[PP-F06] {Xena's Quest for a familiar} (Feeding Your Enemy)

[Xena 0]

The warp pad had activated on floor 6 of the floating castle. Out of the glowing light came a short girl in a green cloak, upon her hands were two gauntlets with sharpened ends designed to aid in climbing and for scratching at things. As she stepped into the air she breathed a large sigh. She had been on floor 1 for what felt like the better part of a century, she hadn't kept too much track of time, but it had definitely been a few years. Her shop, a info broker store, was relatively unknown, but she had a few customers, the most recent being one with details on the familiar quest. One Xena has cared about for a while but hasn't had much luck getting any information about. This specific customer had sold her the info for relatively cheap, supposedly the quest NPC was on this floor, or at the very least had been spotted her relatively recently. Xena had no real spotting skills, so she decided earlier before even warping to this floor to call in a favor from a friend, in all honesty she was rather nervous about the whole situation. It had to of been at least a entire year since she had last seen the man, she wondered if he'd still be a funny as he used to be. He was always easily embarrassed or teased, she made a shrug as she breathed in the jungle air. Walking over to a tree she dug her clawed hand into it catching it rather easily, she proceeded to climb it up to a sturdy looking branch that loomed over the teleport pad. These low level floors very rarely had players anymore, everyone was always up at the most recently unlocked floors, supposedly the most recent one that had been unlocked was 27, though not much info had returned from the frontlines about it. Xena pulled her hood up holding a hand infront of her face specifically looking at the claw part of her gauntlets, it felt off for some reason. She simply held her index finger in her other hand pushing on it from both sides, somewhat stretching the muscle in that hand. Thankfully the claws didn't get in the way of that. She laid back against the branch quietly, she honestly felt at peace in this environment. Almost like a tiger laying in a tree waiting to pounce on her prey. The sounds of the jungle around her were also calming, the rush of water, the tweets of birds. And the wind, it felt so life like and nice, it was somewhat, vexing, the area felt too perfect. Almost like something would jump out at her at any moment, and she wouldn't of heard it at all. Glancing towards the teleport pad, it hadn't activated yet, so she simply stared at it. Maybe she'd pounce on her friend when they came through, could be a good laugh for the two of them. Or it could upset him, which would be saddening for her as it would of simply been a joke on her end.


Xena | HP: 80/80 | EN: 26/26 | DMG: 7 | MIT: 6 | BLD: 12 | REC: 2
 

Spoiler

Xena,
Level: 4
Paragon Level: 0
HP: 80/80
EN: 26/26

Stats:
Damage: 7
Mitigation: 6
BLD: 12
REC: 2

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Panther Claw's
Armor: Panther Cloth Armor
Misc: Vanity [No Stats}

Custom Skill:


Skills:
Claws R3

Active Mods:

Inactive Mods:

Addons:

Active Extra Skills:

Inactive Extra Skills:

Battle Ready Inventory:
Starter Healing Potions (50 HP) x3

Housing Buffs:

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild:

Wedding Ring:

 

Edited February 8, 2022 by Xeno

[Freyd 0]

The message was so unexpected that Freyd struggled to believe that it was even authentic.  He and Xena had shared more than a few frantic adventures in their early days, until that incident with the boars had triggered his paranoia so bad that he'd nearly had a breakdown in the process.  If that guard hadn't... if Marv hadn't saved him.  Well, he'd be a nothing but a pile of pixels in the wind now, wouldn't he?  They'd parted ways after that, but not because he'd wanted to.  Freyd was afraid.  No.  Crippled, but by scars they ran straight through his psyche.  Sitting in a sparsely decorated study surrounded by several dozen open UI windows and a smattering of assorted items gathered from all over the castle, doubt insinuated itself.  She had to be dead, by now.  Or, perhaps this was some other ruse spawned by any number of vendettas, real or imagined.  Firm Anima had no shortage of enemies.  His role within the guild ensured that he'd have an order of magnitude more just from personal grudges, and he was fine with that.  But he also knew that their enemies were ruthlessly cunning and not at all beyond willing to manipulate or imitate old colleagues when baiting their ridiculous little traps.

Caution was required, and a little insight.  Peering beyond the flickering haze of light coming from the luminous bobble he'd installed on the ceiling, the Whisper's gaze stretched into the shadows beyond, and then through them.  She was alive, and sitting in Krycim.  The edge of his lips curled at the thought that she might finally have sought out taller grass to hide in.  Another memory intruded.  Turning, Freyd pressed a finger against one of dozens of unmarked drawers laid out in an immense carousel that would make a UPS store proud.  No research or ledger check was needed.  He knew the one.  It had been sitting, collecting dust for years now.  If it was truly Xena, she would know its meaning.

A crack of crystal and a flash brought him to a small shop he'd once frequented on the outskirts of town.  A quick wave and tossing of col ensured that his arrival would remain unannounced.  Much had changed since they'd last seen each other.  He had changed, for worse, then better again, he hoped.  

'Will she see that?'  He wondered to himself.

No effort was required to climb the tree, and his tracking skills revealed her position with ease.  Like the jungle cats she once so favoured, he'd climbed up behind her and sat watching patiently for awhile, just to see if it was her, and what she would do.

