Garrett understood, he couldn't outlast them.
In front of him, the orc army and various monstrous creatures were blocking his path and draining his resources; behind him, the Balrog was stalking him like a predator, ready to strike at any moment for a killing blow.
After fighting for quite some time, he had gained a clear assessment of the battlefield and the strength of the forces present.
Orcs: Negligible individually.
Cave trolls: Moderately threatening.
Greater beasts: Genuinely dangerous.
Balrog: Evenly matched in single combat.
He could still hold his own against the Balrog alone, but with the others joining the fray, the situation was untenable.
Even ants could overwhelm an elephant through sheer numbers.
And judging by the current lineup, it appeared that all the forces of Moria had gathered in this hall. If he had been even a fraction slower with his golden apples, he'd be dead by now.
Time to go, the wise know when to make a strategic withdrawal.
"I'll be back!"
With those words, he threw an ender pearl and teleported away on the spot.
"You cannot escape! I have marked your essence, your very soul!"
The Balrog roared and gave chase. The orcs hurriedly parted to clear a wide path for it, then quickly followed behind.
Rumble rumble...
Tremors echoed beneath his feet. The scorching air clung to him and refused to fade.
As if venting its fury, the Balrog gouged deep scratches into a stone pillar in the hall. The falling chunks were crushed to powder under its massive steps.
Down the corridor, a figure darted past, smack, accidentally colliding with a weapon rack.
"Ah, sorry!"
Garrett skidded to a halt, quickly picked up the fallen weapon, set it back properly, then sprinted forward again.
Whoosh.
Almost the moment he departed, the entire weapon rack was engulfed in white-hot flames, melting into molten metal and ash.
Thud!
The narrow hallway was smashed wide open by the Balrog's passage. The orc army poured through after, beating war drums to bolster their courage.
Boom boom boom.
The war drums thumped in rhythm with a thundering heartbeat, making Garrett increasingly agitated.
These orcs were like persistent gnats, individually harmless, but collectively maddening.
Thud!
The war drums drew closer. At a sharp corner, he leaped onto the wall, banking sharply, practically running sideways along it for several steps.
An orc burst out from one of the large side chambers ahead, bracing itself to charge. A second later, it was launched skyward, smashed into the ceiling.
While airborne, it was half-roasted by flames. When it fell back down, the Balrog passed by and incinerated it to ash.
The whole sequence was fluid and seamless. With the orc army's drumming, it even had a certain ritualistic quality.
Shhluup.
At another deep chasm, Garrett drank a swiftness potion, sprinted up the stairs, and dashed across to the opposite passage, detonating the stairs behind him as he went.
"Let's see how you—"
He turned back, only to see the Balrog spread wings of shadow and flame, leaping high and gliding toward him.
Right. The thing had natural flight capabilities.
Seizing the brief moment while the demon glided, he quickly pulled out building blocks and sealed off the corridor, putting up a solid wall.
But within seconds, a massive fist smashed a hole through it. A huge demonic head thrust through, scanning left and right, yet couldn't spot its quarry. Garrett crept silently along the wall, directly beneath the demon's head, then suddenly drew his sword and leaped upward.
Clang!
"AAARGH!"
A flash of brilliant light flared as the Balrog clutched its head in pain, stumbling back several steps.
[-2]
He had to press the advantage!
Landing a successful strike, he didn't hesitate for even a second, he immediately fled eastward.
"You insect!!!"
Boom!
The stone wall shattered like a house of cards, debris scattering everywhere.
The Balrog's rage intensified.
"Pathetic creature," Garrett taunted, though his heart was racing.
If this thing had participated in the Battle of Five Armies, the outcome might have been very different... With that power, ordinary walls wouldn't slow it down at all.
"Why don't you crawl back into your pit and go back to sleep? This chase is pointless. Everything you're doing, completely meaningless."
He offered some "friendly" advice, with genuine concern for the Balrog's well-being, and loudly suggested, "If you ask me, you'd be better off returning to sleep and serving your already-fallen master in your dreams!"
His voice echoed loudly through the underground chambers.
The orcs, understanding every word, instantly felt a chill down their spines. None had the courage to look at the tall, flaming figure ahead.
Hhhh...
The fire on the Balrog's form flickered, dimming slightly, as if doused with cold water.
"Well spoken... You have moved me. Mindless pursuit truly is meaningless... Now I shall hunt you to the ends of Middle-earth, until I witness your death with my own eyes, and burn your corpse to cinders!!!"
BOOM!
Its flames surged in sync with its rising fury. Clearly, Garrett's psychological counseling and heartfelt support had worked, reviving the demon's spirit and filling it with new zest for life.
It became a Balrog as radiant and warm as a star, literally.
"From this moment forth, abandon any hope of escaping me! Never!!"
The Balrog's rage meter peaked instantly. It gave relentless chase, tireless, without end.
Even Garrett himself didn't know how long the pursuit had lasted.
Perhaps a day. Perhaps two.
Perhaps... it had already been a week.
In this place where time was impossible to track, man and demon had fought countless skirmishes, crossing blades in endless battles.
Sometimes, the Balrog held the advantage, pressuring Garrett step by step, forcing him to tumble and dodge, each extra hit nearly crippling him.
Sometimes, he gained the upper hand, through ambush or clever use of terrain, battering the demon senseless, dropping its health bar significantly, until it had to summon orc reinforcements and monstrous beasts to hold the line.
No one knew how much of Khazad-dûm's architecture had been destroyed in the process, or how many ancient structures had been melted down.
One day in the future, when the dwarves finally return to reclaim Moria, perhaps they'll stand in bewilderment and ask: "Where in Mahal's name are we?"
Thud.
Garrett leaped down a grand staircase, glancing around in confusion. The layout felt somewhat familiar, but he wasn't certain.
A massive door.
A long corridor.
A narrow stone bridge wide enough for only one person at a time.
And a tight passage that seemed to lead toward the outside.
He leaned over the bridge and looked down. Even with his night vision potion, the abyss below had no visible bottom, as if it descended into the Void beyond the circles of the world.
There was no time to think.
Sound and heat surged behind him, filling the space.
The Balrog stood before the narrow bridge, roaring in fury.
Garrett raised his sword, blocking the way, and shouted, "You shall not pass!"