Chapter 17

The river became narrower and narrower as they sailed down. The group had sailed from the tributary into the main river. Most of the movie characters were still thinking of Galadriel. There was no blaming them as the Lady of xx was a powerful psyche force user. Even the players got affected when they weren’t being cautious. The good thing was they had their own psyche force users to protect them. The movie characters on the other hand were exposed to Galadriel’s influence.

They sailed for a few more hours on the river and had a quick meal on the boat. The shores were still green. Further ahead were white snowy mountains. The water was clear and green like jade. It reflected trees on the shore. The scenery was perhaps not that of the heavens but it was a rare sight compared to Earth. Many of the players lost themselves in the scenery.

One person looking at the strange trees on the shore suddenly yelled. “Hey, look over at the shore. I seemed to have seem a group of people ran by.”

The rest of the group immediately turned their heads. The trees were densely populated. They couldn’t make out anything behind those trees. Aragorn rowed the boat and said. “Don’t make such a big fuss. They are the Uruk-hai. They are chasing us from the shore. That’s why we must arrive at the waterfall before they caught up. We will be safer once we reach there.”

And so, the group could see shadows of the Uruks on the rest of the way. The boats made several turns down the river. The Uruks would need some time to cross the river. Evening, the group camped on the a place without trees on the shore.

“We will take turns staying on guard. Three people a team, an hour each team. The Hobbits don’t have to. We will rest for five hours then head out at dawn. While on the boats, we can take turns rowing and resting. We will have a bigger chance of getting away from the Uruks.” Aragorn pushed the campfire with a stick and said.

The players had no objection and the movie characters too. Something happened during their rest. Boromir suggested the Fellowship to head to Minas Tirith, a city in Gondor, and a post defending against the forces of Mordor. From there, they would regroup then strike out for Mordor.

Aragorn disagreed with Boromir. The two argued over this topic nonstop. It came to a point where Aragorn expressed distrust in Boromir.

That was merely an interlude. The rest of the night was peaceful. The group headed out on their boats as the sun came up the horizon the next day. They sailed down the river again. Several days went by in the same manner. The trees on the shores had become less and instead, stone structures took their place. The terrain turned from plains to valleys.

An hour later, Aragorn suddenly yelled. “Look, the Argonath! Long have I desired to look upon the kings of old. My kin.”

Two majestic statues appeared at the end of the valley. It was a miraculous sight for two statues hundreds of meters tall to exist in this world. The statues were carved on the sides of Anduin. Any man would feel minute standing in front of them.

“They are really… splendid!” Zheng loudly exclaimed. The rest of the group also exclaimed.

Imagine that when the boats sailed past the two statues and they were less than the height of the statues’ toes. The size of the sculptures could only be described as a miracle. Everyone of them held their breath and gazed upward as they moved past. Long after they had sailed past, the Fellowship still turned their head around. This magnificence could only be experienced and not told.

Aragorn said. “Such an honored, noble and brave person, my kin, surrendered to the temptation of the One Ring…”

The boats sailed past the valley and witnessed the grand sculptures of man. Then they reached a roaring waterfall.

The group disembarked on the shore. They set up a camp instead of marching ahead.

We cross the lake at nightfall. Hide the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the north.” Aragorn said as he sorted the gifts from the elves and their food.

Gimli said. “Oh, yes?! It’s just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil? An impassable labyrinth of razor sharp rocks! And after that, it gets even better! Festering, stinking marshlands, far as the eye can see!”

Aragorn looked at Gimli and nodded. “That is our road. I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength, Master Dwarf.”

Legolas suddenly came near them and said. “We should leave now.”

Aragorn replied. “No. Orcs patrol the eastern shore. We must wait for cover of darkness.”

Legolas said. “”It is not the eastern shore that worries me. A shadow and a threat has been growing in my mind. Something draws near… I can feel it.”

Before Legolas finished his sentence, Merry said. “Where’s Frodo? Frodo is gone!”

Sam was half dozing on the ground. He instantly jumped up and looked around anxiously. Aragorn and Legolas headed into the forest near the shore.

