A fat goblin waddled toward the approaching hobgoblins drunk as a skunk.
“Hey der you two, we capture two gnome bastards! You happy?” slurred an intoxicated goblin.
Klotts backhanded the drunk goblin with a punishing thwack. Blood and teeth flew, and the goblin was knocked out cold.
“We are gone for a few hours, and you imbeciles are drunk? I should kill all of you!” yelled a livid Klotts.
“No, Klotts, we no drunk,” said a goblin as he pointed to a couple of other sober ones, “We know not to do such bad thing. We capture two gnome bastards, you see?" replied a sober goblin.
“Hmmm, very interesting,” Klotts said as he walked over to the prisoners in the wagon.
“Why did you stay behind and not leave with the others?” asked Mung.
“We don’t have to tell you a damn thing!” exclaimed Barth as he laid tied up in the wagon.
“Well, we’ll see about that little one. Wrimrung has ways to make you talk. You are coming with us,” replied Klotts, “Let’s get the hell out of here now. If any of you drunk bastards delay our return, you will be killed and cooked for dinner tomorrow.”
The goblins all nodded and tried their best to get their act together. They were confident that Klotts was not bluffing with horrific threats. Hobgoblins and goblins had no issue with eating their own when the opportunity arose.
Klotts and his men marched until dawn and returned to Slorm with their new prisoners. He dismissed the other goblins to their homes, and Klotts and Mung headed directly to Wrimrung’s hut. Baldrik stood at the doorway with her arms crossed.
“I sure hope you were successful with your little quest. Our lord has been in a foul mood. I have stayed away,” said Baldrik, her voice was laced with disdain.
“Let us through. We have information and prisoners. Mung, make your miserable ass useful and bring the scum in the hut.”
“Well, it looks like you brought my lord a snack for the week. I hope you little people are looking forward to a few days of pain at the hands of the vile Wrimrung,” Baldrik said sarcastically and cackled as Mung dragged the petrified gnomes by her into the tent.
Wrimrung was sitting in his macabre throne of bones waiting on their report.
“I hope you have some news for me, Klotts, you miserable pile of dung,” said Wrimrung as he glared at the dishonored hobgoblin.
Klotts bowed and said, “Oh yes sir, you will be pleased. We have information on the whereabouts of the village people and two gnome prisoners for you to toy with as you wish.”
Klotts filled Wrimrung in on the location of the gnomes and what they saw at the castle.
“Well, I’ll be damned, they have gone to live with some mystery friends. It sounds like a little hodgepodge of idiots -- orcs, humans, dwarves, and gnomes. I will take council from Vladirk the Eye before we retaliate.”
“We are going to attack, my lord?”
“It is none of your concern right now. Mind your station in my town. As for our little friends here, I am going to keep one here, and I have special plans for the other. Toggus, take this one on the right and chain him over there. Get me a drink.”
Toggus, the witch doctor grabbed Barth as he kicked and screamed. He drug him to the wall and chained his arms and legs. Barth could see that this was a spot where horrors have taken place. The floor was blood-stained, and there was disgusting blood splatter on the walls. Fear took over the little gnome as he began to weep and scream. Toggus stripped the little gnome down to his loincloth.
“You leave him alone, you sick bastard. Take me and leave him be,” pleaded Henry as he looked at his friend chained to the wall.
“Listen, my friend, we have very special plans for you that will take place in the town center,” Wrimrung said with a demonic tone.
The sick news caused Henry’s bladder to empty. He stood their terrified and embarrassed.
“This little runt just pissed himself on our lord’s floor!” yelled Klotts as he slapped the little gnome and knocked him to the ground.”
“We need him alive, dumbass. You and Mung clean the mess up!” yelled Wrimrung.
“But my lord…” Klotts said as he was interrupted by Wrimrung.
“You will do as I say, or I will make you trade places with this little gnome in the square!” Wrimrung exclaimed.
Mung and Klotts grabbed a pail of water and rags. They cleaned the mess up as quickly as possible.
