.
Aragorn began silently charging towards the ranks of Mordor to his front. The other Fellowship members followed his lead a moment later. The rest of the Army of the West copied Merry and Pippin in giving a loud cry of defiance as they charged to the enemy.
The Mouth of Sauron commanded his ranks to counter-charge. It was imperative that the Hosts of Mordor close the distance between them and their enemy. The Mouth and Thor had one common pre-battle consideration. The God of Thunder would avoid using his powers if it risked hurting his allies. But a great many of Sauron's forces still suffered grievously from the Avengers' opening onslaught.
Many of Mordor's minions were destroyed before Aragorn killed his first with Anduril. Rogers threw his shield that cut down a several orcs part of Mordor's front line. Thor summoned a lightning storm that vaporised many in the immediate ranks that followed. Banner rapidly turned into the Other Guy while running. Hulk leapt into the gap in Mordor's lines created by Thor's attack. Countless orcs were grabbed and thrown into the air as soon as they came within Hulk's grasp.
The Avenger's deeds embolden the spirits of the whole Army of the West. They were the ones with the momentum when the lines of the opposing forces clashed. The rest of the Fellowship, the Gondorians and the Rohirrim began to slash and stab their foes with fearless abandon. The Hosts of Mordor were initially taken back by their enemy's ferocity despite them being heavily outnumbered.
The Battle of the Morannon - which would determine the future of Middle-earth - had begun.
The intensity of the battle made Eomer and the rest of the Rohirrim quickly forget any discomfort they felt from fighting on foot. Nonetheless, Eomer thought this battle was following some of the early stages of the Battle of Pelennor Fields.
The momentum the Army of the West enjoyed from its initial charge had been spent. Like after the Rohirrim's charge had been spent, the battle now was now an all-encompassing melee. The main difference with Pelennor Fields was that the Army of the West had to engage enemies all directions. Unlike the Rohirrim at Pelennor Fields, the Army had the aid of all three Avengers at once. The trio was currently carrying out their agreed roles.
Rogers placed himself near Aragorn and Boromir in the frontline of battle to help lead the Army by example. When he wasn't caught up in combat, Rogers coordinated attacks or directed soldiers to plug any gaps in the Army's frontline. Rogers had also quietly decided to act as Aragorn and Boromir's personal bodyguard. Orcs and their mannish allies knew enemy leaders when they saw them. Just when they thought an opportunity existed to kill Gondor's two most senior leaders, they found themselves dissected by Rogers flying shield.
Thor was currently fighting alongside Legolas and Gimli on the Army's eastern flank. Legolas often had to switch between his bow and knives due to the ebb and flow of battle. The trio kept their spirits up by commencing a new round of their competition.
"Twenty four…Twenty five." Legolas counted two orcs that fell to his arrows before asking Gimli; "Can you keep up, Master Dwarf?"
Gimli focused on an advancing enemy mass while answering, "These orcs have kindly offered to help me out!"
Thor noticed the Orcs as well. He threw Mjolnir at them, cutting deep into their lines. Thor commanded a gravity wave blast that wiped out large numbers of them before Mjolnir quickly returned to hand. Gimli glared at Thor that the kills he'd tagged were now gone.
"You only said to find my own ladders," Thor wryly reminded Gimli of his remark along the Deeping Wall.
"Just like then," Legolas added with a faint smile as he pulled out his fighting knives. "There's still plenty of orcs to go around, Gimli."
Thor was about to join the pair in close-quarter combat when he heard Gamling call out to him.
"Prince Thor! Our north flank threatens to collapse!"
For this was Thor's current role. It was using his powers to ease the numerical pressure on any of the Army's flanks. Given all the Army's flanks were under continuous pressure, the God of Thunder barely had a moment to spare. Thor found himself moving to one flank to quickly unleash his power before having move and shore up another. To say he was still frustrated at his inability to take to the air was a grand understatement.
A shield-wall of Rohirrim was desperately trying to stand firm against the Orcs' savagery and numbers. They also had to contend with a hail of Haradrim arrows falling in their direction. This combined arms attack by the Hosts of Mordor began to take its toll. A number of Rohirrim fell as the shield-wall threatened to break. Gamling was relieved when Thor intervened just in the nick of time.
The darkened sky above the battle suddenly became darker for northernmost of Mordor's armies. A tornado plunged down from the sky and sucked up the Haradrim archers and any nearby orcs. The ranks of Mordor in the vicinity ran in all directions to avoid being claimed by the tornado Thor had summoned. Thor concentrated carefully as he manipulated the tornado's strength and direction to prevent any Rohirrim being claimed by it as well. The Rohirrim used the Asgardian's intervention to reorganise their shield-wall. Thor finished aiding them by calling off the tornado and striking a number of their closest enemies with lightning from above. The God of Thunder then moved to another flank that needed his attention.
Hulk was slightly forward of the Army's frontline. He'd already marked the battlefield with the splattered remains of numerous enemies. It was the proverbial unstoppable force against the immovable object. Frightened orcs pushed and shoved to avoid the Other Guy's wrathful grasp. Hulk's attacks greatly disrupted the continuous stream of forces pouring out of the Black Gate. It was to prevent the Hosts of Mordor from settling into anything that resembled an organised advance.
Hulk powerfully clapped his hands, releasing a shockwave that caused countless orcs to collapse dead on the spot. At this, the Mouth of Sauron ordered the first of Mordor's major reinforcements into the battle. Several dozen Attack Trolls now came streaming through the Black Gate. Half the trolls moved straight towards Hulk. The trolls and Hulk had one thing in common. They didn't care how about the orcs they trod on as they moved to engage each other.
Similar to their counterparts at Pelennor Fields, the Attack Trolls soon found they were as ineffective as orcs against the Other Guy. They were surprised by his quickness in addition to his strength. Their weapons deflected harmlessly off Hulk's exterior before he killed the offending Troll with a powerful blow of his fist. Other trolls he gripped and threw into Mordor's incoming masses. A handful of trolls made to subdue Hulk by trying to gang tackle him. Hulk responded by leaping vertically into the air just before they grabbed him. Nearly all combatants felt the ground shake when Hulk landed among the tight mass of trolls. The impact of Hulk's landing sent the trolls flying in all directions.
The Mouth fully expected such an outcome when the trolls attacked Hulk. But these trolls were just a diversion. While Hulk was tied down fighting these trolls, the others moved around him and began attacking the flanks of the Army of the West. Attack Trolls were the shock troops of Mordor feared most by the Free Peoples. Even with the Avengers aiding them, a considerable number of the Army began wavering in the face of these armoured brutes. Particularly when the Attack Troll's clubs and hammers began killing and scattering them.
Breaking the Army of the West's cohesion was the Mouth's main objective in using the Attack Trolls. Once a fighting force's formation was broken, discipline and morale usually followed. The Army of the West faced its first major crisis in the battle. Boromir blew his horn when the trolls began to crush and break the Army's lines.
