𝕰𝖑𝖊𝖓𝖆

Chapter Twelve: The Watcher

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"Frodo!" the hobbit's voices called out, echoing off of the cavern walls.

I whipped my head around in time to see Frodo on his stomach, a slimy tentacle wrapped around his ankle, pulling him into the water.

"Aragorn!" I shouted to gain his attention, rushing to the hobbit's aid.

The others were soon to follow. Sam pulled his sword from its sheath, slicing at the creature's limbs in a fruitless effort, while the other hobbits held Frodo round the arms, trying without avail to keep him from plunging into the icy black water. At last, Sam's blade cut through the creature's arm, and it recoiled with a hiss, as Merry and Pippin dragged Frodo ashore. I placed a hand on Sam's shoulder, pulling him away from the water as it grew still for a moment. But only for a moment. Then, with a sudden shock of power, countless tentacles burst from beneath the murk, sprawling forwards with deadly speed towards Frodo. They struck the others, knocking them to the ground, before wrapping around Frodo, dragging him once more into the obscure depths of the water. Something felt stuck in my throat, my voice, my heartbeat, fear, but I forced my legs to move.

The tentacles strung Frodo above the surface of the water, the hobbit dangling by his feet, as the Fellowship rushed to the water's edge, weapons drawn, eyes blazing. Legolas let loose an arrow that embedded itself with fatal precision in the tentacle that held Frodo. Aragorn, Boromir, Gimli, and I waded into the water, the cold biting through the fabric of our clothes and piercing our skin. We attacked the tentacles that flailed about as they swung in a mad fury, tossing Frodo in every which direction as he called helplessly for Strider.

I swung at the limbs of the beast, my pairing blades sharpened to a deadly point, slicing through its skin as though it were butter. I looked up at Frodo, the tentacle that suspended him drawing close to something that was slowly emerging from the dark water. I frowned as the creature's face rose from the murk, black water spilling over it's slimy skin. More tentacles spouted like hair from its head, and two inky, onyx eyes peered at the ring-bearer, sending a stab of fear through the hobbit's heart. And my own.

The creature appeared to be a squid of sorts, I knew that much, having come from a kingdom largely based off of its fishing industry. But it possessed key characteristics that separated it from other squids, namely its sheer enormity, and the tiny pond in which it dwelled. Then, the creature's mouth opened to reveal scores of razor-sharp teeth, and I felt nausea broiling in my chest. Boromir sliced at the tentacle that had Frodo in its grasp, and it tossed its prey into the coil of another tentacle. Boromir made quick work of that one as well, amputating it with a quick swing of his sword. The creature dropped its prey into Boromir's arms, and Gandalf called hoarsely to the rest of the group;

"Into the mines!"

We turned and broke into a sprint towards the open gates of Moria, the creature's tentacles swiping at us from behind. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a tentacle lurching towards Sam, wrapping itself around his waist. I swallowed back my fear, turning to face the creature head-on. Perhaps I wouldn't make it to the mines, but at least the others would. I could buy them time. Pausing, I took a violent swing at the tentacle, chopping it in two. It freed Sam, and the hobbit ran for the shore. I stayed back, distracting the creature through swing after swing of my blades at its tentacles that sprung towards the others, Frodo in particular. By then, the group had made it ashore, and I was the only one that remained in the water.

"Go!" I ordered, as they stopped at the shoreline.

Boromir ushered the hobbits into the mines, as Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli threw knives and shot arrows in a vain attempt to help me. I swung my blades in different directions, the steel flashing under the moon's light. The creature's tentacles swarmed me like the blizzard over Caradhras, and by then, I was flailing my blades like mad.