Fate of Camlan

by A. T. Gilbert

  “Aw, hell,” TexBadass says as he backs up a few steps deeper into the trees.

  Enhancement received: Bubble of Protection

  Description: You will sustain -5% damage for the next sixty seconds

  I equip my new Bow of Eternal Rest and back up into the trees so I have some range. I aim, but our attacker is so thoroughly armored I don’t see an opening. There’s no bare skin, not even his face, showing. Every inch of the warrior walking toward us is covered with steel. I fire experimentally toward the NPC’s neck but it bounces off the shoulder plate harmlessly.

  SteelFeather and Balderdash13 take the front line, weapons up, taunting the attacker and pulling his aggro. From her spot to my left, Erinocalypse casts Fire Bolt a couple times, but doesn’t appear to be doing much damage.

  “That armor must have a fire resistance,” I call to her.

  She nods and tries Petrify, but that only holds him for a few seconds, not enough for the team to make a proper attack.

  “Nothing’s working,” she says.

  “My arrows aren’t hitting either.”

  “We can’t stop him,” she calls to the tanks in front of us. “You’ve got to.”

  SteelFeather runs forward, sword in one hand, mace in the other, ready to take on the knight at full speed. Balderdash13 is quick on his heels.

  A glance at that sword in the tank’s hand reminds me of what I have to wield. I save my bow back to my inventory, and instead equip the Blade of Burnical, the elegant one-handed sword gifted to me by Queen Vivian. I still don’t know why she thinks I need this weapon, but I’ll see what I can do with it. I swing the sword back and forth a few times experimentally before running forward with SteelFeather.

  “SirAsh3r, what are you doing?” Erinocalypse calls at my back.

  Since I haven’t been collecting armor and building up my stats like a tank, I don’t have nearly the speed or strength that the others have. I hang back just behind their line of attack and make myself available.

  “I have an idea,” I yell to the group. “Try to just subdue him, not kill him.”

  SteelFeather is so surprised by order that he takes his eyes off the knight and turns to stare at me. “Not kill him? You’re joking.”

  When his back is turned, the attacker takes his chance to swing the sword down toward SteelFeather’s shoulder. Balderdash13 is there in a breath, blocking the hit and driving the knight back.

  “No, trust me. We need him alive. Disarm him.”

  The knight again thrusts forward, the weight of the enormous sword collecting all the momentum. When SteelFeather turns back and raises his own sword to defend, he is knocked to the side, stumbling before he can regain his balance.

  I move around to one side of the knight, letting our tanks take most of the hits. Maybe I can surprise him from another angle or … I don’t actually know what I’m doing with this weapon. Right now it’s all I can do to keep the sharp end pointed in the right direction.

  Fortunately for all of us, SteelFeather and Balderdash13 know what they’re doing. While I stand uselessly to the side with my sword up, they circle around the attacker, alternating their attacks, taking him by surprise and landing hit after hit. They move so quickly I can’t even make sense of what they are doing. They seem to be communicating telepathically, almost, with as coordinated as their attacks are.

  “Behind him, Asher,” SteelFeather calls to me.

  I rush forward, still holding my sword in front of me awkwardly. I really need to add more stat points to Strength if I’m going to be able to hold this weapon very well. I maneuver myself behind the knight, whose attention is monopolized by the two tanks, and keep my sword pointed, waiting for more instructions.

  Balderdash13 pushes forward, keeping the knight off balance and forces him to retreat into my blade. With the two of us all but holding him in place, SteelFeather is able to land hit after hit until the knight finally drops his weapon to the grass.

  “On your knees,” SteelFeather commands.

  The knight drops, and Balderdash13 steps forward to remove the man’s helmet and visor.

  He glares at us from under a tuft of thin brown hair. His face is lightly stubbled, and he still refuses to speak.

  “Now what?” SteelFeather asks me.

  With the Blade of Burnical resting against the NPC’s jugular, I call for Erinocalypse.

  “Bring your Alithia Potion.”

