Much to the shadow panther’s surprise, a little gnome girl crawled over toward Varnoth and hugged his left calf. The little girl played lightly with the fur on top of his paw as she sang a song that he could not understand. Varnoth slowly and hesitantly placed his left paw on her long brown hair and began to slowly stroke her hair.
“Winnie! Leave Mr. Varnoth alone!” the girl’s mother exclaimed.
Varnoth held up his paw and said, “She is no bother at all ma’am. How old is she?”
“She is three years old. She is our only child. We had hoped to have another by now, but the gods have not blessed us with one yet. I wanted to thank you for taking us with you and for your protection. We owe everything to you, sir,” said the girl’s father.
“I wonder if I have done more harm than good to be perfectly honest with you. Thank you for your kind words though,” Varnoth said still stroking Winnie’s hair.
A few moments later, he noticed that Winnie had laid her hand on his paw and fallen asleep. Varnoth’s leg was losing circulation, but he didn’t have the heart to move. He didn’t want to wake her from her slumber. As they slowly made their way through the valley, Varnoth noticed the rugged beauty that surrounded them. He could see the small amount of living vegetation at the top of the mountains, but the bottom half of the mountains were lush and vivid with life. Birds of all shapes and sizes flew in and out of the greenery, singing beautiful tunes. As Varnoth looked back, he could see the town of Colkirk become gradually smaller until it could not be seen at all. Winnie’s mother eventually came and picked up the little girl and rocked her in her lap. Varnoth had to move his leg in all directions to get his blood flowing back to the limb. Winnie’s mother gave a small appreciative smile. Varnoth was amazed at how much more infatuated he had become with the gnome villagers in this short time.
Suddenly, there was some commotion in the wagon at the front of the convoy. There was a loud noise, and everything came to an abrupt stop. Varnoth heard mumbling, but he was unsure of what the problem was. He leaped from the wagon and quickly moved to the front wagon. As he approached, he saw the left-back wooden wheel broken, and he saw Ogle frustrated as he kicked the front wheel and threw his hat on the ground.
“It’s quite alright Ogle. Don’t get all worked up. We have several men that know a thing or two about woodwork and will have us on our way in no time,” Hobnick said to the frustrated gnome.
“You are right. I was excited that we were making such good time.”
“It’s ok, Ogle. This will give everyone some time to stretch their legs. Let’s be careful that no one walks off and gets lost. I am not familiar with the wildlife in this particular area,” said Varnoth.
“Eh, you are going to have your wolves and timber bears. However, they should stick to the woods if we stay out of their territory. If everyone stays close, we should be just fine,” replied Ogle.
Two male gnomes from the middle wagon began to work on the wagon wheel. One went to retrieve a small toolbox and pulled out a hammer and went to work.
“Mr. Varnoth, it shouldn’t take long to get this backup and going. Just give us a half-hour, and it will be good as new,” said one of the gnomes fixing the wheel.
Varnoth nodded and said, “No problem, and please just call me Varnoth, none of this mister nonsense.”
“Yessir,” said the gnome as he began banging his hammer. After twenty minutes of work, the wagon wheel was back on, and they were all ready to go.
Suddenly, Varnoth heard a familiar voice crying at the back of the convoy.
“Winnie! Winnie! Where are you? You need to come here right now!” Winnie’s mother exclaimed while frantically searching for her daughter. Varnoth sprinted to her location.
“When was the last time you saw her?” asked Varnoth.
“She was just here. My husband left to relieve himself, and I went to get her a snack. She was gone when we returned!”
Varnoth jumped on top of the wagon and shouted to the entire group, “Winnie is missing! I need some men to assist in finding her. She can’t be far.”
Several men approached the wagon where he was standing and agreed to help in the search.
“I want you to pair up together and search. No one searches by themselves,” Varnoth commanded.
