The wind blows the budding prairie grass like waves in the ocean. Sunlight warms my skin, and the chirping sounds of distant mobs fill the air. It’s beautiful, and I’m totally psyched for some leveling action.

Felix stops and arcs his back in a stretch ahead of me, moaning in relief as he does. “All right, buddy. This spot will do, I think. Since you’ve only spent a few days in Libertas I’m going to give you the rundown on some basics in case there’s anything you haven’t picked up on already.”

“Okay,” I say, resting my hand on the pommel of my short sword. “But you’re a bishop. It seems like a cool class, I mean just look at you. A flintlock-weilding holy priest? It’s sick, but our roles in a party are completely different. How are you going to show me how to be a good warrior and tank?”

Felix smiles at the compliment, pushes back a clump of his black hair from his eyes. “I spent a little time as a warrior, a long time ago. While I built my character for damage, not tanking, I’ve spent plenty of time with others who have. I can teach you enough to get you started, although I won’t be able to replace a warrior who has ran multiple character cycles.”

“I understand,” I say. “So, show me what you can. What do you know about Libertas that I don’t?”

“Well, I’m sure you know the basics of your HUD. You know that health statistics don’t appear until you examine a creature or a player, and the bar doesn’t show up until you or a linked party member deal damage to them. Have you spent a lot of time navigating the menus?”

I shake my head. “No, I spent most of my time just trying to stay alive. At first, I had trouble finding the way out of the tutorial until Rin help me out. Then, within the next day I was a captive of the River Raiders and forced to help them run the Five Roses Keep, and ever since then I’ve been on the road trying to get to you guys.”

I can tell by the expression on his face he’s feeling frustrated already. I almost apologize for the inconvenience when he says, “Well, some features you may not know about would be player search. While it won’t tell you where anyone is or what their last name is, for privacy reasons, it can help you look up someone’s statistics. You can see their class level and their guild association.

“There’s your friends list, and your options to send them private messages. A party chat and a guild chat. I’m sure you know about the notepad for jotting down either sketches or notes for yourself, and the calculator. Then, there’s the subject of maps. Firstly, the even though you have the ‘world’ map on your HUD menu, it only shows you the borders of Anticore and the towns and villages you’ve discovered yourself. How you fill it out is dependent on what you do.

“You can buy regional, national, town, and dungeon maps from certain specialty NPC’s, or sometimes you can find them as drops. Looking at them also fills in your world map, and the features they reveal stay with you even after death, so you don’t have to re-purchase or re-discover the world to see what’s where. But, the most important tool of the world map is the ability to see what guilds own what town. Once a guild takes over a settlement that’s already on your map, be it NPC town or another guild’s creation, the map will instantly update and show you the name of the new owners. However, if a guild starts a village from scratch it won’t show up on your map until you step inside it.”

As Felix is telling me about the map, I’m going over it. In the upper right hand corner I can see Five Roses Keep, and just a little bit south-west of that is the village I visited called Tiengen, owned by the guild Dark Moon. Birch Castle is along the seaside cliffs on the eastern edge of Anticore, while I’m on the other side of the mountain range near the Twin Sisters lakes again. A dotted line on the left edge of the map, where the River Raider’s village of Cutter’s Cry sits, tells me it borders another nation. I know there has to be more to this nation; a majority of the map is still blank!

“Just, how many nations are there?” I ask.

“Well, there’s five. And if you manage to see them all in one character cycle, that would be pretty impressive. There is a certain nation you should know right off the bat to never go into without being well-prepared. Grioh Crait is to the neighboring territory to the west of Anticore. Remember those forests in your tutorial? That’s the border to the beast nation. In fact, Cutter’s Clearing was created as an outlook post for monster hunters on the border. But, I digress.

“The most important thing that you can do right now is focus on getting to level 20. When you get there, let Rin and I know immediately if you aren’t already with one of us, and don’t die. All four of us have to be level 20 in order to create our guild, and if you do die you’ll have to start back over at level one again.”

I swallow as a pit of dread opens up in my belly. The idea of getting to level twenty only to start over sounds like a terrible waste of time, especially with the time crunch I”m on. They always say that the journey is more fun than the ending, but whoever said that first clearly had it easy. “Why is the game so harsh on players dying?”

Felix shrugs. “Let’s be real. Back home, in our real bodies, we’ve got nothing but time. It’s also an encouragement for new players to join guilds and start making friendships. Once you join a guild you can re-spawn at a town or village the guild owns, and the experience penalties for death drop from 100 percent to 20 percent. There are also quests you can undertake to get special one-time use items that negate any experience penalty, but that’s a ways off for us.”

“Jeez,” I say. “Wouldn’t it be smart if we just join the River Raiders until we’re level 20?”

Felix reacts like I’ve just slapped him in the face, a look of total surprise. He shakes his head. “No way, man. You’ve seen how those guys act. Trust me. They’re all like that, and I don’t think Rin would take a punch to her pride like that. She’d view it as crawling back to them.”