The players knew that in the original plot, Boromir fell to the temptation of the One Ring at this point. He wanted to seize the ring from Frodo. However, the Uruks would ambush them. Boromir died saving the Hobbits and the rest of the Fellowship.

Zheng met eyes with the players. They nodded to each other. There weren’t anything else to prepare for. The three psyche force users had scanned the Uruk’s number and location and sent the images to everyone’s mind. Zheng drew out Tiger’s Soul. He flipped himself onto the Nightmare. The others also readied their weapons or stood up.

Zheng said. “Heng and Xuan stay here to protect the psyche force users. Team Northern Ice Land and team Africa each leave one person behind… The rest of us get ready to fight!”

Aragorn had found Frodo by now. Frodo held out the ring on his palm to Aragorn. Aragorn overcame the temptation and didn’t take it from him. Frodo said he would go to Mount Doom by himself and destroy it.

“Ah, how great… kindness and courage, innocence and dream. Reality is cruel but without these noble feelings, it would feel lacking when you crush it. That’s why things of beauty are the best when it comes to destruction.” A voice interrupted Aragorn and Frodo.

Aragorn turned around abruptly as he drew his sword. He had activated his battle Qi because that voice gave him the illusion that a blade was placed right on the skin of his back. It gave him goosebumps.

A handsome man stood on top of a tall pillar behind them. He looked at them with a kind smile. There was no trace of threat from that smile. Yet, his eyes were cold as ice.

The pillar was eight meters tall. There were no other structures around. How did he get up there without making any noise? Aragorn didn’t sense anything happened. This realization sent a chill down his spine. If this man wanted to assassinate him, he would be dead without a chance to resist.

“Oh, they have come. Well then. Keep this courage of fighting for your friends. We will meet again.” He smiled. His figure moved ever so slightly then he disappeared. It was as though he was never there.

Zheng was running over on his Nightmare.

Aragorn spaced out staring at the pillar until the Nightmare’s clops arrived. He finally noticed the glow on Frodo’s sword in shock. That signaled Orcs nearby, or perhaps… Uruks.

Frodo also noticed the sword’s change. He said to Aragorn. “The sword…”

“Yes. Foes. Run, hurry and run!” Aragorn glanced at Zheng. He held up his sword then came out from the stone wall.

Uruks were swarming out from the forest. Their number was in the hundreds. The Uruks were fully armed with intact armors, helms, shield, and swords. Some of the Uruks even carried long bows that the elves used. Aragorn felt bitterness in his mouth but his support arrived. Zheng charged past him and into the Uruks.

This was his first encounter with the Uruks. They were two meters in height, had figures similar to humans but a more fearsome look and extremely muscular. The Uruks were orcs with a sturdier body. The difference between them and regular orcs were like that of a fighter and a girl.

Though Zheng had no fear of this Uruks despite having a vivid look of them. He enveloped himself with the light blade while the Nightmare was charging. As he reached the Uruks, he slashed Tiger’s Soul across. A sound of metals torn apart followed. Ten Uruks in the front were cut in halves and their dead bodies lay on the ground.

Aragorn saw Zheng’s fierceness but he still yelled to him. “Be careful! These Uruks were converted from elves. They could naturally use battle Qi at a low level but it would be enough to block your invisible blade.”

Zheng was surprised. He planned to charged into the swarm as he did in the Mines of Moria. Right as he heard Aragorn’s words, he ran through an Uruk and shattered it. The next Uruk summoned a faint glow that belonged to battle Qi. There was a boom as Zheng ran into it. The Uruk was sent flying ten meters back but it stopped Zheng’s charge. Uruks now surrounded him.

The advantage of the Nightmare came into show. Zheng had it leap onto a tree then the Nightmare ran up along the trunk. It didn’t stop until it reached eight meters above the ground. At the same time, arrows began to hit his light blade barrier. In just a moment of him pausing there, dozens of arrows hit him. Zheng looked over to the end of the Uruks but they were still coming out from the forest.

“Approximately a thousand. It’s going to take a lot of efforts to kill them all. Sigh. If only I have an AOE technique.” Zheng murmured.

