“A Seeker’s weapon should not be simply a tool—it should be part of the Seeker’s body, the way an arm or a leg is a vital part of their anatomy, so should a blade be, for it is the difference between life and death.”

* from the journals of Ines the Black of the Order of the Raven.

“Seeker,” The Princess said softly as she rolled up the scroll. “You are brave indeed. None before you have chosen your path. I commend thee, but I also fear for you.”

“Don’t worry yourself, darlin’,” I joked, feeling a renewed confidence rising within me like a warm wave. “I’ll be just fine.”

I thought I saw a faint smile cross The Princess’ thin lips, but if it was there, it was gone in an instant.

“It is time for you to gaze into the bath.” She waved her hand to the still waters beside her, and I slowly approached. I looked down to see my reflection, perfect and accurate, staring back at me. As though it were within the water, a character creation interface appeared.

Clever, I thought with a smile as I designed my look. I kept my face as it was, for the most part, only adding a few years to harden me up. I kept my hair as it was, medium length and slightly shaggy, added another fifteen pounds of muscle or so and I was finished. I closed the interface, heard a confirmation chime from somewhere.

A strange sensation whisked through me, like an electric river tumbling through my mind, spilling through my grey matter in a circular sweeping motion. I short-circuited, stammered and blinked a few times as though clearing a fuzz from my mind.

What was that? The game syncing up with my consciousness? I looked back at The Princess. She was on her feet now, a curious smile on her face. Without another word, she turned her back to me and began to walk away, seeming to float as the hem of her dress hid her feet from me. The flowers and vines seemed to follow her as she passed. I had no choice but to follow.

With a wave of her hand, a door swung open. I hadn’t seen it before, as it had been hidden behind a carpet of vegetation. It seemed to led to some kind of small closet, and as I grew closer, I saw weapons lining the walls and felt my inner gamer start to freak out.

Starter weapons!

The Princess stopped at the door and stepped aside to allow me to pass. “Choose wisely,” she told me. “Decisions carry great weight in this world.”

“I don’t doubt it,” I told her as I stepped into the small room.

Five melee weapons hung on the wall from rusted iron pegs. The first was a large square knife made from a thick slab of cold steel. I lifted it from the wall and an item description appeared in the corner of my vision.

* Butcher’s Blade: A worn blade favored by those who delight in close quarters combat and bathing in the blood spray of their enemies. Crafted from a metal that barely passes as steel, and a handle turned from Bloodwood, The Butcher’s Blade carves flesh, both alive and dead, with an equal lack of precision.

* Physical Attack: 95

* Attribute Bonus:

* Strength: E

* Skill: D

The “lack of precision” made me chuckle. No doubt a little insiders joke to the quality of starter weapons. The attribute bonuses, from what I understood, went from A to E and determined the damage bonus that related to the specific attribute. Each letter increased that bonus by an increment of 5 percent. So, the Butcher’s Blade was a better skill weapon than strength, with a 10 percent damage bonus.

I set it down and picked up the next weapon, a rapier with a black-steel hand guard.

* Bloodletter: A fast, distinguished weapon for the discerning gentleman who likes to open the necks of his foes and still look proper while doing it! Can also be used to open letters.

* Physical Attack:78

* Attribute Bonus:

* Strength: E

* Skill: C

Again, I chuckled, set it aside and moved onto the next.

* Loathsome Axe: Forget about chopping trees with this, and go and find yourselves some heads to free from their bodies! Favored by those who like a little bit of distance between themselves and their prey, but still enjoy a little old fashioned hack and slash.

* Physical Attack: 110

* Attribute Bonus:

* Strength: D

* Skill: E

The axe itself looked badass, with a chunky iron head, a cutting edge that gleamed as though yearning for blood, and a four sided spike at the top for stabbing attacks. The wooden handle looked like it had seen years of wear, and was wrapped tightly in certain spots with crusted bandages. I was tempted to pick it right away, but I was a curious gamer, and had to at least check out the other options.

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* Bone of a Great One: A caster’s bread and butter, carved from the femur bone (or is it a rib?) of a Great One. It feels strange to the touch, as though a minor electrical current runs through its marrow.

* Magical Attack: 80

* Attribute Bonus:

* Intellect: C

“Pssh,” I scoffed, hanging it back on its pegs. “Spells are for pussies.” I felt the same way about magic in MMOs as I felt about snipers in FPS. Where was the fun in standing back at a distance? I liked getting in there and getting my hands dirty—or bloody.

