Encounters

by A O Storm

  In less than twenty minutes, Luke had dressed again in his clothing, recovered his belt knife, and they had finished searching the bodies of slain. The arrows were recovered, and luckily, all were intact. The savage had hit Luke over the head caveman style and then, once he'd been bound and relieved of weapons and clothing, draped him over the spit.

  None of the three men could understand or even comprehend what had driven these men to become cannibals. Still, Kano was happy that somehow, a bad situation had turned into a net positive for society.

  "Oh won't you be my neighbor," Kano sang to himself, finishing looting the last of the bodies. If they didn't want to be his neighbor, and especially if they wanted to eat one of his companions, he had no problem killing and looting them.

  "That's creepy, you know," Randy said, and his elder brother gave a nod.

  "Ah, where I come from, it's good," Kano said, feeling defensive. "It's part of a song from a show for children." The other men expressed their feelings with dubious looking frowns. "Let's get back to the boat and then I'll explain more."

  The two men followed Kano. On the way, Kano did regret the time they spent trying to loot the bodies, as the only thing they found was a mass of hand woven string, poorly cured leather of questionable origin and a crude iron flint.

  Twenty-Seven - Boon Peak

  The three men were off again, with the boat positioned where they could row once more, and Kano started to fill them in on the story of Mister Rogers’s neighborhood. When he mentioned the show was on television, both men were confused, so he explained it was a bit like magic. They nodded at that, though neither man had seen much in the way of magic.

  While they started picking up speed heading down the river, Randy, true to his word, started ribbing his brother about getting kidnapped by cannibals. "Who does that anyway?"

  "Enough," Luke said, rowing and glaring at his brother. "You saved me, I'm grateful and we're done, okay?"

  "Sure," Randy said, then grinned, "For now."

  The rest of the day passed with no weird creatures or cannibals baring their passage. However, they had changed their bathroom habits after Luke went missing. Each time, the men would go closer to the riverbank, and they set a limit on things. Even if the other man was not finished yet, they called out, "How's it going?"

  If the man failed to reply, one of the others went immediately to investigate, weapon ready. Nothing bad happened the one time Kano had accidentally rushed to Luke's aid, having mistaken a grunted struggle with the massive crap he was taking for a cry of help. He'd rushed around the tree, arrow knocked, ready to fire.

  Then Luke finished, grunting, "Ungh," with his eyes closed. He had not seen or heard Kano, involved in his own struggle, until the faint plopping sound of his achievement sounded out into the still forest.

  "I'll just be going," Kano said, turning and walking away from the still squatting man.

  In silent agreement, neither spoke of the details when Randy asked both of them brushed it off. "Turned out, Luke wasn't wrestling an enemy," was all Kano said. Luke gave him a look but did not contradict him.

  The final leg of their trip to the city made Kano nervous, as he expected something, anything, to happen. The river grew wider and they saw a few other boats, one docked and the others simply moving along at a slow pace. They waved, friendly, but Kano moved to be able to grab his weapons even at short notice, if needed. Neither boat was full of pirates, however, and both of the brothers had waved the other vessels a cheery greeting when they'd passed.

  "It's customary," Luke explained.

  "What?" Kano asked.

  "If you're passing another ship on the river, if you don't wave a greeting and show your hands, they might mistake you for pirates." Kano looked thoughtful at that. "If they do think you’re pirates, you're liable to get boarded, stabbed and set aflame, in that order," Luke continued. "If they don't just use you for archery practice."

  "Rough, and a bit pirate-like," Kano replied.

  "Well, if they don’t show their hands, how else you gonna deal with pirates? It's to ensure piracy stays out of the waterway here. On the open ocean, it's different." Luke looked around, gesturing at the landscape, "Here, the kingdom tries it's best to enact policies that prevent piracy and banditry." He chuckled. "It's not that the government is without flaws, but, in those areas, I think they're doing the right thing."

