There was a hush over the crowd before they began mumbling to one another. After a few moments, they all agreed to the plan to retreat to Darthill Keep. William turned to Varnoth to see he was no longer there. He was in full sprint to the forest to hunt.
“Let’s go and let the healing begin. We will be ok,” said William as he stepped down from the wagon.
Varnoth scanned the woods as he sprinted. He hoped his Detection passive would assist him in finding these scumbags. The shadow panther launched onto a large tree trunk and scaled it to the top in seconds. Varnoth looked all around to see movement. He hoped that the Derelicts stuck around to watch the village burn to the ground. Varnoth leapt from tree to tree looking for any clues that may assist him. The black cat finally caught a whiff of what he thought was a cigar. He wasn’t sure if it was just the scent from the Gufaross fire. After maneuvering for a few moments, he found the source of the smell and descended to the forest floor. It was indeed a smoldering cigar. He saw footsteps and breaks in the vegetation that went northwest. Varnoth made the assumption that they were going to try and circle back to Darthill Keep. If it was a northeastern track, it would be toward Drangar. Varnoth began running in the direction of the footsteps and breakage. After a few minutes, he saw the three bandits walking on a westerly track.
Jackpot.
He shifted to his right and planned to flank them. The bandits finally heard the footsteps and turned to look for the source. Varnoth activated Stealth Shade and unsheathed his daggers as he approached their right flank. Varnoth lunged at the first bandit and sliced his throat with his right dagger. Blood erupted from the fatal wound.
You have killed Bandit 1!
You have received 600 experience points!
The other two were startled to the brink of death and fell backward on their behinds. Stealth Shade deactivated as Varnoth stood in front of them a few feet away.
“Shit, where the hell did you come from?” cried one of the bandits.
“You really thought you were going to get away with your little stunt? How stupid can you be? All your “brothers” are maggot food as we speak, and Darthill Keep is mine. You had your chance to escape, but you decided to come back and burn the town to the ground. You are morons,” said Varnoth.
“Yeah, and we’d do it again and again, you stupid cat bastard,” spat one of the bandits from the ground.
“You aren’t in a position to blabber your stupid shit. Is there anything else you two have to say before I send you to the twelve Hells?”
“Yeah, I do. Kiss my ass!” replied the other Derelict that hadn’t spoken before, “Let us get up and equip our swords, or are you going to be a little bitch and kill unarmed men on the ground?”
Varnoth backed up a few steps, crossed his arms and motioned with a backward head nod for them to get up. The men got to their feet slowly as they kept their eyes on the shadow panther expecting a stealth strike.
They equipped their swords and yelled, “Alright dumbass, we’re ready for you!”
Surprisingly, the Derelict on the left equipped a steel shield as he held a sword.
Varnoth immediately activated Black Rain. The black cloud appeared over head and began launching black blades from above. The derelict with the shield quickly squatted and blocked the daggers with the shield. The other Derelict wailed as daggers impaled him from the death cloud.
You have killed Bandit 2!
You have received 600 experience points!
The remaining bandit held his shield firmly in front of him and held the sword in an attack pose. Varnoth saw the bandit shivering in fear. The shadow panther lunged toward the bandit, and his dagger met with the steel shield in a deafening clang. His strike with the other dagger met the same fate. The bandit slashed from right to left and clipped the fur of the panther but no flesh. Varnoth struck at the bandit again which was blocked by the steel shield. The Derelict spun clockwise and connected with an elbow shot to the back of Varnoth’s head. Varnoth felt a strong blunt force that made his brain slam into the front of his skull. He saw stars from the trauma. The bandit lost his balance after the quick spin and was not able to strike back quickly. Varnoth turned and shook his head in a futile attempt to gain his bearings again. He held up both daggers as the shield-bearing bandit moved forward once more. This duel was much more difficult than he was anticipating. Varnoth had little experience fighting against opponents with shields. He had killed men with shields before, but from stealth strikes, not straight up fights. Varnoth lunged with a front kick into the shield and knocked the bandit backward. He fell onto his back. Varnoth unleashed Black Rain. The bandit was able to shield his upper body from the attack, but his legs were bombarded with daggers. Screams of agony erupted from the mouth of the fallen bandit. His legs were shredded, and the bandit’s attempt to stand up failed miserably. The bandit’s brown pants were torn and soaked with blood. Varnoth stomped on the wrist of the hand holding the sword. A sickening snap pierced the forest as his wrist broke. Varnoth kicked the sword away from his reach and knelt. Coming to terms with his impending doom, the bandit tossed his shield to his left.