"Rally to the King's banner!" Boromir shouted to give the Army a point to rebuild its cohesion.
Rogers saw Aragorn engaging a troll in combat. How Aragorn was able to go toe-to-toe with the troll when so many of his subordinates were crushed or scattered when hit by a troll's weapon? Did Anduril give Aragorn the extra strength he needed? Rogers inwardly chided himself for this thought. Like how Erskine's formula worked with its recipient, it was Aragorn that made Anduril strong. Still, whatever his strength, it was unlikely Aragorn could duel two trolls at once.
An Attack Troll charged to join in Aragorn's current duel. The troll was roughly between Aragorn and Rogers. Rogers flung his shield at the troll's neck. The troll's neck was sliced open causing it to topple dead to the ground. Aragorn killed his respective troll a moment later by thrusting Anduril through its armoured abdomen.
Rogers didn't know he was about to need a similar rescue like the one he just carried out. An Attack Troll had moved menacingly within a few paces of his left. Fortunately, the Fellowship continued to look after its own. The troll halted when Legolas shot an arrow in one of its eyes with pinpoint accuracy. A moment later, an arrow penetrated its other eye so blinding it. Gimli then swung his battle-axe into each of the troll's feet causing it to drop to its knees. Boromir finished the troll off by thrusting his broadsword into the troll's neck.
Referring to their competition, Gimli remarked to Legolas, "Well, I guess that one counts as half."
"A third, Gimli," Boromir pointed out his own contribution.
Thor was currently alongside Gandalf. Gandalf had once spoke of his exploits against another group of trolls a few decades before.
"If only these trolls were like the ones you turned to stone," Thor commented to Gandalf.
"You and I can still finish them, son," Gandalf confidently replied.
Thor didn't have time to ask Gandalf if he actually said 'Odinson'. Nor to ponder if Gandalf had just confirmed the close bond between them by a Freudian slip. The White Wizard raised his staff and emitted a light from its tip similar to the one he used to drive away the Nazgul at Minas Tirith. The light drew the attention of all the trolls that were wreaking havoc on the Army's flanks. Similar to how he'd blinded orcs on countless occasions, Gandalf's light equally blinded the trolls. Blinded trolls were then instantly struck and killed by Thor's lightning bolts.
Hulk had nearly eliminated all the trolls that had been dispatched to attack him. He currently had gripped the ankle of one Attack Troll, using it as a club against its fellows. He tossed the Troll away after noticing some others directly to his rear. These trolls were some of the ones that had slipped by him and had engaged the Army's front. The trolls that Aragorn and Rogers killed had been among their number.
The enjoyment these trolls were experiencing at the destruction they'd been causing was soon curtailed. One troll suddenly felt its weapon arm strongly gripped from behind. Hulk ripped the arm off its socket, leaving a bleeding black stump in its place. The troll roared in pain before Hulk grabbed its head between his hands and broke its neck by twisting it. Hulk then moved to kill any another trolls that had penetrated the Army's frontlines.
One such troll was their chieftain. The Chieftain was larger than its fellows were and wore steel plated armour over its chest and thighs. Unlike other trolls, the Chieftain carried a large sword that had pointed spikes running along its black blade. The Chieftain moved to swing his sword at Hulk but was prevented by something it hadn't even noticed.
The chaos caused by the troll's assault resulted in Merry and Pippin being separated. The former was looking for the latter when he noticed the Chieftain about to attack Hulk. Given he'd helped defeat the Witch-king, Merry had far less fear of Sauron's other minions than previously. The Chieftain was so fixated on Hulk he failed to notice Merry charging towards him from the side.
Merry's stabbed upwards at one of the Chieftain's ankles. His blade cut several tendons. The resulting pain caused the Chieftain to immediately stop its intended attack. Hulk took full advantage of Merry's bravery. He snatched the Chieftain's sword from its hand before ramming it point-first through the Chieftain's face. Hulk gave Merry an appreciative grin after the Chieftain fell dead. He then released a loud battle cry that echoed around the Morannon. It over-delivered on an earlier promise of Banner's.
"HULK AND HOBBITS SMASH!"
The Army of the West now resembled Gandalf's proverbial sandcastle being set at by the incoming tide.
Despite the best efforts of its leaders, the Army's formation had been significantly disrupted by the Attack Trolls' assault. Gaps had opened in the Army's lines that the Hosts of Mordor ruthlessly exploited by their relentless pressure. Combat was now more a blur as the two forces mixed more freely than at the start of the battle.
One significant cause of this was the casualties that the Army had so far sustained. The Army had lost nearly a tenth of its strength. The losses meant the Avengers workload was rising as the battle wore on. Rogers was beginning to get edgy that Sauron still hadn't committed the Nazgul. Rogers was beginning to wonder about executing the next stage of the Avengers' battle plan to force the issue.
Both Thor and Banner loved the irony Rogers displayed when he named this stage 'Phase Two'. Phase Two would commence once Sauron's forces were fully committed to the battle. Unfortunately, the Army of the West would probably incur a great number of casualties if Phase Two were carried out now. Captain America soon had more pressing concerns to worry about.
The Mouth of Sauron had witnessed the Attack Trolls' assault and was partially satisfied by its outcome. The assault had partially broken the Army of the West's formation as well as generating noticeable losses. But the Army still continued to fight with great determination. A determination fuelled in large part by the Army's leadership. An opportunity soon presented itself to break that determination. The Mouth of Sauron dismounted and signalled a unit forwards with his sword.
Rogers continued to cut down orcs with his shield while trying to stay close to Aragorn and Boromir. Suddenly, a fearsome series of cries came from the Army's eastern flank. Rogers paused to see what the commotion was given the cries weren't those of orcs or trolls.
Five hundred Black Numenorean warriors began engaging the diminished companies of Gondor. These warriors formed the Mouth of Sauron's personal unit. They were elite warriors clad in splintered armour and wearing fearsome iron masks. The Black Numenoreans began to tear into the Gondorians with their giant two-handed swords. The weapons of the Black Numenoreans were of a superior quality than normal among the Hosts of Mordor. The decided advantage in equipment that Gondorian soldiers normally enjoyed over their enemies had been reduced when it could least be afforded. A bloody clash ensued between these descendants of Numenor - those of the Faithful against those corrupted by Sauron.
Aragorn had noticed the Black Numenoreans attack. Unfortunately, Hulk and Thor were tied down engaging other enemies to be of assistance. Aragorn ordered the King's banner to follow him as he rallied the beleaguered Gondorians. He ended up next to Boromir. The respective heirs to the Throne and the Stewardship of Gondor fighting alongside each other inspired their countrymen. But the Men of Gondor weren't the only ones to have the presence of their commanders.
