Gates of Eregion - Dawn of the Third DayEvacuation Caravan: 2,847 retreating elves
Marco Antonio Durán watched the horizon as the sun slowly rose, painting the sky orange and red. The colors were beautiful, but all he could think was that they looked like fire.
Fire that was coming.
"You should go with the caravan," said a voice beside him.
Celebrimbor stood there, the Starforge Hammer hanging from his belt. The master elf had worked all night assisting with the evacuation, but his eyes kept returning to the hammer as if he couldn't believe it was real.
"Probably," Marco admitted. "But I want to see. I need to see the consequences of what I did."
"Consequences?" Celebrimbor looked at him curiously. "You saved my people. Me. What consequence could there be beyond gratitude?"
"I changed the future. In the timeline I knew, you would have died here. Sauron would have tortured you. He would have used your body as a message. It was horrific, but it was part of what motivated the elves to fight harder afterward."
"And now I'm alive. Is that... bad?"
"I don't know. That's the problem. I don't know if saving you makes the future better or worse."
[Marco, philosophical analysis is entertaining but impractical when there's an army of orcs 3 kilometers away.]
"TARS is right," Marco muttered. "Philosophy later. Survival now."
Elrond appeared mounted on his horse, clad in full battle armor. He looked completely different from the calm, wise counselor. This was Elrond the Warrior, a veteran of wars against Morgoth himself.
"Last chance, Marco. The rearguard of the caravan is about to leave. You can go with them."
"How many stayed behind for defense?"
"Fifty warriors. That's all I could convince to retreat after that. The rest chose to stay and defend their homes until the caravan was far enough away."
Fifty elves against how many? Marco activated his Merchant's Eye , extending its sense towards the approaching army.
The information hit him like a wave:
Sauron 's ArmySize: Approximately 3,000 orcs, 200 uruk-hai , 50 trollsCommander: Sauron in physical formDanger Level: APOCALYPTICProbability of defensive victory: 0.002%
"Three thousand," Marco whispered. "Three thousand against fifty."
"Sixty if you count me," said a voice.
Loki materialized out of thin air, his green and gold robes shimmering in the dawn light. But there was something different about him. His presence was MASSIVE. The air rippled around him. Runes glowed on his visible skin.
"LOKI?" Marco almost shouted. "What are you doing here?"
"I felt your call. Well, not an exact call. But I sensed you were in trouble. And I told you I'd come if you needed me." He glanced at the approaching army. "Looks like my timing is impeccable as ever."
"You completed your training..."
"Two hundred hours. Eight full days of my subjective time studying the Grimoire of Cagliostro . And now..." Loki smiled, and there was something of his old arrogance mixed with genuine new power, "...now I am something more than the God of Lies. I am the God of Multiversal Magic ."
Elrond observed Loki with calculated caution.
"Who is this?"
" Loki" Laufeyson . My first client. He became an ally.
"A god," Elrond observed , sensing it immediately. "Otherworldly."
" Asgardian , to be specific. Though technically a blood jotun ." Loki leaned in mockingly. "I hear you're having trouble with your local dark lord. I have experience with dark lords. I've killed a few. I was one briefly. I can help."
"Why would you help?" Celebrimbor asked suspiciously.
"Because Marco gave me the tools to save MY brother. The least I can do is help him save master craftsmen." Loki looked at Celebrimbor . "And because Sauron reminds me too much of Thanos . Megalomaniacs with god complexes are my specialty."
[Marco, Loki has completely transformed his power signature. He's now at low Skyfather level . He can face Sauron . Not necessarily win, but at least delay him significantly.]
"Can you stop that army?" Marco asked directly.
Loki 's eyes glowed green. "And I can make Sauron regret getting out of bed this morning."
Elrond considered it for a moment. Then he nodded.
"Very well. I don't refuse help when it's offered freely. What do you need?"
"Just watch. And Marco..." Loki looked at him seriously, "...back off. This is going to get ugly."
"I'm not going to leave you alone—"
"I'm not alone. I have fifty elven warriors . And I've fought under worse odds." Loki grinned. "Besides, if I die here, I can blame your secondhand shop. The Grimoire had a return clause, didn't it?"
" Loki , this is no joke—"
"I know." The smile faded. "That's why I need you to survive. Someone has to tell the story of how the God of Lies did something heroic for once."
Before Marco could answer, the sound of war horns echoed through the hills.
Sauron 's army had arrived.
Battlefield - View from the Walls
Marco had never seen a real fantasy army before. The movies hadn't done it justice.
Three thousand orcs were a mass of flesh, rusted metal, and pure hatred. They moved like a plague, covering the hills like a living blanket of violence.
The Uruk-hai — bigger, stronger, more disciplined — marched in formation.
And the trolls ... the trolls were four-meter-tall monstrosities, carrying maces the size of trees.
But the worst part was the figure at the front.
Sauron .
Not in a spiritual way. In a PHYSICAL WAY.
He was over two and a half meters tall. Black armor that absorbed light. Eyes that glowed like burning coals in the slits of his helmet. And in his hand, a mace that pulsed with malevolent power.