  Chapter 14

  The captured NPC knight remains kneeling where we have subdued him outside of the smoldering remains of Summerrun. The pointed ends of our bevy of melee weapons create a circle around him. He makes a few attempts to get up, roll away or otherwise dodge the weapons, but at every turn either SteelFeather, Balderdash13 or I drive him back.

  Erinocalypse steps up cautiously, but determined, with a small bottle of truth potion in hand. With her other hand, she takes firm hold of the knight’s chin and force-feeds him Alithia Potion. The pearly translucent liquid spills over his lips, a thin trail dribbling down to his collar, but Erin gets most of it down his gullet. This truth serum will get us some answers.

  “We need to find out what Jargonaut’s plan is, why he’s here and if he’s actually after us,” I say in a low voice. “Erin, be sure you keep an eye on the timer so we know when the potion starts to wear off.”

  She nods. “I’ve got this.”

  I watch, holding my breath. We only have this one chance to get it right. As much as I want to take the lead in questioning, I don’t think fighting with Erin again so soon is the best plan of attack. Besides, since she made the potion, she’s the only one that can ask the questions anyway. I stay quiet and trust her.

  “Who do you fight for?” Erinocalypse asks.

  I’m so glad she starts with that question. Not that I expect the NPC to answer with ‘Guinevere,’ but at least this way we can be absolutely sure.

  The man’s eyelids flutter a tiny bit as the potion takes hold. It’s clear from his clenched jaw and forced response that he is trying to fight the magical effects. “Toterra and Jargonaut.”

  “Why are you following us?”

  “I have been assigned to keep you in sight at all times.”

  “And what are you supposed to do with us in your sight?”

  “I am to inform Jargonaut of your whereabouts when he requests and then wait for further instructions.”

  “Wait for instructions? Damnit,” I whisper to TexBadass standing right next to me. “Maybe he doesn’t know anything.”

  “Are you aware of any of the other knights’ assignments?”

  He purses his lips as though trying to keep himself from saying something. “Yes.”

  “Tell me all of the assignments,” Erinocalypse says triumphantly upon finding the exact phrasing to get the answer she wants.

  The knight takes a deep breath before launching in to his recitation. “Two will be subduing the mayor of Summerrun and taking him captive. That task may already be finished. Six will be destroying Summerrun via strategically placed fires throughout the town. Two have been assigned to finding your party, myself one of them.”

  “How much longer on the potion timer?” I ask.

  “Thirty seconds,” she says to me quickly before again addressing the knight. “What does Jargonaut want to do to us?”

  The knight glares, clenching his teeth, but even an NPC can’t buck the rules of the game. The Alithia Potion does exactly what it is supposed to do, forcing words out of his mouth that he has been trying to hold inside.

  “He wants you gone. Dead.”

  I shake my head. Unbelievable. Whether Jargonaut is going after us under his own volition or because Toterra somehow knows what we are in the game to do isn’t clear. But, regardless of the reason, we can’t let Jargonaut win. Sure, we can die and respawn in Camlan again and again, but that just means the other tank will come after us again and again. We’ll never get any further in this mission and we’ll fail what FGI needs us to do.

  “We ca
n’t let him report to Jargonaut,” I say in a low voice. “We have to kill him.”

  Balderdash13 looks a bit queasy. “I hate that part.”

  “You’re a tank,” SteelFeather teases, bumping her gently with his shoulder. “That’s what you do.”

  “It’s different, though.You know. This isn’t a fight. We’d be killing an unarmed enemy. It’s an execution.” She grimaces.

  SteelFeather shrugs and adjusts his grip on the sword. “SirAsh3r is right, though. We can’t very well let him go. He’ll bring Jargonaut straight to us. We had a hard enough time subduing this guy. I don’t want to think about a whole crowd of them.”

  Balderdash13 nods and clenches her jaw. “Okay. You do it.” The edge of her axe is aimed at the knight’s ribs, ready to slice into him at first sign of movement.

  SteelFeather nods, steps forward, and squares his shoulders. The knight, to his credit, doesn’t try to escape or talk his way out of it. He is as stoic and willing to die for his duty as a soldier.