The Mouth of Sauron had personally entered the battle. Numerous Gondorians fell to the Mouth's blade that he wielded with unmatched speed and strength. Both Aragorn and Boromir initially assumed the Black Numenoreans' attack was aimed at them. The Army's spirit would certainly be largely crushed if the Heir of Isildur or the Acting Steward were killed. But the pair soon realised what the real objective of the Mouth and his unit was.
"Steve!" Aragorn called out to Captain America in warning.
The Mouth of Sauron didn't know how much strength was needed to take out Thor or Hulk. Even all of Mordor's orcs and trolls might be insufficient for the task. But Captain America didn't seem to possess any supernatural powers. His strength, agility and stamina were well above that normally associated with Men. But the Race of Men had great heroes in ages past with similar characteristics. History showed such heroes weren't above being injured or killed in combat even by lowly orcs.
Rogers had already engaged the Black Numenoreans when he heard Aragorn's warning. Captain America was a major reason that the Black Numenoreans hadn't caused more havoc among their enemies. Their swords could cut through Gondorian armour but not a shield made of vibranium. Rogers rapidly blocked countless sword blows with his shield before quickly dispatching the attackers who made them. The First Avenger saw the Mouth of Sauron too late to throw his shield. Aragorn and Boromir moved to aid Rogers but couldn't penetrate the line of Black Numenoreans protecting their leader.
In his own words, Rogers thought the Mouth of Sauron packed a wallop. The last time he fought so skilled an individual combatant was when he duelled with Loki in Stuttgart. The Mouth wasn't as physically strong as the God of Mischief was. But he lost nothing in terms of quickness or skill with a chosen weapon. Rogers often had to leap or evade being hit by the Mouth's blade. The Mouth was equally adept at parrying any of Rogers' counterattacks. Rogers got the satisfaction many in the Fellowship desired by punching the Mouth in the face. The Mouth momentarily recoiled from the blow but quickly recovered with a powerful downward swing of his sword at Rogers' offending arm. Rogers blocked the blow with his shield in the nick of time. A contest of strength ensued between Captain America and the Lieutenant of the Tower of Barad-dur. Rogers and the Mouth pushed against each other with their shield and sword respectively.
"Your promises of vengeance are proven empty, boy soldier," the Mouth taunted Captain America.
"You haven't won yet," Rogers retorted.
The Mouth chortled before replying, "The only promise fulfilled today is one of my master's – all Middle-earth to be his forever!"
Rogers broke the pair's current impasse with a kick to the knee. The Mouth stumbled back but quickly took a high guard in readiness to strike again. However, because of the duel's intensity, the Mouth had failed to notice who'd moved directly behind him. The First Avenger saw clearly though.
"Tell your boss there's an Earth saying about promises," Rogers coolly told the Mouth. "Don't sign a cheque with your mouth you can't cash with your ass."
The Mouth of Sauron didn't get the chance to figure out the - to him – strange insult. All his attention was on the sharp pain in his posterior as Pippin drove his Noldor dagger into it. The dagger burst through the Mouth's right thigh causing him to spew a large wad of bloody red phlegm. Rogers's training of Pippin and Gandalf's observation about hobbits going unseen again proved their worth.
"That's for upsetting Bruce and Hulk!" Pippin angrily told the Mouth as he withdrew his dagger.
The Mouth dropped to his knees in agony. Following a quick spinning move, Rogers used his shield to decapitate his crippled foe. The Mouth of Sauron's demise hadn't gone unnoticed by the Black Numenoreans. But their attention was quickly diverted to the second Avenger that now entered the fight against them.
Thor threw himself into combat against the Black Numenoreans. Numerous Black Numenoreans were sent flying in all directions when struck by a rapidly twirling Mjolnir. The Black Numenoreans' morale completely collapsed. Thor joined Aragorn, Boromir and the Gondorians in decimating the remainder of the Mouth of Sauron's personal unit. A grateful Rogers thanked Pippin while was this was happening.
"Well done, Pippin," a proud Rogers complimented him.
"Consider it thanks for the training, Steve." Pippin replied before mischievously adding, "I guess I'm now something of an avenger myself!"
Rogers's appreciative chuckle was cut short by a series of loud screeches from above.
Within Barad-dur, Sauron had observed its Lieutenant's demise and cursed his stupidity. The Mouth of Sauron's ill-thought attempt at killing Captain America now threatened to break the Host's discipline.
The battle was still very much in the balance. But without the presence of an overall commander, the Hosts of Mordor were becoming an unruly mob. Numbers alone wouldn't defeat any army that contained the Avengers. A large contingent of Easterlings had already broken and fled the battle as a result of Thor's continued elemental attacks. Many Haradrim now looked to do suit as Hulk shattered their ranks after powerfully striking the ground with his fists. The Army of the West was now four-fifths of its original strength. But many of its rank and file members now dared to believe what they'd earlier thought impossible. They could both survive this battle and be its victors.
Sauron had planned to deploy the Nazgul after the Army of the West had suffered significantly more casualties. He wanted them to carry out their assigned role in this battle with as little interference as possible. But order needed to be reasserted among the rest of his minions. The Hosts of Mordor needed reminding the only will they followed in any battle was Sauron's. Their insignificant lives were his even in the face of a force like the Avengers.
Thor was standing directly left of Gandalf when the eight Nazgul entered the battle.
"We've drawn them out as hoped!" a pleased Thor observed.
"Carry out the rest of Steve's plan so hope isn't lost," Gandalf prompted.
Gandalf was referring to Phase Two. It first required Thor to unleash his elemental powers against the Nazgul. Thor pointed Mjolnir skywards and began summoning a massive lightning storm. He was surprised then when Gandalf suddenly interrupted him.
"Wait, Thor!" Gandalf desperately urged while touching Mjolnir with the head of his staff.
Thor was confused why Gandalf had done this. His confusion increased when he noticed Gandalf's gaze was on a moth flying in front of them. The pair turned their attention skyward upon hearing a series of piercing and noble cries.
The Great Eagles of Middle-earth were purported to be the creation of Manwe, King of the Valar. Great Eagles outwardly resembled Golden Eagles found on Earth but much larger. A Great Eagle was normally some twenty feet high and possessed an average a wingspan of seventy-five feet. They were Manwe's spies and possessed the ability to see through all physical matter except the blackness of Sauron's evil pits. Some believed the Great Eagles weren't intelligent beasts but possibly Maiar that Manwe had shaped into this form. Whatever the case, seven of them now entered the Battle of the Morannon on the side of the Free Peoples.
Gwaihir, the greatest Eagle of the Third Age whose name meant 'Windlord' in Sindarin, led his kin in this battle. The Eagles immediately began engaging the Nazgul's fell-beasts with their powerful talons.
Gandalf recalled key times when he'd witnessed the Great Eagles aid the Free Peoples. Like the time they rescued Thorin's Company from the clutches of Azog's warg-park. Or when they'd arrived at the Battle of the Five Armies. Gwaihir himself was Gandalf's means of escape from being held prisoner atop the Pinnacle of the Orthanc. Now, the Great Eagles had decided to assist the Free Peoples at their hour of greatest need.