The shadow panther ignored his own rule and entered the tall vegetation by himself. His Detection passive was compelling him to go in this direction. However, he wasn’t entirely sure if it could be trusted, so he sent the other gnomes in opposite directions. His passive had never failed him before, but he had to be careful. He pictured in his mind other gnomes getting lost as well and causing a big fuss. He was beginning to regret the decision to ask them to help in the search. The gnomes were short and would have trouble seeing anything in the thick brush. The tall grass and shrubbery turned into small trees then tall trees. The large oak trees blocked out the bright sun and heat. The cooler temperature was refreshing, but the lack of light was unnerving.
“Winnie!” Varnoth exclaimed. He didn’t like giving his position away if there was some sort of enemy or hostile wildlife around, but he had to try calling out to her. Varnoth stopped and closed his eyes to focus on his senses. Suddenly, he heard her voice from close by.
“Kitty, help me. I want my mommy!” cried Winnie. Varnoth moved toward the sound of the voice. After a quick search, he found the little gnome. She appeared to be caught in a snare of some sort. She was hanging upside down by a rope attached to her leg and tree branch.
Varnoth was relieved and horrified at the same time. He was relieved that she was alive. However, he was terrified that she stepped off the path for a few moments and got caught by some local life form’s trap. Varnoth sprinted to her location as quick as he could. Her face was fire red from gravity, pulling her blood to her head. Varnoth cut the rope that attached to her tiny, bruised and scraped leg. He held her snuggly like a newborn baby. The redness soon dissipated, and she was back to her normal color. Her eyes were bloodshot and would take a bit longer to recover.
“Kitty, kitty! Thank you!” exclaimed Winnie. Just as Varnoth smiled and squeezed her tight, an arrow whizzed by his head and plunged into the tree that she had hung from.
Varnoth turned his head to find the source of the attack.
Boarman
Level 12
A bipedal boar humanoid creature stood five feet tall and appeared to be solid muscle. The beast had massive tusks that seemed to be stained with the blood of its many victims. The Boarman let out a loud snort and squeal and nocked another arrow and fired. This shot was off the mark as well, but it was too close for comfort. Varnoth sprinted thirty yards and hid behind a massive redwood with Winnie still in his arms. She began to cry after she saw the hideous Boarman. He thanked the gods he arrived in time before the creature could retrieve his catch from his hunting snare.
“That’s my meat! You give her to me, and I let you go! Child meat is lovely and tender. It is my favorite. You can't have it, you feline scum!” exclaimed the Boarman viciously.
Varnoth was confident he would be able to kill this creature with ease. The Boarman already had two shots with his arrows and missed. One of the shots was under stealth and would have been a critical hit or worse. Anyone halfway competent at using a bow would have hit Varnoth with no problem. Winnie was a complication in what should be an easy fight. He is used to having companions that are not entirely helpless and could defend themselves somewhat.
“Winnie, I need you to help me out. Please stay here right behind this tree,” said Varnoth.
“No, kitty, that monster get me!” replied Winnie.
“No, I will get the monster. The Boarman won’t hurt you. Stay here.”
Winnie hesitatingly nodded as tears streamed down her face. Varnoth stroked her long brown hair and gave her a wink. He activated Stealth Shade and went toward the Boarman. The Boarman was crouched with his bow in attack position. He looked all around for the little girl and her captor. Varnoth continued in Steal
th Shade to move behind him. Just when he got into position, Winnie peeked around the large tree trunk with her eyes wide.
“There you are runt!” the Boarman said as he began to run toward Winnie. She ducked back behind the tree and screamed. Varnoth wasted no time launching onto the Boarman's back and driving him into the ground face first. The shadow panther unsheathed his right dagger and plunged it into the side of his head to the hilt. The pressure from the dagger caused the Boarman's right eye to pop from his socket. Varnoth almost emptied his stomach as he saw the large eye dangle from the optic nerve.
