Varnoth- the Black Blade 2

by Lavelle Jackson

  “John, are we coming up on anything, or is it still just a tunnel?” asked Varnoth.

  “Yes, kitten man, there is an opening to a much larger chamber up ahead."

  They reached a large chamber with one staircase going upward and one going downward. The center of the room looked like an abyss. It was almost like a bottomless pit in the center of the mountain. The staircase upward was extremely narrow. The one going downward was wider but still treacherous.

  “Which way are we going?” asked Varnoth.

  “Well, if your goal is to watch me fall to my death, going up would help you achieve that goal,” replied John.

  “I will go up, and you can go down. How does that sound?”

  “Well, sounds like a good plan to me, Cat,” replied John.

  John began to slowly descend the staircase, and Varnoth began to carefully ascend the upward staircase. Of course, John began to whistle during his descent. As they moved further apart, the sound became softer and softer. Varnoth saw a glow emitting from a doorway further up the staircase. There appeared to be a small rock bridge that would take him across to the green, glowing room. The bridge appeared to be a brittle strip of granite crossing the dark abyss. Varnoth wondered if it had been thousands of years since someone crossed this pathway. As Varnoth began to cross the one-foot wide stone bridge, he felt it cracking. It could have been in his mind. He couldn’t be completely sure. Varnoth began to get extremely nervous and decided to leap across the remaining distance. He landed the jump with ease. Varnoth unsheathed his daggers and entered the glowing room. In the middle of the room, there appeared to be a stone tablet that was the source of the green glow. Varnoth walked up slowly to the tablet and reached to touch it.

  You have discovered Tome of Affliction!

  Affliction will imbue toxic magic onto to any weapon of your choice for 30 seconds!

  Do you wish to learn the spell of Affliction?

  Yes or No?

  Varnoth immediately chose “Yes.”

  You have learned the spell of Affliction!

  May your weapons be laced with toxicity forevermore!

  You have gained 100 experience points!

  You have reached Level 14!

  You have 10 attribute points available for distribution!

  May the Gods shine upon you on your adventure!

  Level 14

  Shadow Panther

  Black Blade Legendary Class

  Attributes:

  Strength – 85 + 5 = 90

  Dexterity – 98

  Intelligence – 44 + 5 = 49

  Vitality – 98

  Skills:

  Stealth Shade

  Black Rain + 1

  Blade Shield

  Spell of Affliction

  Passives:

  Acrobatics

  Night Vision

  Detection

  Executioner

  Varnoth was eager to try out his new magic spell. He wondered how John was faring at this very moment. The shadow panther exited the room that was no longer emitting a glow to go find the orc.

  Snap!

  The rock bridge broke in half. In the middle of his excitement over the new spell, he forgot about the dangerous bridge right outside the door. Varnoth plummeted into the pitch-black pit below.

  So, this is how it ends?

  After all the shadow panther had been through, simple carelessness is what was going to kill him. After falling for what seemed like forever, Varnoth saw an object below in the darkness. It was metallic and long. It was John’s hammertar.

  “Grab it now!” yelled John.

  Varnoth grabbed the steel hammertar while traveling at an incredible rate of speed. Air left his lungs, and his muscles and tendons stretched as they compensated for the speed of the falling panther. He was certain that he tore either muscles or tendons. John pulled Varnoth over to the winding staircase and sat him down.

  “Gods, why the hell did you jump?”

  “I didn’t jump. My footing shattered, and I fell. Thank you once again for saving my life.”

  “Yeah, cat, you have to be more careful. This is a dangerous place,” replied John shaking his enormous head.

  “Were you on your way back up?”

  “No, I am still on my way to the bottom. This is a long damn staircase. There better be something good down there,” replied John.

  “Alright, let’s keep going. I’ll lead the way this time,” said Varnoth.

  “Hold on, my light is fixing to go out. Gotta sing my light song again.”