"Sorry, Thor," Gandalf apologised for interrupting him. "I wasn't sure if your attack would've harmed some old friends."
Thor's eyes twinkled as he responded, "Like your spells against us in Fangorn?"
The Fellowship's journey through Fangorn quickly came to mind of another Avenger. Rogers was alongside Boromir when the Eagles arrived. The sight of them awed both men. Rogers knew what he was about to say was technically incorrect. But he felt it more than appropriate given the circumstances.
"In answer to your earlier question, Boromir," Rogers said before nodding towards the Eagles. "That's America's national emblem."
"And a grand emblem it is, Steve!" Boromir enthusiastically responded.
Boromir felt a twinge of regret that his younger brother wasn't present at this battle. Of the pair, Faramir always possessed a far greater interest and knowledge of Middle-earth lore. Yet, through being part of the Fellowship, it was Boromir who'd witnessed such mythical creatures and forces as the Balrog, Ents, the Oathbreakers and now the Great Eagles. Boromir privately mused he could probably add the Avengers to that list as well.
The Fellowship had momentarily forgot the tactical situation that existed between the Eagles and the Nazgul. Specifically, there were eight Nazgul against seven Eagles. The new Lord of the Nazgul spied an opportunity to exploit this situation.
Khamul was the Ringwraith second only to the Witch-king in power and authority. Khamul was an Easterling king in the Second Age before falling into shadow after accepting one of the Rings of Power. There was no love lost between the Nazgul. Khamul relished the thought of achieving something the Witch-king couldn't. It was grasping the opportunity to eliminate the White Wizard.
Thor would've liked to help the Eagles in their battle against the Nazgul. But another flank of the Army needed his help. Khamul began a diving attack against Gandalf upon witnessing Thor's departure. But the attack was immediately halted upon his fell-beast being rapidly dragged down by what felt like an immense weight. Thor wasn't the only Avenger that could threaten the Nazgul from the ground.
Hulk had leapt up and grabbed Khamul's fell-beast by the talons when it was directly overhead. The fell-beast was trivially easy for Hulk to pull downwards compared to a Chitauri Leviathan. Hulk didn't relent when he and his opponent crashed into a mass of orcs on the ground. Any orcs who weren't squashed quickly fled from the scene.
Banner told Gimli about the basic plot of King Kong as the Dwarf had requested. Hulk now unintentionally copied some of the fictional monster's celluloid feats. Still alive, the fell-beast quickly found its jaws in the Other Guy's powerful grip. Hulk killed it instantly as he ripped its jaws apart. Khamul was still unharmed though. Freeing himself from his mount's corpse, Khamul approached Hulk with sword drawn. The former Easterling was seething at being denied his expected prize.
"You stupid beast!" Khamul angrily hissed at Hulk. "Now you'll learn not to come between a Nazgul and h-"
Khamul was unceremoniously cut off. Hulk quickly grabbed his non-sword arm before pounding Khamul into the ground like he did with Loki in Stark Tower. The battering Khamul received saw his sword shaken from his grasp. Hulk was momentarily surprised that, unlike Loki, Khamul was still moving despite the beating he'd been subjected to. Khamul continued to curse Hulk as he haplessly flailed in his grip. Hulk simply responded by launching Khamul southwards with a mighty throw. Khamul's screech quickly faded as he flew high over Mordor's advancing masses through the Black Gate. The new Lord of the Nazgul eventually disappeared from sight somewhere south of the Udun. After witnessing this, Hulk proceeded to mock Khamul's worth as an opponent.
"Nazgul punier," he muttered.
Hulk noticed the God of Thunder now standing alongside him. Thor had projected Mjolnir into enemy ranks to create a clear path to his fellow Avenger.
"Change of plans, Hulk," Thor quickly told him. "With the unexpected aid against the Nazgul, Rogers asks we now carry out the rest of Phase Two."
Hulk stretched out his arm to Thor, offering him a ride to their intended objective. Thor's eyes lit up upon sensing the energy that surged through Mjolnir.
"Thanks but unnecessary, my friend," Thor declined Hulk's offer. "In fact, I'll race you to our objective!"
Thor quickly twirled Mjolnir before soaring skywards toward the Black Gate. Hulk noted this for a second before leaping in the same direction.
Rogers was glad that all Thor's powers had seemingly returned. Many in the Army had thought there could be no more astonishing sight in the sky than the Great Eagles. Even the original members of the Fellowship sucked in a breath at Thor taking flight.
Thor reached his objective within moments. He'd landed atop the edge of the western half of the Black Gate closest to the battle.
"Four out of four!" Thor proudly welcomed his power's return.
The orcs manning the western half's battlement were too stunned to act let alone figure out the meaning of Thor's words. Mjolnir shot down the length of the battlement to clear it of any enemies. As the hammer returned to Thor's hand in a blink, orcs operating the closest catapults and ballista began aiming their weapons in his direction. The orcs and their weapons were consumed seconds later by Thor's lightning bolts.
Thor reached the opposite end of the battlement as quick as Mjolnir had. It was the point where the western half was hinged to the rest of the Black Gate. He summoned a lightning storm as intense as the one he'd summoned atop the Chrysler Building against the Chitauri. Thor directed all the lightning at the western half's hinges. The western half began to totter with uncertainty. To get the desired outcome of Phase Two, Thor simply reached over the outer side of the battlement and tapped it with Mjolnir.
The Other Guy was only just behind Thor in carrying out his part of the plan. Hulk simply leapt to the outer side of the eastern half of the Black Gate. He landed at the eastern half's mid-point at ground level. Hulk first cleared his immediate vicinity of orcs by striking the ground with his fists. With orcs scattered in all directions, he began pushing against the eastern half. The orcs atop its battlement were unsettled by the loud creaks the eastern half's hinges began emitting. They began to panic when they felt the battlement giving way beneath them.
The eastern and western halves of the Black Gate loudly toppled towards each other at a rapid pace. The orcs on the eastern half's battlements plummeted to their deaths. Orcs currently passing through the Black Gate descended into chaos as they tried to avoid being squashed. Scores of them were still killed when the halves crashed into the ground with a resounding noise heard for miles.
As the dust from the impact cleared, one of the main objectives of Phase Two had been completed. The path leading out of Mordor was now only a third of its size prior to Thor and Hulk's attack. The two fallen halves of the Black Gate now created a long and tight chokehold just as Rogers planned. Because of their thickness, the halves were too tall for the Hosts of Mordor to climb over. They could now only reach the Army of the West through a sixty-foot wide pass. However, Thor and Hulk improvised a new coup de grace.
Thor took to the air once more as Hulk stood at the northern end of the pass. Hulk had positioned himself there to prevent any of Sauron's forces in the Udun from escaping their doom. Thor felt reinvigorated by the return of Mjolnir's full complement of powers. With the Nazgul committed to the battle and no risk of friendly casualties, Thor could unleash those powers without restraint on the Udun.
