Town at the World’s Edge

“Look pal. I'm not going to let you into the town after the sun has already set.”

This is insane. I'm beginning to think I am not in the countryside. Here I am standing here outside speaking to a man clad head to toe in armor. The weapon at his side is large like a spear topped off with an axe at the tip. I think they call those halberds in the video games I played.

Did that angel send me back in time? Is this the Middle Ages?

“Are you listening to me?” the knights voice pieces through the steel helmet. There is an apprehensive tone in his voice. 

I'm having a hard time processing this. The large fields of hay, the old man and his sword, and the horse drawn wagon I passed on my way here are not your typical countryside attractions. 

Seriously, where am I?

“Look pal if you are going to stand around here all night, the least you could do is engage in a conversation.”  I'm unable to see the expression of the man below the mask and can only guess at the expression he probably has right now.

“Sorry I seem to have been lost in thought.” I shake my head trying to focus on what is in front of me. All of my current doubts can take a back seat for the moment. I reach out my hand slowly gesturing for a handshake. “My name is Taichi, but most of my friends just call me Tai.”

The knight's metal hand remains still. After a few moments he lets out a sigh breaking some of the tension in the air. His hand grasps mine firmly. He is strong. No wonder this guy is a guard. I do not want to arm wrestle with him. Or cause any trouble for that matter.

“Well it's nice to meet you, the stranger called Tai. My name is Keith but you may hear others refer to me as the night watchman when on duty. Unfortunately for you, simply sharing each other's names won’t change the fact that you are not stepping foot into town until first light.” Keith releases his grip and returns to a loose but attentive stance.

“I understand.” My mind begins to drift again. I'm starting to think that wherever I have found myself is not as safe as the calming atmosphere leads me to believe. It's only natural that the town would be wary of strangers.

“Ahem–” Keith clears his throat. “Look Tai we are a pretty welcoming town all things considered. We have rules but those rules keep us safe. Once the morning comes we will be able to see about processing you a permit of entry into the town.” His tone of voice was far more understanding than before. My distraught facial expression must have gotten to him a little.

“Well if you really say so then I guess all I have to do is wait.” Instantly I sit down on the dirt path crossing my legs. I'm not sure how long till the morning but I can take it slow for one night. I have been running all day.

“You're just going to sit there in the dirt?”

I guess Keith is asking a fair question. Any onlooker looking at the two of us might even go so far to think I'm under arrest for trying to sneak into town.

“I really don’t have anywhere else to go. It's okay if I wait here right?” The pleading in my voice seems to be successful.

“It’s fine. Most travelers have at least a tent so I just expected you to wander off and return at dawn. What kind of traveler roughs it without a tent?” Keith tilts his head. The movement of his helmet gives away just how perplexing I must appear to him. I need to be careful not to arouse too many suspicions.

Some time passes and the air is mostly silent. There are the occasional animal sounds or the jovial shouts of groups parting at the end of a long night. The only constant is the crackles of the burning logs in the two braziers that flank the gate.

The metal armor on Keith shifts loosening his stance some more. The sound is quite heavy. It's clear from the direction his helmet has been facing that his eyes are watching as far down the road as the little light from the braziers will allow him. His helmet turns to face me.

“Well I guess if you are not going to sleep I might as well tell you a little bit about our town here.”

My ears perk up. I nod my head approvingly. I have so many questions it would not hurt to learn more.

“The town is called Freehearken. You will hear some call it the Town at the World’s Edge. To me it will always be Freehearken, the town where we freely listen to one another.” As Keith continues to describe the town I can hear it clearly in his voice how much he loves this place. I do not need to see the expression under his helmet to understand what this place means to him.

He looks away ad he continues.

“People from all walks of life flock here to this special town. We listen to each other and try to work together despite our numerous differences. Folks around here are some of the nicest you will ever meet but don’t think that makes us pushovers. We have some truly capable individuals among us." He pauses for a moment. "So Tai, tell me where are you from?”

