Varnoth- the Black Blade 2

by Lavelle Jackson

  “He isn’t a character. He is very, very real. He is a vicious monster of epic proportions. He would rather kill you and drink your blood than look at you. Atlas is a little puppy compared to the war chief. You need to be ready. They are going to come, and I don’t think it is going to be too long before they get here. I suspect they will arrive here in three days. It will take some time to get everything coordinated, well as coordinated as a bunch of stupid goblins can get. However, do not underestimate this army. There will be dozens of hobgoblins who will be the muscle of whatever they do to attack. Goblins are usually slain easily with any competent swordsmen. Hobgoblins are a different story altogether. They are double the size, and their intelligence is leaps and bounds higher than a goblin. They use strategy instead of blindly running into battle as regular goblins do. Wrimrung is a hobgoblin and one of the most intimidating and evil living beings you will ever meet. One winter years ago, it was said by many that Slorm was battling a food shortage and was on the verge of starvation. Wrimrung ordered that all the children in the town be gathered in the square. He had them killed and butchered for their meat. That gives you an idea of what kind of creature he is. This monster is headed this way,” Flynn turned and walked over to the wall and leaned against it.

  “Varnoth, what are we going to do?” asked Hobnick with terror in his eyes.

  The shadow panther stood with both paws still on the table. The muscles in his arms flexed and blood pumped through his veins with seismic force.

  “Henegarron and William, do whatever needs to be done to fortify this castle. Whomever you need to help will help you, and whatever supplies you need will be brought to you. Cody, make sure we have enough bows and arrows ready to fire on these green bastards. Flynn, hopefully, will help you get our ranged weaponry in order. We will heat tar in the forge and pour it in buckets and douse the goblins that approach the wall. John will get whatever melee weaponry we have and put it in the hands of people that can wield them. We will need brave people who will be lookouts at the top of the mountain to give us a warning when the goblins are on their way. I assume they will come through the valley east of here. Dormatos, you will craft health potions, and other medical supplies to aid us in battle. You must also be prepared to act as a healer during the fight. You will be in harm’s way. Hobnick, it will be your responsibility to gather the women and children in the bowels of the castle for their safety. The armory will probably be the best place to barricade yourselves. Notice that I said women and children, all men will have a weapon in their hand, ready to fight the invaders,” commanded Varnoth as he slammed his fist on the stone table.

  Suddenly a familiar voice came from the doorway, “I am sorry my friend, I couldn’t help but overhear what is in store for this magnificent castle. I am ready to fight with you. I hate those little, green bastards!” said Owyn.

  “Ummm, hello, am I invisible here. I can be pretty awesome as well. You are going to need all the help you can get,” replied Celeste as she walked behind her grandfather.

  “Celeste, you heard the Overseer say all women and children will be secured in the armory. Are you not a woman?” asked Owyn.

  “Well, yeah, grandfather, but I have a certain set of skills that will come in handy. Darthill needs all of the help it can get.”

  “Owyn, thank the gods you are willing to help. Celeste, you probably need to do what your grandfather says,” said Varnoth.

  “No, I am not going to do what my grandfather says. How many people here can control the element of fire and use it as a weapon? Anyone?”

  Owyn slowly raised his hand.

  “Not you, grandpa!”

  “She’s right, Varnoth. We could certainly use another pyromancer in this battle,” said Henegarron.

  “I am fine. If she wants to help us, but I will leave that up to Owyn to decide. Celeste is his responsibility.”

  Owyn turned to look at Celeste and said, “Alright girl, you are bound and determined to make your grandfather have a heart attack. If I do decide to let you participate and that is a big if, you will stay by my side throughout the entire conflict. If you don’t obey my commands, I will drag you to the armory myself to hide with the others.”

  “This Wrimrung bastard killed my father. I am ready to set him ablaze,” replied Celeste angrily.

  Everyone in the room stared at her as her eyes turned the color of molten lava. A gasp of amazement came from the onlookers.