Those orcs in the Udun were soon subjected to an unfathomable barrage of thunder, lightning, tornados and hurricane-force winds. With Hulk blocking their path, they tried fleeing south towards the Isenmouthe. They'd rather face the wrath of Sauron for retreating than the wrath of the Avengers by advancing. The vast majority never got to see if this was the wisest choice.
Thor rapidly twirled Mjolnir to build up power. After drawing all the ambient electricity he could, Thor unleashed a monstrous lighting bolt similar to the one he'd summoned on Jotunheim. The retreating enemy wasn't just decimated from above. The lightning slammed into the ground, creating a mile-wide sinkhole on impact. Tens of thousands of orcs fell to oblivion as the ground crumbled beneath them. Any orcs not claimed by sinkhole broke into a terrified rout.
Thor wanted to quickly mop up any survivors so he could rejoin the battle proper. The Army of the West was still surrounded and heavily outnumbered despite his and Hulk's recent feats. A loud vibration from the north drew the pair's attention instead. Any thoughts of destroying fleeing enemies vanished upon what they saw.
Sauron had been expecting the Avengers to unleash their powers this battle. But the destruction of the Black Gate was a shock to him nonetheless. His plans for dominating Middle-earth were now under serious threat. Especially because his most evil creation still hadn't returned to him.
Aragorn hadn't shown any sign of even considering using the One Ring. Maybe Isildur's Heir felt he didn't need to with the Avengers fighting for him. Well, it was time to end that illusion.
Sauron readied the device he'd created to deal with the Avengers. He was going to deploy it after the Nazgul entered the battle as originally planned. But the pivotal moment of the battle was now. Thor and Hulk seemed to have broken off to pursue those cowardly orcs now retreating through the Udun. The pair had foolishly created an excellent situation to deploy the device. The situation allowed for the spirits of the Free Peoples to be broken even before deployment took place.
The Dark Lord began to concentrate his power…
Gandalf witnessed the Black Gate crumbling with no small sense of satisfaction. Was it too much to hope the Army of the West could defeat the Hosts of Mordor before Frodo and Sam reached Mount Doom? A blinding white light suddenly appeared just in front of Gandalf. What the light revealed put an end to that hope.
"Sauron!" Gandalf gasped.
Gandalf thought the Dark Lord looked very similar to his depicted appearance at the end of the Second Age. It was a most terrible appearance. Sauron stood nearly nine feet tall and cast an aura of dread worse than any Nazgul's. His head was completely covered by a large spiked helm. He wore a combination of plate and mail armour that was black and grey in colour. He wore a cloak of matching colour. Sauron carried a five-foot long mace of black iron fitted with six angular blades at its head. The mace contained powerful dark magic and sorcery.
Despite the fear he now felt, Gandalf quickly pointed the tip of his staff at Sauron.
"Fall into the same abyss as your former master!" Gandalf defiantly told the Dark Lord.
Sauron pointed his mace at Gandalf in reply. There was a loud, piercing whistle before Gandalf's staff splintered into countless tiny pieces. Gandalf fell backward to the ground from the force of Sauron's sorcery. His hard landing caused Glamdring to slip from his grasp.
Aragorn released a martial cry as he came to Gandalf's aid. Sauron quickly focused his attention on the latest member of Elendil's accursed line. Sauron and Aragorn entered a furious personal combat. Sauron had to deflect Anduril's blows given he could be harmed by them. Aragorn may have been one of the greatest leaders and warriors ever to walk the face of Middle-earth. But those things weren't enough to prolong a duel with Sauron for more than a few moments let alone best him.
Sauron felled Aragorn with a similar magic blast like he'd used against Gandalf. Aragorn was on his back but for a moment when he felt the heavy weight of Sauron's right boot on his chest. Aragorn gritted his teeth in pain as he felt his ribs being crushed. The pain was so intense he couldn't swing Anduril still in his grip.
Sauron couldn't see the Ring on Aragorn's person. Maybe it was under his vestments on a chain around his neck like Isildur carried it? Sauron stretched his left hand towards Aragorn's neck. The Dark Lord's hand was stayed after something stung it. He turned his gaze left to see what the cause was.
Rogers caught his shield on return. He knew whom he was facing from sketches contained within Gondor's archives.
"Did you get my message?" Rogers sarcastically asked Sauron.
Sauron's only response was to move to Rogers at rapid pace. Remembering when he faced the Witch-king, Rogers rapidly raised his shield upon Sauron pointing his mace at him. Rogers immediately fell to one knee when the unseen force Sauron cast hit his shield. Sauron kept the force at this intensity as he closed the gap between them. When he stood over Rogers, the Dark Lord intentionally struck his opponent's shield with a swing of his mace.
Rogers kept his footing as his vibranium shield proved its qualities of kinetic absorption once more. The sound of its clash with Sauron's mace was similar to when Thor hit it with Mjolnir. The energy released from the clash cleared the area around Rogers and Sauron of all other combatants within a twenty-foot radius.
Sauron's form suddenly went into violent spasms after being struck by a powerful lightning bolt from above. Sauron stumbled backward a few paces after the lightning faded. Rogers immediately stood up having been released from immediate pressure. Thor landed right of him a moment later. The God of Thunder became the second Avenger to taunt the Dark Lord of Mordor.
"Now who's cursing my storms?!" Thor reminded Sauron of their communication through the palantir.
The Dark Lord didn't have the time to make a response of any kind. Hulk arrived on the scene a moment after Thor's words. Hulk came from Sauron's left and delivered a powerful punch to the side of Sauron's head. Sauron immediately toppled sideways to the ground from the blow. Hulk was about to follow-up his attack when Sauron released another magic blast. The blast caused Hulk to fly some yards before he crashed to Captain America's left.
Sauron got back off the ground just before Hulk did. The three Avengers stood in a line facing him ready to do battle. Sauron was most pleased. He might have been prevented from killing Gandalf and Aragorn as well as reclaiming the Ring. But his initial tactics against the Avengers had worked. The three were now right where he wanted them. The Dark Lord first cast a spell in order to secure them.
The area Sauron cleared from striking Rogers shield was instantly surrounded by a magical barrier. The barrier took the shape of a transparent dome of red energy. The only combatants within the barrier were Sauron and the Avengers. The barrier both mixed and amplified the sorcery behind the Witch-king's magic shield and the spell he was supposed to have cast on Hulk. No one could enter or exit the barrier without Sauron willing it. The barrier was impenetrable. Its magic extended underground preventing Thor from drawing on gravity waves. The only attack of Thor's that could breach it was one of his mystical blasts. Sauron deployed his device to prevent this from happening.
