Nova Terra- Greymane

by Seth Ring

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  “Look. The main point is this,” Thorn’s tone was even as he tossed the crushed helmet onto the table, “I could really use some help in improving the valley and knowledgeable woodsmen would go a long way toward keeping people safe. I don’t have a problem with the Freemen so long as you work under me and not against me.”

  Still staring at the ball of crushed metal, Horvir stammered, “Yeah, of course.”

  “This is why I don’t like intimidation,” sighed Thorn. “How about this. You have, what, 120 family members back in your caves? And another 100 fighting men?”

  “H… ho... how’d you know that?” burst out the man who’s helmet Thorn had crushed.

  “Used my brain.” Thorn did not mention Akira’s nose. “I’m guessing your food situation isn’t so great and come winter it will be even worse. Why don’t you move your families into the village? For any of you that want to, I’d like to employ you as rangers, patrolling the valley and keeping people safe. You’d be semi-autonomous, inside the command structure of my army, but tasked with keeping the roads safe, preventing banditry, and generally keeping the peace outside of town.”

  “Inside town, we’ll be forming a guard. It will act as another part of the army we are establishing at the new temple to defend against any major threats from outside the valley. Both the guard and the rangers will be under the command of the army and may be deployed in the event of any major battles. The guard and the rangers will also be responsible for hunting down any remaining werewolves and killing them to make sure they never come back.”

  “I’ll pay two silver a month plus a stipend for housing and food and you’ll get free gear repairs so long as you are a ranger. Anyone over the age of 50 who has been a ranger for two years or more can retire with a pension of one silver a month so long as they agree to help train new recruits.”

  Silence settled over the room as the men thought about what Thorn was offering. Protection for their families, steady income and a place in the new society that Thorn was establishing sounded good. Especially the idea of being able to retire on a pension. A couple of the members of their group were already getting up there in years and would undoubtedly welcome the chance to settle down after two years of service.

  Seeing they were seriously considering it, Thorn decided to give them one more little push. Tapping his chin like he was thinking out loud, he remarked, “Actually, it would be really nice to have a group with some autonomy around. This would help reassure people that I am being held accountable. I’m planning on forming a council to help manage the valley when I am not around and I could include a seat on it for the elected leader of the Freemen. This way you’ll know what is going on and can watch for any signs of corruption. Anyway, think about it, I’ve got to check to make sure everyone is settled for the night. The four of you can feel free to spend the night here, but your men will have to camp outside.”

  Leaving the men to talk over what he offered them, Thorn walked out of the inn and made his way to the shrine. Jansome had settled in quite quickly, adding some decorations to the otherwise simple affair. A low stone altar sat in front of the new banner bearing the wolf over moon emblem of Hati.

  Thorn had never been one for religion but he knew that in old Norse mythology Hati was one of the sons of Fenrir, the wolf god. Supposedly Hati and his brother Skoll chased the moon and sun through the sky attempting to devour them. Never able to catch up they would continue to chase until Ragnarok, the end of the world, when they would finally be successful in eating the heavenly bodies. Obviously, Nova Terra was not using an exact match to real-world mythology, but many things seemed to carry over.

  All the families that had shown up over the last couple days were under shelter and everything seemed to be settled down for the night so Thorn called Akira over and went to bed. The next morning he walked out to the street after breakfast and was startled to see the group of 60 bandits standing at attention in the street, obviously waiting for him.

  “Present!” yelled Horvir, stepping to the front of the group. As one the group took a knee and placing their weapons across their hearts shouted together, “We pledge our lives to our Lord, our hearts to our people and our swords to the throats of our enemies!”

  For a moment Thorn didn’t know what to do but a mental nudge from Akira snapped him out of his daze. Clearing his throat he stood tall and responded. “As your Lord I accept your pledge and make my own. My heart will be for our people, my blood will be for our land. You will be my fang and I will be your shield. You knelt as outlaws, rise as Freemen of Greymane.”

  Cheers erupted from all around as the villagers celebrated the return of those who had been cast out so long ago. Tearful hugs were exchanged and Thorn commanded a keg broken open to toast the new rangers. Yet there was much to be done and it wasn’t long before 15 of the new rangers were headed back to get their families while the rest of the rangers helped around town. By evening all the houses were largely complete and Elder Thomas had been spotted leading a caravan of new settlers down into the valley.

  Before the sun had gone down the new settlers arrived at the gates and after greeting them Thorn decided that it was time to head to the location of the new temple to meet up with Velin, Mina, and the Wolfkin. Elder Thomas and Charles had both been happy with the state of the town and were excited to see that the Freemen had agreed to join them again. The captain had hired a good number of older mercenaries to act as the town guard, and along with their families and the other settlers the total population of Greymane Village grew to over 900 people.

  Making his way back to the keep took a little longer than usual due to the encroaching darkness, but unlike a week ago, the coming night did not seem sinister at all. Prior to the curse being broken a darkness had hung over the valley, muting the life that lived here and bringing a chilling fear into the air. Having been banished by Thorn, the oppressive darkness was gone and a peaceful air reigned, making the Fang Forest feel like any other old growth wood.

