“Turn here.” I demanded, checking my surroundings with the directions I’d printed off the forum post at school. We were right at the ‘Just past the pirate flag turn right if north bound (left if south bound).’ part of the directions.
Mom slowed and turned onto the gravel drive the went down a steep hill and curved onto a dirt road in front of a trailer house.
“Stay on this.” I directed, searching for my destination.
The road passed through an open gate bordered by a tree line and into an overgrown field. The road and a short distance on each side had been recently cleared, revealing packed dirt where numerous tires had passed in recent history. We followed it around slowly, going through a shallow creek, another tree line, and across another field. It was at this point the road became a forest pass and I began to see the first signs, other than the pirate flag, that I was in the right place.
The wooded area to the right began to thin. The harvested trees had been repurposed to build a large gated wall across the clearing and in the center I saw a large pit with blazing fire dancing into the air. Numerous people lingered here and there dressed in a variety of color and garments. Some wore armor, and nearly everybody carried a weapon of some design or another. The far side of the camp had another wall with fully functional and occupied archer towers.
I was amazed by the sights before me and I’d only just arrived. We continued down the road which wrapped the wooded area past that first camp and connected to another road at the edge of the largest field yet. “Turn left.”
More people came into view. There had to be hundreds present, each dressed in the garb of their character. I’d only met a handful up to this point. It was truly fascinating how many people were here. I was used to the fighter practices which had maybe thirty show up regularly.
We were crawling now. I suspected mom was afraid someone was going to jump out of the trees to our left, but she never said as much. We drove through a wooden gate, made of the harvested trees, that was wide open and held in place by a leather binding. A large sign stood at the hinge post with the words, ‘Welcome to Aldridge’. Mom passed through the gate seeing the collection of parked cars, SUVs, truck, vans, and the odd motorcycle parked in a cleared area out of the way.
Coming to a stop, she smiled at me. “Sunday at 4 pm?” She asked, confirming when she needed to be back.
“Yep.” I grabbed my duffle bag that I’d loaded up with some clothes I’d modified into some semblance of garb, along with my tent, newly built swords, and enough snack food to feed me for a week. I was out and ready to join my people.
“Have fun. I love you” She shouted much louder than I wanted her to.
I suspected she did it just to embarrass me, but that didn’t make it okay. I snapped around. “Mom!”
“Aye, boy, tell yer mother ye love ’er!” A voice yelled at me in a deep Scottish accent.
I stole a glance seeing Daniel dressed head to toe is the most magnificent outfit of Red and gold. He wore a polished breastplate and had the most extravagant rapier sheathed on his left hip. I knew he was only joking but I’d have the pleasure of having my ass kicked by him enough that I knew better than to make myself a target. “I love you, mom. Now will you please leave?”
She smiled knowingly and disappeared down the road.
“Ats a good lad.” Daniel said in jest, lifting a metal tankard in toast before bringing it to his lips.
Now that I was free on embarrassment, I approached him. He was sitting on a tree trunk that had been chopped into a bench and elevated by crisscrossed legs. A firepit raged in front of him, and the cleared area was walled on to sided.
“Welcome ta Deadhorse tavern. Pull up a chair.” He said, kicking at another bench across the fire.
“How’s it going, Daniel. Thanks for inviting me.”
“Who be this, Daniel, ye speak o’? Name’s Argile, scourge o’ the realm. And who might ye be?”
It was at this point I realized what was happening. Forcing myself into character, granted I didn’t have much of one yet, and I didn’t have the self confidence to use an accent of any kind, I replied. “Pleasure to meet you, Argile. I’m Llyak Baltris. Would you happen to know where a lowly traveler might seek shelter for the evening?”
“Aye, lad. The Deadhorse Tavern be providin’ lodgin for all sort o’ folk. Or ye can make camp in the forest, though ye have ta be on the lookout fer roamin bandits er all manner o’ beasties.” He gave me a knowing smile.