A moment after the barrier appeared, Sauron's form became a silhouette of bright red light. The light was so intense the Avengers had to avert their eyes until it faded a few moments later. In a rare display, Hulk was visibly shocked by what now stood before the Avengers. Thor silently cursed the Dark Lord's ingenuity. Rogers expressed both sentiments upon seeing Sauron's device for the first time.
"Son of a gun," Captain America whispered in dismay.
Sauron had cast a spell on himself to enable him to use the device. The looks the Avengers were giving the device gave him evil delight. The Dark Lord remained the same height with his right hand still gripping his mace. But the spell had resulted in Sauron's appearance undergoing a complete transformation.
The Dark Lord was now completely encased in a suit of iron plated armour the deepest ebony in colour. His helm was conical in shape with the narrowest of eye slits. Embossed into the middle of the armour's chest was a glowing circular centrepiece. The centrepiece was a half-foot in diameter and its glow was an evil red. The rest of the armour covering Sauron's torso was dotted with numerous inch-long spikes pointing outwards.
All in the Army of the West who saw Sauron's armour felt the same dread. But only the Avengers knew what it really was – an evil parody of the armour worn by one of the Avengers currently on the other side of the vortex.
Sauron had used his palantir heavily to extract as much information as he could about the Avengers who had come to Middle-earth. But the palantir had also shown him images of the Avengers who hadn't. He rated Hawkeye and Black Widow less threatening than the Avengers he was now directly facing. But Sauron was intrigued by what he'd seen of Iron Man.
The Dark Lord was more than impressed by what Iron Man's armour seemed capable of. Sauron was also, as much as he'd hated to admit, quietly envious of the ingenuity displayed by its mortal creator. The armour not only withstood attacks from the so-called 'God of Thunder' but could harm him as well. But where Stark's armour contained advanced technology, Sauron's included powerful sorcery. Sorcery that grew in power as the Ring got closer to Mordor.
The Avengers that faced Sauron were wondering if his armour mimicked any functions of Iron Man's. They now received an emphatic response and more besides. Sauron simultaneously pointed his mace at Hulk and thrust his left palm out at Rogers.
Hulk cupped his hands in front of his chest as soon as he felt an unseen force pushing against it. Such was the force's power Hulk had to dig his heels into the ground to stop falling backwards.
Rogers just blocked the other attack Sauron launched simultaneously. A jet of lava like that found at Mount Doom shot out of Sauron's left palm and struck Rogers's shield. Rogers gritted his teeth while holding his shield against this onslaught of intense fire and heat.
Seeing Stark's suit of armour had previously harmed him, Thor didn't doubt Sauron's could as well. The Asgardian dodged to avoid being hit by some of the lava beam accidentally deflected in his direction by Rogers' shield. Thor quickly got back up onto his feet. He wasn't afraid to see if Sauron's armour could repel one of his lightning attacks like Iron Man's did in their forest duel. But the barrier that contained the four combatants first needed to be removed for him to find out. Thor sensed the barrier prevented Sauron from being struck by any elemental attack.
As he'd implied to Gimli about Frodo's coat of mithril rings, Thor believed there wasn't any barrier or armour that Mjolnir couldn't damage. He pointed Mjolnir skywards and summoned a powerful lightning bolt to dispel Sauron's barrier. The God of Thunder wasn't totally surprised when the barrier seemingly absorbed the lightning after being struck by it. But he was caught completely off-guard by what happened next.
The spikes on Sauron's armour weren't decorations or for protection during close-quarter combat. Their purpose was to draw unseen any energy absorbed by the barrier. The spikes had drawn the energy from Thor's lightning bolt seconds after it struck the barrier. The spikes were momentarily incandescent before redirecting the energy the barrier absorbed in the same way it was received.
Thor didn't even have time to blink when the lightning bolt discharged from Sauron's armour struck him. The bolt's energy flung him backward into the barrier. Thor pulled himself off the ground again before reflexively wiping bottom lip that had been split by the attack. Sauron observed this and hoped the whole Army of the West did too. They now knew the Dark Lord had the means to make even the God of Thunder bleed.
One observer was Gandalf who stood a couple of yards outside the barrier. He had got off the ground and picked up Glamdring not long after the barrier appeared. Aragorn was next to him. Aragorn saw the White Wizard noticeably flinch when Thor was struck by Sauron's redirected energy attack.
"Can you dispel the barrier, Gandalf?" Aragorn urgently asked him.
"Not even if I still had my staff," Gandalf regretfully replied. "Sauron's too powerful with the Ring so close to Mordor."
Aragorn considered this for a moment before saying, "As Steve would put it, the Avengers would have us 'stick to the plan'. We can only trust them like we're trusting others of our Fellowship."
With Anduril raised, Aragorn rejoined the greater battle swirling around Sauron's barrier. Gandalf followed him a few moments later. The Avenger's backs were turned to him as he gave them a final look. Gandalf said a silent prayer after recalling his conversation with Thor in Minas Tirith over a week ago.
May Thor's wisdom about power hold true as the Enemy puts it to the ultimate test!
Sauron was momentarily distracted from the other Avengers as he savoured Thor's hurt. One thing he was distracted from was the need to keep increasing the power of the unseen force he'd directed at Hulk. Hulk jumped at Sauron the moment his own strength surpassed that of the unseen force pushing against him.
As Hulk jumped, he pushed the unseen force back into the head of Sauron's mace. The mace dropped from Sauron's hand as he stumbled backwards. Hulk made to punch Sauron but was surprised at the Dark Lord's response. Sauron stopped Hulk's left fist with his right palm. The situation reversed itself when Sauron released a left punch that Hulk stopped with his opposite hand. The spikes on Sauron's armour didn't pierce Hulk's skin. But Hulk still found himself gritting his teeth as he gripped Sauron's left wrist.
Sauron had distilled into his armour part of the spell the Witch-king was supposed to contain Hulk with. The armour had a sorcerous energy that fed off Hulk's anger. As Hulk got angrier to get stronger, the armour gave Sauron the strength to match it. Sauron's intention was for Hulk to waste energy fighting a self-made foe before being counterattacked.
The counterattack Sauron used to resolve their current stalemate drew from what he saw of Iron Man's clash with Thor. Sauron's left palm flicked open and released a lava stream that struck Hulk's right temple. Hulk gave a definite roar of pain as result from being struck by such an intense burst of energy. It was painful enough to cause him to lose his grip on Sauron and retreat clutching the injured side of his face. Sauron picked up his mace just before Rogers and Thor re-entered the fray.
Rogers threw his shield at Sauron to cover Thor's approach to engage the Dark Lord in melee. Like Gandalf did with his staff in Fangorn, Sauron used his mace to swat away Rogers's shield just before it struck him. The shield was deflected to the ground contained within the barrier. Rogers's attack though gave Thor a window of opportunity.