  “Alright, everyone, get to it!” commanded Varnoth.

  Everyone stood up immediately and filed out of the room quickly.

  CHAPTER 34

  The community of Darthill spent the next two days working around the clock to prepare for an invasion from the goblins of Slorm. Everyone pitched in one way or another. Varnoth was proud of his people. Instead of cowering in fear, they took action to fortify their home. Owyn contacted a friend of his from the Mage Academy in Finnmork named Isaac Dashton. The old pyromancer didn’t ask him to fight with us, only to help in the fortification. Isaac was an earth mage at the academy, and he helped with improving the strength of Darthill’s walls. He worked with Henegarron and William strenuously for eighteen hours after he arrived from the academy. The walls were as good as new, and they were enchanted to increase their strength and durability. Isaac was utterly void of any mana reserves after the long day. His assistant took him back to Finnmork so they wouldn’t get caught up in a possible battle. After Varnoth felt more comfortable with their preparations, he ordered everyone to eat and get some well-deserved sleep. All their preparations would be moot if they didn’t have the energy to take part in the battle.

  Your community, Darthill, has improved to level 2!

  You have received 2,000 experience points!

  You have received 500 gold!

  You have reached Level 20!

  May your journey be light and the gods bless your path!

  You have 10 attribute points to distribute!

  Varnoth

  Level 20

  Shadow Panther

  Black Blade Legendary Class

  Attributes:

  Strength – 100 + 10 = 110

  Dexterity – 108 + 5 = 113

  Intelligence – 64

  Vitality – 115 + 5 =120

  Skills:

  Stealth Shade

  Black Rain + 1

  Blade Shield

  Spell of Affliction

  Passives:

  Acrobatics

  Night Vision

  Detection

  Executioner

  You have reached level 20 as a Legendary Black Blade!

  You may choose one of the following skills. Others may be selected later when future requirements are satisfied.

  Black Raven — you summon a raven companion that can take damage and dish out damage for 20 seconds.

  Eyes of Darkness — passive ability that allows for night vision.

  Dark Disciples— summons three undead allies. Disciples are only killed by damage to the brain. 10 minute cooldown.

  Blade Embrace — imbues Black poison mist on the equipped weapon. The effects last for 20 seconds with 2 minute cool down.

  When you reach level 25, an additional skill may be chosen.

  Varnoth was ecstatic. If there was a time when a new Black Blade skill was needed, it was now. After examining the benefits received from each skill choice, Varnoth chose Dark Disciples. He felt this was a vital skill to have during this goblin attack. He mentally focused on the skill choice, and it was selected.

  You have selected Dark Disciples!

  With this skill, you can call upon the undead to fight for you in times of need!

  You have received 500 experience points!

  The Blade Blade symbol on his paw glowed a brilliant purple and burned as if he held a lump of hot coal. After a moment, his paw went back to normal, and the pain subsided completely. A voice startled him from behind.

  “Excellent, I know that purple aura well. You have selected a new Black Bla
de skill. What did you select if I may ask?” questioned Flynn as he stood with his arms crossed, smiling.

  “Gods, you startled me. You may be the only creature on Albattara that can sneak up on me so effectively.”

  “I try,” replied Flynn with a laugh.

  “Dark Disciples was my choice. Do you disagree?”

  “No, that is a wise choice considering the current circumstances. I hope to choose that skill eventually. I am anxious to see it in action,” said Flynn as he looked to the mountains, “Why don’t we summon some disciples right now? We should do it away from the others, so we don’t scare the life out of them. I will dispatch them, of course. Head damage, is it?”

  “Excellent, we can go to the clearing near the southeastern well and see what these disciples are all about.”

  The Black Blades made their way toward their destination while gathering Henegarron and William along the way. Varnoth had not informed them of what they would see, just that they needed help with something.

  “Varnoth, let's get a move on. I got me many more tasks to complete,” said Henegarron.

  “Our Overseer asked up for help, quit complaining,” replied William angrily.