  Varnoth waited patiently while John sang his tune once more and continued downward. The staircase seemed to go on forever. They had descended for one hour, and they finally reached the bottom of the pit. There were bones scattered about from fallen travelers from previous treks. There was another glowing tome in the center of the floor below. The astonishing part of the chamber was the lack of walls. There just appeared to be nothingness surrounding them. Varnoth touched the tome and a messaged popped up in his interface.

  Would you like to summon the Abyss Tyrant?

  Yes or No?

  This message startled Varnoth. He was expecting another spell to learn.

  Varnoth turned to John and said, “Do we wanted to summon the Abyss Tyrant?”

  “YESSS!” John yelled absurdly loud.

  The orb disappeared, and the chamber began to shake violently. The darkness around the chamber began to whirl violently.

  “Dammit John, I was just telling you what it said!” Varnoth exclaimed. Varnoth couldn’t believe that John was able to initiate the summoning.

  “Oh, well too late now,” replied John with a shrug.

  “Wait, wait, I will play a shield protection song for us both. Let me see if I can remember the words.”

  John lifted his hammertar but looked confused. The darkness began to whirl more violently, and lightning flashed within the chaos.

  “Anytime now, John!” Varnoth commanded.

  Shield me

  Shield me, my friend

  I’m not the only one

  I’m not the only one

  Shield me again

  CHAPTER 10

  A bright, golden aura enveloped Varnoth and John like a winter coat. The bard’s tune had worked.

  +25% to Defense for 5 minutes

  “Ha-ha, I am the man, Cat!” exclaimed John.

  Varnoth ignored the boast as a black sphere began to form in the middle of the chamber of nothingness. The sphere rotated and flashed light out of the darkness. It emitted a very piercing humming sound that pained the shadow panther’s eardrums. Both combatants stood in a fighting stance unknowing of what to expect. They just knew something very bad was going to occur at any moment. Varnoth’s paws tightened around the hilts of his obsidian daggers and he began to gnash his teeth in anticipation of this Abyss Tyrant. They began to hear a deep otherworldly voice echo in the chamber.

  You dare summon me!

  You dare desecrate my chambers!

  Your pitiful life is over!

  The sphere exploded, and the purple shockwave knocked Varnoth and John onto their backs. Varnoth shook his head to gain his bearings, and he saw a tall, dark figure standing where the sphere had been.

  Abyss Tyrant

  Level 15

  The figure stood ten feet tall. He had solid black, glistening skin and only wore a loincloth. The only semblance of color was his bright, red eyes. The Abyss Tyrant had what appeared to be tattoos all over his chest and massive legs. They began to glow a brilliant purple color. The creature conjured a long, giant black club. This type of club was normally only useable with two hands due to the heavy mass. The Tyrant held the menacing club in his right hand without assistance from his left. The creature roared and bashed the center of the chamber floor, and a purple shockwave knocked the heroes back once more.

  “John, try to get his attention,” yelled the shadow panther.

  John was confused, but he nodded in agreement to the command.
/>
  Varnoth activated Stealth Shade and planned to strike the Tyrant’s legs to bring him down.

  “Come on you damn fool! Attack me!” screamed the orc.

  Instead of a downward smash attack from the Tyrant, the monster decided to do a spin attack. This attack struck both Varnoth and John and sent them flying. When Varnoth landed, his momentum knocked a rock into the swirling black cloud chamber wall. The stone disappeared. Varnoth and John had to stay away. If they were knocked in, they would enter the abyss and never return. That was his assumption at least.

  “We have to get back to the center, John. We can’t get knocked into the darkness.”

  “I would be more than happy to oblige if this monster would stop knocking me on my ass!” replied John.

  Varnoth was the first to stand. This attracted the Tyrant toward him. A vicious two-handed bash came from the creature. Varnoth narrowly missed being crushed by the giant club. The strike from the Tyrant left a crater in the floor. John took action and slammed the hammertar into the behemoth’s back. The Tyrant roared and backhanded the orc back to the floor. John slid to within inches of the abyss. Varnoth threw his obsidian dagger with all his might. The dagger plunged into the side of the creature’s torso.