Sauron had been influenced by the images of Iron Man harming Thor. But the palantir had failed to reveal Thor could damage Iron Man's armour without having to use lightning. Sauron reeled when Mjolnir dented his armour at the waist. Thor's blow crushed or broke the spikes on that section of armour as well. The Dark Lord settled just in time to avoid being struck by Thor a second time.
Hulk quickly recovered from the lava he'd been subjected to. Sauron noticed Hulk was a second away from joining Thor against him. Sauron instantly cast a spell to counter this.
Thor and Hulk were momentarily stilled. Instead of facing one Dark Lord of Mordor they were now surrounded by six of them! Thor silently cursed the reasons why he couldn't use lightning to determine which Sauron was the real one. The answer came in moments from Rogers having collected his shield.
"Duck," he commanded his fellow Avengers.
Hulk and Thor immediately complied. Sauron, both real and the illusionary ones, looked in Rogers' direction to see what the American had planned. Rogers firmly threw his shield at the barrier. The shield's flight-path saw it ricochet through three intangible Saurons before it deflected off a solid one.
"The one at your two!" Rogers spelt out as his shield returned.
Now they knew their target, Hulk and Thor struck Sauron simultaneously. The real Sauron crashed backwards into the barrier while the five illusory ones immediately disappeared. Just when the Avengers appeared to have the upper hand, the Dark Lord turned the tide by copying one of his initial attacks.
Sauron launched a lava beam that hit a leaping Thor mid-air. The beam sent the God of Thunder crashing into Rogers. The pair of them fell to the ground in a sprawling heap. Hulk received a burst of unseen force for a second time. Sauron quickly jumped back onto his feet while Hulk was momentarily delayed. A moment later, Hulk received a powerful blow to the shoulder from Sauron's mace. The blow caused Hulk to reflexively grip his shoulder as he retreated back a step. The Dark Lord now made to finish his enemies.
After they got back onto their feet, an anxious Rogers asked Thor, "Can you use a mystical blast to stop him?"
Thor quickly replied "Yes, but the po-"
Thor was cut off when Sauron unleashed a powerful magic blast at the three Avengers. The blast caused them to again crash into the barrier.
The Avengers weren't the only enemies that Sauron intended to use his armour against. Like Captain America, the Dark Lord believed one could never have enough good intelligence on your enemies. For example, he knew the Great Eagles were reputedly wary of missile attacks.
While the Avengers made to get back up, Sauron willed a tiny opening to appear in the barrier overhead. Sauron pointed his mace at the opening and rapid fired a series of lava pulses skywards. The deadlock that had existed between the Nazgul and Eagles was immediately broken as the latter had to evade being hit by the lava shot at them. Sauron willed the barrier to close after telepathically commanding the Nazgul to carry out the initial role that he'd assigned them.
Those Nazgul that had the opportunity swooped down on the Army of the West. For the Dark Lord didn't just design his armour to defeat the Avengers. He'd designed it to win him the War of the Ring.
Even with his armour, Sauron still doubted he could destroy the Avengers. Not all of them anyway. His tactic was more to contain the Avengers from aiding the Free Peoples in this battle. This tactic was already bearing fruit. Nearly the whole Army of the West was beyond the point of exhaustion. Casualties began rapidly mounting without the Avengers to offset Mordor's numerical advantage. The Army would've been shocked to learn that Sauron didn't intend killing all of them. He certainly intended to kill the vast majority of them including Gandalf, Aragorn (before taking the Ring off his corpse) and the other leaders of Gondor and Rohan. But he also planned to take some of the Army as hostages. The identities of some of the planned hostages were quickly revealed. The Avengers got back on their feet just in time to hear a cry for aid only yards away.
"Hulk!" Pippin desperately called out to his friend. "Help!"
Merry and Pippin just avoided being caught in a fell-beast's talons. Two other Nazgul would soon be in a position to try and snatch the pair.
Sauron's plan was to take a small number of hostages and keep them imprisoned deep within Barad-dur. Other survivors from the Army would be sent back to their respective realms as witnesses. They would tell how the Army of the West, even with the aid of the Avengers, still couldn't avail against the Dark Lord of Mordor. They would also tell their leaders had fallen and the One Ring was now back in the hand of its master. The Free Peoples would have to accept Sauron's demand of unconditional surrender. If the Avengers made to attack any of Sauron's interests, the hostages in Barad-dur would be immediately killed. The Avengers were like any that fought on the side of supposed 'good'. The compassion they held for their weakest always outweighed their will to defeat even the strongest of their enemies.
Hulk frantically began pounding away at the barrier so he could save his friends. Sauron noticed this and allowed himself a moment of dark amusement. The mindless beast would fail to breach the barrier. But one of the objectives Sauron initially had in mind for Hulk would soon be achieved. Sauron drew his attention to Rogers and Thor.
"Do what the Other Guy can't," Rogers ordered Thor in relation to the Nazgul. "I'll keep him busy."
Thor's head snapped towards Rogers. By 'him', Rogers didn't mean Hulk.
"Now!" Rogers sharply emphasised before Thor could express any dissent.
As Rogers moved against Sauron, Thor pointed Mjolnir skyward. The barrier that protected Sauron didn't extend its protection from Thor's powers to any outside of it. Sauron's attack that had freed the Nazgul had one drawback. Thor now had a clear line of sight to use his powers against them. The two Nazgul and their fell-beasts diving towards Merry and Pippin were suddenly vaporised by a pair of lightning bolts. Thor grabbed the opportunity to dispatch another this way. The Nazgul began to waver with uncertainty. The four surviving ones thought it might be best to take their chances with the Eagles.
Rogers ran towards Sauron as Thor carried out his attacks. He fearlessly leapt up at the Dark Lord. Before Rogers's shield could strike his head, Sauron released a small magic blast. Captain America fell to the ground at his feet. Before Rogers knew it, Sauron's left hand was wrapped his throat. He cried out in pain from the strength and heat contained within Sauron's grip.
The Avengers' battle with Sauron hadn't gone completely unnoticed by their friends. Boromir was horrified upon seeing Rogers dangling within Sauron's grasp. The Acting Steward frantically tried to cut his way through the chaos towards the barrier. Boromir knew it was probably impossible to cross the barrier, let alone save the man who had saved him on numerous occasions. But Boromir's honour and conscience dictated that he at least try.
Sauron recalled how he'd killed Gil-galad upon sensing Rogers's life slipping away. Sauron decided to kill Captain America by firing a lava beam straight into his neck. His plan was immediately curtailed. What Sauron sensed from Mount Doom caused him to immediately drop Rogers. There was no movement from Rogers after he hit the ground.
The Dark Lord was suddenly aware of the Ring-bearer's presence within the heart of Mount Doom. Sauron cursed his folly at how he'd been deceived by the Free Peoples in relation to the Ring. For he knew his deadly peril and the thread upon which his doom now hung. In great wrath and fear, Sauron instantly commanded any surviving Nazgul to get to Mount Doom with all speed. Two Nazgul managed to break free of the Eagles and began hurtling south towards Mount Doom. Sauron began casting a spell to transport himself to Mount Doom also.
