Fate of Camlan

by A. T. Gilbert

I sink far enough underwater that my knees knock against the bottom of the river. I fumble my feet onto the rocky floor and push up firmly, propelling myself toward the surface. I’ve never been a great swimmer, but instinct kicks in and I pump my legs to find air again. All my armor and weapons weigh me down in the water, but I am determined to make it to shore with all my gear in tow.

  Fortunately the river is not that deep, and I break the surface before my lungs start burning, but after my health points are affected.

  [-45 HP]

  We scramble to get out of the current as quickly as possible. The river takes us back toward where we came; we’ll have to go over the same terrain again. The shore of Bors River is rocky and unwelcoming. I crawl over the stones, bruising my knees and gasping for breath. As soon as I’m free of the current, I lay down for a minute, prone and vulnerable, catching my breath.

  I hear another of my team gasping for breath and crawling to the shore just a little downriver from me. TexBadass’s dark cloak is familiar against the gray stone. Where are the others? Did they get out of the river?

  I sit up, pause, then slowly pull myself to my feet, and notice the stones feel strange under my feet.

  I look down and realize I’ve lost one of my boots.

  Damnit.

  And, of course, this is right after I sold all my extra gear and old armor to the merchant in Summerrun.

  I walk along the shore toward TexBadass experimentally. The limp and uneven stride from having only one foot protected is not worth the trouble. I stop to tug off the other boot and … Maybe it’s the California-boy in me not wanting to litter, but I have a hard time making myself drop it and leave the boot by the river. Instead I store it in my inventory.

  Splashing and coughing on the other side of the river grabs my attention. SteelFeather and Balderdash13 stumble out of the water, collapsing on the stone shore.

  “Where’s Erin?” I call to them.

  Balderdash13 is still coughing up water, but SteelFeather looks around, getting to his feet when he doesn’t see the sorceress right away.

  “Erinocalypse,” he yells downriver.

  “Up here,” I hear a small voice cry.

  I look around, to the cliffs above us, up river, and finally realize Erinocalypse is clinging to the fallen bridge on the opposite side of the river from me. She has found one of the remaining boards for under her feet and has one arm wrapped around the rope that is still connected to the rock face above. No foot boards remain whole and connected for at least twenty feet underneath her. She has no way to climb down and only a slight chance of being able to climb up.

  “Hang on, Erin,” I call to her. “Here we come.”

  I run as fast as I can shoeless upriver over the stony shore to where she dangles.

  [-23 HP!]

  Ow!

  Well, that’s not so bad of a hit to my health, but it definitely confirms I can’t get along I Camlan barefoot.

  On the opposite bank, SteelFeather mirrors me and soon stands below the damaged bridge. I feel helpless on my own side and eye the current, wondering how easy it would be to swim across. With TexBadass on my side of the river too we’ll have to figure out how to get across eventually.

  “Do we have a net or anything we can use to catch her?” SteelFeather asks over the roar of the water.

  I think fast. Erinocalypse has to adjust her grip on the rope and almost loses it. She can’t hang up there forever. The only thing we have that might work is a cloak, but there’s no way that’s big enough to catch her from this height.

  I shake my head. “I don’t think so. Can we get up there?”

  SteelFeather shakes his head. “That rope will hold one, maybe two of us if we try to climb. You don’t have any more Scaling Weed, do you?”

  Hopeful for a split second, I check my inventory.

  “No. Damnit. I should have stocked up.” I look around the rocky shore but there are almost no plants whatsoever, let alone the specific one we need.

  “I can jump,” Erinocalypse says.

  “No.” I estimate the height to be something like three stories. “There’s no way. You’ll break both your legs.”

  “I can fix that,” TexBadass says. He and Balderdash13 have caught up with us and watches Erinocalypse’s figure from their respective sides of the river. “That’s what a healer is for.”

  “I’m going to jump,” the sorceress says again.

  I take a deep breath. There’s nothing I can do. I have no way to stop her, nothing to talk her out of it or even help make it easier for her.