  "That's fair," Kano said, nodding to himself and wondering how many innocents others had attacked assuming they might be pirates. Randy was working the oars and the other two men were looking around. This close to the capital city, the landscape had changed. Day by day, the forest had gone from deep to lightly wooded and finally they had seen some farmhouses. The final day, they saw scant tree cover beyond which naturally lined the river in sparse clumps. Beyond, there were flat, gently sloping plains filled with neatly planted rows of crops. Kano could not identify the varieties but Luke happily filled in details.

  "Over there are the apple orchards," he gestured, pointing to a field of neatly spaced trees far away. "Closer are pear, and then next to those are plum, cherry and limon," he said.

  "What's limon?"

  "A citrus fruit, bred to grow in colder climates as our winters here regularly freeze. A wizard used some type of magic on a lemon tree to adapt it to our climate and then bam, we've got limons. They look similar, and you can get lemons imported from far away here via the ocean, however, those are really expensive. Not worth the price and far too sour to eat. Limon is almost sweet enough to eat directly, but most of the time it's used to flavor other foods or make a dessert."

  "Sounds interesting," Kano said, wondering if he could sample some of the limons and then perhaps add them to the menu in the White Rabbit.

  The group approached in the afternoon light and the city shone like a beacon of hope. After the dinosaur birds and creepy cannibals, Kano was very much looking forward to a night in civilization. Freshly cooked food, an actual bed and some manner of washing the stink of his travels off and he knew he'd feel like a normal human again.

  Walls circled the buildings high enough Kano knew the city was impregnable. While his knowledge of military tactics and sieges was limited to games he had played, he knew with the available weaponry he’d seen in Tropiana, attackers would have no chance at victory without some magical advantage. The walls had rough-hewn stone embankments for the defenders to hide behind and regular towers. Those would be able to hold additional troops or other equipment with which to bring the pain to whoever tried an assault. Kano admired the setup as they approached, thinking to himself, if he could encourage such defenses for the village, it could one day grow to become a city to rival or even surpass Boon Peak.

  "Impressive, huh?" Luke asked him as they approached. The river now had fishing vessels in abundance parked one side of the river. Boats like the one they piloted stuck to the other side of the waters.

  "Definitely," Kano agreed. "What would you think about the Three Rivers becoming something like this in the future?"

  "What?" Randy asked, grunting and laughing as he worked the oars. "You're joking."

  Kano shook his head. "If the ore is as valuable as it's supposed to be, then the village is going to get rich, eventually. The only question is, how much and how fast? The population should expand based on the opportunity, I’d think, if it pans out."

  Luke gave him a smile, "I'd like that, but, you're starting to sound like Bob," he trailed off, his smile fading. "He sounded good, too. Until," he trailed off again, his voice cracking. "My youngest brother, Dax," he said, voice going up and down the register as he wrestled with his own emotions. "Dax thought that Bob was going to teach him something special," he finally spat, his anger overcoming his grief. "Teach him, sure," Luke said, "A final lesson." He paused, breathing raggedly as if he had been running. "Then, you showed up and taught him the same lesson."

  Kano gave the other man space while Randy continued to row, the city growing closer and closer. At their curre
nt pace, they would be able to anchor the boat near the bulk of the ships Kano could see moored in a communal dock, in less than a half hour. The waters were still enough in this stretch of the river Randy did not have to strain at all. The magic oarlocks made this section of the river very easy to travel. They continued on a slow but steady pace, keeping a safe distance behind another larger boat ahead of them, gliding along the water.

  Afternoon sunlight sparkled along the water, gold flaked motes of sunshine glittering amidst the deeper blue. The wind was mild, the weather warm enough to forgo a jacket or coat and the air crisp. Kano breathed deep, just enjoying the moment until Luke spoke again.

  "The point with all this," Luke said, "Is that not only did you avenge my brother, but, you also saved me." The man had never acknowledged his rescue, ignoring any attempt to discuss it previously. "Thank you, Kano."

