[Mithadan]

A phalynx of Orcs surrounded Gravlox and bore him away from the Itship and carried him to a nearby hill where they bound the partially reformed Uruk to a tree. Three Loyers stood nearby and leered at him as they sharpened their pencils. But the Itship could draw no nearer to Gravlox, for an army stood between them and the hill. There were Orcs, Uruks, Wargs, Hill Trolls, Valley Trolls, Mountain Trolls, Rock Trolls and many others besides. All had their weapons drawn and stood ready to assail the Itship.

Merisu led her companions to a hillock which was just marginally more defensible than the plain on which they had encountered Mogûl. They stood ready to meet the onslaught of Mogûl's many minions. "Mincemeat!" cried Reaperneep. "We'll make mincemeat of 'em!"

But things did look grim indeed. Kuruharan tested the edge of his axe and pondered their dilemma. "Could we," he said. "Just maybe, have considered negotiating? I mean, it's only a pile of wood after all..."

The Bow twisted and spun in Merisu's hands and, with a whistling rush, smacked the Dwarf upside his pointy head. "I'll remember that!" the bow hummed. The other Entish fragments growled in agreement. Kuruharan took a step back and rubbed his head with his gnarled hand. "Just a thought," he replied. "Ow! I bet I'll have a nasty welt in the morning."

"If you live that long," intoned Orogarn mournfully.

At that moment, a shadow obscured the sun, and the Itship shivered as if they had eaten a pint of rocky road too quickly. They looked up... in the sky... it was a bird... a plane (whatever that is)... no! It's....

"Mogûl!" growled Merisu.

High above flew the Dark Lord himself, perched upon a great black Aerophaunt. The great army cried out and stamped upon the ground until the earth seemed to shake. Then they grew silent. Mogûl swept down over the Itship and his Aerophaunt, Heffalump, trumpeted loudly. He raised a hand and shouted, "Kill them! Kill them all and bring me the fragments of the Ent! Bwah ha ha!"

But at that second, a new voice rang out and it was nearly as loud as Mogûl's. "Wait a minute Bildur!"

Mogûl paused and broght Heffalump to a hover. He looked down, then laughed. "Grrralph?" he snickered. "What are you going to do? Sing at me?"

Grrralph stepped forward. His black robes were ripped and tattered. As he stepped up on the hillock there was a gleam, too quick for certainty, a quick glint of grey, as if some garment shrouded by the black rags had been for an instant revealed. "Well met!" he said. "And what may you be doing in these parts? No doubt there is a tale worth hearing behind it all. Such things are not often seen here."

"And how would the likes of you know what is or is not seen here, Thingwraith?" hissed Mogûl. And with these words, he raised a great black spear and flung it at Grrralph. It flew straight and true. But the Wraith was too quick for him. He sprang away and leaped up onto a large rock. There he stood, grown suddenly tall, or at least taller, towering above the Itship. His hood and his black rags were flung away. His grey three piece suit shone.

Mogûl squinted down at the bright figure. "Do I know you?" he asked.

In response, Grrralph straightened the spectacles on the bridge of his aquiline nose, for indeed, he now had a face! Then he raised a tablet of yellow lined paper and gestured at Mogûl. A bolt of light flew from the paper and struck Mogûl in the chest before it coalesced into a tall stack of paper which wrapped itself around the Dark Lord. "A Summons?" cried Mogûl. "A lawsuit? You're suing me?"

Grrralph nodded. "For injunctive relief and replevin, to compel you to surrender the ELF named Gravlox to the custody of Merisuwyniel, and prohibiting you from attacking the Itship until Gravlox's rights are declared by Mantoes!"

"I do know you," growled Mogûl. "You're Sueim. You were In-house Counsel for the Velour."

"Until you paid off a jury to find you not guilty of anti-trust claims early in the First Page," replied Grrralph... or Sueim. "That got me fired by the Velour and traded to Sourone."

"Very well," growled Mogûl as he attempted unsuccessfully to wiggle out of the clutches of the legal papers. "I'll kill you later. After Greedhog litigates you into the dirt." With that, Heffalump flew off unsteadily. The great army of Orcs groaned and wandered off as Greed hog approached with his team of Loyers.

Orogarn approached the grey-suited figure in wonder. "Grrralph?' he asked.

After a moment's thought, there came the reply. "Grrralph? Yes. I remember now. I was Grrralph."

"Can we call you Grrralph?" asked Pimpiowyn.

"No." replied Sueim as he began passing out his business cards. Then he sat and collected his thoughts. Mantoes would be here soon to oversee the trial...