  The Abyss Tyrant screamed and yanked the dagger out of his side. Black blood spewed from the wound and splattered the stone floor. John attempted to slam his hammertar into the other side of the Tyrant. The Tyrant’s body shifted at the last moment, and the hammertar missed his trunk. However, the hammer did smash him in the foot. The smash made a loud, sickening crunch as bones broke in the giant’s foot. The Abyss Tyrant grabbed the head of the hammertar and jerked it upward. John kept his grip, and he rose into the air along with the weapon. The creature brought the hammertar along with the orc and smashed them into the stone floor. The Tyrant jerked the hammertar up once more. This time John was not able to hold on to the fretboard. The creature slammed the hammertar down in the center of the orc’s back. John screamed a silent scream due to no air in his lungs. Varnoth just knew he had his back broken or worse. The orc spat blood out of his largemouth onto the stone floor.

  As the Tyrant focused on John in preparation for another deadly strike. Varnoth picked up the dagger on the floor and launched onto his back. The shadow panther plunged both daggers into the monster’s shoulder blades. The Tyrant screamed in agony and surprise from the attack from behind him. Varnoth lost his grip and fell flat on his back on the stone floor. The two daggers stayed impaled in the Tyrant. Black blood gushed from the wounds and streamed down his back onto the stone floor. The Tyrant did not attempt to remove the blades while he turned toward Varnoth enraged. Varnoth stood in a fighting stance without his daggers. He wanted to activate Black Rain, but the monster would strike before he could pull off the attack. Out of the corner of Varnoth’s eye, he saw John begin to stand up. As the Tyrant raised its great club to strike Varnoth, the orc performed a horizontal strike with his hammertar. Devastating contact was made to the giant’s right knee. Bones cracked and ligaments tore as the knee buckled inward. The Abyss Tyrant’s right leg was no longer able to support his massive weight, and he fell to the floor like a huge tree. The stone floor shook from the impact. The Tyrant swiped his right hand and knocked the orc’s legs out from under him, and he fell flat on his back.

  “Dammit, I could use some help Cat!”

  Varnoth wasted no time as he attacked the creature with a bite to the throat. The Tyrant’s black blood poured into the shadow panther’s mouth. The taste was rancid.

  “Stop drinking his blood and move out of the way!” yelled the orc as he double-handed the hammertar over his head.

  Varnoth followed the orc’s demand and rolled out of harm’s way. John struck the Tyrant in the head multiple times. The sounds of skull bones shattering and brains being obliterated made the shadow panther wretch in disgust. The Tyrant’s head was flattened. Brain matter, blood, eyeballs, and teeth decorated the floor.

  Your Party has killed the Abyss Tyrant!

  You have received 2,500 Experience Points!

  You have received:

  1 x Eye of the Abyss Amulet (+10 to Strength)

  1 x Dark Rune of the Abyss (Place the rune in a weapon slot to add 25% physical damage until removed)

  1,000 Gold

  “Are you ok John? You took a really big hit to your back.”

  “Nice of you to notice, furball,” John said as he retrieved a health potion from his Ring of Holding.

  The orc popped the cork and drank quickly.

  John grimaced as he felt broken ribs and cracked vertebrae pull together and heal.

  “Do you have any rune slots in that hammertar?”

  “I do. I had a blacksmith etch two when I was in Finnmork. That is all I had the money for,” replied the orc.

  Varnoth threw the Dark Rune of the Abyss at the orc. John caught it and looked at it closely. His already huge eyes became even larger.

  “I don’t know what to say. Thank you! Wow, a 25% increase is phenomenal!”

  “No worries, it is an investment. I need you as strong as possible. I would have died easily if you hadn’t been here,” replied Varnoth.

  “I am sorry for summoning that big bastard without even thinking about it.”

  Varnoth nodded in agreement and took a deep breath.

