Last time we revisited the world of The Ramblers. Apparently something is happening to the fabric of reality, and Violet Baudelaire is up to the task of finding out what is happening. Enough said, on with the show!
"Man can't change his destiny, but he can fight it."
from 'Berserk'
Chapter 4: Enter The Black Swordsman
Irma hurried through the corridors of the palace, hoping to find Martin before he does something stupid. But we'll get to that in a bit.
Meanwhile in a village out on the edge of a great desert, Vathek was doing as Elyon had asked him to do, take some time off. This village had one of his favorite taverns to visit, partly for the drinks, and mostly because the bartender was just the right person to talk to.
"The usual, Vathek?" asked the bartender as Vathek entered the bar. "Make it two," said Vathek as he sat down in his usual seat, "And don't skimp on the horse radish." "You got it," said the bartender as he prepared the dinks. "Something's bothering you, old friend," said the bartender as he handed Vathek his drinks, which were smoking like something toxic to a normal human.
"What makes you say that?" asked Vathek as he sipped his drink, which caused him to shudder from its effect. "The only reason you're here on a weekday," said the bartender, "Is if something's bothering you." "True enough," said Vathek, "It's the Queen, she's been taking more and more rash risks. As captain of the Royal Guard, how can I protect her if she keeps risking her life?"
"Isn't is obvious?" asked the bartender, "The queen is growing up, she's becoming the sovereign she was meant to be. Soon enough, she'll be in the market for a husband." "And soon after that," said Vathek, "The Queen shall have children of her own, and eventually grandchildren." He paused before sipping his drink again, "Best not to think about such things right now."
Meanwhile…
The Black Swordsman emerged from the desert with his one good eye set on the village before him. He knew not how he arrived in this strange world, nor did he know why he was here. At that time, all he cared about was getting out of the blazing sunlight before he was roasted like a baked ham in his dark colored armor.
The people of the village took one look at him as he walked down the main street and ran inside. They had good reason to be afraid of him; partly due to his appearance, but mostly due to the enormous sword strapped to his back. He set his sight on the nearest building, which happened to be the same tavern Vathek was in. He walked inside, the door banging as he opened it.
Vathek looked up from his drink to see who had come in. He saw a man of well over six feet in height in a black traveler's cloak. As the newcomer approached the bar, Vathek could see that he had short black hair, a cut across the bridge of his nose and one brown eye; his right eye permanently closed. To Vathek, the newcomer didn't look a day over 21, but his one eye told a different story, one of vast battle experience.
The newcomer sat down two seats away from Vathek. He saw that the newcomer had black armor under the cloak. His right arm was filled with countless battle scars, while the left arm was covered by what first looked like a metal gauntlet from his fingers up to his elbow.
"What can I get for you, traveler?" asked the bartender. "Water to start with," said the swordsman in a parched voice dry from the desert, "Then a whiskey sour with a bourbon chaser." "Coming right up," said the bartender. Upon further inspection, Vathek saw that the stranger's left arm wasn't covered by a gauntlet, but was in fact completely made of metal from his elbow to his fingers.
"You looking for trouble, stranger?" asked Vathek, his hand gripping the handle of his axe. "Just passing though," said the newcomer after he drank his water, "What's it to you?" "I just happen to be Captain of the Royal Guard," said Vathek, "It's my duty to keep my eyes open for threats to the life of Her Majesty, Queen Elyon." "Is that so," said the swordsman, "Tell me, just what world is this?"
"You don't know?" asked Vathek. "Apparently I don't," said the newcomer, "So enlighten me." "This is planet Metamore," said Vathek. "Metamore," said the swordsman, "It's all the same to me. I've been moving from one world to another for so long, I don't know where I am half the time. The only thing I can do is to keep moving forward."
