Chapter 11-1
The Lord of the Rings world was similar to many other fantasy worlds. The elves were graceful and fair. The dwarves loved mining. Of course, that wasn’t very specific and perhaps unfair to the dwarves. But they were a race that valued minerals and metals. Mining was their hobby.
Moria was the result of such hobby. The underground city spanned through the whole Caradhras mountains. According to Gandalf, they were to journey for five days and nights from one end to the other. This distance was uncommon in both this world and the real world. That was a mine through the mountain dug by people!
“You will soon see the warm welcomes of the dwarves. Haha.” Gimli walked at the front of the group. “With burning flame, refreshing beer, and slabs of roasted meat. This is my cousin Balin’s home, not a mere mine.”
Gandalf raised his staff. It emitted a soft white light that illuminated the mine.
“This isn’t a mine. It’s a tomb!” Boromir observed the surrounding. His voice was heavy.
Bones lay throughout the entrance. Most of them were remains of dwarves. Some seemed abnormal. They looked like remains of humanoid creatures. Tomb was a fitting description for this place.
“No! No!” Gimli sobbed. He ran toward the remains.
Legolas had kept his calm. He picked up an arrow from one of the bodies, examined it and yelled. “Orcs!” He threw the arrow away then drew his bow at the darkness.
The rest of the crew drew their weapons. Boromir shouted. “That’s why we should have gone through the Gap of Rohan instead. That is our only path to cross Caradhras safetly.”
Gungnir and Zheng met eyes. They both realized things were turning worse. In the movie, the door should had been collapsed by the beast which forced the Fellowship to head into the mine. However, the door was intact now. The beast was killed. The Fellowship could retreat as they liked and that would render their plans useless.
Gungnir immediately said. “The Gap of Rohan is too dangerous. We don’t have to fight an army on the plains in the mine. Furthermore, if Saruman finds us. He will definitely find us. We would have nowhere to run. The underground city is large enough that we might not be discovered by the orcs if we keep our noises down.”
Gandalf frowned. Zheng ran ahead. Nothing hindered the Nightmare’s speed and he quickly disappeared in the darkness. A minute later, the red burning flames came back. Zheng yelled. “There’s nothing inside. I didn’t see any orcs!”
The movie characters hesitated. Neos said. “Let the holder of the One Ring decide whether we will quietly go through Moria or slip through Saruman’s eyes. Frodo, make your choice.”
There was obviously a trap in his wording. He associated the underground city with calm, which described the current moment. However, there were hidden dangers under this silence. Then he described the Gap of Rohan as under Saruman’s eyes. It was close to Isengard but not as close as he described. Though their situation didn’t allow the others to think too deeply into his words.
Frodo looked over everyone then at the bodies on the ground. “We will go through the underground city. Everyone keep our noises down and there shouldn’t be danger. We can’t hide from Saruman’s magic.”
And so the Fellowship’s path was decided.
Gungnir and Zheng became suspicious. Why did Neos help them without a reason? Neos came over to the two and said in a low voice. “I can guess the deal between you two. As someone that knows it, I ought to take part. The mithril is expensive to exchange from God we our team must get part of the loot. Of course, we aren’t asking for much. A quarter is enough. You two split the remaining three quarters. How do you think?”
Zheng said. “Since you are joining the agreement, you will have to show your strength. We all have to spare no effort at critical moments and we must protect members from other teams.”
Neos smiled. “Of course. No one from our team will back off when the time comes. I will also join the fight if necessary.”
On the other side, the Fellowship began walking down the mine. The players followed closely behind.
Moria was extremely big. According to Gimli, the underground city was originally a cave. The dwarves found the cave then mined it through the mountains. They built their city inside. The mithirl in this city made dwarves thrilled. They used the metal to trade with the wizards, elves and humans for resources.
“The value of mithril doesn’t need to be said. It’s the currently best metal for magic. It’s light and tough. A hundred times more valuable than gold of the same weight. And the most famous metal of Moria.”
Gandalf was walking along the wall. His staff illuminated the wall. A silvery reflection showed the unrefined mithril.
“Ithildin is much rarer than mithril. The ratio is about one to a thousand. The whole of Middle Earth only produces enough ithildin to craft a plate every hundred years. It is the best metal that serves as a vessel of the mind. Wizards towers and the door of Durin that we just passed by require specific words to open. That is where you use ithildin to store a bit of the mind to act as authentication. Weapons that are crafted with slight amount of ithildin will have minor consciousness just like the One Ring. Only the first person whose blood come in contact with the weapon can use it. Other users will not be able to utilize the secrets of the weapon.” Gandalf explained and showed off his knowledge.
These words reminded Zheng. The property of recognizing an owner was similar to the weapons that he obtained in Starship Troopers. YinKong and Heng couldn’t utilize the full potential of the weapons because they were not the original owners. Was there a way to remove this property?
Zheng asked. “Any way to remove this property? I mean removing the previous owner and have the weapon bound to a new owner.”
Gandalf glanced at him. “It is possible but it depends on the strength of the minds of the two individuals. The One Ring is only an powerful artifact without Sauron’s energy. If there’s a way to remove it from the ring, it will no longer be evil and the elves will not have to leave Middle Earth for their lost of the rings. However, Sauron’s mind is too powerful. Not even god can remove the evil, cruelness, and bloodshed from the ring. We can only destroy it. Is this what you want to do?”
Zheng said. “No. I have several weapons found in ruins that are already bounded to an owner. The residual energy prevents my comrades from utilizing the weapons. I wish you would help us remove the bounds on the weapons if possible.”
Gandalf nodded. “That’s fine. I will help you after we are out of this city. That’s only if the other person’s mind isn’t too powerful or it would require the aid of energy stones and valuable minerals. If it still isn’t enough, there’s nothing I can do.”