Elspeth wonders if they could be knocked out or something but concludes without help that they might need to know if the orcs are not just alive but lucid after the test.

Yeah.

They freeze time around the orcs.

And unfreeze it.

The orcs continue their panicking in mid-thought.

The crowd erupts in cheers. The guards kill the orcs. 

And both Morgoths attack Doriath.

If he can do that while there are Silmarils present why was he even waiting -

It had better work come on come on -

He can't be said to be doing it very well, the air seems to eat at him the closer he gets and more molten something oozes out to replace it and as he gets closer he barely looks humanoid at all, just a gasping fiery deformity in the air.

The Silmarils work on one of him. The minute they try to extend it to the other, the first one goes loose. 

If we could get them both in the same place -

He's not stupid - 

We could take out the whole forest -

I'll kill you if you try that -

I'll kill you if you threaten him -

Hey you.

The oozing collapsing radioactive discontinuity in the atmosphere turns to look at Elspeth. I do have some employment opportunities available.

That's not what she has in mind. She cannot punch Morgoth in the face - well, not and accomplish anything, she could maybe jump that high if she climbed a tree? - but she can talk. She can talk to anything.

What do you want?

To destroy Eru. To destroy the Valar. To rock Arda off the foundation of its gilded rotting fate. For everyone who defies me to die slowly, for everyone who serves me to delight in delivering those deaths. 

You can't pull that off.

And the second a Vala-killing-caliber power walks into this world why would they use that ability to help you?

Seems like I am, in fact, pulling that off. And there are lots of reasons one might choose to aid the ruler of Arda.

Not so much. Not if you can kill Valar and you don't need the Ruler of Arda alive for anything. Most evil people are not compatible forms of evil and many people are not evil at all. Everything he does paints a huge fucking target on himself.

Everything I do? I have done nothing that you do not tolerate from those you call allies.

She isn't a Valar-killer. Demonstrably. But he might take it as illustrative that the first extradimensional visitor Arda got did proceed promptly to trying to kill him even if it didn't work.

(Come on, come on, give her something to work with -)

There are many entities to whom this universe is accessible who could kill Valar. Most of them wouldn't get along with you.

That seems like a problem to come to terms with after I kill everyone on this continent who will not swear me their obedience.

Guess again. If something wanders by and it can kill you odds are good right now it'll want to. You don't look like you can be interacted with as a peer or an ally or a peaceful neighbor. You look incapable of that. You can't rely on tricking anybody that strong. And they won't be intimidated by your sworn minions either, not at that scale.

So you propose I mend my ways and return to being a humble servant of the Valar? What a convenient conclusion to reach when I am about to kill you.

I literally can't lie to save my life, she says. Not to anyone who's ever heard me introduce myself, let alone anyone who reads minds, except Dwarves and you're not a Dwarf. But I don't think you should serve the Valar. I just think you'd be best served by having a demonstrated ability to coexist with anyone who doesn't do whatever you say. Because people who can kill Valar are not going to be that interested in doing whatever you say.

I am happy to coexist with anyone who acknowledges my right to do as I will within Arda.

That's not what coexisting means. If he's this unclear on the concept then when something comes along and squishes him he'll deserve it for being a moron, not just for being evil.

Exactly how likely do you think that is?

She can't predict the future. And if Elspeth is really the first visitor, apparently it doesn't happen that often. She knows there are lots, but not exactly where, certainly not when, not which first -

But he can't kill the Valar himself. So he'd better have some plan for when something that can do it comes along. If he really wants that.

And being an evil moron is a very low-percentage strategy for that.

And what exactly do you think I should offer them?

That'll depend on what they want. She cannot conduct trade negotiations for him across this information barrier. And he can't conduct trade negotiations at all if he goes around being unpleasant-to-lethal to exist near.

I offer these terms to the Elves: they forswear war with me, and I never again bother them or theirs. Is this the deal you had in mind?

It's on the right track.