“You got me prick, finish it,” said the bandit weakly.
“My pleasure,” replied Varnoth as he plunged the dagger into the man’s throat.
Varnoth yanked out the dagger and left a huge hole. Blood poured and gurgles ensued due to the destruction of the trachea. Varnoth stared into the bandit’s eyes until they glazed over.
You killed Bandit 3!
You have received 600 experience points!
You have completed a quest!
The destruction of the town has been avenged! You have killed the three guilty bandits!
You have received 2,000 experience points!
You have given peace of mind to the townsfolk that the guilty party was destroyed for their high crimes!
You have reached Level 13!
You have 20 attribute points available for distribution!
May the Gods shine upon you on your adventure!
Varnoth
Level 13
Shadow Panther
Black Blade Legendary Class
Attributes:
Strength – 80 + 5 = 85
Dexterity – 93 +5 = 98
Intelligence – 40 + 4 = 44
Vitality – 92 + 6 = 98
Skills:
Stealth Shade
Black Rain + 1
Blade Shield
Passives:
Acrobatics
Night Vision
Detection
Executioner
Varnoth roared as his new attributes were applied to his body and soul. He looked at the carnage and began to loot the bodies. There wasn’t anything of much value, but he would keep it to sell it or craft with it. The most valuable item he looted was gold.
You have received 80 gold!
The shadow panther made his way south through the dense forest to the road that lead to Darthill Keep. Once he reached the road, he entered a jog to make up precious time. He wanted to make sure everything was going well with the caravan. The townsfolk should be relieved when they find out the bandits were dead. On this sad day, he wanted to be able to give them some sort of light at the end of it. They should reach Darthill tomorrow morning, and the townsfolk would have a roof over their heads once more. It was a blessing from the gods that the people had this place to go to after such a horrible event. After an hour of jogging, he saw the refugee caravan at the top of the hill.
CHAPTER 4
The caravan of refugees arrived at the gate to Darthill Keep after sunrise. The castle sat atop a hill with picturesque mountains behind it. It was a beautiful place but tarnished from the years of evil that resided within its tall, stone walls. Varnoth walked a few paces in front of the caravan as he looked for any straggling Derelicts that may have been ready to attack. The only sounds were footsteps from the refugees and wind whirling through the stone keep. As they reached the massive redwood door, Varnoth mot
ioned for the group to stop.
“Please wait here. I am going to enter the keep to make sure it is safe for everyone,” yelled Varnoth toward the crowd.
“I will come with you, my friend,” William said as he grabbed a sword from the wooden wagon.
Varnoth was hesitant, but he had to learn to accept help from others. Just as he turned back toward the keep, another voice broke the silence.
“Me too,” said a middle-aged dwarf with red hair on his head and face. He stood 5 feet tall and had a muscular build. He wore a white linen shirt with brown pants. He took a sword from the wagon and stepped forward.
“Varnoth, this red stump is named Henegarron...Henegarron Raytak,” said William with a grin.
“Watch yer mouth, you big, fat blacksmith. I don’t want to bend you over my knee. Where’s a damned ax? Dwarves use real weapons,” replied Henegarron.
Varnoth waited until the two men caught up with him, and they entered together.