Just then the ground shook for about seven or eight seconds, then stopped. "Another earthquake," said the bartender. "They've been reported throughout the kingdom for several days now," said Vathek
Suddenly the newcomer stiffened as if hit by a sharp pain, his right hand flew to his neck. When he drew his hand away, Vathek saw that the stranger's palm has some blood on it, as if his neck was bleeding. "Oh great," said the newcomer in an annoyed tone, "Here we go again."
Before Vathek could ask what the stranger was talking about, the air was rocked by several screams of terror. Grabbing his axe, Vathek ran outside to see something unbelievable, but true; a demon was attacking the village. The demon stood at 12 feet at the shoulder, had six legs, each with three razor sharp claws, and a 15 foot long tail which ended with spikes. Its head had four glowing yellow eyes; its mouth was full of rows of fangs. The demon was in the process of destroying several buildings on the other side of the street, while at the same time devouring helpless innocent bystanders.
Vathek prepared to face the demon but was interrupted by the newcomer. "I got this," said the newcomer in a tone that sounded like he was used to giant demons destroying villages. The swordsman had removed his cloak, his black armor gleaming in the bright sunlight. Vathek could tell that underneath the swordsman's armor was a highly muscular man. He saw that the swordsman had attached a repeating crossbow to his metal arm. He fired several bolts at the demon.
Each bolt hit its mark, but did very little damage to the demon, except get its attention. It saw the swordsman; pondering him for several seconds before bellowing, "Sacrifice! Sacrifice! SACRIFICE!" The demon charged the swordsman as he unsheathed his huge sword. The blade was over seven feet in length and over a foot and a half in width at its widest part. Vathek also saw that the swordsman had a shoulder belt full of throwing knifes.
The demon was less than ten feet from the swordsman when he sidestepped to the right. With one swing of his sword he sliced the demon in half lengthwise. The creature's top half fell off while its bottom part kept running for several feet before collapsing.
The newcomer wiped his sword on the carcass of the still twitching demon, cleaning as much of the creature's black blood as he could. "When are you bastards gonna learn?" said the swordsman to the dying demon, "When is it gonna get through your thick heads that you can't walk over humans, and get away with it?" The bloody remains of the demon then dissolved into puddles of noxious smelling goop. "That was an impressive maneuver," said Vathek, "Where did you learn how to use such a enormous sword?" "I had a decent teacher," said the swordsman as he returned his blade to its sheath strapped to his back, "Along with more battles than I care to count."
"May I see your blade?" asked Vathek. The swordsman handed the enormous weapon to Vathek. He tested its weight in his hands. The blade was at least five times thicker than any sword Vathek had ever encountered, far too rough for a normal weapon. It was more like a heap of raw iron with point at the end and an edge on each side. As Vathek handed the blade back to the swordsman, he could tell that this was a weapon with one purpose; to destroy whatever was in its path.
Just then a Place Guardsman came running up to Vathek. "Captain Vathek!" gasped the guardsman, "Demons have been sighted in several other outlying villages!" "This could be the beginning of an invasion," said Vathek before ordering to the guardsman, "Ride to Meridian! Inform the Queen of the situation, tell her that I need the army as soon as possible!" The guardsman saluted before hurrying off to carry out his orders.
Vathek then turned to face the swordsman, "If this truly is the beginning of a demonic invasion," he said, "Then we're gonna need all the muscle we can get, care to stick around and help?" "I know I said I was just passing through," said the swordsman, "But I never turn down he chance to kill demons. I'm in."
"I never caught your name," said Vathek as he shook the swordsman's hand. "I never dropped it," said the newcomer, "My enemies know me as The Black Swordsman, but my friends and allies call me Guts."
"Your name certainly matches your style," said Vathek as two large horses were brought for him and Guts, "Welcome aboard, Guts. There's plenty of daylight left today, and there's bloody work ahead of us." "Indeed," said Guts as he and Vathek mounted the horses, "Let's hunt some demons." With that they rode off to the nearest demon sighting.
The end of chapter 4. Next chapter we return to Meridian as Irma tries to make amends with Martin, while Will ponders the mystery of Ed and Al. Please review and I'll see you next time!