  “Alright, let’s head back up before we can get into any more trouble,” said Varnoth.

  As they began to walk up the staircase to the dungeon exit, John began to play a triumphant tune on his hammertar.

  CHAPTER 11

  The sun pierced their eyes as they exited the dungeon of the Abyss Tyrant. The pain was welcome. This pain meant they were alive, and they were out of the mess they were just in. The duo continued down the last mountain before reaching flat ground. The vegetation went from gray to green as they descended. The sounds of birds chirping, and the pitter-patter of small game began to fill their ears. Luckily, these were creatures that didn’t want to kill them or that is what they hoped. The conversation had decreased substantially since the battle with the Tyrant. John and Varnoth were exhausted physically and mentally. John would be a terrible party member in a stealth quest. He sounded like a timber bear as he walked down the mountain. Combining his hefty steps and music you had a catastrophic situation on your hands.

  John finally broke the silence, “Cat, do we plan to eat soon? This well-oiled machine requires sustenance. That demon badger meat was heavenly. I would like to kill more of those. The meat was juicy with a kick to it. Demonic meat is spicy meat.”

  “I don’t see why not. I had hoped to arrive in the Flat Fields before sunset,” replied Varnoth.

  "No worries my impatient friend, I got me some rabbit jerky to snack on. It sure isn’t badger meat though.”

  Varnoth nodded and picked up the pace as they reached the bottom of the mountain. The duo was thrilled to reach a crisp, clear stream with beautiful refreshing water flowing. Varnoth was not concerned with manners. He plopped on his paws and knees and plunged his mouth into the stream and began to gulp the water. The cool liquid wet the desert inside his throat. A bit of water fell into his windpipe. Varnoth coughed, and his eyes watered. The smooth calming flow of the blue water had been disturbed. John retrieved a giant steel mug from his ring and quickly filled it to the brim with the stream water. He spilled some as he quickly brought the mug to his huge gaping mouth. The water dripped down the side of the steel and fell to the dusty road. Even the dirt appeared to be starved for water.

  “Ahh! That hit the spot. It isn’t a mug of good ale but refreshing none the less,” John said as he belched. Then he devoured some rabbit jerky and followed the snack with a few gulps as he finished the contents of the mug.

  “My belly is full,

  My thirst is quenched,

  This water is nice and cool,

  This mountain hike has been a cinch.”

  This was Varnoth’s first experience with a bard. It was a rather odd one at th
at. Varnoth packed some water in his pouch, and they continued their way. The road began to widen a bit, and the terrain became much easier to traverse. The countryside became lusher and more beautiful. As they walked more, they noticed they were coming up on a village. The small village was surrounded by farmland and livestock pastures.

  You have discovered the village of Colkirk!

  You have received 100 experience points!

  The buildings within the village were very small. Varnoth would have to bend over to enter a doorway. John had no hope of entering any building. He was way too large.

  “Ah, this is a gnome village. That’s why the damned houses are so small. Aren’t they the most adorable things you have ever seen, Cat man?” asked John.

  The village didn’t have a lot going on at this time of day. Varnoth could see gnomes scattered about in the fields outside of the town. Some of the gnomes had wheelbarrows, and some were plowing the fields using small horses. Suddenly, a loud bell tolling startled the duo. They turned to see a gnome pulling a rope at the center of town, the bell was very loud to be as small as it was. All the gnomes in the fields turned and starting waddling toward Varnoth and John. A few gnomes came out of their homes in the village. As the gnomes came closer, Varnoth noticed some holding pitchforks. Some even had swords and clubs. Varnoth and John stood amused as the little people surrounded them.

  “Travelers! What is your business in Colkirk? Are you here to rob us? If so, we will kill you!” announced a male gnome with denim overalls and pointy hat on his head. The gnome had a long beard that went down to his navel.

  “Please do not be afraid. We are simply passing through town on our way to Drangar. We have no quarrel with your people. What is your name?” asked Varnoth.