“Oy, beginning to smell quite ripe,” said Henegarron as he covered his nose with his large hand.
“We will do something with the bodies after we check out the castle for hiding bandits,” replied William.
When Varnoth reached the center of the courtyard, a notification stopped him dead in his tracks.
You are the new Overseer of Darthill Keep!
You have received 500 experience points!
As Overseer, you are the owner of the castle and surrounding estate. You can manage the property as you see fit!
“You hear something my friend?” asked William.
“Oh, no I had a weird notification pop up in my interface. It said I am Overseer of Darthill.”
“Congratulations! You don’t inherit a damned castle every day of the week. Especially a damned cat” exclaimed Henegarron.
Varnoth turned to look at the dwarf.
“I love cats! Just seems like an accomplishment ye know, a castle owned by a cat,” said Henegarron.
William laughed as Varnoth turned back and began walking again.
The investigators decided to stick together in their search. They slowly went over the castle with a fine-tooth comb. The only bandits around were dead bandits. The castle was enormous. Varnoth was too distracted in his previous visit to notice its gargantuan size. Thankfully, there would be no issue providing shelter to the refugees. Not only was there a lot of space, but the kitchen and cupboards were full of food. Atlas had a small army coming in and out of the castle over the years. Much of the food at Darthill was stolen from Gufaross anyway. After the trio confirmed their safety, the rest of the people entered the courtyard.
There were several gasps and groans expelled from smelling the early stages of putrefaction and seeing the bloody scene. William stood on a stone table and began to speak to the nervous people.
“We can assure you the castle is safe. As you can see, we need help to remove the bodies and give it a good cleaning. This is our new home, for the time being at least. There is a lot of room and plenty of food is available to us. There are multiple freshwater wells all over the property. Our new friend, Varnoth, has been given the title of Overseer. He is being very generous allowing us to stay here.”
“This castle is your home now,” said Varnoth.
Many of the crowd began to tear up, and the multitude of the people exclaimed their thanks to the shadow panther. Several of the men began to move the bodies out of the castle. Many of the women began the cleanup inside.
As Varnoth exited the door to explore the estate grounds, Henegarron spoke.
“What about our family and friends that left for Drangar? We need to tell them what has happened and tell them they can travel to join us here at Darthill.”
“Yes, I will leave tomorrow morning for Drangar. I have business to attend to there, and I will bring back everyone,” replied Varnoth.
Henegarron showed a large smile and gave a nod to the black cat.
“Thank you so much. This will excite so many here. I beg of you to allow me to travel with you.”
“I do appreciate the kind offer. However, at this stage, I want you and William to stay behind and get things up and running. I am going to lean on you two for help. I am used to being by myself. I have no clue how to build and manage a community. How many people do we have in our group now?” asked Varnoth.
Henegarron motioned for William Marth to come over. He went from a slow walk to a light jog to close the distance.
Out of breath, William asked, “What’s going on over here?”
“Do you have a count of how many we got here?” asked Henegarron.
William put his hands on his waist and closed his eyes. His mouth began to move as he silently counted.
“Including us, 67.”
“How many people left for Drangar?” asked Varnoth.
“I don’t know exactly, 40 or 50. Why, what’s the plan?” replied William.
“I am leaving for Drangar tomorrow morning. I plan to bring them back. You two are staying put. I need you both to take care of things here. I move faster alone anyway.”
William nodded, “I am surprised you would bestow this responsibility on me.”
“Me too, blacksmith. I think it is a terrible idea,” Henegarron punched William’s arm.
“Little, runt bastard,” replied William as he rubbed the impact location on his arm.
“I will leave you two to your work. I am going to walk around the property a bit,” said Varnoth.
William put Henegarron in a headlock and dragged him back to work.
