Anika and Fenris arrived at the gates of Wildhold, they were shut, and she only had 9 minutes left on her quest timer. She dismounted the wolf and hammered the gates.

"Open the gates please!"

A guard looked down at her from the ledge above the gates. Two others joined him, pointing their guns at her.

"Who are you and what is your business here?"

She pulled out her documents and waved them in the air. Please, don't give me any more shit, she thought. There was a marker on her map, showing that the location to deliver the from Peter the Grim was right on the other side of these walls. Then she looked back across the open plain she had just crossed. Three silhouettes were coming towards them at a fast pace.

"I am on a contract to deliver these letters to Wildhold. I was told I could have safe passage to deliver them." She checked her character screen with factions and reputations listed. She was aligned with the League of Ash, but her reputation was at 0/1000.

"This is my first contract for the League of Ash. I have travelled a long way to support your cause. Please let me in, it is very urgent."

The three guards stared at her for what seemed like hours. All the while she was checking her timer and looking back at the three figures getting closer and closer. Then the guard shouted to open the gates, and she could enter the stronghold.

Once inside the gates, she could see that the entire structure was an army base. There were players everywhere, carrying all sorts of weaponry and wearing uniforms with different symbols and marking on them. Some were even carrying banners as if they were just about to deploy into battle. Nobody paid her any attention, so she made her way straight to the section marked out on her map. She still had a few minutes before the time was up. Her destination looked to be an office building of some type. There was a notice board outside with several contracts available to players. Before entering, she checked behind her to see if she was still being followed. The guards hadn't shut the gates behind her, and she could now see three players walking straight towards her at a leisurely pace.

Not knowing if she was safe, or what to expect from a confrontation, she went inside the office building and spoke with the first NPC she could find. To her relief, the contract was accepted, and her notification showed that she had been successful. Her reputation with the faction had also increased.

Reputation with the League of Ash 5/1000

Now what? She had a good feeling that those three players were waiting for her outside. As she went through it in her mind, the initial panic she had felt went away. If they had been allowed through the gates, they must also be aligned with this faction. Wouldn't that mean they couldn't attack her? She wasn't sure. There was no way forward other than to walk outside and figure out what was going on.

She was greeted by two tall male players, elves judging by their long legs and pointy ears. The third was female, human as far as she could tell, but she was wearing a lot of armour and could hide anything underneath it all. She was wearing a helmet, so the breastplate with slight curves on her chest gave it away. They all wore the same tunics, dark green with a single grey stripe running from one shoulder to the opposite hip. The heavily armoured female took off her helmet and introduced herself.

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"My name is Fenna, pleased to meet you." She was smiling and held out her hand.

Anika felt her entire body relax. There would be no fighting and who knew, maybe these guys could help her in the right direction. With a sigh of relief, Anika shook her hand and introduced herself. The two elves shook her hand, Hagas and Dakath.

"I can see you are level 10," Fenna said, "but I'm willing to bet you were a few levels lower before that encounter in the woods south of here. Am I right?"

"You saw what happened?" If they watched the fight, why didn't they help her Anika thought to herself.

"Ye, we saw you take down a level 60 warlock. With a bit of help of course. How did you manage to control those companions? That's what I'd like to know."

None of them looked to be hunters, they all carried large swords, Fenna carried a shield as well. Anika had a flashback from when she was confronted in Windfall city and had to explain herself. She didn't know what to say, but her secret was probably out if they had seen the whole thing in the woods.

"I'm not sure, to be honest. They just do what I tell them. I think I got lucky in the woods, wouldn't want to try that again that's for sure."

"Well, we could use some of your luck." Fenna looked at her friends. They had been silent so far but were watching her with rapt attention. They nodded as if approving what Fenna was about to suggest.

"We have a small garrison, east of here, near the front lines. With some decent gear, I think you could help us out. You would get a haven to resurrect, and we can help to get your reputation with the League of Ash up pretty quickly."

"Thank you for the offer, I am flattered. But I'm not here to play. I need to get to the tournament hub as soon as possible. My son is in with the Crimson Alliance, and I know he is in those tournaments. I need to speak to him urgently."

The three players looked shocked. Fenna's pleasant smile had gone, and one of the elves shook his head. There was an awkward silence as they stared at each other.

It was Fenna who broke the silence. Her smile was back, but there was also a look of concern on her face.

"You are welcome to try, but I don't think you will get very far. Everyone is gearing up for the tournaments, and the surrounding areas can be hostile. We're not even sure we can get our best fighters there for the next one, so how you'd manage, I just can't figure out."

Anika felt the hopes of finding her son sink into the bottom of her stomach.

"I'll make you an offer. Take it or leave it." Fenna crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You can join our garrison as a scout. There'll be a lot of work to do, dailies and patrols mostly. In return, you will get to resurrect in our garrison, and it will be in everyone's interest that we help you level up and get you some better gear. You can also tag along when we attend the next tournament. If we make it that is. It's your best chance of finding your son as far as I can tell. How you will get close enough to him for a chat is another matter, but that will be your problem. What do you say?"

Anika knew what the right answer was, but it didn't come easy. She had a feeling that she was committing herself to something again, like the contract from Belhaven. There were consequences to the choice she was about to make, but she didn't have a clue what they might be. Was there an alternative? Her intentions of playing this game solo and finding her son all by herself were perhaps a little naïve. Maybe she should consider herself lucky that she had this opportunity. She thought it over one last time. She had one clear goal, this option would get her closer, so there was nothing more to think about.

"I would be grateful for any help I can get, I accept."

You have been invited to join a clan: Battleshifters

Accept: Yes/No

She accepted the invitation without hesitation. It was time for her to learn what life in a garrison would be like and she felt she had a lot to learn about this new aspect of the game. They all shook hands, and she was invited to join them in shopping for supplies before they left Wildhold. The two elves finally opened up and started to talk to her about what to expect. By the end of the afternoon, she was excited about the next few days and feeling good about her prospects.

To be continued...