“Now, Toggus, where is my damn drink?”
“Just a moment, sire,” Toggus said as he unsheathed a bone dagger.
Barth screamed and squirmed as the witch doctor cut his cheek from ear to nose. The skin split and blood began to pour down and drip to the floor. Toggus placed a skull goblet under Barth’s cheek and caught the bright red, warm blood. After the goblet was filled, Toggus wiped a dark, green salve on the wound that began to heal the damage. Toggus handed the cup to his lord and nodded.
“Thank you, the cup is nice and warm and smells delicious,” Wrimrung said as he stuck his long pointy nose inside the goblet. His eyes were closed, and he moaned. After deeply inhaling the aroma, he poured the warm blood into his mouth. Blood ran down the sides of his mouth. He finished the contents in one gulp and licked his lips with his monstrous putrid tongue.”
“Splendid, gnome blood is sweet and refreshing. I may have use for him for a while,” Wrimrung told Toggus then looked at the chained Barth, “Say goodbye to your little friend here. He has a special job in the town center. You won’t be able to see, but you will hear his screams.”
“Leave him alone, monster. Take me instead!” screamed Barth.
“Well, look at you. You both have offered to take the place of the other. How honorable of you. I am afraid both of your fates have been sealed. Take him away. Baldrik, gather the townsfolk and tell them we have a sacrifice,” Wrimrung said as he pointed toward the town’s center.
“No, please, no!” Henry pleaded as they took him out of the hut.
“You will pay for this!” screamed Barth as he looked into the eyes of the war chief.
Wrimrung walked over, stood one foot away from the chained gnome, and asked, “Are you going to do something about it? Is your little community at Darthill going to do something? Please tell me more, like who is running things?”
Barth immediately closed his mouth and turned his head to look away from the war chief. He realized that he needed to keep from divulging any information on the way things were at Darthill.
“Not so mouthy now? We’ll talk later. You may think you will keep Darthill’s secrets, but I have never met a person or creature that won’t give in to avoid pain. Some last longer than others, but they always succumb and talk. You will be no different, little one. Now, I have a little party to get to,” Wrimrung said as he patted the little gnome on the top of his head. Barth spat in his face, and Wrimrung just laughed.
“Ha, I can’t wait until we can discuss this further.”
Wrimrung took his sword from the wall and sheathed it. He turned to wink at Barth and walked out of the hut.
CHAPTER 30
Varnoth, Owyn, and Celeste reached the northwestern gate to Darthill Castle as the sun dove behind the mountains. William Marth and Henegarron Raytak had been hard at work since Varnoth left for Finnmork. He was astonished at what he saw from the outside. The gate was improved to a heavy wooden door that matched the twelve-foot height of the stone walls. There was a gnome stationed at the entrance. He stood on a wooden platform and looked down at the party. The little guy had an arrow nocked ready to fire.
“Who goes there?” the gnome man asked in a deep voice used to sound bigger than he actually was.
“It is me, Varnoth, and I have two friends with me.”
The gnome held his torch toward Varnoth so he could see him more clearly, and his eyes widened.
“By the gods up above, I am sorry. I didn’t recognize you in the darkness. Please forgive me, sir,” pleaded the gnome man.
“There is noth
ing to forgive. You are doing your job and doing it well. What is your name?”
“My name is Erskin sir.”
“Nice to meet you, these are my friends, Celeste and Owyn from Finnmork.”
Celeste gave Erskin a flirtatious wink and wave as he opened the gate. The door was heavy and opened slowly. Varnoth was happy to be home. He was very anxious to see what all had been done when it turned first light.
“Tonight, you will accept my hospitality and sleep in my chambers,” commanded Varnoth as he looked at his new friends.
“I am exhausted my friend. I will be thrilled to use your fancy castle chambers,” replied Owyn.
“I would love to sleep in a soft kitty cat bed!” Celeste joked.
