The three of us manage to complete all of the quests in the area and are sent south towards Rohan. We stock up on provisions and morale potions as well as repair all of our gear so everything is in top condition. We are able to purchase some horses from the stables for our ride south and we head out the following dawn. The riding is easy as we take our time traveling. We paid extra for the horses so we could dismount without them disappearing back to the nearest stables. We all hoped that when we made it into Rohan we could purchase permanent mounts.
On the fifth day of our travels we meet up with another group of players who are also headed for Rohan. There are five of them, all Captains, and are between levels 35 and 45. Their leader is a blonde woman named Avoral. We talk for a while as we ride together and we camp as a group that night. The group leaves at first light the following morning as they are eager to make it to Rohan lands. Avoral wishes us good luck as she leads the group away at a fast gallop. Baronlief and Erothar join me in clearing the area of creatures before we move on.
Another two days pass as we work our way slowly towards the rally point. We have paused at a small stream to water the horses when I see an object glinting in the distance.
"What in Middle Earth is that?" I exclaim before urging my mount across the water towards it.
The men follow and we soon realize what is causing the bright reflection. There are five piles of armor, weapons, and items scattered around a cold campfire. I dismount and go over to the nearest pile of armor to pick up a heavy two-handed sword. I pull up the item specifications and am not surprised to see that it was forged by Avoral. Whenever a player is killed by other players, all of their items and gear are left in a neat pile where their body disappeared. The only thing you keep is your money when you die. We had heard tales of players going rogue and were killing players for their items. They could sell off the dead players stuff for money or keep it for themselves.
"Who would kill five players in the middle of the night while they slept?" Baronlief says quietly.
"Someone who doesn't care about finishing this game." Erothar says as he checks through a pile.
"They didn't take any of the loot though." I say. "Why kill them but leave the loot?"
No one answers as we go to each of the piles and take the stuff. All of the armor and weapons are bound to their previous owners so we decide to mail it all to Avoral once we find a town with a mailbox. The little crafting stuff they had we place with our own as it is all common materials that they can easily replace while they level back up. Our bags are now almost full and we have no clue where the nearest vault is. I curse the lack of maps in this game as we mount up once more.
We continue south, hoping to find the road leading to Rohan and to the rally point. I keep an eye out for the group of rogue players. If they do show up, they will find us ready to take them on. We manage to locate a road just as darkness descends in Middle Earth.
"Now that we have found the road travel should be easier." Baronlief says with relief.
"Yes, but it also leaves us exposed." I reply.
Erothar agrees with me and we decide to make camp a short ways off the road in a small group of trees for the night just to be safe. We forgo a fire to further limit our exposure. I rest uneasily and finally decide to take watch from Erothar instead of trying to sleep. The moon is barely a sliver above us and clouds cover most of the stars so there is little to no light.
It is a horrible night for an ambush. If they know anything they will keep to themselves. If they are determined to kill though, nothing will stop them.
Hours pass as I stand guard over my sleeping companions. Every so often a bird will call out or I will hear the howl of a warg off in the distance. My nerves are on end all night. It is well past midnight when I sense something moving along the road. I quietly draw my sword and hide behind a tree where I will be able to watch the road unobserved. I relax as a lynx runs down the road after a lanky hare. It isn't a threat as long as it keeps its distance, so I sheath my weapon once more and continue my trek around the camp perimeter.
The others stir before dawn and we eat packets of lembas Baronlief had made back in the last town we had stopped in. The bread satisfies my hunger, but I long for something hot to fill my belly. Another day of riding is ahead of us before we will be able to enter Rohan with a guide. To enter Rohan land without a guide is to invite danger. We had been warned of this threat by other players who had been caught unaccompanied crossing over the border. They were stripped of their armor and weapons and were escorted out of the area by Rohirrim riders to fend for themselves. It was almost assured that the players would die without protection and most did. They said it was because of a large gathering of rogue players who were wreaking havoc in Rohan; killing NPCs and players as they found them. I have a feeling that it is the same group that had killed Avoral's fellowship outside the borders.
We crest over a hill and see the sign for the rally point appearing in the distance. We spur our horses on as we race to reach it. Only a few hundred meters remain between our steeds and the banner when I see the area near the sign and feel the hairs on my neck stand on end. I can make out about ten players standing over someone, probably the NPC guide, and several piles of stuff scattered about. Erothar and Baronlief reign in their horses next to me and we hesitate as I try to make out if the riders are friend or foe.
One of the riders has spotted us and they all mount up and spur their horses towards our position on the hill. We now face a choice; stay and possibly fight if they are rogue players, or try to flee and escape. Our minds are made up for us as arrows begin to fly around us, unleashed from the bows of two of the riders. I wasn't going to just stand there and get shot at. Spurring my mount away I flee back down the road with both Baronlief and Erothar hot on my tail.
We are riding hard and fast with our chests bent low over the horses. Every time I think we might have lost our pursuers I look back and see them racing behind us. There is only one way I can think of to get us out of this. It will be very risky and we could up losing our lives anyways, but it is a risk I am willing to take.
"Follow me!" I shout to Erothar and Baronlief as I steer my horse off the road.