“Winnie, stay behind the tree!” Varnoth exclaimed. She was already traumatized enough. He didn’t want her to see the gruesome sight. Varnoth retracted the dagger from the Boarman's skull. It mad a sickening wet, ripping sound. Black blood pooled onto the forest floor. The leaves looked like they were drowning in the gore.
You have killed Boarman (Level 12)
You have received 400 experience points!
You have received:
1 x Wooden Bow
5 x Wooden Arrows
1 x Health Potion
20 Gold
Varnoth rushed back to Winnie behind the tree. She was terrified and sobbing from the horrifying experience.
“Did you get that monster? Is he gone?” asked Winnie as she stuttered from the heavy breathing.
“Yes, he is gone. Don’t worry. He won’t hurt you. Let’s get you back to your mother.”
Winnie gave a quick nod, "I sorry I did not stay with mommy and daddy. Please don't be mad."
Varnoth winked at her and picked her up and began to walk back to the convoy. As they exited the woods, he heard a voice shout, “There she is! Varnoth found her!”
Winnie’s mother and father ran as fast as they could from the other side of a wagon. They shouted her name over and over. Varnoth rubbed Winnie’s head, and he handed the little girl to her mother.
“Are you ok, sweetie? Thank the gods you found her!” Winnie’s mother cried, and she kissed her on the head.
“She is fine. However, we did have an encounter with a Boarman. Please put some of this on her ankle. She has bruising and scrapes,” Varnoth said as he handed Winnie’s mother some salve from his pouch.
“Thank the gods you found her. We cannot live without our little girl,” Winnie's father cried as he embraced Varnoth.
This startled the cat man, but he let the little gnome continue. It was something that he needed at the moment. Varnoth patted him on his back. The gnome let go and hugged his wife and daughter. Varnoth headed back to the convoy with all eyes on him from the gnomes. They began to clap and cheer as he approached. Varnoth held his paw up in an attempt to get them all to stop, but it was of no use. He let them carry on.
Varnoth
Level 17
Shadow Panther
Black Blade Legendary Class
Attributes:
Strength – 95
Dexterity – 103
Intelligence – 59
Vitality – 110
CHAPTER 20
About an hour after the close call with The Boarman, the convoy left once again for Darthill. They left a bit later than intended after he found Winnie. The carpenter gnomes wanted to check all the wheels to prevent another possible break. Hobnick apologized profusely to Varnoth for the wheel breaking and the delay. Varnoth reassured Hobnick that he was not angry, but the gnome was rather stubborn and continued with his apologies.
Ogle assured everyone that barring any unforeseen complications they would arrive at Darthill by dusk at the latest. This was terrific news. The shadow panther had no desire to camp overnight in the wild with his gnome friends. Eventually, the group reached a familiar road. Turning left would take them to the burned town of Gufaross and turning right would take them to Darthill. It would be a great relief to have everyone behind stone walls tonight with no worries of goblin raids.
Varnoth stood on the wagon at the front and exclaimed, “It will not be much longer. Everyone is doing great!”
A cheer erupted from his gnome friends as Varnoth sat back down on the front wagon.
“I can’t thank you enough, Varnoth. You saved us from certain death,” said Hobnick.
“I am glad I could help. Don’t get too lazy on me. I am sure William Marth will put all you guys to work soon enough,” Varnoth replied with a laugh.
Another hour passed, and their first glimpse of Darthill came into view. It was a beautiful sight, and Varnoth couldn’t wait to see how things had improved. First and foremost, Varnoth could see that a lot of work had been put in on the stone walls, and a new front gate had been installed. There were guard posts at various sections of the wall now. Varnoth heard a loud horn blow when they came closer to the gate. Not long after the horn blew, he saw the massive iron gate unlock and open slowly. William Marth and Henegarron walked out to meet them. Varnoth quickly jumped off the wagon and walked to meet his old friends. The two men had a happy and puzzled look on their faces.
