Gimli noticed that the stone was following him: it had somehow fit itself back together and was hovering at about his shoulder height, and it was going wherever he went, right in front of him. The stone, now shining brighter than ever, seemed to have a mind of its own, for it was moving around, while not varying too much from Gimli’s course. Far off in the distance, Gimli heard the doom doom of a drum. His eyes widened. Soon after there came the returning beat of doom doom, from the opposite direction, and then a wicked laugh followed by the cruel voice saying: “Balin was a fool thinking he could defend the weakest of the races of middle earth with his troupe of outcasts: the dwarves!” A rage rose up inside of Gimli, and he felt a new vigour within him, and within the stone, and though it was featureless, it somehow seemed not angry, but filled with lust for the black blood of the orcs;  it sought to avenge its people. But Gimli knew that a mere slaughter would not set right centuries of killings. No, the orcs needed to feel guilt, and self resent for the crimes of themselves and their wellsprings since ages forgotten. Gimli saw that the stone was nudging against his axe, and for the first time since he had seen it, Gimli noticed that he could read the thoughts of the stone, and the stone could read his. The stone wanted to be combined with the axe, to make it stronger. Gimli nodded to the stone, and suddenly it began to glow with a light unlike any Gimli had seen before, and then it disappeared, or so Gimli thought, but a few moments later part of it appeared on the edges of the axe, and the other part as a centerpiece between the two blades of the axe. The centerpiece glowed with the light like that on a blade from an elven forge (for those blades glow a pale light when orcs are near). The doom doom of the drums was getting nearer, and Gimli was terrified. All of the sudden Gimli noticed a shadow leaning against the wall, as if it needed support so that it would not fall victim to its own corrupting power. Soon,  shadow revealed its form: an orc chieftain clad in a grotesque medley of skins and hides. A fire shone through Gimli’s eyes. One of the orc chieftain's scouts spotted Gimli. “Dwarf!” spat the scout. Gimli sprinted towards the chieftain, completely disregarding the scout. Gimli confronted the chieftain with a look of disgust and spoke: “Death comes to those who oppose the dwarves of Moria!” The chieftain grunted solemnly, not laughing like the other orcs. “He must have had word of my fight with the other orcs”, thought Gimli, “And it is likely he also heard of the stone’s powers”.  “So, you've heard about the stone, eh?” Said Gimli, “Yes,” grunted the orc, “Unfortunately for you.” At that, the orc smashed his fist against the ground with the might to move boulders; Gimli narrowly escaped the blow. Gimli took the stone into his left hand, and the axe in his right, and smashed the stone into the side of it, and the stone forced itself into the checkered pattern of space. The axe started to turn a luminous blue, and the orcs stumbled backwards, startled. The orc chieftain rallied them, telling them to quaff their orc draughts, and this they did with absolute obedience. Gimli lunged forward at one of the orcs and slashed at its side. The orc dodged the attack with ease. Gimli looked around him and saw that the all of the orcs – save the chieftain – had no expression on their faces, and were waiting, limp, as if waiting for commands. Gimli had now figured out that the chieftain was controlling the lesser orcs with some unseen device. Gimli grunted as one of the orcs tackled him, the ferocity of the orc was of a degree unheard of to Gimli. Gimli struggled as several of the orcs leaped upon him, each one groping at his neck. The stone began to glow brighter than before, until the orcs halted, then scurried away, like mice when the cat comes near. Gimli grabbed at his axe, jumped up, then looked around. Gimli quickly realized that he was alone, in the room lit by the fluorescent glow of the crystal. The stone dimmed slightly, and Gimli relaxed. Gimli could hear the rhythmic thump of the stone, and he sensed that it was attempting to communicate with him. At last it spoke, seemingly not from within, but from all around: “The drink allows the orc chieftain to be in complete control of his subjects.” Gimli wondered how this could be. The stone soon after, as if knowing exactly what Gimli was thinking, spoke again; but this time the speech did not echo throughout the walls of the hall, but felt rather like a thought. Gimli was alert again, wanting to keep watch in case of disaster. Gimli wondered many things such as: “Where had the orcs gone?” and “Why were there so many orcs within Moria?” also “Who or what forged the stone?” He would soon get the answer to all of these questions...