  "Don't mention it," Kano replied, wanting to put the topic behind them. He hoped that if he were about to be spit roast somebody would rescue him. At present, though, his allies were not so loyal that he had confidence he would rescued a similar situation. With that in mind, he smiled at Luke.

  "I'm new here," Kano said, and Luke nodded. "I don't have any friends really, and, well, I'd appreciate it if you were open to being one."

  Luke smiled in turn and then held out his hand, which Kano took. They shook hands, just as Kano would have done with any new friend back in the real world. It felt good to have an understanding between the two of them.

  "Almost there," Randy interrupted, and the two men looked up.

  The boat was approaching one of the many docks, littered with other watercraft, and Kano went to help with the other set of oars. Luke, the most experienced, went back to the helmsman position and started to guide the ship more finely than Randy had with his oars. The shorter, stout man continued his long, slow oar strokes and Kano matched the same tempo.

  Moments later, they were close enough to the dock Luke signaled them to slow. The two men pushed the oars in a reverse stroke, slowing their approach. Luke signaled them to stop rowing altogether and then he guided the coasting craft into the landing he had in mind with the rudder. It was on the farthest dock in the section they aimed for but it had the advantage of being the fastest to return to open water. If they were in a hurry when they left, it would be worth the extra steps on the way into the city.

  Kano could see the floating docks were old. He pondered that, wondering if the condition indicated a fading economic prosperity or a lack of interest in maintenance. The sight was enough to make him wonder about the kingdom’s situation and if they had enemies, or if other kingdoms were as poor as this one.

  If I become strong enough, maybe I can surpass all the regular players, since I live here, Kano thought to himself. He had a few weeks of experience so was not a complete newb but he also knew very little about the game. He kept thinking without knowing more, it was impossible to feel like his plans were the best ones.

  Luke and Randy tied up the boat and Kano started to load up his gear. After a few days of boring, poor quality food, he was anxious to get something real into his stomach. Each man also took a pack full of the precious Mananite ore that was the whole point of the trip. Kano would have preferred to simply travel to the city and find a wizard who could be convinced to travel to the village.

  Shouldering his pack and a large sack of dried herbs, Kano followed the other two men down the dock and toward the city, excited to be seeing someplace new. He was anxious to take in the sights, smells and wonders of Boon Peak. The floating dock where they crossed toward the city had three other boats tied up near theirs, closer to land. Kano noticed this while he stepped across the weatherworn boards and then looked ahead to the city.

  The walls were easily fifty feet high and he could only see one entrance in the wall from his angle. The opening was large enough to admit a carriage or half dozen humans abreast, with space to spare. The length of the opening in the wall was easily thirty feet, convincing Kano that they could have hidden all manor of traps, kill holes and worse for attackers in the hard to see compartments before the wall gave way to city.

  Other new to the city arrivals, like them, walked toward the hole in the gate and talked with one of the two guards stationed at the opening. They would sometimes hand over coins; other times simply present a piece of paper or a scroll, and then continue on through the gate.

  When Luke, Kano and Randy stepped up, each wearing a heavy pack, the guard was naturally curious about them.

  "Are you here for trade, or pleasure?" The guard's tone made it clear which he believed the group was doing.

  Luke reached into his pocket and withdrew a small bag, prepared just for this occasion. He went to shake the guard's hand, still holding the bag in his palm. When he shook hands with the guard, he stepped back, forcing the other man to hold it or risk dropping the small bag of coins. Instead of ignoring the gift, the guard closed his hand and made a small bow, somehow making the bag disappear with a flick of his gloved fingers. He straightened then gave Luke a smile.

  "Welcome, travelers, to Boon Peak," he said, straightening his back once more and gesturing to the gate into the city behind him. "May your trades be prosperous for all," he finished, giving a small bow and then resuming his post.

  The three men continued on, with Luke leading the way, into the city of Boon Peak.