* Mortician’s Scalpel: Razor sharp blade used by Morticians when dissecting a body. It is said that sane men went mad once they felt the sweet cutting sensations of steel flaying open the flesh of a recently diseased corpse.

* Physical Attack: 82

* Attribute Bonus:

* Strength: D

* Skill: C

Gruesome, I thought, setting it back on the wall. It was obviously a very close-range weapon, but I’d chosen to be a Meat Sack, and as a result, was sporting the lowest amount of HP in the game. It would probably be better to pick the Loathsome Axe so I could fight at medium range. Plus, it looked way cooler.

I grabbed it off the wall, opened my character sheet and saw the icon in my inventory. Using two fingers, I dragged and dropped it into my main hand weapon slot and heard a satisfying metallic click as it equipped.

The axe felt solid and natural in my hand. Its handle was long enough that I could rest it on the floor and the blade would be at about shoulder level, but it was light enough that I could choke up and wield it with one hand. I gave it a few practice swings to get the feel.

“Awesome,” I said to myself, and was about to turn back to The Princess, when I saw another rack of weapons on the wall to my right.

Oh, Hell yeah, I thought as I eyed the three guns. Another one of Mizaguchi’s genre breaking conventions, Blood Seekers included firearms. From what I gathered, they were primarily used as off-hand weapons as a method of riposting, interrupting an enemy’s attack and leaving them open to a strong counter. Riposting required impeccable timing and high skill, which of course meant it was something I was determined to master.

They looked antiquated, like something from hundreds of years ago, their bodies wooden and their metal fittings faded gold and bronze. The first was a rifle with a chestnut colored stock and a long black barrel. I examined it.

* Winchester:

* Ranged Attack: “The gun that won the West!” Lever-action repeating rifle favored by those who like to stand back and pick ‘em off from a distance! Long range. Requires both hands. Single shot. 10 round magazines. No riposte.

* Ranged Attack: 83

* Attribute Bonus:

* Viletaint: C

So that’s what Viletaint is for, I realized. Skill and Strength were the melee scaling skills, and Viletaint was for ranged weapons.

“No riposte and sniper bullshit?” I scoffed, replacing the Winchester on the wall. “No thank you!” Next up was a dark steel revolver with a heavy wooden handle, intricately carved skulls forming the gnarled grip.

* Six Shooter: When your back’s against the wall, a trusty revolver will never fail you. Never jams, quick loading and packs a wallop. Medium range. Medium riposte.

* Ranged Damage: 45

* Attribute Bonus:

* Viletaint: C

“Not bad, not bad,” I mused, setting it back on the wall, but the remaining gun had my attention for some reason. It wasn’t like any firearm I’d ever seen. It was hefty, thicker than the Winchester and the Six Shooter, but stubby like a sawed off shotgun. Its thick black barrel sat atop a full block of rich, coffee colored wood, and flared out at the end like a trumpet.

* Archaic Blunderbuss: If you’re looking for long range, forget the Blunderbuss. But if you need to pack a whack at very close range, this puppy is for you! Anything beyond a few feet though and you’re screwed. Forget about all that aiming nonsense, just point in the general direction and squeeze! Guaranteed results every time. High spread. High riposte.

* Ranged Damage: 55 (-20% per foot away from target)

* Attribute Bonus:

* Viletaint: D

That’s the one, I thought as I opened my character sheet and dragged it over to my off-hand slot. The same satisfying metallic click rang out as I brandished the gun, and a stack of bullets appeared in my inventory: Blunder Slugs—More than just your average musket ball!

“Damn, this game is great,” I said, spinning the Blunderbuss around my index finger like a lone gunslinger would do after dispatching a crew of bandits intent on his destruction.

Gun and axe in hand, finally feeling confident, I turned around and strode back into The Princess’ room where she stood waiting. I felt a strange attraction to her, and wondered if that was Mizaguchi toying with us boy-gamers, presenting us with a beautiful girl right after sending a Ravenous Beast to tear us to pieces. Maybe she was about to stab me in the back and send me on my way with absolutely nothing?

“Seeker,” she said softly. “I see you have chosen. The time has come for you to pursue your destiny.”

The Princess took a swift step towards me and raised both hands to my cheeks. Her eyes were sad, as though she pitied me for some reason. I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could get a word out, a silver glow swept out from her hands and enveloped my body. I felt something tugging at my insides, like the secret machinery of the universe pulling me away through a dimensional curtain.

“Farewell, good Seeker,” The Princess cooed as the world morphed and swelled with darkness. “May the path of the blood favor you.”

And with one final tug, I felt myself whisked away to somewhere unknown.