Something only a portion of the beta testers likely know at this point - and the misunderstanding that I am one is something I fully intend to abuse for the sake of not having to explain myself - is that you can petition whatever divine being has been assigned as your Guide for the birthing of a suitable vessel for some additional assistance.

What the Newborn often fail to catch is that these entities are a part of the game world they're about to play in, writing them off as tutorial NPCs that you'll never interact with again. Which for some of the less sociable Guides on the lowest rungs of authority, might hold true for a lot of players. Gods born of high-level AI or not, they have limited attention spans and a lot of work to get through every day, even when they're not being conscripted by the devs to be Guides.

Usually, this Guidance takes the form of some friendly pointers or a small, temporary buff. That much would be useful on its own, but I'm already very familiar with Jannis from my previous life, as she falls into the proactive category of divine existences and has a soft spot for us Ignorant - those of us who strive to be better than we were yesterday. It's pretty much her core philosophy as the Goddess of Duelists and the reason why she's a battle crazed sadist.

"More specifically, I wish to be acknowledged as one of your Blades."

If the Presence she was leaking before was oppressive, my statement just now makes it seem like a light breeze compared to the ocean trench I've just been dumped into. If I was on Merrow right now, I'd simply cease to exist under the deluge of her unrestrained Presence.

"How do you know of my Blades, Newborn?" Her voice is cold, and is layered with the authority of her divinity, demanding swift, obedient truth.

"All those of power possess...disciples and agents among The Ignorant, milady. You are no different in that regard. As for the source of my knowledge..."

I take a deep breath, hard as it is, "I need assurance of secrecy before I give an answer."

Jannis' eyes narrow, scanning me up and down for falsehood, "You have it, but if you waste this boon on frivolity, you will know my displeasure."

The pressure lessens a little, but I can still feel it beneath a subtle cage of restraint.

"I experienced the Eclipse, and was found unworthy," I tell her, "Though I can't explain further, and I'll thank you not to ask."

Slowly, her Presence retreats, and the goddess falls into deep contemplation, retaking her seat.

"You claim this as truth? Ridiculous," She spits, grinding her teeth together as she struggles to reconcile the information with what she knows to be fact. Fortunately, a player as lowly as I cannot lie and expect her to believe it, so she's left either questioning my sanity or accepting it at face value.

This is honestly a huge gamble, and not something I plan to admit lightly to anybody in future.

But as I already said: I know Jannis.

In my previous life, I was also granted the privilege of being acknowledged as one of her disciples, but that was years in the relative future after my third class evolution caught her attention. I don't have that kind of time to waste, though it'd certainly be faster this go around.

The boons she granted me weren't enough to beat The Harbinger in the end, but she was a good mentor and ally. That I got as far as I did is in large part thanks to her consideration and training. If I can't trust her, then I can't trust anybody.

"Putting the authenticity of your claim aside, I would like to know what gives a Newborn the confidence to qualify for such a position," Jannis eventually relents.

"By the stalwart strength of my sword arm and the burning ambition contained in my heart to never suffer my own weakness, I claim this right," I answer without a hint of irony, staring back unflinching.

Jannis laughs heartily, slapping the table with enough force to make the area tremble, "Good! EXCELLENT! You've got real stones, boy! I like that. Then I would have you prove it."

I nod, having already expected this. With Jannis, sooner or later everything comes down to a fight. Everything.

I blink, then find myself in a familiar dusty yard, about fifteen yards behind a cosy stone cabin, surrounded by evergreen-style trees with mix of yellow and orange foliage. To one side of the rectangular yard, is several racks and barrels of weaponry, and a few disorganised piles of random training related junk that Jannis can't be bothered to tidy up.

Taking the hint, I amble over to the training materials, looking for something altogether nostalgic - a two-handed wooden training sword almost as tall as I am.

"Ahh, a strange choice for a novice, or perhaps you're enamoured by the size?" Jannis barks a laugh at her own crass little joke, but I pay the ribbing no mind, to her disappointment. Maybe I would have been embarrassed or indignant thirty years ago, but I'm not about to give her the satisfaction of so much as a blush.

Taking a moment to admire the subtle carpentry genius with the benefit of experience, I grimace, memories of the 'gentle' training I had to endure with this accursed thing as my lone partner.

Hefting the long blade onto my shoulder, I walk back over, trying to ignore the sense of disconnect I feel with my motions. The poor controls are going to be a bastard of a handicap for this, but I've little choice but to muddle through. Even a quarter of my former dexterity should be plenty to prove my potential as a disciple, though convincing her to not force me to stay with her for training might take a bit of doing.