Hulk was still trying to breach the barrier while all this had been happening. The conscious part of Banner understood Hulk's desperation to save Merry and Pippin. But the anger Hulk used to fuel his desperation threatened to consume Banner's whole personality in the process.
STAY FOCUSED!
Hulk heard Banner's urgent plea and reminder when the Nazgul began falling to Thor's lightning. The Other Guy ceased attacking the barrier before releasing his anger on its source instead.
Sauron's spell was immediately disrupted when Hulk grabbed him from behind. Hulk drove the Dark Lord into the ground with a spear tackle. Hulk then began relentlessly pounding his fists into Sauron's helmet. Sauron managed to get Hulk off him only by a combination of his mace and sorcerous powers.
After destroying his third Nazgul in this battle, Thor saw Rogers fall from Sauron's grip. He was torn between aiding Hulk and seeing if Rogers was still alive. Thor then heard Gandalf urgently call out his name. Gandalf had been keeping an eye on the Avengers' duel when he could. Even with the loss of his staff, Gandalf could still sense any nearby magical or sorcerous undercurrents. There could only be one reason for the spell Sauron was trying to cast in addition to the Nazgul fleeing south.
"Keep disrupting Sauron at all costs!" Gandalf frantically told Thor. "Or he'll be at Mount Doom and retake the Ring in moments!"
Like Gandalf, Thor could sense Sauron's growing power. Only one attack of Thor's could really prove a major impediment to the Dark Lord now. Rogers had asked Thor about using a mystical blast against the Dark Lord. Thor's reply had been interrupted by Sauron's magical blast.
Sauron's power was now immense with the Ring now at the very heart of where it had been created. The amount of energy required for a mystical blast to even harm Sauron risked vaporising everything else within miles. The Asgardian was wary of releasing such a blast if it felled Sauron but destroyed the Army of the West in the process. But Thor had a revelation when he put Gandalf's words of 'at all costs' next to Aragorn's cry of 'For Frodo'.
Thor recalled Rogers pre-battle address to Banner and himself. Rogers implicitly recognised that one difference still existed between the Avengers and the original Fellowship. None of the Avengers currently saw Middle-earth as their home. The Avengers had acknowledged this by accepting Aragorn's leadership for this last fight. Everything was about helping Frodo and Sam complete their task. The Fellowship, indeed the whole Army of the West, was fully prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice towards this. The Avengers would become as great an enemy of freedom in Middle-earth as Sauron if they started second-guessing the Free Peoples' choices about the war. As Rogers would put it, Thor knew he had to allow the Free Peoples the dignity of their choice. Captain America had unhesitatingly risked (and possibly lost) his life in defence of this principle. Could the God of Thunder do no less?
After throwing Hulk off, Sauron twisted and desperately pushed himself off the ground. He saw another Avenger facing him a couple of yards away. Thor gripped Mjolnir with both hands and had pointed it towards the centrepiece on Sauron's armour. Sauron remembered what happened when the Asgardian used Mjolnir against the Witch-king in such fashion. The Dark Lord quickly copied Thor's gesture to release a counter-spell of his own. The God of Thunder gave what he believed to be a fitting insult about the Dark Lord mimicking Iron Man's armour.
"Doth mother know her bucket covers thy head?" Thor mocked Sauron before unleashing a mystical blast.
The mystical blast surged from Mjolnir at Sauron. The blast hit an invisible magical shield that Sauron had generated from the tip of his mace. A contest of power and will ensued between the pair. Thor kept pouring energy into his blast to break the shield. Sauron countered by investing even greater sorcery into his shield.
The Dark Lord was beginning to genuinely panic. The mystical blast wasn't just preventing him from reaching Mount Doom – it could destroy him before he even got there. Sauron's panic changed to fear upon his arms being wrenched from behind him.
Hulk immediately got up after Thor released his mystical blast. Rather than trying to bowl Sauron over, Hulk decided to aid Thor's attack instead. He simply pulled Sauron's arms from behind so the mystical blast wasn't impeded. The blast struck Sauron's armour resulting in a loud explosion of bright golden light. Hulk was thrown from Sauron such was the blast's power. The force from the explosion caused all three combatants to fall on their backs.
As he got back on his feet, a drained Thor noticed the barrier was still intact. Hulk was standing also. Unfortunately, so was Sauron. However, the centrepiece on Sauron's armour had been replaced by a large gaping hole. Thor never got to find out how much his mystical blast had weakened Sauron.
Sauron's whole body suddenly began glowing white. A few moments later, the barrier containing the Lord of the Rings and the Avengers was utterly consumed in a blinding flash of light.
While I enjoyed writing this chapter it was also the hardest one I've so far had to write. This chapter contains a number of the critical factors I've had to balance in trying to make this crossover work.
These factors include the Avengers using their powers but not defeating Sauron and his minions too easily. The heroism and sacrifice of the Fellowship and the Free Peoples undiminished (at least not too heavily) by the Avengers aiding them. And following the general plot of the film trilogy but with credible changes due to the Avengers' presence. This chapter also needed its share of character development and humour.
I admit this chapter balances these things imperfectly at best. But writing this whole crossover has given me a deeper appreciation of the wisdom contained in Mark Twain's observation – the only difference between reality and fiction is that fiction needs to be credible.
Addressing some specific parts of this chapter's plot…
I suspect Sauron creating his own version of Iron Man's armour will raise the eyebrows of more than a few readers. I got the idea from the reason why Loki wanted to mind-control Stark in The Avengers. Sauron wasn't such a long-standing threat to the Free Peoples from being predictable. His chances of defeating the three Avengers would be enhanced by hitting them with something unexpected. Sauron using a twisted a version of Iron Man's armour would certainly qualify in that regard.
Thor and Hulk could well have launched a full barrage of their powers at the start of the battle. But there's a key point that shouldn't be forgotten about the War of the Ring. The Valar had willed that the Free Peoples, especially the Race of Men, had to defeat Sauron. The Istari represented this principle. Gandalf knew his task was to assist not dominate the Free Peoples in their struggle. I wonder if Gandalf would have quietly worried about the Valar issuing a 'please explain' if they thought the Avengers were getting out of hand. Facing the combined might of the Valar would give even Thor pause for thought.
With the aid of Cap, I decided to let Pippin fulfil his wish in the book and kill the Mouth of Sauron.
Tolkien is still criticised for using the Eagles as a deus ex machina. Boromir's remark about the Eagles this chapter is a reflection of my thoughts. But I'm not going anywhere near the tired old argument about the Eagles being used to take the Ring to Mount Doom.
Like previous chapters that have ended on a cliffhanger, the next instalment will be published as soon as possible.
[RD: I chopped and changed a lot of dialogue that was in the original text. Particularly from The Avengers that was repeated in AoU.]