“Varnoth, it is awesome to see you, but you have a bit of explaining to do,” Henegarron said as he looked at gnome covered wagons.
Varnoth reached out his paw to shake Henegarron’s hand. Instead of shaking Varnoth’s hand, he pulled him in for a hug. After the forced embrace, Varnoth turned to look at William.
“Hello, William. I have already seen some of the upgrades, and it is impressive. I trust that the refugees arrived safely. Have you made John feel at home?” Varnoth asked.
“It is a pleasure to see you again. The refugees from Drangar arrived safely, and they have been reunited with their families. John is quite an orc, and he is a favorite among our group. His musical talents are quite extraordinary as well. Now, let’s talk about the large elephant in the room. Who are all of these people, and why did you bring them here?” asked Chancellor Marth.
Varnoth filled Henegarron and William in on the high points of the situation with the gnomes and their goblin adversaries. They were hesitant, but they welcomed the gnomes to Darthill.
“Well, I will be damned. Varnie is home, and he brought all my little buddies from Colkirk!” John, the Son of Ray, yelled as he walked through the gate. The gnomes erupted in loud cheers as they saw John walk outside the walls.
“I thought we were going to have to go looking for your furry ass! Welcome home, my friend!” John exclaimed as he picked up Varnoth and gave him a bear hug. Giggles could be heard from the gnomes who were watching.
“It is good to see you, John. You can put me down now,” Varnoth said as he patted the orc on the head.
“Alright, bring the wagons on in, and let’s get the gnomes settled,” William said as he motioned for them to enter.
Congratulations! The gnome citizens of Colkirk have been accepted as new members of the Darthill community!
You have received 1000 experience points!
After the last wagon entered, Varnoth asked William, “How are things? I apologize for springing all of this on you, but I had no choice.”
“That’s ok. We have enough housing for everyone. It will be tight quarters until we make some additions, but it will work out. Every gnome I have ever met has been a very hard worker. Hard workers are always welcome to a new community. How many are there?” asked William.
“The last count was 65.”
William took a moment to perform some calculations in his head and said, “That should bring our total to around 150. We had fifteen people leave. They had families in Finnmork and were going to live with them. I can’t blame them, but I was sorry to see them go. There were some good workers in that bunch. Let’s go inside, and I will fill you in on our progress.”
Varnoth followed him to a guard post over the entry gate.
“We were able to construct four guard posts on the four sections of wall to give us visibility around the castle. We have each post manned 24 hours a day on rotating shifts. The men that are on duty are armed with a composite bow. Not many are proficient with the weapon, but
we have to make do with what we have. Cody is our best archer and is working with everyone daily in the use of a bow. We have reinforced the walls that were in disrepair. It is a temporary fix until we can get proper materials and labor to do permanent renovations,” William said as he pointed at different sections
“The walls are solid as is and will protect us from most attackers, but I want it done right. Food storage is going very well. There was a lot of food already here of course, but we have increased the stock as well. Cody and a small group of hunters have set traps in the surrounding forests and have been out on foot to gather game for meat. The hunters have brought back animals daily. We have residents planting corn and potatoes in the fields which should provide a good harvest soon. I plan to meet with the leader of the gnomes to get some input on their strengths and how they can provide for the community. I am excited to see what they can do. Water is a non-issue. There are several wells around the estate, and the Bellvue River is close by. We intend to begin fishing there soon to feed the group as well. We will need to send for some supplies at Finnmork. We need more tools for the farm and the gnomes. I would also like to purchase some lumber to build some additional lodging to give the residents more breathing room. We can get wood from the forest of course, but it is a slow process. I want a head start,” William said.
“My gods, you have been busy. I am so impressed and grateful,” Varnoth replied.
“This work has been a blessing for me. It keeps my mind occupied, and I don’t sit around thinking of my wife constantly,” said William as he looked down at the floor and tapped his foot.
Varnoth- the Black Blade 2 Page 10