  Strolling along, Thorn listened as Akira chatted about her kingdom and how many trees it contained. She continued to mark the trees they passed, jumping from branch to branch. It wasn’t until she paused to mark a particularly tall tree that Thorn noticed the stillness that had fallen over the forest. During one of the incredibly short pauses that Akira took in her stream of conversation Thorn suddenly realized that the regular night sounds had completely ceased. Not even the insects were making noise anymore, a good indication that something very dangerous was near.

  Letting Akira continue to chat Thorn carefully looked around, trying to see if there was anything out of place. Just as he was sure that there was no one nearby, two yellow eyes appeared from the shadows in front of him and the form of a massive wolf stepped out into the moonlight. Covered in knotted muscle and with too many scars to count, the pitch-black wolf looked like it came straight out of a nightmare. An aura of monstrous strength radiated from its massive frame and a crimson tongue ran across giant fangs.

  Eyes narrowing, Thorn took out his mace, holding it in a two-handed grip and letting the large end rest on the ground to his right while Akira shrieked and jumped to the branches of a large tree. Silence fell as man and beast stared at each other, each seeking the weaknesses in the other’s form. As far as Thorn was concerned, the monster in front of him had none. With a back as tall as Thorn’s shoulders and a head that, fully raised would dwarf him by feet, the wolf was impossibly huge and its tightly packed muscles and myriad scars were testament to its battle experience.

  “Hmmm, you are the new Lord?” rumbled the wolf in a deep voice. “You smell strange. Like a weak blooded human and yet… There is something else. You will not do.”

  “Step forward and you’ll see if I’m weak.” Thorn spat back. Ever since his trial by combat with the former head disciple Gelish, Thorn felt an odd burning desire in his heart every time he thought about fighting. No matter how large the enemy, Thorn was confident in his s
trength.

  “Ha, watch your words whelp. You are lucky that my master told me to give you a chance to flee. If I attacked you would never even see me coming. Weak senses, weak blood, weak abilities, you are not fit to be the Wolf Lord. Hand over the ring and flee this valley if you don’t want to be hunted and killed like the prey you are.” The massive wolf began to circle.

  “Master?” brows furrowed Thorn turned his body to face the prowling beast. “Who is your master?”

  “My master is the true ruler of this valley. Enough. Leave the ring and flee before my patience wears out. Otherwise I will destroy you where you stand and leave your body for the forest animals to feast on.”

  [Listen you stupid dog! My master is a hun.. a million times better than yours!] Akira cut in from her branch where she was jumping up and down in anger. [You’re a smelly, mangy dog and you probably have fleas!]

  Gaping at the exploding red furball in utter astonishment, Thorn was too shocked to move at the battle pet’s sudden outburst. Akira, on the other hand was quite pleased with her effect and continued to throw insults and rude gestures toward the wolf who could only hear a loud burst of squeaks coming from the Ailuridae who was jumping up and down on a branch. Suddenly the absurdity of the situation hit Thorn and he burst out laughing, drawing an angry snarl from the wolf.

  “You know where to find me if your master really wants the ring.” Thorn said, wiping his eyes and grinning at the furious monster. “Unless you are going to try and get it now, I’ve got places to be. Come on Akira, let’s go.”

  “Insolence!” growled the wolf, fury in its eyes. Dropping into a crouch it suddenly sprang, teeth and claws glistening in the moonlight! Thorn, however, was expecting it and had never relaxed his grip on his weapon. Seeing the wolf leap Thorn dropped his hips, bending his knees and winding up. A quick step forward with his left foot brought him closer to the slavering jaws of the wolf and with a twist of his waist he brought his mace up in a wicked arc from the ground to his left shoulder.

  Reacting faster than should be possible the wolf somehow twisted its body in the air, avoiding being hit by the massive spike. Yet despite its agility it could not avoid the massive burst of air that accompanied the swing and it was thrown to the ground, lunging out of the way of Thorn’s reverse swing.

  Scrambling to its feet, the wolf jumped back. Unadulterated astonishment blazed in its eyes as it stared at Thorn. If either of the blows had connected there is no way it would have gotten away without serious injury. Seeing Thorn rushing forward for another strike the beast jumped forward and swung a massive paw.

  With a thunderous crash the two blows collided, the immense force sending both Thorn and the giant wolf reeling. Falling back, it took Thorn four steps to stabilize himself. Astounded by the force contained in the wolf’s paw, Thorn dashed forward again as soon as regained his balance. Ducking a slash, Thorn jabbed out with his weapon, forcing the wolf to twist its waist to dodge.

  Back and forth they struggled, ripping the ground to shreds. Blocking a bite with the haft of his metal tetsubo, Thorn roared, punching out with a rock-hard fist. The punch caught the wolf on the cheekbone, glancing off its iron hard fur and sending it staggering backward. His fury rising like a tide, Thorn gripped his long metal spike in two hands and raised it over his head, bringing it down with enough force to pulverize stone.

  Sensing the power behind the strike, the wolf jumped back, moving impossibly fast. It gave a strange growl, melting into the shadows of the trees until all that was left were its yellow eyes.

