“Unfortunately, we have been unable to move the majority of the bodies from along the coast. The fallout has made it impossible until Nuclear cleanup teams have fully scoured the area. How long? Months or years I’m afraid. I don’t like it any more than you do, but that’s simply the reality of the situation.”

from a 2112 interview with George Morten, Director of New York Disaster Relief. .

I realized after Rathborne had gone inside, that I didn’t really know how to head Southwest, but discovered a tiny compass at the bottom right hand corner of my character sheet, and set off through the woods toward the new hunting ground. Another camp of Corrupted Villagers tried to jump me with rusted pickaxes and shovels, but I dispatched them with ease, trying to reignite the fire within me that had been slightly quelled by the sadness I’d seen in Rathborne’s eyes as he sat despondent in his chair.

On the bright side, my death penalty was gone, and I had enough Quintessence to raise my Strength and Vitality another point.

Rand—Level 4 Vitality:14 HP = 352 Toughness:5 Strength:17 Skill:5 Viletaint:10 Intellect:5

It was actually pretty hilarious that after 4 levels, almost 5, I was just getting back to the starting health of the other origins chosen by other players. Only for the hardest of the hardcore, I thought with a smile as I glanced at the sliver of Quintessence needed to get me to level 5. It seemed so low still, and I still had no answers to the thousands of questions, but I was going to do what Rathborne had told me; keep my axe sharp and find my way.

Another Corrupted Villager cried out as he died to my blade and as I stepped over his fallen body, a stench like salt water filled my nostrils. I blew out and grimaced, spitting on the ground as the horrible odor turned into a taste that seemed to coat my tongue. The trees began to change, from the skeletal corpses I’d grown accustomed to, into thick pillars of putrid green and yellow with whip-like branches draped with hangings of moss that hung like some kind of spotted intestinal tissue or stomach lining.

Clusters of chocolate covered mushrooms resembling those big red onions I hated began to spring up here and there, and when I got close, sprayed a thick mist into the air that I could only believe was toxic and avoided like the plague.

The ground became wet and waterlogged, each step squishing beneath my boot as I walked. Puddles of putrid green sprang up, their surfaces covered with thick algae that sat calmly on the still water. Things were still—almost too still, but still I pressed on.

Something in the far distance moved, but was obscured by a think hanging of vines that reached all the way down to the rancid mire that seemed to threaten to swallow up the very trees that stood like tall pillars holding up the sky. Whatever it was, it seemed to have a circular shell and definitely wasn’t anything remotely human, but before I could inspect it, it vanished behind a thick trunk.

“Hmmm…” I muttered to myself as my boot pierced the muck beneath me. A web of moss hanging in front of me split easily across the cutting edge of my axe and parted around me as I stepped through to the other side. I was starting to wonder if Rathborne had lost his mind, directing me to a seemingly empty swamp, but that’s when it happened.

The very ground before me swelled like a pregnant belly, as though an enormous beast was rising out from the depths of the earths. But that didn’t happen—instead, countless hands emerged, pruned and swollen, waterlogged with flesh peeled back in places exposing the gleaming white of bone.

A skull appeared here and there—human, hairless, rotten and tortured, vile and wasted away with lips and mouths twisted into impossible shapes as they cried out as though in unimaginable pain. I felt a set of fingers clutch my ankle, and looked down to see a hand, missing its pinky finger, gripping me with furious anger. The flesh was all but gone and as I kicked hard in an attempt to get free, the entire hand itself came off the bones of the forearm of the decaying man as he clawed his way from the muck.

It was madness as more of them emerged from the swamp ground like countless insects being birthed from some terrible hive. The hand still clutched my hand angrily, and on top of sending pain flaming through my lower leg, was actually dealing damage!

-2, -2

“Shit!” I cried out, slapping at the bones with the flat side of my axe. The fingers came apart like dry sticks and I staggered back, leaping over another of the corpses as it reached out at me.

