(Author Note: As we’re getting into the area with multiple languages these will be used to designate the different languages – “English”, “Sindarin”, “Quenya”, “Westron” and “Goa’uld”.)

<<Middle Earth>>

The elf and ranger didn’t have enough time to do more than contemplate locating Mithrandir when the strange movements and sound from the ring started up again. They glanced at each other, then continued to watch from their concealed vantage point. This time it wasn’t one of the strange box-like creatures that exited, but a large number of highly armoured people bearing strange staves in their hands. As unfamiliar as those things were, both Legolas and Aragorn recognised that they were weapons of some kind. Another person, this one armoured and armed differently, walked out of the liquid surface and glanced contemptuously around.

Glancing at the box-creature perched precariously on the rocks in front of the circle he kicked it with a look of distaste, sending it tumbling down the rocks to lie still.

Legolas shifted uneasily as he stared at the last arrival.

“What is wrong?” Strider hissed quietly to his friend, easily picking up on the elf’s unease.

“I do not know,” Legolas replied. “His presence sets my teeth on edge.”

“They know we are coming.”

“What language is that?” Strider breathed, wincing at the sound.

“Whatever it is, it sounds nearly as bad as Black Speech,” Legolas returned, wincing himself.

“They are not here yet,” one of the guards answered.

“The Tau’ri will not interfere this time. Once we have what we need, they won’t be able to stop us.”

The leader stopped for a moment as though sensing something, then turned with a smile to look directly at Legolas’ and Strider’s hiding spot.

“And one of those we seek is close by. Find the elf, do not kill it. Kill anything else that is with it,” he ordered, his gleeful smile looking like evil itself.

“I got a bad feeling about this,” Strider murmured as many of the guards started towards their location after the leader had spoken what was obviously an order, though neither of them could understand the words.

“Same here,” Legolas replied, readying his bow.

One of the armoured beings raised a small snake like thing and it was only the two warriors’ instincts that told them to get out of the way before the blast tore through their just vacated perch.

“Definitely not friendly,” Strider commented, pulling his own bow even as Legolas released an arrow that found, with unerring accuracy, a weak point in the armour, bringing the man down with a crash.

Strider’s own shots were nowhere near as accurate, but fatal or not they did their own damage. One did particularly well when it hit one of the staff weapons at the right spot, causing the odd weapon to blow up in the face of its wielder.

“Enough!” The leader snapped angrily, stepping forward and raising his hand which had something that looked like an odd jewellery ornament draped around it. He very quickly wished he hadn’t as Legolas took one look at the ornament, decided that it was likely to be dangerous and put an arrow through the centre of the thing.

As the being doubled over in pain Legolas shot him again, in the one vulnerable area he could target at that point in time; his neck.

At the death of their leader the enemy guards quickly lost cohesion, some even going as far as to stare at the body in disbelief, making it decidedly lighter work for the two warriors.

Bare seconds after the last body had fallen the ring suddenly started up again, prompting the two to share resigned looks before slipping back into cover.