  SteelFeather swings.

  It is as though a signal flare goes up. No sooner has SteelFeather’s heavy blade sliced through the knight’s neck, his head tumbling to the ground, then four more of Jargonaut’s henchmen appear at the edge of the town. The smoke rising all around them obscures our view of the crowd and there’s no telling how many more are just behind them.

  “Look,” I say pointing. “We’ve got to get out of here.”

  SteelFeather and Balderdash13 ready their weapons again. Two more knights can be seen behind the first group, all of them moving in our direction.

  “How’re we supposed to get through that?” TexBadass asks.

  “We can’t,” I say. “That would be suicide. We have to give up the town. There’s got to be another way north to the Citadel.”

  “You just want to go find that alchemist, don’t you?” TexBadass says with a sneer. “You want us to abandon the bigger quest just for your little goals.”

  “That doesn’t even matter now,” I insist, still backing up as the now six knights continue stalking toward us, weapons out and gleaming in the morning sun. “Staying here is sure to get us killed, and Jargonaut will just wait around for us to continue respawning in the same place. We have to get out of here.”

  Erinocalypse shakes her head. “I don’t like it, but you’re right.”

  “Run,” I say. “Come on.”

  “Damnit,” SteelFeather says under his breath, as he finally lowers his sword and joins us in retreat.

  As a group, we turn and run into the dark, dense growth of Dyrnwood, away from Summerrun, the western road, and all our carefully crafted plans.

  Chapter 15

  We run, sprinting through the dark forest and putting as much distance between us and Jargonaut’s army of knights as possible. Behind us, the sounds of Summerrun burning, roofs caving in, and women screaming, begins to fade. I try to put it out of my mind. Going back to help or save any part of the town would have just ended in our own defeat. We can’t help anyone—NPCs in the game, or FGI outside the game—if we’re dead.

  As we run through Dyrnwood, I realize Callidus’s Night Vision would be critical at this moment, but we have to continue without him. We run for what seems like an hour, pausing periodically to listen for footsteps behind us. The army of knights follow us partway into Dyrnwood, crashing through the underbrush, breaking branches and crushing leaves under their feet. But still we run, racing as fast as we can through the obstacles with limited visibility.

  I try to keep vigilant and aware of any risk around us. Running this fast, we’re sure to head straight into something. My Power Perception skill picks up a low level of red danger all around us, but nothing so strong or pointed that it’s worth stopping for or going out of our way to avoid.

  Finally after almost ten minutes of non-stop retreat, TexBadass gives in to his exhaustion. “Wait,” he croaks out as his steps slow.

  I turn to see him bent over double, wheezing.

  “I thought we talked about you adding more points to your Stamina, Tex,” I tease.

  He can’t get out any more words, but he shoots daggers at me with his eyes.

  “Where are we?” SteelFeather asks. “Is the road we’re looking for anywhere nearby?”

  Erinocalypse glances at me. “We’re heading east, right, SirAsh3r? Right where you wanted to go. What a coincidence.”

  “Wait. You’re not suggesting that I manufactured that attack, are you? It’s not my fault six knights came on us at once.”

  “Maybe not, but the result is the same,” she mutters.

  I huff. There’s no pleasing her. I take charge and I’m blamed. I hang back and I’m blamed. And now she can also blame me for wanting to look after my own interests when I’m treated like that.

  “Whatever. Let’s just keep moving.”

  “When Tex is ready,” she returns.

  TexBadass has sat on a log a few paces away, still regaining his breath. “Give me another minute.”

  SteelFeather and Balderdash13 turn outward towards the forest surrounding us, ready to defend the group if necessary. I take the opportunity to look more carefully at our surroundings.

  Activating Power Perception, I still see the low level of red warning all over, but nothing—yet—indicating an immediate danger. It’s still mid-morning and elsewhere in Camlan would have a bright sun overhead, but here in Dyrnwood, the canopy of trees has grown, woven, together, full leaves spreading out and blocking nearly all of the sunlight. The shadows and dark corners all around make me nervous. I wonder if there are any more of those Fell Shadow Walkers in this forest, drawing strength and power from the darkness.

