Varnoth- the Black Blade 2

by Lavelle Jackson

  Varnoth sprinted toward the approaching mob with his toxic glowing daggers and dove between the three in front of the center. He was not directly in the center, but he was deep enough that he would be able to inflict a lot of damage. As the goblins lunged at Varnoth, he activated Blade Shield. A dark, otherworldly sphere surrounded the shadow panther. Blades swung and reached from the sphere and began to shred the goblins in its area of effect. Blood and limbs flew everywhere. As the goblins in the rear looked at what was happening to their comrades in front, the gnomes began to stab them in the backs with their pitchforks. A few of the goblins in the rear were able to turn and shield themselves from the pitchforks in the nick of time. They blocked the attack and began to swing their weapons at the gnomes. The gnomes did the best that they could, but the blades of the goblins struck flesh on several of the ambushing gnomes. Blade Shield fulfilled its purpose in the battle and then deactivated. Varnoth and the remaining gnomes with swords charged the rest of the goblins. Varnoth reached toward the invaders with his poisoned daggers and went to work. His first victim took a dagger to the back of the head.

  Varnoth then roundhouse kicked an approaching attacker as he yanked the dagger out of the skull of the goblin. The kick landed square in the goblin’s chest, and he fell backward onto the sword of one of the gnomes. The impalement startled the gnome just as much as its goblin victim. Blood spurted from his chest and doused Varnoth in the face. He felt the wet warmth, and he gagged on the coppery smell of the blood. The gnome put his boot on the goblin’s back and attempted to yank the sword out of the goblin’s back. It took the gnome three strong pulls before the blade came free with a sickening rip. The sudden release sent the gnome to the ground on his behind. The goblins still alive in the crossfire frantically looked back and forth, not knowing who to attack. Varnoth yelled for the gnomes to move out of the way. The remaining gnomes lunged backward as Varnoth had ordered. After Varnoth saw they were out of harm’s way, he activated Black Rain. The shell-shocked goblins looked at the black swirling cloud with eyes wide. Black blades showered the surviving goblins. Blood spewed all over the building walls as a barrage of blades impaled their bodies. Luckily, Varnoth’s calculations had been correct. All the gnomes were outside of the attack zone. The corridor where the bottleneck occurred looked like a massive bowl of gore soup. Dead bodies filled the corridor, and blood covered everything in sight. Varnoth prayed that the casualties for the gnomes were minimal.

  Suddenly, Varnoth saw a figure running toward the woods. It was none other than the chieftain.

  “Quick, get the wounded into the church and heal them. I’ll be back,” Varnoth said as lunged over the mound of dead goblins and sprinted toward the retreating chieftain. The chieftain’s speed was utterly outmatched. Varnoth was quicker by a landslide. The shadow panther reached and grabbed the goblin’s purple cape and pulled. The chieftain fell flat on his back with a loud thud. Varnoth drove his dagger toward the chieftain’s head without hesitation. The chieftain blocked the stab at the last second with a short sword and rolled left. Then he hopped to his feet. Varnoth was surprised by the agile movement. He didn’t know the chieftain had it in him.

  The chieftain yelled something he couldn’t understand and began slashing at the shadow panther. Varnoth was able to block two of the slashes. However, he miscalculated one of the strikes from the goblin, and his short sword sunk into the cat man’s forearm. The blow stunned the shadow panther for a split second, and the chieftain was able to slice Varnoth’s calf muscle. Varnoth had utterly underestimated the Goblin chieftain’s fighting prowess. The shadow panther fell to a knee, and then felt a blade sink into his left flank. It was a deep cut, blood poured out of the wound down his side and dripped to the dirt below. Varnoth rolled onto his back. The chieftain brought his steel blade down for a killing blow to the shadow panther's head. Varnoth raised his right dagger at the last possible second. The blade was only a couple inches from killing him. The block stunned the goblin for a split second. Varnoth stabbed the center of the chieftain’s foot. A roar erupted from the goblin as Varnoth rolled to the right and back to his feet. Varnoth left the dagger behind as it impaled the chieftain’s foot to the ground. Blood pooled under the big, green foot. The goblin threw his short sword at Varnoth with surprising velocity. The shadow panther was unable to move in time, and it plunged into his left shoulder. Pain exploded in his shoulder and brought Varnoth to tears.

