Birch Castle, why are you so far away?

After I get out of the Five Roses Keep, I immediately book it out of the area before Lenard and Finn appear, and hours seem to pass as I roam around the forest that surrounds the keep. It’s thick with deciduous trees, hazel and blueberry bushes, and avoiding the far-off sounds of what I can only assume are hostile mobs takes precedence over finding my way. While I don’t end up getting so lost I run into the dungeon again, I do feel like I’m getting nowhere as the afternoon passes. But just as I’m beginning to lose hope, I see the metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel as I look over a seaside cliff; a small town sitting on the edge of a sandy bay beneath me.

It takes me almost another hour to navigate my way to the outer edge of the timber and behold the grassy plains between me and the town. When I get there, I’m greeted by a small text pop up:

Congratulations! New settlement found! 1,000 experience awarded!

Name: Tiengen

Size: Village

Fief of the guild Dark Moon, previously ruled by Kittenz With Lazerz

I laugh aloud, thinking to myself what it would be like living in a kingdom ruled by cats with lasers. An image races to my mind: a king cat upon his throne, golden and jeweled crown upon his head, and a glittering blue laser sword leaning against his seat as he bickers with the local peasants. He’s upset. Demanding the farmer pays his taxes in either coin, wet food, or butt scratches, only to be told the encroaching threat of the dark wolves of the moon have threatened the profitability of his harvests. “Meow,” The cat king says, banishing the peasant to the dungeon until he pays. Because nothing helps lift his subjects out of poverty like jail time.

Shaking the thought from my mind as I reach the outer edge of town, I take a quick glance at my surroundings. The road is dirt and grass, but packed smooth and evenly. The homes are mostly timber and thatch, other than the small brick manor up ahead. I assume that’s where King Cat’s tyrannical reign was seated, and is now home to the guild Dark Moon.

As a small caravan of horse-led wagons jostle by, I do my best to keep my head down and avoid attention. In that same manner, I turn down a side street and away from the manor. Players are running to and fro all around me, most ranging from level 5 to 25 and almost always in gear way better than mine. Tiengen is much more established than Cutter’s Cry, and taking a walk through town really gives me a chance to see what most players choose for classes. Melee is clearly the least favorite, as I only spot a few Warriors and Monks, but Ranger seems to be the most popular non-magical class.

On the side of the street, I find a shop owned and operated by an NPC named Grant. With his lack of conversation and sales pushes, I make it out in record time and with 403 less gold pieces. More than halving my gold supply sucks, but the new sword, tunic, potions, map and compass, and other camping related items I acquired may be the difference between life and death on the rest of my journey to Birch Castle. Out on the street, I start equipping and spending all of my available attribute points.

Aiden Rockwell

LV. 6 Warrior

HP: 255/255

STRENGTH: 16 (19)

FORTITUDE: 28

DEXTERITY: 15

WISDOM: 16

INTELLIGENCE:13

SWAY: 15

(LV. 3) Leather Helm: +2 ARM

(LV. 5) Warrior’s Tunic: +5 ARM

(LV. 3) Breeches: +2 ARM

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

(LV. 1) Dented Buckler: +1 ARM

(LV. 3) Warrior’s Pendant: +3 STR

Satisfied with my purchases and point allotment, I do the rough math and figure that my damage will max out at 30. I figured that my HP is high enough I should spend a little energy and gold on increasing my damage, because I don’t want to just be a damage sponge for others, I want to be able to defend myself against players like Alloy when the time comes. Thinking about him makes me realize that the green glyph of his Identify spell has faded from the back of my hand, so I assume that means that when he died he lost his ability to track me wherever I go. So here’s to hoping I never run into him again.

I set out from Tiengen with a smile on my face and a pep to my step. The map I bought is of the entire nation of Anticore, giving me the ability to see the names of towns I’ve never visited before, and of course includes the capitol Birch Castle. With my compass, I point myself south east and head out into the tall grassy plains and brew on things for a few hours.