  “Be careful!” Balderdash13 calls.

  Erinocalypse looks down, as though planning or considering her strategy. I see her close her eyes, nod to herself and then she just lets go, falling several stories to the stony bank of the Bors River. Her legs collapse under her, her back bends in an unnatural angle and I’m almost certain I can hear her arm break over the sound of the water.

  But she only lies crumpled on the ground for a moment when TexBadass’s cast hits her. SteelFeather and Balderdash13 are at her side, helping her into a sitting position, moving some of the sharper stones out of her way and doing everything they can to help her heal faster.

  TexBadass’s spell has a cool down period, but he casts again as fast as possible.

  I am totally useless in this situation and it’s infuriating.

  After a few more cycles of Tex’s spell, Erinocalypse is able to stand and seems to have reached her full health again. Our group is still split by the Bors River, but at least we’re all now on the same plane and can move forward together.

  “Well,” TexBadass says. “Now what?”

  Chapter 25

  Our party has pulled itself out of the Bors River after falling several stories when the rickety rope bridge across collapsed. But now the group is split, with TexBadass on my side of the water and the other three across it, and we still have miles and miles to go until we hit the King’s Road. There’s only one option I can think of to take at this point.

  “Upstream,” I say. “There’s no easy way to do this. We still need to go up over the mountains, and that’s upstream from here.”

  “Yeah, I said that already,” TexBadass mutters.

  I pretend not to hear him.

  I call across the river to the two tanks. “None of you have any extra boots in your inventories, do you?”

  Balderdash13 laughs. “What did you do?”

  “I didn’t do anything. The river did it when I fell in.”

  “Sorry, man,” SteelFeather says. “No extra boots.”

  I sigh. This is going to be such a pain until I can loot or buy more.

  “How’re you doing, darlin’?” TexBadass asks Erinocalypse. “Ready to git goin’?”

  She nods and gets to her feet.

  “Upstream,” she says, echoing me. She seems a bit dazed and tired but doesn’t complain at all. I bet the pain and trauma of that fall will haunt her for a bit, but you’d never know it.

  I arm myself with my Bow of Eternal Rest and arrow. I don’t see any hint of enemy, even with Power Perception activated, either up or down the river from us, but that doesn’t mean one won’t show up. We still have a long way to go before we get to the safety of the King’s Road.

  With only TexBadass on my side of the river, I am in the lead of our little pair. As far as I know, he doesn’t have any attack spells or weapons of any kind. I am our sole mode of defense. I glance behind us every so often, just in case, since I will have to take on any enemy from either direction. SteelFeather, Balderdash13 and Erinocalypse are soon far ahead of us. I have to go slowly with my unprotected feet on the rock and I keep getting distracted by the periodic game messages about the hits to my health points.

  [-23 HP]

  It’s during one of these moments of distraction that I hear a deep, rumbling roar. I wave away the game message and look around frantically for the source. TexBadass points up river to where the two tanks and the sorceress are backing into the w
all of the canyon, retreating from the creature they have accidentally disturbed.

  Name: River Troll

  Level: 25

  Description: Dumb as rocks and resembling them as well, River Trolls are territorial. They solve disputes with their fists. Often found near large rivers.

  I aim from where I am, forty yards away, but I know from my last encounter with the River Trolls that most of its hide is too hard and tough for an arrow to penetrate. I fire, but my arrow bounces harmlessly off the monster’s shoulder. I’ll need to get closer to make much of a difference. But I can’t run very fast on the stones and bare feet. I hobble along as quickly as I can, bombarded every few steps with notices of tiny pieces of my health draining away.

  [-22 HP]

  [-21 HP]

  [-23 HP]

  Attention: To avoid further injury, obtain shoes from the nearest merchant.

  “Ugh. I know,” I say, waving the last message out of my view.

  I stop again to aim again. Fortunately, both SteelFeather and Balderdash13 are holding their own, defending against the troll’s attacks. Unfortunately, the roar of the first troll has attracted the attention of others. I count three more creatures lumbering toward us from up the river.