I’d heard stories about his character Argile. Most of them attributed to leading a group of bandits in opposition to the realm. His other character, Remle, was the leader of Shadgull and one of the most respected in the game. Of course, I knew better than to use out of game knowledge to influence my in game decisions. “Much obliged.” Standing, I heaved by bag over my shoulder and prepared to leave the ‘Tavern’. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Argile. I’m afraid I have urgent matters to attend, but perhaps I’ll see you around.”
“Aye, lad, that be likely.” He winked at me as I walked away.
Following the trail that cut into the deeper part of the forest, I was starting to get a feel for the place. Campfires blazed from numerous directions, and the roads had been cleared of fallen trees, branches, and unburied rocks. Much of them had been aligned along the road’s edge, marking a barrier of sorts. I didn’t know how much land we had at our disposal, but as far as I could tell it was a lot. And there were enough people present to make random encounters a high probability regardless of where you found yourself.
Numerous camps had been set up off the edge of the road. I didn’t know most of the people, but in good spirit I offered a customary ‘Good day’ to each of them, which was usually returned.
I didn’t know where I was heading. Most of the people I’d met were part of established groups, which was basically a way of breaking them into communities. You had to be invited to join a group and as of yet, I’d only met a handful of people. It was up to me to decide where I was going to camp. Which needed to be tactical since I didn’t have anyone else to stand guard while I slept.
The road wrapped through the forest. I occasionally spotted a sign posted at a crossroad or on the side if a tree. I knew Aldridge was behind me but I didn’t know anything about the other ‘cities’ I was walking toward. Evinwood appeared to be the closest. There were no distanced written, but it was the only name that appeared frequently. There was also Tresengal and Krondar, but I’d only seen those names posted under the initial Welcome to Aldridge sign. I also knew of the existence of Shadgull, though I hadn’t seen a sign for it. I suspected that was the camp with the archer towers, as Daniel owned the land and as ruler, he was able to do more permanent construction than more of the others.
I walked for some distance, listening to my surroundings. I could hear voices carrying through the trees, giving me an idea as to where people were located, but I hadn’t seen anyone for nearly twenty minutes. Rounding the bend I can across a deep valley with a decent stream flowing through its base. I wooden bridge had been constructed over the top, connecting the road on the other side, which disappeared into a sea of cedars. In fact, these were the first evergreens I’d seen since arrival, almost as if they refused to grow anywhere but on the other side.
I stopped just short of the bridge and opened my duffle bag to draw my swords. I needed to get them inspected for use but knowing where I was it would be stupid to cross such an obvious ambush point unarmed.
Slinging my bad, I readied myself and crossed the bridge. As I got about halfway across I heard rustling beneath it and heard a voice shout out.
“Oye, who be crossin’ me bridge?”
I finished my way across to the cedar side before the figure immerged from a leaf covered path that circled up to the main path. He was short and pudgy, wearing an outfit reminiscent Shrek’s clothing. Rubber pointed ears and a pigs nose had been painted brown and glued to his face which also contained the brown paint.
“Um, me?”
“If ye wanna cross me bridge, ye gotta pay de toll.”
“On who’s authority?” I asked, knowing where this was headed.
“On me own ath-or-ratty. Ye pay de toll in coin, or me axe takes de toll in blood.” He pulled a foam axe from behind his back and raised it into a defensive position.
I squeezed the handle of my swords, hoping I wouldn’t have to use them yet. “But what is I haven’t crossed your bridge?” I asked.
His head cocked to the side, studying me. “Ye pay de toll to cross me bridge.”
“Yes, I got that. But what is I haven’t crossed it? What is I was about to, but I stopped when I heard you shout?”
“Den…” He paused, thinking through his next statement. “…ye pay de toll to cross me bridge. No cross, no pay. No pay, no cross. Understand?”
“I understand. In that case, I apologize for wasting your time. I will not be crossing today. Have a pleasant evening.” I lied, turning the direction I intended to go.