The Risen—Level 6

Sick water splashed down the back of my neck and I spun around as one of the men, carrying his own left arm in his right hand, swung down at me.

My Blunderbuss roared and the riposte sounded beautifully

Doooooom!!!!

I followed up immediately with a heavy blow that almost took the thing’s head off.

175

The Risen’s skull toppled sideways, but hung desperately to the rest of its body with a sliver of flesh attached at the shoulder. It swung out at me with a clatter of bone, but I quickly Shadowstepped behind it and followed up with another massive.

167

As I raised my blade for a follow up attack, I understood why Rathborne had directed me here; there were tons of the things, but they were slow, and with Shadowstep and a 20% bonus to my Rally ability, I’d carve them up like Swiss cheese.

Three more blows beat against the animated corpse before it had a chance to turn around and face me.

77—79—75

It swung out with its arm as I felt more hands clutching at my feet. Kicking off a skull beneath me, I leapt to the side and dodge the Risen’s attack before slashing out with a broad strike that cleaved off one of its legs. My Rally bar bloomed and I brought my axe down with a final blow to finish him off.

Quintessence swirled around me and I heard the satisfying sound of a level-up that filled me with a renewed sense of purpose, invigorating me as I spun and lashed out in every direction at the cursed and wretched carcasses clawing their way toward me. Blow after blow landed with might.

81—83—76—81—77

Another went down with a scream, then another and another as my Rally bar glowed strong and defiant against the encroaching disease of the swamp. My death penalty was half gone and I was feeling good.

The Swamp of Sacrifices, I thought as the Quintessence pools whirled around my body as I stepped through the enemies like a tornado of destruction. Were these retched cadavers the result of those sacrifices—somehow related to the plague that had swept through the Weeping Hills. The lore and history of the area swam through my mind as I cleaved and crushed through the horde of bodies.

My Blunderbuss cried out again as I spat slugs into my nearest foe, tearing the flesh from his face to expose the gleaming bone beneath.

Dooooooommm!

Barrel smoking, I raised my axe in an oblique, destructive strike that took the thing’s head off in a massive attack that all but killed it.

456

Holy shit! I thought as two more swings took it down. That was huge!

It definitely mattered where you aimed your blows in Blood Seekers, and these things apparently were weak in the neck, so I focused my attacks there after slashing off a couple of limbs.

The Quintessence was swirling around me in thick waves like a school of blue fireflies as I cut down the Risen, my Rally bar in full glory doling out damage to everything in my path. I cried out with furious joy as a final blow slashed one of them in two, sending his top half splashing down into the filth below.

78—81—83—76

Another riposted sounded—I smelled gunpowder as I hacked down a second foe before following up with a devastating massive attack to finish off the other. Body parts flew through the air, bones cracked and old rotten flesh tore to pieces.

I’m unstoppable…I thought as I heard the sound signaling my level-up to level 6. You were right, Rathborne! I’m doing a no-hit run!

I cleaved a skull in half, riposted another Risen, then ducked low and took out the legs of another attacked. Of the original horde, only two remained. I scored a massive on the one I’d blasted with my firearm—

280!

Then heaved off each of his arms before finishing him with a downward stroke. Anticipating the last Risen’s attack, I leapt to the side and swung, taking off his right leg below the knee. As he fell, I brought my blade down on his neck and finished him off, but as before he died, he managed to ball those sickly fingers of his into a fist and strike me on the ankle.

-27

My Rally bar vanished.

“Shit!” I laughed as he vanished into a swirl of Quintessence. “So close!”

Of course, it didn’t matter if I’d managed to slay them all without taking a single hit. I’d strolled into an unknown territory and conquered like a gladiator. I opened my character sheet and practically slobbered all over myself as I stared at the enormous pool of unassigned Quintessence. But then, something else caught my eye. Just beneath my name, was something that hadn’t been there before.