  I pause to fire at the River Troll upstream on our side of the river. It is walking straight toward me but still far enough away so I have the perfect opportunity to fire right into its face.

  I grin as my arrow sails through the air. The shot is perfect; the arrowhead embeds in the monster’s cheek and it howls in pain.

  Achievement: You have Unlocked Archery Level 10

  Description: Increased chance of accuracy +5%; increase power +5%

  Reward: +300 XP

  With the increased power and increased chance of hitting my target I hasten to nock another arrow. It’s a bit harder to aim for the River Troll’s face, since it is writhing around in pain, but I find my moment and let the arrow fly.

  I suspect it might be luck this time, or maybe it’s the increased targeting from the level up, but this time my arrow lands in the River Troll’s eye. I have to look away when the blood spurts everywhere. When I look back, the monster is rubbing its heavy fist into its now-empty eye socket, pushing the arrow even further into its head.

  These two perfect hits have cut the River Troll’s health in half. I should be able to take it down quickly. Thank goodness there’s only the one on our side of the river, since TexBadass can’t help me defend at all.

  Enhancement received: Arm of Monmouth

  Description: You will enjoy +5% Strength for the next sixty seconds

  “Thanks,” I say to him with a grin.

  With an arrow sticking out of its face, the River Troll has forgotten us completely and doubles over, turning this way and that, bellowing over and over. But no one can help it.

  I fire again, this time aiming for the thin skin of the creature’s throat. I miss and hit its clavicle, where the arrow lingers briefly before falling down to the ground. But I quickly follow it with two more that land true. With four arrows injuring the creature’s face and neck, it collapses to the ground, blood streaming down over its chest and tender belly.

  “One more,” I whisper to myself. With the River Troll sprawled on the ground and only a sliver of health left for it to cling to, I aim for the soft underbelly that is now laying wide open.

  I fire, landing the perfect hit. The game message for the poison damage doesn’t even have a chance to populate before the creature expires.

  [+120 XP]

  A quick loot yields a single Gold Crown and a low-level pair of pants I can’t use, but I save them all to my inventory.

  My victory is short-lived, though, when I hear a pair of roars from across the river.

  The crowd of River Trolls around SteelFeather, Balderdash13 and Erinocalypse has grown to four, surrounding them with the ravine wall at the players’ backs.

  “Damn,” TexBadass whispers, casting health across the river to where the tanks are taking a barrage of hits. “We have to get them out of there.”

  Fighting River Trolls again reminds me of something else I haven’t done since the Camlan Challenge, way back when I first entered the game.

  I turn my back completely to the river and look up and down both directions of the shore.

  “I need a log,” I yell.

  Chapter 26

  “Come again?” TexBadass asks, shaking his head as though he is sure he has misheard my request.

  Our group is spread out, on two sides of a river, trying to defend ourselves from trolls and make progress in our trek across Camlan Realm. Asking for a log must seem like the most nonsensical thing I could come up with at this moment.

  “A log. I need a log.”

  “What the hell, son? I thought I misheard you.”

  But I’m already hurrying as far upstream as I can get while still hampered by my shoeless feet. I know I’ve seen driftwood and fallen trees at several times during our hike. I’ve got to be able to find another one. Two, actually. I still have a Paddle in my inventory, but we’ll need another one if we’re going to be able to move upstream against the current.

  Another deep roar sounds behind me from the cluster of River Trolls surrounding the rest of our party.

  “Hurry,” TexBadass calls after me.

  I’m hurrying. Damn, I need shoes. Any shoes would be faster than this.

  [-20 HP]

  [-21 HP]

  [-20 HP]

  Finally I see it. Just up ahead, half in and half out of the water is a gigantic piece of driftwood. A tree from the forest above us must have fallen into the river at some point upstream, been worn down, branches breaking off, and washed ashore here. Fortunately for me, it washed ashore before too much of the wood rotted away. When I reach it, the game informs me I’m standing next to a Large Pine Log. Right next to it is a Large Branch, exactly what I’m looking for.