  Varnoth reacted quickly and threw his remaining dagger at the still stationary chieftain. The dagger entered the goblin’s neck. The chieftain reached for the hilt of the dagger as he fell backward while his foot was still impaled to the ground. The large goblin fell at an awkward angle, and the stationary leg snapped at the tibia. As Varnoth lay on his back, he heard gurgles and agonal gasps from the chieftain. After a few moments, there was silence. The shadow panther’s vision went dark.

  CHAPTER 18

  Varnoth, battered and bloody, awoke on a soft straw mattress in the Colkirk church. No longer was there a sword impaled in his shoulder. The cuts on his body had begun to heal. Suddenly the shadow panther was bombarded with damage notifications and quest notifications that he had ignored in battle with the goblin horde.

  You have defeated Goblin Raiders (Level 11) x 10!

  You have received 2000 experience points!

  You have received 300 gold!

  The gnome warriors picked up the slack and killed the other five goblins on their own. A moment of admiration came upon the black cat. He was very proud that the little guys were able to defend their people and village.

  You have defeated Goblin Chieftain (Level 15)!

  You have received 600 experience points!

  You have received:

  1 x Steel Short Sword

  2 x Health Potions

  You have reached Level 16!

  You have reached Level 17!

  You have 20 attribute points available for distribution!

  May the Gods shine upon you on your adventure!

  Varnoth

  Level 17

  Shadow Panther

  Black Blade Legendary Class

  Attributes:

  Strength – 90 + 5 = 95

  Dexterity – 98 + 5 = 103

  Intelligence – 54 + 5 = 59

  Vitality – 105 + 5 = 110

  Skills:

  Stealth Shade

  Black Rain + 1

  Blade Shield

  Spell of Affliction

  Passives:

  Acrobatics

  Night Vision

  Detection

  Executioner

  The shadow panther was unable to control himself. He roared as energy swarmed through his body from the two levels gained and attribute application. He almost scared the life out of the other gnomes in the church. Some fell on their behinds as others dropped whatever they were holding. Glass shattered, and wooden pews were knocked over. All of the gnomes inside the church slowly turned their heads to look at Varnoth as he sat upon his mattress.

  “My apologies, my friends. That happens when I advance a level. It is even more pronounced when I advance two levels at once. Thank you so very much for taking care of me. Please give me an update on the other villagers.”

  Dormatos walked over solemnly with his hands behind his back.

  “Five, we lost five friends. They fought honorably, but it just wasn’t enough,” replied Dormatos.

  Varnoth gripped the side of his mattress and gnashed his teeth as he looked to the floor.

  Did I do the right thing, running back to the village?

  Should I have fought the goblins at their camp?

  No, he did all that he could have done. He couldn’t have left Hobnick cooking alive on the hot stove while he tried to fight fifteen goblins and a powerful chieftain all by himself.

  Varnoth looked at Dormatos and everyone else in the church and said, “I am so sorry this happened. I should have planned better. I should have carried Hobnick in another direction away
from Colkirk. I should have...”

  “Please don’t question yourself,” said a healthy Hobnick from the other side of the sanctuary.

  Varnoth stood up when he realized who was talking.

  “Hobnick, how are you?” asked Varnoth.

  “Physically, I am doing well, thanks to Dormatos’ healing skills and your heroism. However, my heart is broken for the losses we sustained here. Five gnomes died because they wanted me rescued. How is that fair? My life for five gnomes? These gnomes were husbands, fathers, sons, and brothers. How do I look at their family’s faces? These are things that I must live with. Do not question your actions, Varnoth. All you have done is help our village. We only met days ago, and you continue to put your life on the line for us. You were on the verge of death mere hours ago from your battle with the chieftain. We thank the gods you walked through our town on your journey to Drangar. You didn’t bring hardship to our village. It would have escalated to this point with the goblin camp eventually. It would have been worse. We would all be dead or taken to be their slaves,” replied Hobnick.