“Ye no cross?” He asked disappointed, having failed to collect a toll.
Smiling my victory, I rounded the path into the thick canopy of cedars. It gave a serene feeling. Flowers were in bloom, the scent of the trees carried in the air, and once again voices began to seep through the trees. Ahead, I could see an opening in the path but before I reached it, I felt something soft press into my back.
“What do we have here?”
I froze, keeping my hands in clear view. I wasn’t fast enough or skilled enough to successfully spin and attack before the arrow could strike. Granted, such a shot was against the safety rules, but under the circumstances, I would accept it as an honorable kill.
“Drop the weapons.” The voice ordered in a honied tone.
I obliged. To my surprise, another figure stepped from the trees and collected my swords. How many of them were there? More than that, how had I walked so casually into an ambush without any clue?
“Place your hands behind your head and start walking.” The bowman ordered.
Doing as I was told, I began to walk, reaching the opening in the cedar path. The road teed left and right. The voices were coming from the left. I could see the glimmer of car paint peeking through a camouflage tarp that had been strung up between a pair of trees.
“Go left.”
Turning, the arrow still drawn and pointed at my back, I listened to the pair of footsteps behind me. I was fairly certain there was only two of them. I still had no chance of escape. Following the path, we passed where the cars had been hidden. There was at least three that I saw, but plenty of room for more.
Beyond the tree line and back into the forest, there were two large oaks that sat about three feet apart. The rest of the area was shrouded in cedars but I could see smoke billowing up behind them. I stepped between the two trees and instantly realized the cleverness to their camp. The cedars had been trimmed, creating a small labrynth trail that forced me to turn right, then left, left again, and then right. Suddenly, I was standing I the middle of the most beautiful camp I’d ever seen. The ground was covered in fur rugs. The furniture was hand crafted wood, carved by an expert hand. There were five tents of various size, but unlike my gray and green tent purchased from Walmart, these were all thick canvas or hide stretched around wooden frames. I large wooden chair, more deserving of the title throne than chair, and made out of lacquered wood to look like a pile of deer antlers, sat across the camp and long the far border wall. Upon it was an elegant man who couldn’t have looked more at home in his own living room. This was the most authentic scene I’ve ever witnessed and I loved every bit of it.
“Approach King Aldulrien, Lord of Evinwood.” My captor continued past and handed my swords to the man upon the throne.
I stepped forward and took in the detail of the man before me. He was tall and slender. His armor was leather but cut in such a way that it appeared like leaves. He wore a crown that had stag horns protruding, and his gaze burned through me like I wasn’t even there.
“Who is this, Jaklus?” The king asked, inspecting my swords. He squeezed them in several places and gave a small test swing of each, inspecting my work.
“A trespasser we found well within our border.”
“I see. And what shall we do with this nudist who so blatantly trespasses upon our realm?” His eyes ignited and I knew he was doing what was expected of him.
“I know not, my lord. I merely protect our boundaries from all threats.” Jaklus stated.
“And this is why you are my captain. Perhaps we should determine if it can speak? Maybe it can answer for itself.”
“My lord, if I may?” The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but I was too caught up in the role play to pay it much mind.
The king made a gesture I took to mean, ‘go for it’.
“This simpleton, nudist, and trespasser is clearly new to this land. It is my belief he was unaware of his trespass, and therefore should be given leniency with the condition of his education. I ask, my lord, that you would allow me to take him from this place and ensure he receives this education personally.”
This caught my attention. Who was so willing to teach me? I had no friend. Nobody really even knew me or paid any attention. Why was someone stepping forward to do so? I turned to look upon the face who’d spoken in my defense. It was then I knew why. This was the kid from my school. The one who’d impressed my so much in the gym.
He smiled at me, confirming that he’d seen me that day.
“I’ll allow it. Take both him and his weapons. And for the love of the gods, ensure he’s properly clothed and acquires a decent weapon.”
The king handed my swords to the man and I was escorted from the camp.