“I think you will find my cat bed to be very luxurious and will suit you well. There is no sleep enchantment, unfortunately.”
The trio’s attention turned toward a large man approaching from the inside of the castle.
“Varnoth, welcome home. Are you well?” asked William.
“Good evening, William. I am doing very well. Everything is looking wonderful here. I can’t wait for an update on the community’s progression. These are my new friends from Finnmork, Celeste and Owyn. They are going to help with assigning Darthill to my new homestone ring. They will be using my quarters tonight. I insisted.”
William reached his hand out and shook the hands of both newcomers, “It is a pleasure to meet you. Please make yourself at home. Whatever you need, let me know, and you will receive.”
“Wow, this is starting to sound like we are at a fancy inn on vacation, grandfather,” Celeste said sarcastically.
“Yes, we are trying to build something special here, but I am afraid this won’t be a vacation spot,” William said with a chuckle, “Supper is complete in the banquet room. Would you to like to grab something to eat?”
“Does a timber bear shit in the forest, Mr. Marth?” asked Owyn.
“Ummm, yes?” replied William.
Owyn patted him on the shoulder and smiled, “Lead the way, my friend.”
“Erskin will take you. I have some things to discuss with Varnoth. It was a pleasure meeting you.”
Celeste and Owyn followed the little gnome up the stairs into the castle. The two newcomers looked all around. Varnoth could tell that they were impressed with what they saw. William turned back toward Varnoth and smiled.
“It is wonderful to have you back home. We have been working very hard.”
“I can certainly see some of the progress.”
“We have focused heavily on the walls, ramparts, and gates. We were fortunate that the strength of the walls was still intact. A few sections needed some work but not as much as we once thought. Henegarron worked his dwarven ass off setting up defensive positions. Anyone can climb on top of the wall and walk the complete perimeter of the estate with no problems. We have expanded the barracks to give more breathing room to the inhabitants. Food production is going well. The land here is very fertile, and the crops planted are looking very well. The forest areas are providing ample meat for our hunting parties. Since the completion of the dock at the river, we have begun fishing. The river is going to be a very abundant source of food once we get that area up to speed.”
"This all sounds great. Thank you for all you have done. It can’t be easy to be chancellor over so many diverse people. You seem to have a knack for it,” replied Varnoth.
“All isn’t well. Unfortunately, you remember the party that went back to Colkirk to retrieve the rest of the gnome possessions. Well, a couple of gnomes have not returned. The entire party didn’t leave at the same time. Henry and Barth stayed behind after Ogle and John left.”
“Why did they not leave at the same time?” asked Varnoth.
“I asked the same question, and John told me that they wanted some time to themselves before leaving. John advised the gnomes against it, but he agreed, nevertheless. Henry and Barth were saddened by leaving their homes, and they wanted time to say goodbye on their terms. They were expected to arrive a few hours after the first party arrived. They never showed up, so John and Henegarron left a short time ago to check on them. John is beating himself up about leaving them there. We hope that they just decided to stay longer than expected. While the entire party was there, they had no issues and saw no goblins. We hope that isn’t the cause of the delay.”
“Alright, let me know as soon as they return,” replied Varnoth, “I have something for you.”
Varnoth reached into his pouch and retrieved the enchanted coin vessel. William’s eyes grew wide as he reached for the beautiful construct.
“You and the council members are set up to use it as we discussed. I am still working on acquiring a Dark Eagle for setting up post here. I have a quest that requires me to find an egg in the wild and return it to the quest giver, and we will receive a trained dark eagle.”
“Thank you for getting our banking services set up so quickly. This will make things so much easier. I will get our gold transferred from the armory before I go to bed tonight. Unfortunately, I have no idea how one would acquire a dark eagle egg, but I will ask around and see if anyone has any pertinent information on the matter,” said William as he appeared to be rooted in thought. “Please go eat and get some rest. I am going to do my nightly walk around the estate.”