  “Interesting. You surprise me human.” snarled the wolf as it faded away. “I’ll visit again.”

  “Haha, that's right! You better run! Master we scared him off because he is a huge scaredy cat!” yipped Akira, jumping back down onto Thorn’s shoulder. Sighing, he looked at the shadows where the monster had gone. Thinking back over the fight, Thorn could only shake his head. Even though it looked like he had the wolf at a disadvantage, Thorn knew better.

  Not only had the wolf’s awareness been way above his, but, despite being knocked back by the force of his blows, it had no problem avoiding his strikes when it chose. If he couldn’t hit the wolf, he would have no way of winning. After careful examination of the fight, Thorn couldn’t shake the feeling that this had been nothing more than a test and that if the wolf was serious, it could have slaughtered him where he stood.

  And to think that behind the monstrous wolf was another and most likely stronger being. Its ‘master’. Thorn had taken what he had from the hands of werewolves and had decided to try to hold what he had seized, no matter who came at him.

  They would come, he knew that for sure. Without a doubt, the next few weeks would find people flowing into this valley in droves, looking for their hearts desires, taking what they could. Thorn had taken a pledge today to help those who lived here already prosper, and he intended to see it through to the end, no matter how much blood or sweat it took.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  The keep was empty when Thorn arrived, stripped of anything of value that could be carried away by the Wolfkin. It had regained some of the palpable gloom that had shrouded it the first time Thorn had seen it. The crunching gravel under Thorn’s feet echoed loudly in the now silent courtyard. Even Akira, normally chatty, had fallen silent.

  Climbing the stairs to the throne room, Thorn ran his fingers along the uneven stone walls. Soon this derelict castle would join the old ruler of the valley, relegated to history. Thinking about it made Thorn wonder if someday he too would be overtaken, if the temple he was about to build would fall into disrepair, its original architect forgotten.

  Shaking the depressing thoughts from his head, Thorn approached the throne, activating the familiar relocation option. Last time, his hesitancy came from the time limit on the [Control Orb] but after handling both the bandits and Greymane Village he was confident that he would be able to finish everything he needed in time.

  A bright yellow glow lit the room as soon as Thorn clicked the button and a glass orb appeared, hovering over the Wolf Throne. Like molten gold, rays of light poured over the back of the chair, melting it away as they fell. Once the throne had disappeared entirely the rays shot back up to the glass orb, filling it with swirling golden light. Floating gently through the air, the orb stopped in front of Thorn, allowing him to grab it.

  You have acquired Greymane Valley’s Control Point. Activate this [Control Orb] within 24 hours to select a new Control Point location. If a new Control Point is not assigned within 24 hours, the Control Point will return to its original location.

  Stuffing the orb into his inventory, Thorn took one last look around the keep before leaving through the front gate. Taking in a deep breath of the crisp night air, Thorn called Akira and began to run toward the entrance to the valley. Passing quickly under the massive trees of the old growth forest, it did not take him long before the sight of the Twins entered his vision.

  The entrance to the valley was dominated by two tall peaks, referred to locally as the Twins because of their symmetrical shape. With the pass between them being the only entrance into the valley, the Twins were a perfect natural defensive line due to their height. Thorn planned to place the temple squarely in the center of the pass, blocking the valley off from the outside world.

  The map that Mina had compiled showed the valley to be rich in resources. Combined with the fact that the valley was going to be opening as a spawn point for players choosing to play as Wolfkin, Thorn had been thinking a lot about how to leverage his position as Lord Greymane. Less concerned about the monetary benefits of controlling a territory, Thorn had a different idea in mind and the first step was creating a place for his influence to grow.

  Practically flying across the forest floor, Thorn soon made it to the foot of the Twins. Another ten minutes and he was standing in the pass. Campfires burned low and the soft breathing of the sleeping Wolfkin sounded clearly in the silent night. A sentry at the edge of the Wolfkin camp had near
ly swallowed his tongue when Thorn rushed up the hill, but after patting him on the back and forbidding him from announcing Thorn’s arrival, Thorn headed to the main tent.

  The camp had been set up around a large central tent. Seeing a light still glowing from a crack in the tent’s door, he pushed aside the flap and ducked his head as he entered. Leaning over a large map of the area, Velin was occupied in a low-voiced conversation with Captain Del’har. Hearing the swish of the flap, they looked up, stopping their conversation to salute.

  “How many times have I told you not to do that?”

  “Sorry, my lord. Old habits die hard.” The Captain rose from where he had kneeled.

  “And what is your excuse?” Thorn shot a glance at Velin before turning his attention to the map they had been studying.

  “It seems the correct thing to do,” Velin was serious, straightening from her half bow. Silence fell on the tent as Thorn stared at the map. As the atmosphere got increasingly stifling, Thorn sighed and shook his head.

  “Velin, I’m sorry.” Seeing that she was about to respond, Thorn held up his hand. “No, I am. I should not have snapped at you the other day. It is obvious that I am not as over what happened as I thought I was, and I let your comment get to me. Your suggestion was reasonable, but for whatever reason I took it badly. I know that it wasn’t fair for me to shut you down like that. I’m sorry and I will try to do a better job in the future.”