𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐬 ➵︎ [ 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘧 ]

9| what lies beneath

The wood began to splinter as the enemy pounded relentlessly against the door. Weapons began to pierce through crevices and weaknesses in the wood as we stood waiting in anticipation of the onslaught, our weapons ready.

Legolas released the first arrow, accurately piercing into an orc through a crack in the door, it's squeal of pain drowned out by a sea of growls. Aragorn fired the second.

Without warning, the doors gave way, collapsing to the ground, allowing a huge stream of hideous disfigured orcs to pour into the room. With a final inhale, I braced myself.

So it began.

The first few were taken down by Aragorn and Legolas' arrows, but that only slowed the rate at which orcs were pouring in by a fraction.

Adjusting my grip on my gleaming golden sword, I braced myself for the incoming wave of orcs.

One ugly thing charged at me with a spear, and I dodged it's attempts to skewer my torso, quickly advancing and removing its head with a swing of my sword, feeling the spray of warm blood on my skin. I had no time to be disgusted.

Aldion released a blood-curdling howl, before leaping headfirst into the incoming wave, his teeth tearing through flesh and bone. Even his sheer size was enough to crush a couple orcs. Some orcs let out squeaks of surprise, not expecting to be pitched against such a beast.

Legolas was firing arrows at an alarming rate, his accuracy even more so, and Aragorn had switched to his sword, hacking left and right through the crowd of orcs. Gimli released a cathartic battle cry, before launching himself into the rabble, swinging his axe like a madman. From behind me, I heard four collective battle cries as the Hobbits too joined in defending themselves.

These orcs in themselves were not as skilled as we were, however the sheer number of them was staggering. Every single one I killed, three more would take its place.

Aldion fought to my left, his teeth stained with blood, a murderous glint in his eyes. It truly was a gruesome sight. He was like a dark entity that moved with the speed of lightning with a raw and savage power. All it took for an orc to be torn to pieces was a flash of black. With wide eyes, I watched as he pounced on an orc, tearing its limbs off with one bite.

Seeing an orc approach him from behind, I threw my sword, embedding it right into its chest. I watched as it collapsed onto the floor.

In one swift motion, I ducked the swing of another orc. I yanked the dagger from my boot, before charging forwards. 

With a twirl of the blade, I drove it into the midsection of an incoming orc, its screech piercing my eardrums. But before I could finish it off, a growl rang out from behind me. Glancing back, I saw an orc stalking towards me with its knife raised high. Gritting my teeth, I sent a flying kick backwards, feeling my boot connect with the head of the orc with a grunt. Yanking my dagger from the orc before me, I slashed its throat, ending its struggling.

I gave myself a moment within the chaos to catch my breath. In the corner of my eye, I saw Legolas send me an impressed look. I just huffed, before sheathing my dagger and pulling my sword from the corpse on the floor, diving back into the fight.

Steel bit into flesh. The sounds of metal clashing against metal rang throughout the room, as well as inhumane growls and shrieks of pain as adrenaline pumped through my veins.

Nearby, Gimli channelled his inner rage, releasing his anger in explosive bouts as he killed anything that stood in his path, his axe avenging the death of his cousin.

The battle was gruesome, and tedious to say the least. We'd slay some orcs, and within a split second, more would come to replace them.

Suddenly, the ground began to tremble. A sense of dread set in as I made eye contact with Aragorn.