William walked away and appeared to be scanning the walls and other areas around the estate. Varnoth was so pleased to have a man like William to look after this place. Varnoth could not do it. The shadow panther felt that he received too much of the credit. William was the glue holding it all together.
Varnoth was stopped and greeted by several citizens on his way to the banquet hall. He was happy to speak with each person. He even saw his little pal, Winnie. She ran up to him as fast as she could and jumped into his large fur-covered arms. She hugged Varnoth very tight and kissed him on his fur-filled cheek.
“Kitty, kitty, I love you!” she exclaimed as she hugged him once more.
This exchanged warmed Varnoth’s heart, and he squeezed her tight and rubbed her back.
“How are you, Winnie? I hope you are having fun here, and everyone is nice to you.”
“Yes, this place is so fun! I feel like a princess since I live in a big beautiful castle!”
“You most definitely are a princess,” replied Varnoth.
“I get to play outside all the time! Mama and Papa are taking me to the river tomorrow to fish!”
“Catch a big one for me please,” said Varnoth.
“I will. I know how much kitties like fish!”
Winnie gave Varnoth another quick hard hug and ran away into the castle.
Dormatos spoke behind Varnoth as he watched Winnie run off into the castle.
“I fear something terrible has happened to the gnomes left at Colkirk. I can’t be certain, but I get flashes of terror. In these flashes, they are in pain and terrified beyond belief.”
Varnoth was startled by his voice, “How often do you get visions like this?”
“Rarely before now, however, I have never had vivid dreams like these before. They are different.”
“Can you see their location perhaps?" asked Varnoth.
"No, I just see their faces with a background of darkness. I fear the worst has happened.”
A cold chill traveled down the spine of the shadow panther. He had never seen Dormatos like this before. He had to take these visions seriously.
"I am sorry to drop this gloom upon you. It is something you don't want to hear as soon as you get home. I am headed to the chapel to pray for the safe return of our friends."
"No apology is needed. I will always want to hear any concerns you may have, no matter what they are. If they do not return by tomorrow night. We will discuss sending another party out." replied Varnoth.
CHAPTER 31
The orc and dwarf arrived in a deserted ghost town. The only sounds were the wind whirling between the building and the chirps and tweets from birds. The bi
rds appeared to know something and desired to communicate with the newcomers, but it was impossible. The only citizen of the town was nothingness. John and Henegarron split up and looked in each home for gnomes that they knew weren’t there. They had to look even though the missing gnomes' wagon was gone. Upon further inspection, they saw some blood in the dirt where the carriage had been parked before.
John scratched the back of his neck and broke the silence, “Dammit to hell, this is my fault I shouldn’t have left them here.”
“Nonsense, they are grown men, and you said they wanted to say goodbye alone. You just did what they wanted. You weren’t in charge, anyway. Don’t beat yourself up. We don’t even know for sure what has happened,” replied Henegarron.
“I think I know exactly what happened. The goblins came and got them. My guess is they were taken prisoner. If they were killed, their bodies would be lying right here on the ground. They might have been better off if that had happened. Goblins are idiots, but they are vicious, and they would want revenge for their fallen brethren,” said John as he squatted to analyze the blood and wagon tracks more closely, “Well I am not a tracker, but it appears they headed north. The tracks are easy to see.”
“Do we follow? I mean we are just two blokes. I don’t want to end up like Barth and Henry,” replied Henegarron.
“Well, I plan to check it out. That is what I have got to do if I want to be able to live with myself from here on out. You can head back and let them know what we found here.”
“Are you a damn moron? If you think I am going to let you go on your own, you have another thing coming!” exclaimed Henegarron.
“You didn’t have to holler at me and hurt my feelings,” said John as he punched the dwarf in the shoulder, eliciting a shout of pain and laughter from Henegarron.
“So, we follow these tracks and see what is going on. We aren’t going to just march into Slorm and started swinging our weapons all over the place. I ain’t ready to die yet! You understand, greenie?”
“Of course, of course, let’s stop screwing around and move!” replied John.
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