Leon and Riya: How to Raise a Gnoll

Chapter 40

Maria was meeting with Zenkoh in her office.

Maria: You needed something?

Zenkoh: Yes. I wanted to know, are you able to communicate with your goddess Vara at any time?

Maria was silent for a moment.

Maria: I can, but there is no guarantee of an answer back though.

Zenkoh had a contemplative look on her face. After a moment she spoke.

Zenkoh: Would you be able to do that now? There is something I want to ask her.

Maria had a slightly perplexed look on her face but still answered her.

Maria: I could, but you will have to allow me to set up everything.

Zenkoh nodded.

Zenkoh: That's fine.

                                                                                   ***

Varna had been contemplating everything that had happened since she had died about what the hammer had done to her when she touched it. But the thing that she hadn't been able to stop thinking about was that Leiko had been turned into nothing more than a puppet, when her daughter Zenkoh had told her about that she had been ready to explode, but there was only so much she could do now that she was little more than a spirit.

The oppressive feeling of the dark void of nothing that had surrounded her used to be lonely and oppressive, but she had gotten used to it. Suddenly, in front of her Varna saw what looked like a tiny pinprick in the void that reminded her of a star. Then the pinprick began to expand until there was a silhouette of golden light in the shape of something she didn't recognize.

When the light died down Varna saw a figure that stood about ten feet tall and was wearing a white robe, its hands and feet were completely obscured and only a snout could be seen coming out from under the hood it had on its head, making it impossible to tell what race it was.

Varna: What do you want?

Out of nowhere, an ethereal booming voice could be heard all around her.

Vara: Varna.

Once the being had spoken Varna could feel the magic pouring off of it. Whatever it was, it was far more powerful than she had ever been.

Varna: What?

Vara: I can sense you are angry, but also you are full of sorrow and regret, why is that?

Varna grits her teeth before answering.

Varna: Why? Because I had everything taken from me! I had the one most important to me, my mate, ripped from me! All because I was busy with something else, it wasn't fair!

Vara tilted her head to the side.

Vara: Fair to you? Or fair to him, or your daughter?

Varna grits her teeth even more, remembering everything she had before Leiko was ripped away from her. Then, almost as if a switch had been flipped, all of her anger had drained away and was replaced with regret and sadness. She slumped to her knees before falling back into a sitting position with her head pointed down at her feet. She spoke barely above a whisper.

Varna: It wasn't fair...for any of us.

                                                                               ***

As Leon and Rose were practicing more hand-to-hand fighting a scout gnoll ran past them heading for the kitchen, which is where Mu and Riya were currently. Not long after Mu had made her way to him, upon seeing her approaching they had stopped sparring.

Leon: Is something wrong, Mu?

Mu: It seems that the scouts spotted Witherlings within a day and a half's march from here.

Leon: What!

Mu nodded.

Mu: Unfortunately, it looks like we are going to need to be ready for another assault.

                                                                          ***

Morga and Leiko had been marching for what felt like forever when Fort Stoneholde came into view. Both of them were leading a full warband of Witherlings while the fort might have only had somewhere around a single warband of gnolls guarding it.

Morga: Attack!

And with that order, the Witherlings surged forward toward the fort like a tidal wave of death and rot.

                                                                               ***

Inside the fort was complete chaos, some of the Witherlings had managed to get over the walls while others had managed to burrow up from under the fort. Leon was currently making his way to where those who weren't able to fight had been holed up for safety. He hadn't seen any Witherlings on the way so he was hopeful that they hadn't found it.

Leon's hopes of that were dashed when he reached the hallway that the door was in and ran into an eight-foot Gnoll with light brown fur, it was Morga. Past her, he could see Leiko attempting to pick the lock.

Leon: Hey!

With that shout, Morga shifted her attention to look at Leon. After a few seconds, she leaped towards him and he managed to jump back just in time for her warhammer to slam down on nothing as it missed him. Morga shifted back into a neutral stance before rushing him again. As she began to swing horizontally Leon attempted to dodge out of the way but realized too late that Morga had switched the way she was swinging her weapon, a feint. Just before Leon is hit with the weapon it stops mid-swing.

???: Why don't you fight with someone your own size!

Hearing that Leiko looked over before his eyes went wide as dinner plates. There towering over Leon was an eight-foot female Gnoll with gray fur. She forced Morga's warhammer to the side with what seemed to be little effort.

Varna: I suggest you move, boy.

Without any hesitation, Leon removed himself from between the two Gnolls as they stared each other down.