His helmet shifts back to watching me carefully.

“I grew up in the city and–”

Keith snorts, interrupting me.

“Hmph…must be well off if you grew up in a city.”

I ponder my words carefully.

“I wouldn’t say that... it was just where I lived and was born.”

Keith shifts his gaze back to the road. “Fair enough.”

I should be more careful about how I say things. If this was a video game I might have just narrowly avoided something that would have negatively impacted my reputation.

Keith's helmet once again focuses on me. “So why did you end up out here? Down on your luck? Looking for a change of pace?” His voice becomes stern. “Running from trouble?”

“Oh no nothing like that I'm just lost.” Wait, that sounds extremely suspicious. I do not know how much distance is between Freehearken and the next town over. “What I mean to say is that I am lost with what to do in life. Trying to find my fresh start you know?”

Keith shifts his gaze back to the road. He is silent for a time.

“I can empathize with that.”

Good recovery Tai. From now on I need to treat my words carefully as if any wrong response can bring about a bad ending route.

Time passes and the first cracks of dawn start to shine in the fresh morning sky. The light has not made Keith any less attentive. I can hear the metal and leather of his palm grip tightly to the halberd. I turn my head to see what has his attention.

“Certanly took him long enough.” Keith’s voice breaks the silence. From how he is acting I do not think I need to worry.

I can hear the creaking of wooden wheels and the compact dirt road. It kicks up pebbles and dust as it moves along. As it draws closer the heavy breathing of the large horse overtakes the wagon’s sounds. I recognize this horse because it has a distinct spotted white and brown pattern. It was earlier yesterday before failing to make it to the gate in time I passed by what I thought was a farmer on his wagon.

“Did you find him?” Keith yells out to the man guiding the wagon.

The man brings the wagon to a stop. The horse seems happy to catch his breath.

“Yeah I found him. You were right, his tired old legs were not going to do him any favors for getting back quickly.”

“Who are you calling old!” A familiar voice cries out in disapproval. I have to move to see who is behind the silhouette of the farmer. There sitting comfortably with a blanket across his lap is the old man with the sword I met earlier.

I cannot really hear their conversation anymore as the gates of the town begin to open. The large wooden doors creak and buckle. I can hear mechanisms and chains rattling in the stone walls pulling the two doors wide open.

I freeze.

There are tons of people already moving about their day. Is people even the right word? I see a minotaur tossing his little ones in the air playfully. Elves conversing at a stall run by a lizardman. There are children running in the streets each with a variety of different tails and ears atop their heads.

Before me are three individuals slowly walking towards the gate.

Standing tall above the rest and even taller than the minotaur is a woman fully clad in armor carrying a tower shield and a makeshift club. A large metal helmet with a faceplate obscures her features. She appears to be the leader of the group.

To her right is a shirtless green orc with red tattoos encompassing every muscle on his body. Thick leather straps wrap around his torso attaching two large swords to his back.

To her left is an elf who is smaller than me. I cannot tell from this distance if it's a man or a woman. They have a large wizard hat and an impressive wooden staff. The wood looks like a live birch tree with accents of green vines wrapping around it. At the head of the staff there is a blue crystal that glints in the light.

“Look who it is. Deathclap! Off on another dungeon run?” Keith's voice behind me returns me to reality. Or at least my new reality.

The large woman is towering over us. She stops for a moment. I feel like she is looking right through me.

“I told you to stop calling us that Keith. It was one time…” Her gentle yet shy voice trails off as the party continues through the gate.It looks like she was trying hard to avoid lingering too long. 

Hopefully I did not leave a bad impression. 

The orc and the woman continue bickering while the elf stays silent.

“Welcome to Freehearken young man.” I turn to see the old man smiling gleefully.

Well at least I know where I am.

This is not the countryside.

This is not my world.

I guess this is where my new life in this fantasy world begins. In the town of Freehearken. The town at the world’s edge.