Scratching the back of my head, I say, “Okay, well how about Dark Moon? They own Tiengen.”

“No can do, my friend. They’re a small guild that only survives by being allies with the River Raiders. I know a few of them, and once one of us shows up in their ranks they’ll go tell the River Raiders, and that’ll make them suspicious of Dark Moon. They’ll think we’re trying to convince Dark Moon to get back at them. Unfortunately, the River Raiders pretty much own Anticore, either directly or indirectly through allies. The only way to change that is to make it to level twenty, form our own guild, and give them hell. With plenty of spies, too, of course. That’ll help you with your search immensely.” He pulls down his circular black shades just enough so I can see him wink.

“All right, you got me,” I bemoan. “I just don’t want to start back at level one again.”

Felix smiles, points finger guns at me with his white gloves. “It’s going to be easier than you think, kid. Rin and I have been through a character cycle already. We know all the places around here that are best for leveling, we won’t throw you into a situation we don’t think you can handle. Okay?”

I nod, taking relief in his honesty and genuinely believe that he knows his stuff about Libertas.

“All right,” Felix says. “Next up, your character attribute statistics. They are all over the place. The two things that you should be focusing on right now is fortitude and sway. You need fortitude for your HP pool, and sway to empower your abilities and increase your likelihood of converging with that Artifact sword of yours. I know it sucks not being able to do much damage, but that’s what two other people in our party are going to be focusing on.”

“Yeah, okay. But I’ll admit part of me regrets choosing the warrior. It sucks being up front taking all the hits.”

Felix shrugs. “Yeah, it does suck. It takes a special kind of bravery to rush into the front of a battle every time. But that’s why you’ve got me. Bishops are the best healers in the game, far better than any healer-built necromancer or druid.”

I take a little solace in that and open up my character attributes page. Under Felix’s guidance, I put all of my available points into fortitude and sway, equip a few new pieces of armor I bought, and up with the following:

Aiden Rockwell

LV. 6 Warrior

HP: 270/270

STRENGTH: 16 (19)

FORTITUDE: 30

DEXTERITY: 15

WISDOM: 16

INTELLIGENCE:13

SWAY: 18

(LV. 5) Brand-new Leather Helm: +3 ARM

(LV. 5) Warrior’s Tunic: +5 ARM

(LV. 5) Brand-new Breeches: +4 ARM

(LV. 5) Brand-new Boots: +2 ARM

(LV. 5) Iron Short Sword: +5 DMG

(LV. 5) Shiny Buckler: +3 ARM

(LV. 3) Warrior’s Pendant: +3 STR

“So,” Felix begins, “with all of your new points assigned, and your new gear donned, what does that put your damage and your armor at? I’m pretty sure Rin told me she gave you your classes’ formulas, but if you need them again I can send them to you.”

I shake my head. “Nope, I still have them. Just give me a minute here.”

HP = CL +9 x (0.6 FORT)

Damage = CL + STR + Weapon Mod + Status/Weakness - Armor

Armor = (.4 ARM Mod) + (.4 DEX)

Magic Resistance = (.2 MR Mod) + (.1 WIS x .1 INT)

Speed = 20% DEX

Using the notepad and the in-game calculator for a few minutes gets me the answers I want. “My damage caps out at 30, and my armor will absorb up to 12 or 13 damage. I’m not sure if I should round up or down.”

“Most of the time it’s rounded up, in favor of the player. There are a few exceptions, I think, but it doesn’t matter right now.” Felix smiles, then points off into the distance. We’re standing up on a little hill with the mountains to our back, overlooking the grassy plains and the two lakes I passed between on my way to Birch Castle.

“See that creek that funnels down into the closest lake?” Felix asks. “And there by the shore? You see that mob skulking around? It’s hard to tell, but I think you’re well-equipped enough to take on that Saberfish down there. Come on.” He waves for me to follow, and my heart gets a pumping.

“Saberfish?”

“You’ll see.”

I follow Felix down through the sea of grass, and boy is he a fast walker. When we reach the edge of the shore, he stops and parts the grass so I can get a clear look at what I’m supposed to kill. Down by the water is this strange, four-legged creature that looks more like a salamander than a fish. The only things that are fishy about it is the large spiked fin running down its spine and a pointed beak like a sword-fish. I spot another one further down the water’s edge, then realize the whole lake is sprinkled with these guys.

From the safety of the grass, I’m able to I examine the closest one’s stats.

(LV. 9) Saberfish

HP: 95/95

These creatures often spend as much time on ground as they do in the water, and use their eggs to create the hovels they live in.

“How does this thing have such low HP for being level nine?” I ask.

“Monsters are usually always on the low side compared to players, but this one is particularly low. The special attack is what you need to be wary of.”

“And this one’s special attack is…?”

“A slashing move with a poison effect called, ‘Duelist’s Doom’. And stop worrying so much, I’ve got a healing ability and curative move that nullifies poison effects. I’ll use it on you in between fights. You’ll be fine. Just focus on getting yourself to level 10, and then we’ll go from there.”