Intuition—1

“Intuition?” I muttered, hovering my fingers over the words.

Intuition, perhaps one of the most valuable talents, allows the Seeker to lean new abilities to strengthen themselves along their journey.

“Okay. One every five levels maybe?”

I felt myself starting to get excited as I noticed a new tab had appeared on my character sheet.

Talents

“Yes, yes, yes, yes!” I cried out, tapping the word with two fingers. A brand new window appeared, with a list of new abilities that practically had me salivating.

TALENTS

Shadowstep: 7 Second cooldown—can decrease with high Skill. Allows you to morph into a cloud of shadows and mist, passing through any enemies for 3 yards. Slaughter: 10 second cooldown. Devastating blow when enemy’s health is low. Disembowel: 10 second cooldown. Skill weapons only. Deal 150% damage and apply Bleeding Debuff: 15% weapon DPS for 5 seconds. Quickening: 15 second cooldown. Increase attack speed by 50% for 5 seconds. Crippling Blow: 10 second cooldown. Requires a Strength weapon. Sever: 5 second cooldown. Deal 125% damage to enemy. Blunted Strike: 10 second cooldown. Stun enemy for 2 seconds. Shatter 15 second cooldown. AoE attack. 3-yard radius. Deal 125% damage and stun for 2 seconds. Tendon Cut: 10 second cooldown. Deals 110% weapon damage and slow enemy by 80% for 3 seconds. Colossal Roar: AoE knockback. No damage. 3-yard range.

Each talent glowed slightly as I hovered my fingers over it, indicating it was able to be learned. I couldn’t believe there was no obvious progression or restriction among them. Most MMOs would limit what you could learn, saving the most powerful and sought after skills until the higher levels. I stared at the long list, feeling slightly overwhelmed by choice.

“Shadowstep,” I chuckled. “Nope!”

I went down the line.

Slaughter seemed interesting, but I wasn’t really in the mood for a finishing move this early on. I wanted something unique. Disembowel was skill weapons only, and now, at least for the time being, I was on a Strength build.

Quickening was actually pretty attractive, as it increased my speed, and combining that with Shadowstep and my 20% rally buff would be pretty powerful. But again, it was just a glorified stat buff at the end of the day. Crippling blow was just like Disembowel, but without the cool bleeding debuff, and Sever was only 25% less damage with a 5 second less cooldown.

Not bad, not bad, I thought as I kept reading.

“Blunted Strike,” I mused.

Blunted Strike: 10 second cooldown. Stun enemy for 2 seconds.

CC was always powerful in games, and annoying as Hell in PvP, and was definitely something different and would give me something unique in my play style. I hadn’t had too many issues with other players, except that Dorrin dickhead, but I could see it coming in handy when that kind of trouble eventually surfaced. Also, I couldn’t help but think that riposte—massive—Blunted Strike could be a pretty devastating combo, giving me about four seconds of free damage on any enemy. I almost picked it up right then and there, but kept reading.

Shatter was an AoE attack, which was also pretty attractive, especially in the swamp if I ever was almost overrun by Risen. Tendon Cut was another CC with an 80% slow on it that would be absolutely devastating in PvP, but I couldn’t see it being that useful against mobs—at least not yet. And Colossal Roar was simply an AoE knockback that was no doubt useful, but just not my style. I hovered over Blunted Strike and pressed with both fingers.

The skill flashed golden and I felt my eyelids flicker as something entered my skull. The sensation was impossible to explain, but it literally felt as though I’d just learned something—like, I knew how to use the ability now as though it was something I’d known all my life, like how to ride a bike or throw a ball or take off my shoes. There was no obvious icon or button to select or interface within the game indicating how I should use the new talent, and I was instantly taken back to the first time I’d Shadowstepped back at Rathborne’s hut.

Feel it! He’d told me. Feel it!

“Oh, yeah,” I grinned, gripping my axe tightly as I stared out across the loathful swamp. “I feel it.”