  I save my bow and arrow back into my inventory, equip my Goblin Knife and cross my fingers that I can remember how to do this. I grab the Large Branch in my other hand and immediately get a message from the game.

  You are trying to craft this wood. What would you like to create?

  — Club

  — Staff

  — Paddle

  “Yes!”

  I choose Paddle, make the necessary gestures, and in seconds am holding a perfectly balanced wooden Paddle where there had been a Large Branch. I place the extra Paddle on the ground, approach the Large Pine Log and get a new message.

  Quest Discovered: What Else Floats? II

  Description: While a Large Pine Log will float on its own, with a bit of more advanced woodcraft you can fashion it into transportation for a group.

  Requirements: Initiative Level 2, Woodcraft Level 3

  Reward: +100 XP

  I place one hand on the log and hold the knife in the other. As soon as I begin to make a gesture to carve up the log, the Woodcraft Skill kicks in and the next moment a Raft floats on the river’s edge next to me.

  Quest Completed: What Else Floats? II

  Description: You have successfully used Woodcraft to fashion a Raft for multiple passengers.

  Reward: +100 XP

  I wade into the water, pushing the Raft ahead of me. The stones below my feet are more worn than on the shore and it isn’t quite so painful to walk on them. I equip my original Paddle from my first day in the game and marvel at the fact that it is identical to the Paddle I just created. Maybe along the way I can make another one or two so we can go faster, but this will do for now.

  The water at this turn in the river is relatively slow and only up to my knees, so when I pull myself up on to the Raft I can use the Paddle, jabbed into the river’s floor, as an anchor of sorts until I get my balance. I don’t want to travel too quickly downstream and miss my other passengers. It takes me a couple tries to get the hang of directing the huge platform of floating wood, but soon I am floating leisurely down the Bors River, toward where the roar
of River Trolls welcomes me.

  TexBadass spots me first. A wide grin breaks across his face and he nods approvingly.

  I stop the Raft’s progress a little bit upstream from him and gesture him to join me. With one final look and cast over his shoulder, he wades into the river, slow under the weight of his wet cloak, and hops up on the Raft, tipping it precariously until he is able to scoot a bit further in and balance the rickety vessel again.

  He picks up the second Paddle without me having to ask him to, and together, we maneuver the Raft slightly more downstream to where SteelFeather, Balderdash13 and Erinocalypse are fighting valiantly.

  The River Trolls haven’t spotted us yet, but when SteelFeather sees us he loses focus and takes a hard hit to the ribs. Balderdash13 has to jump into fight back the trolls while the other tank recovers. TexBadass drops the Paddle and heals him, but he can’t let go of his anchor for long. In the time he takes to scramble and grasp the Paddle again, we’ve drifted further downstream, far enough for the trolls to detect us.

  “Come on,” I call to the other players, gesturing widely with my one free hand. “We’ve got to go.”

  Erinocalypse makes her escape first, shooting Fire Bolt at her closest attacker and darting to the river’s edge.

  “You go,” Balderdash13 says to SteelFeather, who still has a little bit of health left to recover.

  He lunges, landing one final attack on the closest River Troll before also darting to the water and wading in after the sorceress. Erinocalypse has reached the Raft and lifted herself on to it. Once she regains her balance on the uneven vessel, she resumes her attacks with Fire Bolt, Petrify and her other litany of spells at her disposal.

  Balderdash13 is last. As the only player remaining on the river’s edge, she is surrounded by the four Trolls. All of the enemies are injured, but none badly enough to incapacitate them. As she tries to back away from them, to the water, she has to turn away from one of the Trolls and in that short moment, it slams a rock-hard fist into the tank’s shoulder and neck, stunning her for a moment.

  “Take this,” I say to SteelFeather, who has just climbed up on the Raft. I thrust my Paddle at him. “Keep it steady.”