Recalling my training and experiences, I still my anxiety. Pushing it aside and focusing on the matter at hand. It's like slipping into a comfy pair of shoes. My body moves into form without needing to think about it, trained, practiced and sublimated into my being.

I look straight at Jannis, unblinking and battle-ready.

She squints back, "That form looks familiar. A bit rough though."

"As it should," I respond hollowly, neglecting to elaborate.

Still curious, she manifests a perfect duplicate of my weapon, and adopts the same stance, though with far greater ease, "Last chance to back out."

 

I grunt impatiently, "I'm ready."

 

 

I ignore the quest pop-up as a pointless distraction. I'm not worried about failing.

"Then let's begin," Jannis states, immediately following up with a simple easy to follow thrust meant to probe my reactions.

I respond with a side step and a thrust of my own, aimed low at her stomach, meeting a parry from her blade on the backstroke that she takes as an opportunity to step further into my 'territory'.

All weapons have an optimal range of optimal area of operation that Jannis calls 'territory'. Within this range, that weapon is king, and outside it is nought but a peasant. By moving further into it, you can likewise threaten the king, making weapons that rely on a longer reach awkward to leverage. It's a move that would spell the end of any novice that fails to respond.

Ignoring her provocation, I step back, and assume a different form, meant to deter close range strikes, blade tip pointed low and away from my retreating body.

I see a twinge of delight on Jannis' face, followed by a familiar bloodlust. Shit. I must've overexcited her.

Dropping all pretence of slow build-up, Jannis grips her sword hard with both hands and swings wildly with a manic grin plastered across her face. Each savage slash, cut and thrust belies a measured lethality at the core of her actions. Not the tactics of a berserker, but a master who knows exactly how to pressure an opponent with overwhelming skill and force.

Responding is far more of a challenge than it should be with the handicap in place, but it's clear she's holding back enough to allow me to fight back in spite of it. But with each successful retort, she ever-so-slightly picks up the pace, searching for my upper limit.

Inevitably, I fail to react to a feint, and the brutal riposte rips the training sword out of my hands after who knows how many moves.

I gasp for air, my arms shaking from the exertion, then bow deeply. Jannis responds in kind, though without any outward evidence that she taxed herself, looking for all the world like she just woke up from a pleasant nap.

"You have a solid foundation for swordplay, though you've still a long ways to go before you're a match for me at my best," Jannis praises me, a wide goofy grin radiating sunshine, "Can't say I know where you picked up my Stalwart Duellist Style, though. That's what bothers me more than anything. Still, I wasn't expecting you to last ten strikes, let alone a hundred."

 

 

"As I said, I cannot explain further at this time. May I hear your decision?"

Jannis snorts, "As if you didn't already know. Yes, you pass."

Jannis discards her conjured blade, and approaches me with an easygoing smile, replacing it with a translucent greatsword and stabbing it through my chest without the slightest resistance or pain. The construct diffuses into my Vessel as though the impalement were an illusion.

 

 

Hm. A little different from my old Gold Tier title 'Chosen Blade' which added a small chance to receive advice from Jannis while practising swordplay. I have to admit a bit of excitement, given that Astral is the highest tier of rarity and difficulty.

As my first and only title, it's automatically activated.

"As much as I'd like to keep you here for training, I'm already pushing my luck, and I've a lot more Newborn to assist before the day's out, so you'll have to forgive me for not rewarding you in full," Jannis apologises with a slight bow when an idea occurs to her, "But when you reach your tenth level, go to one of my shrines. I'll leave a suitable gift for you."

 

 

Hm. No immediate benefits, but a reward for overachieving at an Astral-tier quest will be something truly special. If it's at Level 10, in fact, it probably has something to do with The First Step - otherwise known as the first class promotion, where players start to specialise in their own unique ways.

"If you're running short on time, then I'd like to be sent to Meteo City," I walk over to where my blade fell and put it back in its barrel.

Jannis gives me another curious look, "Meteo City? Not the frontiers of Panopla?"

I shake my head, recalling one of our old conversations, "A blade without a cause is brittle, and a swordsman without good steel is worth less than dirt. I don't need to hone my blade on mindless beasts, I need a place to call home and people to share it with. I can walk the wilds and find discarded blades aplenty, but...few friends."

She smiles in understanding, "Wise words, my Blade. You truly are full of surprises, aren't you? Hah, and I thought today was going to be boring! This is good, this is very good!

Jannis' head snaps back, and the Goddess devolves into manic cackling, clapping her hands together vigorously in an uneven rhythm.

As it peters out, a pillar of light engulfs me, a pulling sensation grasping at me from all angles soon follows, the preamble to teleportation magic.

As I fade away into the bright light, I hear Jannis call out in my mind all too clearly, "I'll be keeping a close eye on you, my Blade. Don't disappoint me!"