  “What the hell is up your butt? You don’t tell me what to do. Do you want me to knock you out cold now?” asked Henegarron while waving his massive fist at William.

  “You two pipe down. This will just take a second,” replied Varnoth.

  “Nonsense, I would find it rather amusing seeing the dwarf attempt to knock out Marth,” Flynn said with a giggle.

  “Blow me, dark elf!” yelled Henegarron.

  “Alright, alright, we are here. Let’s get started,” said Varnoth.

  All three of his companions stood with their arms crossed as they waited for Varnoth to act. The shadow panther raised both of his paws and yelled, “Rise, Disciples!”

  The ground began to shake a few feet in front of Varnoth. Flynn smiled while the others looked terrified at what was happening. Three dark circles appeared on the ground, and hands erupted from the ground. Henegarron jumped backward and fell on his rump.

  “Damn, man, we are under attack from the pits of hell!” yelled the dwarf with his eyes wide, pointing at the rising disciples.

  All three of the creatures climbed out of the ground simultaneously. They looked hideous and terrifying. They were rotting, animated corpses wearing Black Blade armor. They all stood at the same height and appeared to weigh the same. They moaned and began to move slowly toward the onlookers. Henegarron got to his feet and began to back away. William followed suit, but he didn’t appear quite as petrified as Henegarron. Flynn stood in the same spot with his arms crossed, laughing at the dwarf.

  “Keep laughing, you elven son of a bitch. I hope they feast on your guts!” exclaimed Henegarron.

  “Calm yourself, little man. This is a new Black Blade skill that Varnoth just acquired. Pretty cool, eh?” replied the dark elf.

  Flynn nocked an arrow on his obsidian bow and fired at the closest undead. The arrow plunged into the brain of the undead conjuration, and the disciple turned to black mist. Flynn followed suit and took out the remaining disciples. William and Henegarron stood silent until Varnoth spoke.

  “What do you think? These undead companions will come in handy during the goblin attack.”

  “I suppose they will. However, Flynn took them out rather easily,” replied William.

  “I took them out easily because I was expecting them, and I knew that attacking the brain was the only way to kill them. Also, my skill in combat is a lot higher than most.”

  Henegarron rolled his eyes and did a sarcastic belly laugh.

  “You think too much of yourself, Flynn. I can’t wait to see a goblin stick a spear up your ass.”

  “You are beginning to concern me with your sexuality, little man. A few minutes ago, you said, ‘Blow me, dark elf,’ and now you are speaking of things going up my butt,” replied Flynn with a smirk.

  Henegarron became enraged, “You shit stain, I am a lady’s man. I don’t swing that way, you hear me!”

  “If you say so,” Flynn said as he began to walk back to the castle.

  Varnoth and William followed as they gave Henegarron a grin.

  “Guys, you gotta believe, I only like the ladies! Guys?”

  Henegarron grunted and stomped off in the other direction toward his next task.

  CHAPTER 35

  The night was as black as tar, and two unnerved humans managed their post in the mountains overlooking the valley that led to Darthill. Varnoth had ordered watchmen to keep an eye on the valley below for goblin invaders. It was the only sensible way for the attackers to approach Darthill Castle. It made a lot of sense to have someone posted in a lookout spot to be able to warn the community of any threats. Elijah and Jack took the nightshift. This post was never a great place to be, but at night it was particularly terrifying, especially when the sky was overcast, and the moonlight was obstructed. They built a tiny campfire that wouldn’t be noticeable to anyone in the valley far below. The way the fire was positioned, it would appear to be moonlight to the unfocused eye of a goblin in the valley below or at least that is what they hoped. Even with the small flame, they could only see a minimal distance around their position. It was more of a tool to keep their sanity in the darkness. Elijah agreed to keep watch the first half of the night, and Jack would finish their shift out.

  “It is darker than a drow’s ass out here. I hate this damn night shift. How the hell did we get stuck with this?” asked Jack while situating his blankets on the forest floor.