I remember the conversation that Rin and I had towards the end of our time together. At first she was a bit of a hard-ass, but she seemed to be warming up and maybe even becoming a little friendly. I know I can trust her to help me figure out more about Libertas, but part of me hopes that she’d be willing to help figure out what to do with the threat of mutiny on the Shield. I figure I have eighteen days to find the source, and I’m not sure how I’m going to do that.

Before too long, a range of mountains are getting bigger and bigger on the horizon and two massive lakes on my left and right envelop me on a small stretch of land running between them. Based on my map, there’s supposed to be a pass between the two tallest snow-capped peaks that I can use to shorten my travel time to Birch Castle. Once on the other side, it should be a straight shot south along the seaside and I should see Birch Castle within another day.

Following the rolling hills and trail paths of wild animals, one thing that still continues to surprise me is the beauty of this game. Walking through the prairie grass underneath the bright blue sky of a late-afternoon sun, it feels like a better version of Earth. Or at least an older, more natural one, that I never got to see growing up.

In some ways, the only thing that I had back home was my sister, my father, and his shop. We never went anywhere because we couldn’t afford it, and while I did have a few friends that I do miss sincerely, nothing there ever felt quite so warm as Libertas does. Everything there was concrete, plastic, or steel. Manufactured and fabricated with precision and man-made intention, but here things seems so natural, warm, invigorating. Even the starting dungeons, as dark and hard as they were, just made it feel like living alongside nature is better than dominating it.

When the sun disappears, giving way to a stunning star-lit sky, my body begins to tire. I materialize a few things from my inventory; a tinderbox, bedroll, cooking supplies, dried grass, and a few logs of firewood. I set up my little makeshift camp and cook up a basic beef stew that warms my belly and tastes damn good.

Laying in my bedroll between the two lakes called Great Wind and Little Sister, I relax, thinking it was a good thing I stopped and bought some things. The chirping of insects, the rustle of the wind, and the heat from the fire is all the company I need, but Libertas seems to disagree when I hear the sound of something moving behind me.

From the chest-high prairie grass, a four-legged creature with smooth and hairless black skin leaps outward at me. I lurch out of the way, rolling in my bag and fumble out of it and to my feet. In the light of the fire, its red eyes are glowing menacingly as it snarls. It reminds me a lot of a dog, and by focusing on it I learn it’s name and level.

(LV 4) Starving Goblin Hound

HP: 112

This goblin mount has either escaped from home or lost its rider. It’s also hungry for your flesh.

The first thing I do is pull the sword from my sheath. It’s clear that the thing is dangerous. But having never fought one before, I don’t know if I should be defensive or aggressive. Considering it’s a ‘starving’ goblin hound, I assume that the smell of my cooking food lured it to my camp.

The monster doesn’t give me much time to think before it comes snapping. I swing before getting into range of its teeth, forcing it to lurch off to the side. To my surprise, claws unfurl as it lurches forward on two feet and swipe me across my shield arm.

The Starving Goblin Hound hits you for 27 points of damage! 228/255 HP remaining!

Wow! The hound can clearly take away good-sized chunks of my HP, and that was just a basic attack! But it’s not like I can back down and outrun it. There’s no way the game would throw a monster at me that I couldn’t handle, right?

It leaps at me again, snarling and biting at the air faster than I can get a swing in. Instinctively, I hold up my shield and activate my new ability Imbue Shield. Even though the dog bites my forearm, my ability still increases my defense and lowers the amount of damage I take.

The Starving Goblin Hound hits you for 18 points of damage! 210/255 HP remaining!

While it’s latched to my arm, I manage to shove it backwards, toppling it over onto its back for a fraction of a second. On quick feet, I leap myself forward, and strike down on its belly.

You hit the Starving Goblin Hound for 22 points of damage!