Once sci-fi weapons were restricted, the team had limited area of effect abilities. Many of the magical weapons and abilities were not intended for such use. The few that did either required consumables or had other restrictions, like the unparalleled power of Ice Age from Gungnir.

In just a moment, numerous arrows hit his barrier and shattered. Underneath him, some Uruks began to enchant their arrows with battle Qi. His barrier was also wavering. Zheng pulled the lead rope. The Nightmare leaped down. Tiger’s Soul swung left and right, adding another dozen corpses to the ground. Yet, the huge number of Uruks quickly covered these corpses. The Uruk’s weapons hacked toward Zheng.

The rest of the players arrived. The players and movie characters clashed with the Uruks. But without the Nightmare nor the light blade barrier, they were pushed back by the Uruks in the first wave of attack. Zheng was the only person standing in the swarm swinging his sword.

YinKong was actually running in front, just right behind Zheng. However, as she came near the pillar, a sudden strange feeling attracted her attention. The feeling was foggy. Seeing that Zheng had started fighting, she frowned. Her eyes moved back and forth to Zheng multiple times until the Nightmare ran up the tree. She bit her teeth then chased after the direction of her feeling.

YinKong’s heart pounded increasingly fast the further she ran. This feeling she was experience was indescribable. But she knew there was perhaps someone waiting in that direction. The only person that she hated so much.

As she expected, a few minutes later, the sky brightened up. She came to a cliff. She could see a splendid waterfall underneath the cliff. To the side of the cliff stood a man with long hair.

“Yo, my little cousin. We finally meet again… Of course, to you, it should be we meet again. Hoho. You seem surprised that I am here. Do you have anything you want to say to me?” The man turned around. He smiled at YinKong. His expression was gentle and tender. It was as though he was speaking to his lover.

YinKong clenched his teeth. Her hands gripped so tightly onto the invisible hilt that her fingers were turning pale. After a while, she finally uttered the words. “Go to hell!”

YinKong took two steps forward then slashed the sword downward. There was a rattle. The sword cut through something in the air.

There were several wires invisible to the eyes hung between her and the man. If she charged forward without hesitation, the wires would have cut her up. That death would be a replication of her last one.

The man wasn’t angry. In contrast, he clapped his hands happily. “Great! You improved. I learned from my clone that he killed you because you hadn’t used that revival chance. He told me of the way you died and the beauty of that death… I couldn’t see the shattering of that beauty with my own eyes but just thinking about the moment of your death makes me excited.”

“Zhao ZhuiKong! You ought to die!”

The man was Zhao ZhuiKong. The crotch of his pants bulged as he spoke. It appeared that those words excited him. YinKong on the other hand were enraged that her eyes turned red. Naturally, she wouldn’t notice his lower body. She didn’t just charge at him this time and took a deep breath instead. “Are you planning to battle me today?”

ZhuiKong showed a bigger surprise. He laughed. “No. You still have room to grow. Your performance today surprised me. You know you can’t stop me if I want to leave so you choose not to waste your energy. Go help your comrades with your perfect strength. Chasing onto me will only disappoint you… I won’t kill you now because you have great potential ahead of you. And you don’t have a chance to revive anymore.”

YinKong stared at him. She quietly said. “I will kill you. I will… for them, for my childhood, for the past I buried… I will kill you!”

ZhuiKong suddenly disappeared and reappeared next to her. He ignored her pale hands that were gripping onto the sword. His hands reached out to the soft white skin of her face. Then he lowered his head and kissed her lips. Blood sipped out the corner of YinKong’s mouth from clenching her teeth so hard.

ZhuiKong returned to the edge of the cliff and said to her with a smile. “Be angry, hate, and live on… You are still too weak. When you have grown and the next time we meet, let me see the shattering of that beauty. My little cousin…” He jumped off the cliff, ignoring the fact it was a hundred meters above the water.

YinKong, still clenching her teeth, turned around and ran back toward the battlefield. She didn’t even take a look down the cliff. Blood was still flowing out the corner of her mouth and painted her lips red. It made her face so pretty.

(I am still too weak. And he’s stronger than the last time I met him… Become stronger! I have to become stronger than him!)