His mere presence made the air feel heavier. Darker.
"For all the saints..." Marco felt his Danger Sense SCREAM in his mind.
"That is Sauron ," Elrond said softly. "In his prime. Before he lost his physical form in the Downfall of Númenor . This is Morgoth 's lieutenant , forger of the One Ring. And he is furious."
Sauron 's voice echoed across the field, amplified by dark magic:
" CELEBRIMBOR. GO OUT AND FACE YOUR DESTINY. "
The voice was like metal scraping glass. It made Marco's teeth ache.
Celebrimbor tensed beside him.
"He wants a personal fight. A duel. If I go out—"
"If you go outside, you'll die in seconds," Loki said firmly. "And your death won't save anyone. Stay here. Let me handle this god-complex idiot."
"Are you going to DUEL against Sauron ?" Marco couldn't believe it.
"Not exactly. I'm going to insult him enough so he forgets about Celebrimbor and focuses on me. Then I'm going to show him some magic that doesn't exist in this universe." Loki began to glow with green energy. "This is going to be therapeutic."
And before anyone could stop him, Loki JUMPED from the wall.
He fell thirty meters.
It landed with an IMPACT that cracked the ground.
And he stood up without a scratch, the Grimoire floating beside him.
" SAURON ," Loki shouted , his voice also amplified by magic, " I HEARD YOU WERE LOOKING FOR AN ELVISH BLACKSMITH. TOO BAD YOU FOUND AN ASGARDIAN GOD INSTEAD. "
The orc army stopped, confused.
Sauron bowed his head, studying Loki .
" WHAT ARE YOU? " The voice was curiosity mixed with threat.
" I'M YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE: SOMEONE UNIMPRESSED BY YOUR THEATRICALITY. " Loki gestured elaborately. " FURTHERMORE, YOUR ARMOR IS HORRID. DID MORGOTH LET YOU DRESS LIKE THAT? OR DO YOU SIMPLY HAVE BAD TASTE? "
Marco almost laughed hysterically. Loki was literally insulting Sauron 's fashion .
" IMPERTINENT. " Sauron began walking towards Loki . " I WILL MAKE YOU SUFFER BEFORE I DIE. "
" BORING THREATS. I'VE HEARD BETTER FROM DRUNKEN FROST GIANTS. "
Sauron charged.
Loki waited.
At the last possible second, Loki split into FIFTY copies.
All identical. All real thanks to the advanced magic of the Grimoire.
The orcs stared, completely confused.
" TRICK ONE ," the fifty Lokis said in unison. " MULTIVERSAL CONFUSION. "
Sauron struck one. The Loki exploded in green smoke.
But the other forty-nine attacked simultaneously with bursts of magical energy.
The battle had begun.
Walls of Eregion - 15 Minutes Later
Marco watched in amazement as Loki —or his fifty copies— fought against Sauron and his army.
It wasn't a fair fight.
Loki was not trying to win.
He was trying to DELAY.
He created walls of magical ice that halted orc advances. He conjured illusions of dragons that caused panic. He opened small portals that redirected orc arrows back to their shooters. And every time Sauron approached, Loki teleported away , mocking him all the while.
" IS THAT ALL? MY GRANDMA HITS HARDER AND SHE'S DEAD! "
It was ridiculous.
It was effective.
And it was working.
"The caravan is 10 kilometers away," Círdan reported , climbing down from the watchtower. "If Loki can hold this for another hour, they'll be safe."
"Can he keep it?" asked Celebrimbor .
"I don't know," Marco admitted. " Loki is powerful now, but Sauron is... Sauron ."
As if the universe were listening, everything changed.
Sauron STOPPED in the middle of the battlefield.
He raised his hand.
And he spoke in a language Marco did not recognize. Black Language. Language of Mordor .
The air turned COLD.
Loki 's illusions began to dissipate.
The ice walls cracked.
"Oh no," whispered Elrond . "He's using the One Ring."
Sauron 's finger , shone a band of gold.
Simple. No decoration.
But it radiated POWER that made everyone on the walls instinctively back away.
The copies of Loki began to fade away one by one.
Fifty became twenty-five.
Twenty-five became twelve.
Twelve became three.
And finally, only the real Loki remained.
He was panting, clearly exhausted.
" Amazing tricks ," said Sauron , slowly approaching. " But useless. You cannot win against the One Ring. "
Loki spat blood—apparently Sauron had landed some blows that Marco hadn't seen.
" Maybe not ," Loki gasped . " But I didn't need to win. I just needed time. "
He snapped his fingers.
AND THE ENTIRE BATTLEFIELD EXPLODED IN GREEN LIGHT.
Runes that Loki had been secretly plotting throughout the fight—while his copies distracted—were activated.
It was a massive trap.
Sauron 's army turned to slippery ice.
The air was filled with poisonous gas that did not affect elves but burned the lungs of orcs.
And most importantly—a MASSIVE dimensional portal opened directly beneath the trolls .
The fifty trolls fell through the portal, disappearing.