  “It does seem darker than normal. I can’t argue with you there. It is damn cold too,” replied Elijah as he slowly looked into the darkness surrounding them.

  “You think these goblins are really going to march all the way from Slorm to attack us?” asked Jack.

  “Well, Varnoth and the rest of the council sure think so. They haven’t led us astray yet.”

  “I know you are right, but it doesn’t make it any easier to be out here on top of a freaking mountain in the dark,” said Jack.

  “Lie down and close your eyes. Get some sleep.”

  Jack hesitantly laid his head down on his folded coat and closed his eyes. Within a couple of minutes, he was off to sleep. Elijah rolled his eyes when Jack began to snore. He sighed and moved a bit closer to the drop off to get a closer look at the valley. There was nothing down there, of course, other than typical valley wildlife. At their location on the mountain, he heard the wind whirling through the trees and crickets chirped all around. Now and then he would listen to what he thought was a bat. However, there was nothing out of the norm. Elijah struggled to keep his eyes open. He wanted to lie down so badly, but he knew he had a critical responsibility. The community’s safety hinged on his job. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if the goblin’s got the jump on the castle. Elijah let out a giant yawn.

  The yawn brought tears to his eyes, and he had to blink to gain clear vision once again. Suddenly, he heard a crack in the darkness. It sounded like a footstep that had snapped a small twig. He figured it was some sort of small game in the area. It could be a rabbit, raccoon, or possum. He was convinced it was nothing to worry about. These were normal sounds in the woods. This was what his brain told him, but his gut was telling him something else entirely. Elijah grabbed his sword and stood to his feet to get a better look. It was of no use. It was just too dark to see anything.

  He heard another crack behind him. Elijah turned, and he was staring at a very tall, dark figure with huge eyes. The creature grabbed him by his throat and began to squeeze with its large slimy hand. The beast smelled rotten, and its breath smelled even worse. The pressure on his neck made him gag, and he lost grip on his sword, and it dropped out of his hand. The steel blade clanged against some granite on the forest floor. The sharp, deafening sound woke up Jack from his sleep. He raised, slowly wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

  “What in the f…,” exclaimed
Jack as the vision of the tall, dark figure holding his friend by the neck stopped his words, and he choked on them. He wiped his eyes again to confirm what he was seeing.

  The creature tossed Elijah on top of Jack, and it knocked him flat on his back. Jack’s skull bounced off a rock, and blood began to flow down his neck.

  Elijah coughed violently as he tried to breath. After Jack gained his bearings, he looked at the spot where the figure stood, and he was gone. He looked all around, but he could only see darkness.

  “Elijah, are you ok? Are you ble…,” whispered Jack before he felt a strong, blunt impact to the back of his head. His vision went black. He had been knocked out.

  “Are you two puny humans supposed to keep us out of your little village you got going there?” asked Mung as he gnashed his teeth and clenched his massive fists.

  “No, we are just the lookouts. We mean you no harm!” pleaded Elijah, still struggling to breathe.

  Another voice similar to Mung, the hobgoblin, came from behind the cowering human.

  “Runt, we are not worried about any harm from you two weaklings!” Klotts said as he gave a loud belly laugh.

  “What do you want? Let us go. We won’t say anything to anyone. We won’t even go back to Darthill. Please!”

  “You would turn on your people that easily? Not only are you a weakling, but you are a filthy coward. You two punks are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe you should have asked for a different shift,” replied Klotts.

  “On your knees! You are going to die. It is your choice of whether to make it quick or slow,” commanded Klotts with the flames of hell in his eyes.

  “No, no, please. You don’t have to do this. Let us go,” Elijah pleaded while Jack began to come to.

  “Here is your last chance, there will not be another. Knees, now!!” Klotts screamed as Mung giggled from behind the humans.

  “No, no, I don’t want to die! No!!” Elijah exclaimed, holding his hands out in front of him. He did not attempt to do as Klotts said.

  “You had your chance, you damn fool. Lift him to his feet, Mung!”