Varnoth spent the next hour walking around the estate. There were apple trees, angel plum bushes, and grapevines. Atlas was a terrible human being, but he did keep the estate and grounds in good shape. There were farmland and pastures available to use as well. He was hoping William and Henegarron would be able to divide the group up by skills and what professions they are good at. Varnoth reached the gem mine. He shook his head as he looked at the rubble covering the entryway.
Suddenly, Varnoth heard footsteps, and he spun around into attack position.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, take it easy, Mr. Varnoth!” said an elf in his thirties. He was short and wore a green tunic and carried a bow.
“My name is Cody. I didn’t mean to startle you. I found this bow in the castle, and I wanted to try it out. My father taught me to use one when I was younger. I am a bit rusty, but I will get better quickly,”
“Where is your father?” asked Varnoth.
Cody pointed at the entrance to the mine.
“He was left to rot, thereby Atlas. I will never forget the day I heard the explosion. I try to tell myself that the blast killed him. I am just lying to myself. He worked further down in the mine. I fear he suffocated or starved or died of thirst. My mother died a year later. She couldn’t handle the pain and loss. I have a brother, but he left for the Shore and travels on merchant ships. I haven’t seen or heard from him years. I hope he is still alive. It’s a dangerous life on the water. However, it isn’t any safer here in my town. It was taken over by a gang and then burned to the ground just yesterday.”
“I am sorry about your home. You are welcome to build one here. This place has a lot to offer,” replied Varnoth, “You have a roof over your head and food. That is something at least.”
“I feel blessed. I thank the gods,” replied Cody as he turned to make his way back to the castle.
As Varnoth watched Cody leave, he saw William, Henegarron, and a few other men digging graves for the dead bodies.
CHAPTER 5
Varnoth re-entered the castle after sundown. The smell of juicy meat cooking was intoxicating. An older human man stood hunched over, turning a massive slab of meat over a large fire in the courtyard. Juices rolled down the meat and dripped onto a large platter under the slab. The juices caught were going to be used as an ingredient to other delicious food. Varnoth’s mouth watered, and his stomach rumbled.
“I hope you don’t mind. William Marth said it would be fine
to start dinner for the group. My name is Eisler. I own a restaurant in Gufaross. Well…I did own one.”
The man began to look at the ground as he was reminded of the tragedy that had occurred the day before. The man was in his golden years and had a long, white beard with long, white hair in a ponytail down his back. He squinted through eyeglasses that weren’t strong enough to give him the vision he needed. He was hunched over, but he moved very well for someone his age. He began to rub herbs onto the meat and began to slow the turning of the meat.
“I am sorry for your loss, Eisler. Thank you for offering your services to feed the rest of us. It looks delicious,” replied Varnoth.
“Thank you for letting us stay in your castle. I thought generosity had become extinct in Albattara, but you have proven that hypothesis to be wrong. I am happy I can be useful here,” said Eisler with a quick nod of his head.
Varnoth nodded as he scanned his surroundings more. He was shocked at how clean it was. The people did one hell of a fine job in the small amount of time they had been there.
“Varnoth, come up please,” yelled William Marth from one of the high towers in the keep.
Varnoth made his way up the tall staircase, and he stood in front of Atlas’ chambers.
“You have a long journey ahead of you, and I wanted to make sure you had a comfortable place to rest your head. This was the maniac Atlas’ tower chambers. Some friends and I cleaned it up and removed the evil décor we saw here. We would like this to be your room as Overseer of this amazing place. Please come inside and see what we have done to the place,” William said with a wide smile.
As Varnoth entered the chambers he could not believe his large eyes. This looked nothing like the room he visited recently. It would take some time before he would be able to remove the image the day before from his memory, but he was hopeful for the future. William stood to the side with his hands behind his back. He was proud of what he had accomplished, and he hoped Varnoth would be pleased.
“Thank you, William. It is wonderful. However, I feel bad having such lavish lodging. Why do I deserve this? My home was not destroyed, and my life is not in shambles.”
Varnoth- the Black Blade 2 Page 2