I nod, and we begin the training in earnest. I rush out to the creature and engage it with a quick slash on its side. Its chirping sounds switch to a long, terrible screech that almost makes me feel a little guilty.

You hit the Saberfish for 22 damage!

When I have an opening, I deal another blow of 25, but it catches me off guard and uses it’s blade-like nose to take a slice out of my leg for a whopping 46 damage. My knee-jerk reaction is pull back, making space between me and it, and then I realize I’ve still got 224 remaining and this thing is almost half dead already.

Man, I think, maybe being a warrior isn’t so bad after all. All this HP gives me room for error!

When the salamander-fish-hybrid’s health nears 1/3rd of its total, it lets out an even louder screech as it activates its ability. Duelist’s Doom sets the creature off in a rage, writhing and swiping violently as it tries to land a hit on me. But, the squat little thing moves slow enough for me to backtrack and avoid them.

When the thing calms down, I move in for the final blow and get awarded a thousand experience points and a few items I suspect are for crafting or selling; a fish spine and newt skin. Glancing at my experience requirements, I see that it will only take five more of these things to hit the next level, and think that maybe this won’t be such a long day after all. But, it’s still a full day, and one hell of a workout.

Felix and I spend most of the afternoon grinding through Saberfish one at a time until towards the end, when I feel comfortable taking on two at once. Having him around to heal me with his ability called Milk of the Poppy and remove the occasional poison effect with Minor Favor speeds my grind up tremendously. Right before dusk hits I reach level 10, so I can’t imagine how long it would take without Felix. The level-up fanfare plays in my ear, and while I would normally cheer or shout in victory, I’m too pooped beyond thanking Felix for his help. I take a look at the new abilities I unlocked, but haven’t chosen yet, as well as the Convergence skill I’ve been waiting for.

Congratulations! You have reached level 8! 1 attribute point has been awarded.

Bloodbath: Your patron deity rewards you for your next kill by transferring their total HP to you.

Or

Battle-sight: Your patron deity grants you insight through the fog of war to discover weak spots in your garrison or enemy structures for 20 seconds.

“Which one should I choose?” I ask Felix.

He shrugs, and I can tell by the narrowness of his eyes he’s whooped, too. “Pick whatever sounds best, kid. Both are useful.”

I bite my lip as I think about it, then decide to go with bloodbath on the assumption that I can’t always depend on healers to be on top of their game, or even alive. Next, I take a look at the convergence skill.

Congratulations! You have reached level 10! 1 attribute point and the Convergence skill has been awarded.

Convergence: Force your will upon a dead deities’ Artifact and take control of their power.

Felix must see the curiosity sparkle in my eye. He asks, “so, I suppose you’ve spent some time thinking about what you’re going to do with that mystery sword?”

“I have,” I say. “I want to try to converge with it.”

“Now, hold on. Just to make sure you know, in case it wasn’t clear before, if you fail to converge with that sword you will die. Guaranteed. Considering it’s an A rank weapon and your sway is at 18, you’re starting off with about a 48% success chance.”

I rub at the sleep in my eyes. “Gosh, I doesn’t sound that great of a chance. I don’t know if I want to take a 52% chance at starting over. And could you maybe run me through sway? I mean, I understand that it matters based on my Imbue Shield ability, but I don’t understand the definition of it.”

“Pure and simple, it’s kind of like your character’s willpower. Your ability to take control of aetherical energies and the power of the old deities and patrons. In Libertas lore, some deities used to roam the world until the All-Father took them all out, but fragments of them and their lesser kin still survive in their weapons. The sword you have probably houses a fragment of the Rose King, a lesser lord who was an offspring of a few deities that died. If you want to wield that thing, you’ll have to show him who’s boss.

“It’s frightening at times, and the risk is high, but those ancient weapons give players great boosts that can often times change the fate of a battle between two guilds. Don’t ever underestimate them, or you’ll be on the losing side. Guaranteed.”

“That does sound incredible,” I say, “but I’m still not sure I want to risk it right now. It would be a shame to lose all my progress so far. I’m halfway to level 20, so I might as well wait until we create our guild. Then I’ll try to converge with the sword.”

Felix lets out a quiet sigh of relief, then smiles as he holds up his arms, looks to the sky and says, “Thank the old gods he’s not a dote.”

I chuckle. He must be really relieved I’m not going to commit suicide by trying a 52% chance insta-death.

“But seriously,” Felix says as he approaches me and puts a hand around my shoulder. “I appreciate it. Even if we die on our way to twenty, you’ll still have the sword. The only things you lose is what you have equipped, and even then you have one hour to try to pick it up from a chest that drops wherever you die. If you want to stow it away and not risk it, you’ll have to put it in your personal inventory or stash at any inn.” But,” he says as he waves his white-gloved hand out in front of us, “I think the next thing you, and everyone else could use, is just a little bit of sunshine.”