Damn! I still wish I could hit harder. Part of me would rather quickly dispatch things than have a big pool of HP to soak up my mistakes. But, then again, Rin and the others need a tank, not a damage dealer, so I guess I have to suck it up if I want to be a part of their group.

I wonder if patience and slow, careful movements to avoid the Goblin Hound are going to be my key to victory here, so I focus all of my attention on waiting for it to strike, avoiding it, and retaliating. While I don’t always hit it, I do find myself dealing more damage than I am taking. In fact, I wonder if this is how I should approach almost every fight. Just because that my tank doesn’t mean I can’t do a little damage. I just have to be cautious and always alert.

Within another minute, I deal the final strike that takes the beast down. It whimpers and falls over before slowly disappearing.

You defeated the Starving Goblin Hound and gain 1,250 experience points!

You obtain a Goblin Hound’s Eye.

While it’s a little weird I got it’s eye, I don’t think much about it beyond and assume it’s a crafting item. The game’s fatigue has taken on a whole new level. My arms and legs feel like jelly, so I make my way back to my bedroll in the hopes that was the only thing I’ll encounter the rest of the night. Sleep comes quickly, and when I wake up the sun is just coming over the lake to my east.

Within a half an hour I wake all the way up, pack up my little camp, and head out. The narrow strip of land between the lakes becomes more reeds than prairie grass after awhile, and the ground seems to be a lot softer and wetter. I figure maybe only twenty people could travel this way shoulder to shoulder without getting wet, but before mid-morning even hits I’m climbing my way up the base of the mountains.

There are signs carved out of wood that point my way to up the pass between the mountains, so that helps. Trees become an occasional sight, and before long I’m walking amongst shaggy goats that leap from boulder to boulder. I think about trying to take one out just to see how much experience they might give me, or maybe to see if they drop valuable hides, but decide against it. Getting to Rin is more important right now.

By mid-afternoon, I’ve cleared the mountain range and reached the eastern seaside cliffs. I’m now looking out at the edge of the world of Libertas. While there aren’t any ships in my sight, I do know that they exist out there, somewhere, and I wonder if Libertas is flat, with an invisible barrier that keeps you from going on and on, or if sea travel can take you around the globe.

The wind carries the same smell as a real ocean, and soon flocks of white seagulls are soaring above me. Even though I’m tired, I press on after a short break. And sure enough, by the end of the day, I spot city walls between the narrowing mountain range and the cliff edge that overhangs the sea.

The name Birch Castle has very little to do with what it’s made out of. Most of it is made out of pale stone boulders that have rolled down the mountains, either naturally or intentionally, and mortared into a wall. Pretty cool. The front gates are wide and protected by towers that must be at least 50 feet high with catapults behind the parapets.

Upon approaching the gatehouse, a guard approaches me and holds out his hand, telling me to stop. I do as he says, and tell them why am visiting Birch Castle. And it isn’t until then that I realize that this person isn’t a player, it’s an NPC having a full-fledged conversation with me. He tries to refer me to the local tavern, so I assume the game wants to give me a lead. And even though I’m not here for the main storyline, I tell them that’ll go there, but secretly I just want to look for Rin.

I realize something as I walk between rows of stone houses. Since the guards at the gate weren’t players and how I didn’t see a name appear when I entered town, this place must not be owned by any Guild. It makes sense that a capitol city in the main storyline of the game is independent and uncontrolled by players.

When the tavern is in sight, the wafting smell of cooking fish brings me to a dead stop. Even though I don’t need to eat again, or at all, the smell of it is irresistible. I take a little detour, veering off to the right of an open square where a handful of market stands await me. Before I get too far into the crowd, a distant call of a familiar voice catches my attention.

“Hey there, greeny!”

Standing there, leaning against a wooden stall, is Rin. Parting the veil of sheen black hair that hides her gorgeous violet eyes and tucking it behind her ears, she smiles and waves at me. In a stupor, I pause and stare, but only for a moment when she takes a bite out of a red apple, then motions for me to join her.