  “How long has that goblin camp been there? Did they migrate there from a town or goblin village?”

  “That was a group of Goblins sent from the village of Slorm to construct an outpost. Slorm is a goblin village that is two-day’s walk northwest of Colkirk. It is only a matter of time before the village notices their outpost is deserted, and goblins are missing. Will they assume that we had something to do with it? I have no way of knowing that. However, common sense tells me that they will come to our village seeking answers. We have gathered the weapons from the invaders. We will need to learn to defend ourselves. However, our stronger warriors were among the five gnomes that died, gods rest their souls,” Hobnick said as he plopped down on a wooden pew defeated.

  “I am the overseer of Darthill Keep, and I would like for your village to join us there. We are building a strong community, and it is being fortified as we speak. I fear that your days are numbered here. I understand this is your home, but it is just a matter of time before the goblins from Slorm come for you.”

  “How can you take in an entire village?” asked Dormatos.

  “Darthill is not only a large castle, but many buildings are surrounding the castle. Most of them were barracks for the Derelicts. There are countless acres of farmland that can be tended. I hope that we will eventually get the gem mine going again. We welcome you with open arms. I understand it is overwhelming to think that you would be leaving Colkirk, but it is too dangerous for you to stay behind. The goblin villagers from Slorm will come.”

  “May the gods bless you Varnoth, I will speak to the village after we bury our dead this afternoon. I fear you are right. Our days here are numbered,” said Hobnick.

  Varnoth nodded and put his hand on his side where he took a brutal slash from the chieftain.

  “You need to lie down to rest a bit more. I will give you another elixir which should patch you up to 100 percent. You need to take it easy. You took some nasty damage in the battle,” said Dormatos.

  Varnoth gingerly sat back down on the straw mattress and laid to rest. Dormatos handed Varnoth a vial of health elixir, and he drank. It had a wonderfully sweet berry taste and warmed his esophagus as it traveled to his stomach. Dormatos then began to rub some salve onto his healing wounds. It wasn’t long before Varnoth drifted to sleep.

  Varnoth awoke from a deep sleep and was startled by the number of gnomes surrounding his bed. At first, he thought he was dreaming, but after a few moments, he realized that this was real life. He wiped the drool from his chin and sleep from his large eyes.

  “What’s going on?” asked Varnoth.

  Hobnick looked at the other gnomes, and then looked at Varnoth, “We have discussed your proposition, and we accept your offer to go to Darthill.”

  “That’s wonderful news. I think it is the best decision for your village. I couldn’t bear the thought of you all staying behind without any protection.”

  “We would like your advice on how we move everyone,” Hobnick requested.

  “I would have everyone pack absolute necessities. Only pack things you can carry with ease. We will go over the mountains on foot, and we will arrive at Darthill. We have several wagons and horses there. We will send a group back to gather up the rest of your belongings. It will be a lot of work, but it shouldn’t be complicated,” replied Varnoth.

  “Alright, that settles it then. We need to get packed up and head out as soon as possible!” exclaimed Hobnick.

  “If everyone can be ready to leave at dawn, we should arrive at Darthill by nightfall barring any problems,” said Varnoth.

  “My apologies, but I fear you have forgotten that gnomes have tiny legs. It takes us much longer to get places than taller folk such as yourself. As you may not know yet, gnomes are very poor climbers as well. The path through the mountains will be quite treacherous for our people to traverse. We do have ponies and small wagons that we can take with us on our initial trip. The children will not be able to make a trek such as this on foot.” replied Dormatos.

  Varnoth was irritated with himself for not noticing the hardships that affect the gnome race. The mountain path was treacherous for John and him initially. How on earth did he think the gnomes would be able to travel that way.

  “My sincerest apologies, I tend to forget that everyone cannot do the same things that others can do. We will need to travel a different route to Darthill. I am up for any suggestions that you may have,” replied Varnoth.