  The shrubs and vines underfoot are mostly stunted from the lack of light, but here and there a tall orange-red flower blooms. There’s one of these strange plants about six feet away from me. I hesitate getting closer. Through the filter of my ability, it’s definitely glowing red, as though it can cause us harm, and the fact that it is growing so sturdily in such darkness makes me wonder about its other skills.

  I step forward just a little to examine it.

  Name: Raptorial Bush

  Description: One of several predatory plants in Camlan, the Raptorial Bush thrives in darkness, replacing energy from the sun with energy derived from its carnivorous diet. Watch out for its long reach as it ventures for prey.

  After coming across plants like the Scaling Weed and Noose Vine here in Camlan, I shouldn’t be surprised that there is such a magical meat-eating bush growing here.

  “You guys see this bush?” I say to the group, pointing out the sample closest to us. “This big lip-like things are probably its mouth. Try not to get too close to it. It will literally eat you.”

  “That red flower?” TexBadass asks. “Goddamnit, I’ve just been sitting a couple feet away from one.”

  “Well, move away slowly. You don’t want to provoke it.”

  TexBadass stands cautiously and moves closer to the rest of the group.

  “Are we ready to keep moving?” I ask. “Everyone all have their health regenerated?”

  “Wait,” Erinocalypse says, actually putting her hand on my arm to hold me back. “We haven’t even decided where we’re going.”

  “We need to head east.”

  “North,” she says. “The Citadel is north of us.”

  “Right, but the King’s Road is east of us. I thought you guys didn’t want to go through the thick of the forest.”

  “How about we compromise and go north east?” Balderdash13 suggests.

  “It’s faster to go straight east to the road.”

  “That’s only faster if our goal is the road, but it’s not. We need to go to all the way to the Citadel, so we might as well start heading in that direction now.”

  “Yeah, eventually, but through Dyrnwood like that will take too long.”

  “Dios mío,” Balderdash13 says rolling her eyes. “Are you guys serious right now?”

  “Yeah, um, I’m just g
oing to start walking,” SteelFeather says. “Tex, you good?”

  “I vote the road,” the healer says, still sitting. “I can’t climb over ravines or whatever else we may come across if we’re just trekking through open country. The reliability and relative safety of the road is the only way that I personally am going to get to the Citadel in one piece.”

  I try to keep the smugness off my face when I turn to Erin. “How does that sound?”

  She closes her eyes and rubs her temple. “Okay. Okay. You win. Let’s go.”

  “Remember,” I tell them again as we set off. “Watch out for the Raptorial Bushes.”

  We set off toward the east in a staggered line across the Dyrnwood landscape. I’m slightly unnerved by the fact that we haven’t yet come across any big creatures, dungeon entrances or anything even remotely Camlan-Realm-like. It almost feels like the game is saving it all up to come after us.

  Chapter 16

  We make our way slowly through the forest, toward the King’s Road and Pendragon Mountains to the east of us. We keep weapons ready, eyes scanning for any movement or danger. After another ten minutes of walking through the dark Dyrnwood forest, carefully stepping around the carnivorous plants that could probably devour us in a couple bites, SteelFeather pauses from his spot at point.

  I hurry to his side. “What do you see?” I whisper.

  He points without saying anything, and I immediately recognize what looks like the corner of a stone wall. Wide, gray pieces, smoothed from years of weathering, are stacked to just over my head in what looks like most of what used to be a wall. There is a clear doorway, though the top of it is missing, and just inside I can see the remains of what used to be a stone staircase. More flat, gray stones line the ground. Though there are gaps and crevices, it clearly used to be a floor.

  We seem to have found the ruins of what was maybe a castle, fort or some other imposing structure. It’s strange that something this massive is so deep in the forest, with no indication of roads or civilization around it. It must be ancient, and probably deep within the Camlan mythology, to have this forest growing up all around and through it.