Swish!
The long sword swept through the air, then suddenly pointed backward.
"My lord, don't attack, it's me!"
A panicked voice came from behind.
Garrett frowned, carefully examining the sneaky orc who had been tailing him all along. He had to admit, this fellow was quite distinctive. One leg was crippled and replaced with a prosthetic limb, a steel plate was fixed to his forehead, giving him a sturdy look. He was tall too, almost as tall as a Man.
It reminded him of Azog, the co-leader of the orcs of Khazad-dûm and the Misty Mountains. He too had weaponized his missing arm.
"Oh?"
Garrett looked at the orc, or rather, the Uruk, with interest and asked, "And who might you be again?"
"It must be that I've changed too much, my lord, for you not to recognize me."
The limping oddball said, "Decades ago, my men and I swore allegiance to you. Later, we were all sent to die, but by sheer luck I survived. Now I am one of the leaders here. All these years, my loyalty has never wavered!"
That was what he said, but in truth, the crippled orc knew better. Before the Battle of Dale, his allegiance to Garrett had been mostly an act. Deep down, he had still served the Dark Lord. But after becoming the sole survivor of that great war, everything changed. It was as if some invisible chain had been broken.
"Hmm..."
Garrett thought for a moment and sheathed his sword.
The crippled orc secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"I remember now. It's you. Interesting."
He hadn't expected that the orc he once coerced into delivering a message to the Witch-king had survived all this time and even become a leader.
Perhaps... he could be useful.
"Have you seen Gollum?" Garrett asked.
"Gollum?"
The orc blinked, his face full of confusion.
After Garrett described Gollum's appearance, the orc shook his head and replied, "I've never heard of such a creature, but I can keep an eye out for him, my lord."
"Good."
With a half-indifferent attitude, Garrett chatted a bit longer with the peculiar orc chieftain.
He truly was odd, mainly because his reputation was actually positive.
As their conversation drew to a close, the orc suddenly asked, "One more thing, my lord. How should I contact you?"
After a brief pause, Garrett told him about a covert communication method commonly used by Rangers. It was a relatively secure system. Even if the enemy learned the procedure, it wouldn't compromise other Rangers' operations.
"I'll send someone to meet you later. Do your job well. And if you hear anything about Gollum, let me know. Preferably if you can capture him."
"Yes, my lord!"
The orc swore earnestly.
He left the secluded pass, an eerie place even orcs found frightening, with joy in his heart.
Above the pass, behind a protruding rock, Gollum covered his mouth, eyes wide with terror.
"Curse him... why is he here, gollum... And that orc, he's enslaved even a chieftain!"
He narrowed his eyes, quietly peeking down again. He saw Garrett turning around and continuing upward along the pass.
No!
His heart skipped a beat. If he kept going that way... he'd walk straight into the cave.
"Should I... go warn her?"
Gollum's large eyes flickered. After a brief moment of thought, he chose to take the upper path back, scurrying off ahead of Garrett and reaching Shelob's dark lair first.
"Quick, quick, get out of here... gollum!"
His urgent voice echoed through the cave, startling the great spider who had been resting. From the shadows, Shelob crawled out, her many eyes glinting with faint expectation, but when she saw that Gollum hadn't brought back any food, that expectation turned instantly into disgust.
He could easily see the shift in her mood, and hastened to explain:
"A terrifying man is coming, gollum! He's powerful, so powerful even the Dark Lord couldn't deal with him! If you run into him, you'll never win!"
A piercing screech rang by his ears. He knew what it meant. Shelob was not pleased by his warning.
But... that was fine. Her anger was exactly what he wanted.
Shrinking back pitifully, he blinked his large, watery eyes, looking all kinds of innocent, as though he truly cared about her safety.
Tap.
Soft footsteps echoed from one of the tunnels. Both Shelob and Gollum turned toward the sound.
"He's here."
Not willing to stay near her, Gollum bolted deeper into the cave and curled himself into a dark corner, trembling and silent. Even Shelob, who cared for nothing but eating, looked at his cowardice with disdain.
The enormous spider, taller than several Men combined, began to move, her massive legs propelling her forward. Her swollen body slammed through the cave like a battering ram. Her thick, lumpy hide, harder than iron, and the steel-like hairs on her legs shattered rocks as she charged toward the entrance.
Watching her ferocious posture, Gollum's heart pounded wildly.
Maybe she could actually hurt him?
Could she?
Moments later...
ROARRR!
A scream of agony thundered through the cavern. The sound echoed off the walls. Gollum clutched his ears as his head buzzed so hard that his vision doubled.
Unbelievable.
He groaned inwardly.
Was that really a sound a spider could make?
"I told you not to go, but you never listen, gollum..."
Rumble... rumble...
A tremor rolled closer and closer, passing right over Gollum's hiding place.
It was Shelob, coming back. Gollum nervously peeked out and was immediately hit by the stench of burnt flesh. Shelob's massive body was oozing foul, blackish fluid from deep gashes, the corrosive ichor eating pits into the stone floor wherever it dripped. She looked utterly defeated.
"Don't run now. You were acting pretty fierce just a moment ago, weren't you?"
A calm, almost amused voice came from the same direction Shelob had fled.
The speaker carried a greatsword in one hand and a burning torch in the other. The firelight stretched his shadow across the walls, vast and towering, like that of a giant.
Damn it, stop beating so fast, you useless heart!
Gollum raged silently at himself while pressing both hands over his mouth to stifle any sound.
Maybe it was his old Hobbit stealth that saved him, but hidden under the deep shadows, the terrifying man hunting Shelob never noticed him.
"I've got something tasty in my pack. Fresh meat, roasted meat, steak, lamb chops, pork ribs, take your pick..."
"Huh. Now where did you run off to?"
After searching around for a while without finding the slightest trace of Shelob, Garrett finally stopped. He looked toward a nearby cave where dark blood was splattered across the floor.
There was no need to ask whose blood it was. After a brief silence, Garrett walked inside and began to search.
He had to admit, Shelob, this great spider, possessed power on a near-legendary level.
When she'd leapt out and bitten into his Dragonflame Steel sword earlier, she'd actually chewed off dozens of points of its durability.
Truly, the spawn of the first darkness of Middle-earth.
Her mother, Ungoliant, could devour the Two Trees of Valinor themselves. Shelob wasn't as strong as her mother, but clearly, when she went berserk, chewing through iron or steel was hardly a problem.
Still, no matter how powerful she was, she was not her mother. Garrett's search through the cave continued for over half a month. Several times he caught signs of movement, but each time, he was just a moment too late. The giant spider always slipped away.
Once, Shelob had even been forced to gnaw through solid rock, digging her way out of the cave wall just to escape.
The sight of that torch-bearing swordsman had carved itself deep into her memory. And after being toyed with and hunted like some beast in a cruel game of cat and mouse, Shelob's mind and body were both left in shambles.