  “Well, Ogle used to be a traveling merchant, and he is very familiar with the surrounding lands. What is your opinion?” Hobnick said as he motioned to a gnome beside the main door of the church.

  Ogle stood up and cleared his throat. He was a bit larger than most of the other gnomes he had met. He wore leather pants and a leather cuirass that covered a white linen shirt underneath. Varnoth recognized that he was one of the gnomes that stood with him in the battle the night before. There was blood splattered on the white linen. Ogle carried a short steel sword that attached to his back. This was no doubt looted from one of the dead goblins. Ogle walked up to a large table that had been set up in the church sanctuary. He pulled a roll of parchment out of his pouch and unrolled it onto the table. It was a map.

  “I feel the easiest way for us to head to Darthill is to go southeast through the Chead Valley. I don’t foresee an issue going that way. The terrain is very easy going. With the Derelicts gone, I don’t think we will run into any trouble of the bandit kind. There is always the possibility of hostile wildlife, but that should be easy to manage. I feel we need to get this show on the road. I want to get our women and children somewhere safe,” replied Ogle as he pointed in the direction of Darthill.

  “I agree. I will trust your judgment on the route. How many wagons do you have here?” asked Varnoth.

  “There are three that are in good shape for a long distance. The ponies we have are small but strong. We have five that I would trust to pull a wagon. My advice is to attach a couple of ponies to two trailers. That will leave one pony to pull a lighter load on the third trailer,” replied Ogle.

  “This sounds like a good plan. We will get to work and have things ready to go by dawn tomorrow,” said Hobnick.

  Varnoth gave a quick nod in agreement, and the gnomes scattered to get all of the preparations made for their journey to Darthill.

  CHAPTER 19

  The orange sun slowly rose above the horizon as the gnomes from the small village of Colkirk made their final preparations before leaving for Darthill. The faces of the townsfolk showed a mixture of sadness and fear. Sadness that they were leaving the only homes they had ever known. The anxiety from not knowing what would become of their lives now and not knowing if they would arrive safely. They were scared they would not be welcomed at their destination. Fear that the goblins from Slorm would catch up to them before arriving at Darthill. There were so many variables that were unknown to the kind-hearted residents of Colk
irk. Some of the townsfolk were concerned as to whether they should put all their trust in a shadow panther. They had only known him a few days, and now they packed up to follow him to his castle. Hobnick did his best to walk around to everyone and reassure them that everything was going to be ok. He believed it would be, but that made him no less saddened to be leaving Colkirk. Dormatos prayed in the church for a safe journey and prosperity at their new home. After a couple of hours of deep meditation, he made his way to the wagons.

  Varnoth stood away from the crowd on the top of the hill at the village entrance. He wasn't anti-social. He just wanted to give the gnomes time to mourn leaving their way of life. Varnoth had apprehension for leading an entire village through territory he was unfamiliar with. The total number of gnomes moving to Darthill was 65, according to Hobnick’s morning count. Varnoth wished he had some way to warn William Marth he was arriving with an entire town to feed and house. That way, preparation could be made to make the transition a smooth one. However, there was no way to do that. Darthill was growing much faster than he had anticipated. He hoped that he and William would be able to stay ahead of any issues that may arise. Darthill can easily be a self-sustaining community with the right plan and leadership in place. He was confident that they were on the right track. The gnomes weren’t some livestock that they would have to feed and board. These little people were smart and worked hard. They would make amazing contributors to the community.

  As Varnoth daydreamed while staring at the sunrise, the caravan made their way up the road to meet him at the village entrance. A light dust trail followed the wagons as they slowly made their way down the road. They left a ghost town in their wake. A village once bustling with life was now just empty buildings destined for decay. Ogle was on the wagon in front. He would be the navigator for the convoy as they made their way through the valley. Hobnick sat alongside him. He wore a brave face, but Varnoth could tell that it was all an act. Varnoth nodded at everyone and waited for all the wagons to pass, and he hopped on the back of the cart in the rear. He startled some of the younger children on that wagon, but their parents quickly comforted them. Varnoth imagined he was quite a monstrosity compared to what the little ones we're used to seeing on a day to day basis.