Soronūmė had hastily ran forward with his bow poised after laying the body of such a good friend down. As the others Soronūmė was fighting with all his strength, he turned and shouted back, though the others could not understand his words. He noticed Elentari wince hard as blood flowed from her arm onto the cold stone. Tears were running down her cheeks. Soronūmė flung his head around and quickly moved from one of Shelob's legs which would otherwise have surely thrown him to the ground. Catching himself he could do nothing much watch as Lorin became trapped under the giant creature.
Time seemed to stand still as the elf slowly realised how hastily the company had walked into this, and how he had taken up with them with no real score to settle with anyone other than himself- least of all the spawn on Ungoliant. Such a quest was folly, that he had realised from an early point, but he had not the heart to tell them. Such hope they had in this quest,he could not turn them down, such a company of young females. And it seemed neither could Khorbar. He too had realised the dangers, and had warned the company, at which they had paid no heed. And now the cost? Eruwen, the maiden that had walked with Soronūmė from the Shire to meet with the company, now fallen at the side of the spider.
Soronūmė's thoughts were cut short by cries from Lorin who he could see fallen against a far wall, clutching her arm. He rushed with the ranger at his side to aid her. He drew his brothers sword from the scabbard at his side, Lunos. Wielding the sword in both hands with a tight grip around the hilt he ran hard.
Elentari who had been holding back, partly from pain stood not far from the young sword maiden who was fightly valiantly. Elentari's lips began to mutter words of a foreign tongue-another spell.
The elf-witch had distracted Soronūmė's attention and Khorbar's cries were all too late as a heavy blow pushed Soronūmė across the cold dark ground. It was surely luck that the elf had not suffered more than he had. He was still concious, though on the floor he held tightly at his waist. The blow had not broken the skin but still the pain throbbed as an evil within him.
Still Elentari muttered, her voice growing so that it no longer seemed her own. Shelob too had noticed this as she turned and faced the chanting figure. She took a step forward towards the elf-witch, seemingly oblivious to the three still fighting and stabbing at her side. The foul creature took another step and Elentari remained standing, no longer wincing. Soronūmė tried to pick himself up but fell back to his knees. He reached towards his quiver which he found bare. Lunos was lying some distance away. Weaponless he sat and watched as the creature they had all come to destroy crept closer towards destroying another of his own. Soronūmė would not lose another to this quest and, relying on his last hope, began to chant himself.
Khorbar certainly had some strength in him, still stabbing and slashing at the spider. He had worked his way between Shelob's legs and was standing beneath her possibly most vunerable part, her abdomen.
Soronūmė chanted, it had been such a long time since he has used his magic, that which had been condemned by his family so long ago yet the words flooded back into his mind as if they had never parted.
Still slimy and dark, Khorbar looked up upon Shelob's underneath. With no hesitation he thrust his sword hard into the creatures stomach causing the spider this time to recoil slightly in pain.
At the same moment Soronūmė had stopped his spell, and watched as a well of light formed above the spider, burning bright. The light pained Shelob, perhaps more than any of the blades or arrows she had so far endured and she grimaced in pain. Khorbar took another stab upwards and the sword maiden from behind. To their surprise, Shelob fled.
The light dimmed to nothing and Soronūmė let out a sigh of both relief and of breath. Pulling himself up, he held his side and made way towards Khorbar. The ranger picked up Lunos and handed the sword back to Soronūmė with no expression on his face. The blade had no weight to it so the elf did not have such trouble placing it back in the scabbard at his side.
Soronūmė made way to the fallen Lorin as fast as he could manage,whilst the ranger and sword maiden ran to Elentari who now seemed to be herself though unaware of recent happenings. Lorin was awake. Injured but not undeterred. She stood up looking down to the clean cut wound which was now the bottom of her arm. All the members of the company made way to the lifeless body of Eruwen.
Soronūmė fell at the maiden's side, on his knees he wept for his friend, tears falling to the ground creating a pool of silver. Lorin knelt beside him. "Such a loss you have suffered as a company, and many more in part. She gave her life for you." Hreeza they realsied was hovering overhead. Her words but a faint whisper, "Yet still the creature lives, you have weakened her, that is certain but she shall still put up a fight when next she attacks, she knows of our presence now."
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