"But that is Rohan land!" Erothar shouts as they follow.
"It is our only hope!" I call out. "Either the Rohirrim will help us or we will be killed by the players. It is our only chance now."
Either neither of them reply or their retort is lost in the wind that starts to howl around us. Rain begins to fall as a storm moves in over the grasslands. It is the last thing we need, but maybe it will shield us from the eyes of the players and we can still escape with our lives.
The rain does not shield us and only makes the riding worse. The players are gaining on us quickly and I am beginning to think they will just run us down. Spears begin to strike the earth around us along with the arrows. A few strike my armor but are deflected off without doing in damage to my morale. Erothar is not so lucky as a few find the chinks in his armor and sink in, causing a bleed that is slowly trying to sap away his strength. They disappear in time as his morale gently goes back up.
I look over at Baronlief just as a spear imbeds itself in his mounts flank, causing it to go down. He is thrown clear and manages to break his fall in a roll before popping upright with his swords drawn. I quickly jump off my horse and run back to stand beside him. Erothar is quick to join us as we face the oncoming riders. My heart is beating at what feels like a thousand miles an hour. Every sense is heightened as I try to prepare myself for my first ever swordfight.
Remember what they have taught you. Keep your knees bent and hold your weight on your toes. You can do this. Just like you practiced.
The riders dismount and slowly saunter over towards us. There are nine in total and from what I can tell they are all men.
'Nine were given to mortal men'. Fitting for this group. Hopefully they can die like the mortal men they are.
They all stop in a semicircle before us with one man stepping forwards at their center. He is on the short side with a red beard that only makes his grin look more sinister. Coal black eyes glint at us from under this helm, filled with a malevolent fire that seeks to burn the soul. A warden's shield hangs on one arm while a long sword rests loosely in his right hand. His armor looks like it was forged in a smoky fire as it is blackened by fire marks.
"Well, what do we have here?" he says in a voice I can only describe as sending shivers down the spine of any listener.
"Looks like a couple of scrawny players trying to be brave, Larikonar." Says one of the players behind him.
"Well, we can't have that can we." Larikonar replies with a sly grin. "Do or do not, there is no try. You will have to try harder."
"How dare you quote that." Erothar spits out. "You have no sense of honor or hard work."
"That is true. I decide to use the 'do not' as my motto and just take what I want instead of working for it. Much easier that way.'
"Speaking of which, I want all of your weapons, gear, items, and money right now. Hand it over in the trade center and we might let you live."
"No." I say, gripping the hilt of my sword tightly.
"We have a feisty one here fellas." Larikonar replies. "Looks like someone needs to teach her a lesson."
I do not wait for one of them to make a move before I jump into action. I stab the nearest player in the chest through his light armor. A few more slashes and he disappears in a burst of pixels. I had caught everyone by surprise at the speed and ferocity of my attack and he is gone before they join in on the fight. Baronlief becomes a whirlwind of deadly steel as he swipes away and players left and right. Erothar engages Larikonar and they alternate stabbing with their spears and bashing each other with their swords. I duck under another player's thrust and run him through with a stab to his abdomen. A group of four players charge me and I do my best to beat off their attacks. I can feel my morale drop as I am unable to keep everyone at bay. I count only six players left including the leader so we must have killed three already. I block another sword as it arcs towards my chest as I fight for my life. Baronlief appears next to me and takes out one of the players in front of me.
"Back to back!" he yells over the clamor of battle.
We turn to that we cover each other's backs and hack away at anyone who comes close. I can see my armor is taking a toll as is the rest of our gear. I am beginning to give up hope that we will make it when I hear a horn blast out a note nearby. I glance towards the sound and am rewarded with a view of a large group of riders surging towards us. Riders of Rohan have arrived. Arrows fly and several strike Larikonar in the face. His morale immediately plummets to zero and he is gone in a flash of color. The leaderless group blanches at the arrival of reinforcements and quickly flee to their horses.
One turns as he runs and throws a spear at me. There is not time for me to move out of the way and I steel myself for what will in all likelihood be a killing blow. I catch a blur in my peripheral and feel a strong hand pushing me out of the way. I fall to the ground as the spear buries itself in Baronlief's chest and protrudes from the other side. I quickly jump to my feet and pull my bow from my back. I loose off as many arrows as possible at the player who threw the spear and am rewarded to see several strike him in the back as he flees. I hope that the bleed I have inflicted will be enough to kill him. I kneel down next to Baronlief and watch as his morale dips lower. He drinks a potion, but it is not enough to overcome the effects of the spear.
"I'm sorry I won't be able to help you find Sarung. Maybe I will be of help on the other side. I hope to see you again Taurieth. Farewell." Baronlief manages to say before he bursts into pixels as well.
I remain kneeling there as his items form a large pile before me. All that remains of my friend and fellow player is a neat organization of materials, weapons, and armor. I bow my head as I think of the hard time he has ahead of him as he tries to fight back up through the levels if he chooses to do so.
I banish all of my thoughts as I feel a foot kick my back none too gently. I look up to see a woman pointing a drawn bow at my head. Several people on horseback form up around Erothar and I until we are surrounded by horses and men. The Rohirrim are here.