  After emerging through the city wall, the open, dynamic and undulating crowd of Boon Peak greeted them. Even back home, Kano had never experienced a crowd like this. Randy and Luke were both similarly surprised and as a result, the three men stood there just inside the gate for a minute, appreciating the throng of humanity.

  "Is there a map?" Kano asked, whispering to his companions. "Or do you already know your way around?" He quickly checked his character screens for any changes to the maps in his displays, but none had happened as yet.

  "It's this way," Luke interjected, hitching his shoulder and taking off to the right inside the city. Kano and Randy followed, the former a bit surprised at his companions abrupt directions. He chalked it up to nerves. As they had entered the city proper, surrounded by a steadily flowing tide of humanity that reeked worse than an outhouse, each of them wrinkled their noses in disgust.

  Kano had no choice but to trust his companion and he tried to breath slower, through his mouth, as he followed the lean man through the streets of Boon Peak. Somewhat helpful, breathing through his mouth Kano could ignore the smell and soon grew used it. The walk was long, with Luke leading the way, through many different types of neighborhood that Kano could discern.

  The edge of the city was filled with wooded built houses, structures that seemed like they might topple over in a heavy wind. The parable of the three little pigs came to mind as Kano surveyed the various buildings. At the edge, they were constructed of cheap, base material that would barely last a year, much less two. What else he noticed was that there were no glass windows, instead, the openings simply allowed fresh air into the rickety dwellings. He vowed then and there he would never set foot into a place like that. Just thinking about how he could die horribly from a fire, poor craftsmanship or other situation in such a poorly crafted structure made him shudder with dread.

  Luke strode on in the lead, confident, and shuffled the pack he was wearing as he went to spread the tension more evenly across his back. He looked over his shoulder and saw his brother as well as the innkeeper lagging behind. "Keep up," he said, giving the other two men a glare, “It’s not that much further.”

  They nodded, each experiencing a different emotion. Randy had been to the city before, and each time it took his breath away. Kano, on the other hand, knew that this was a wondrous place and could barely believe the sheer variety of buildings, street conditions and people walking around. Some were poor, others obviously rich, and most walked. Horses passed them by, and a carriage or two, but the vast majority of Boon Peak’s crowd was on foot like them.

  Down a new street everything seemed pro
gressively cleaner as they walked. Unlike the outer neighborhoods, Kano found he could breathe regularly, and the smell was almost pleasant.

  Next, they walked through a temporary market, filled with stalls sporting a riot of colors, fabrics and goods. Kano saw that for every possible want they might have, there were two or even three merchants who seemed to specialize in that trade good. Booths were filled with all sorts of products like foodstuffs, cheap clothing, sundry items and more. With the crowds, Kano figured this was similar to the farmer's market back home, or even in the village. Permanent shops were what they were looking for and eventually the crowd thinned as they left the makeshift bazaar behind.

  When the crowd faded and only a handful of others walked along the street, the neighborhood character shifted. Gone were the temporary shacks, replaced by permanent, well made structures. Houses and shops replaced tents, the buildings reflecting a variety of styles and budgets. The less affluent clearly favored wood buildings, some of which were not even painted. The more elegant, well-made structures were stonework, or painted wood, complete with glass windows. The wealthiest seeming buildings had clearer glass, which Kano thought made sense. In older times, glass was neither common nor cheap. In this kind of society, it would be rare. Seeing more than a few buildings made expensive materials gave Kano hope the load of Mananite ore he carried could be sold of for the value Thomas had convinced him it was worth.

  "This way," Luke said, pointing down the right branch as they approached a fork. In this section of the city, there were a few more people who rode horses, but most people were walking like them. The next street Luke pointed them to was wider than the previous road and the buildings were all stone, some two or even three stories. Roofs were no longer just thatch or simple boards but tiles in some cases, and those that weren't were still far superior in their construction. Kano noted that this section of the city was at a higher elevation and looked back, noticing how the poorest neighborhoods with the cheap, wooden buildings and the wall were at a lower altitude.