" WHERE DID YOU SEND THEM? " roared Sauron .
" JOTUNHEIM. MY HOMELAND. " Loki smiled, bloodied. " THE FROST GIANTS WILL ENJOY THE TROLL FLESH. CONSIDER IT A GIFT. "
Sauron roared in fury and charged towards Loki .
Loki tried to teleport —
And he failed.
The One Ring was blocking him.
Sauron 's mace descended.
Loki lifted the Grimoire, using it as a shield—
The impact was DEVASTATING.
Loki flew backwards, crashing into the walls of Eregion with such force that it cracked the stone.
"LOKI!" Marco ran towards where he had fallen.
He found Loki in a crater at the base of the wall. He was bleeding from multiple wounds. His armor was shattered. But he was still alive.
"Marco..." coughed up blood. "Enough time... ? "
"Yes. The caravan is safe. You did it."
"Good..." Loki smiled weakly. "Heroism... overrated... hurts like... shit..."
"We need to get you out of here—"
" I will deliver Celebrimbor ," Sauron 's voice boomed, " and I will spare all others. "
Marco looked up.
Sauron was at the gates now. His army was behind him, recovering from Loki 's traps .
The fifty elven warriors stood on the walls, arrows pointed.
Elrond stood in front, sword drawn.
It was a moment of decision.
Marco had options:
Handing over Celebrimbor (unthinkable)Fighting (suicide)Negotiate (probably useless)To flee (cowardly but intelligent)...or something completely different.
His businessman's mind worked at full speed.
Then he had an absolutely crazy idea.
"TARS," he murmured. "Can I open my shop HERE? NOW?"
[Technically yes. Why?]
"Because I'm going to do something stupid."
That doesn't answer my question.
"I'm going to try to sell something to Sauron ."
[...THAT.]
"Listen. Sauron wants Celebrimbor dead for revenge. But Sauron is essentially a merchant too. He forged Rings as an investment of power. He understands value. Quid pro quo."
[Marco, this is madness—]
"My whole life is crazy now. Can you open the store or not?"
[...Yes. But this is officially the stupidest idea you've ever had. And you sold power to Muzan .]
"That's saying a lot." Marco took a deep breath.
Then he shouted:
" SAURON! I HAVE A COUNTERPROPOSAL! "
The battlefield fell silent.
Everyone—elves, orcs, even Sauron —looked at him.
" WHAT COULD AN INSIGNIFICANT MORTAL OFFER THAT WOULD INTEREST ME? "
Marco walked forward, standing on the walls where everyone could see him.
He activated Ten, his aura enveloping him.
Activated your Merchant's Eye , the golden coins materializing around him.
And he opened his shop.
The door materialized behind him. Ten meters high. Impossible. Beautiful.
Sauron 's army retreated, the orcs whispering in fear.
Even Sauron stopped, clearly surprised.
" I AM MARCO ANTONIO DURÁN ," Marco shouted with all the confidence he could muster. " MULTIVERSAL MERCHANT. SELLER OF THE IMPOSSIBLE. AND I HAVE SOMETHING YOU WANT MORE THAN REVENGE AGAINST AN ELVISH BLACKSMITH. "
" AND WHAT WOULD THAT BE? "
Marco smiled.
It was the smile of a merchant who had just landed a customer.
" KNOWLEDGE. KNOWLEDGE OF HOW TO MAKE YOUR ONE RING MORE POWERFUL. KNOWLEDGE OF MAGIC FROM OTHER UNIVERSES. KNOWLEDGE THAT WOULD MAKE YOU NOT ONLY THE DARK LORD OF MIDDLE-EARTH... "
He paused for dramatic effect.
" ...BUT THE GOD OF YOUR OWN UNIVERSE. "
The silence was absolute.
Then Sauron began to LAUGH.
It wasn't joyful laughter.
It was the laughter of a predator who had just found fascinating prey.
" BOLD. STUPID. BUT BOLD. " Sauron approached the gates. " VERY WELL, MERCHANT. YOU HAVE MY ATTENTION. SHOW ME WHAT YOU OFFER. "
" BUT FIRST, MY TERMS ," Marco said, his heart pounding like a drum. " IF YOU ENTER MY SHOP TO NEGOTIATE, YOU CAN'T ATTACK WHILE WE'RE INSIDE. NEUTRAL ZONE. ABSOLUTE RULES. "
" WHAT IF I REFUSE? "
" THEN YOU'LL NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU COULD HAVE GAINED. "
Sauron considered.
Then, to the astonishment of absolutely EVERYONE, he nodded.
" I ACCEPT YOUR TERMS. BUT IF YOUR OFFER DISAPPOINTS ME... "
" I KNOW. HORRID DEATH. ETERNAL TORTURE. DARK LORD STANDARD. I UNDERSTAND. "
" THEN LET'S OPEN A SHOP, MERCHANT. "
And Marco Antonio Durán, a taco vendor turned multiversal merchant , was about to have the most important negotiation of his life.
With the Dark Lord himself.
What could possibly go wrong?
[END OF CHAPTER 10]