***

Freyd | HP: 1080/1080 | EN: 142/142 | DMG: 24 | MIT: 78 | EVA: 2 | ACC: 4 | BH: 59 | LD: 5 | AA | BLGT: 32 | P.V.O | REC: 8 | STK: 40

Full Stats:

Spoiler

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadow
Level: 32
Paragon Level: 102
HP: 1080/1080
EN: 142/142

Stats:
Damage: 24
Mitigation: 78
Evasion: 2
Accuracy: 4
Battle Healing: 59
Loot Dice: 5
AA
BLGT: 32
P.V.O
REC: 8
STK: 40

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: The Thing Behind All Lies (T4 MA | AA | Stk | Blgt | PV (O) )
Armor: Fallen Angel Garb (T4 LA | Mit 2 | Rec 2)
Misc: Fight O'er Flight (T4 Trinket - ACC 2 | EVA 2)

Custom Skill:


Skills:
Martial Arts R5
Battle Healing R5
Light Armor R5
Searching R4
Charge
Energist
Quick Change
Extended Mod Limit

Active Mods:
Night Vision
Tracking
Meticulous
Untraceable

Inactive Mods:

Addons:
Ferocity
Precision
Resolve
Reveal
Stamina

Active Extra Skills:
Disguise
Survival
Forgotten King’s Authority
Hiding R5

Inactive Extra Skills:
Meditation
Brawler
Photosynthesize

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystals x7
Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+30*T HP) x7
Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+30*T HP) x7
Crystal of Divine Light (Reusable) x1
Rhino's Horn (Reusable) x1
Hmr.Pk: Samael's Pride x1

Housing Buffs:
Rested: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Delicious: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Skylight (Searching): +1 Rank to the Searching skill.
Angler: +1 material gained when fishing
Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [0/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Decor [Potted Tanabata Bamboo Tree]: This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.

Guild Hall Buffs:
Lucrative: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters receive +1 crafting attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters receive +2 crafting attempts per day.
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild:
Kumatetsu Statue: +1 Base Damage for a thread

Wedding Ring: n/a

 

[Xena 0]

20 minutes ago, Freyd said:

The message was so unexpected that Freyd struggled to believe that it was even authentic.  He and Xena had shared more than a few frantic adventures in their early days, until that incident with the boars had triggered his paranoia so bad that he'd nearly had a breakdown in the process.  If that guard hadn't... if Marv hadn't saved him.  Well, he'd be a nothing but a pile of pixels in the wind now, wouldn't he?  They'd parted ways after that, but not because he'd wanted to.  Freyd was afraid.  No.  Crippled, but by scars they ran straight through his psyche.  Sitting in a sparsely decorated study surrounded by several dozen open UI windows and a smattering of assorted items gathered from all over the castle, doubt insinuated itself.  She had to be dead, by now.  Or, perhaps this was some other ruse spawned by any number of vendettas, real or imagined.  Firm Anima had no shortage of enemies.  His role within the guild ensured that he'd have an order of magnitude more just from personal grudges, and he was fine with that.  But he also knew that their enemies were ruthlessly cunning and not at all beyond willing to manipulate or imitate old colleagues when baiting their ridiculous little traps.

Caution was required, and a little insight.  Peering beyond the flickering haze of light coming from the luminous bobble he'd installed on the ceiling, the Whisper's gaze stretched into the shadows beyond, and then through them.  She was alive, and sitting in Krycim.  The edge of his lips curled at the thought that she might finally have sought out taller grass to hide in.  Another memory intruded.  Turning, Freyd pressed a finger against one of dozens of unmarked drawers laid out in an immense carousel that would make a UPS store proud.  No research or ledger check was needed.  He knew the one.  It had been sitting, collecting dust for years now.  If it was truly Xena, she would know its meaning.

A crack of crystal and a flash brought him to a small shop he'd once frequented on the outskirts of town.  A quick wave and tossing of col ensured that his arrival would remain unannounced.  Much had changed since they'd last seen each other.  He had changed, for worse, then better again, he hoped.  

'Will she see that?'  He wondered to himself.

No effort was required to climb the tree, and his tracking skills revealed her position with ease.  Like the jungle cats she once so favoured, he'd climbed up behind her and sat watching patiently for awhile, just to see if it was her, and what she would do.

***

Freyd | HP: 1080/1080 | EN: 142/142 | DMG: 24 | MIT: 78 | EVA: 2 | ACC: 4 | BH: 59 | LD: 5 | AA | BLGT: 32 | P.V.O | REC: 8 | STK: 40

Full Stats:

  Reveal hidden contents

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadow
Level: 32
Paragon Level: 102
HP: 1080/1080
EN: 142/142

Stats:
Damage: 24
Mitigation: 78
Evasion: 2
Accuracy: 4
Battle Healing: 59
Loot Dice: 5
AA
BLGT: 32
P.V.O
REC: 8
STK: 40

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: The Thing Behind All Lies (T4 MA | AA | Stk | Blgt | PV (O) )
Armor: Fallen Angel Garb (T4 LA | Mit 2 | Rec 2)
Misc: Fight O'er Flight (T4 Trinket - ACC 2 | EVA 2)

Custom Skill:


Skills:
Martial Arts R5
Battle Healing R5
Light Armor R5
Searching R4
Charge
Energist
Quick Change
Extended Mod Limit

Active Mods:
Night Vision
Tracking
Meticulous
Untraceable

Inactive Mods:

Addons:
Ferocity
Precision
Resolve
Reveal
Stamina

Active Extra Skills:
Disguise
Survival
Forgotten King’s Authority
Hiding R5

Inactive Extra Skills:
Meditation
Brawler
Photosynthesize

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystals x7
Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+30*T HP) x7
Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+30*T HP) x7
Crystal of Divine Light (Reusable) x1
Rhino's Horn (Reusable) x1
Hmr.Pk: Samael's Pride x1

Housing Buffs:
Rested: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Delicious: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Skylight (Searching): +1 Rank to the Searching skill.
Angler: +1 material gained when fishing
Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [0/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Decor [Potted Tanabata Bamboo Tree]: This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.

Guild Hall Buffs:
Lucrative: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters receive +1 crafting attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters receive +2 crafting attempts per day.
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild:
Kumatetsu Statue: +1 Base Damage for a thread

Wedding Ring: n/a

 

Xena was in her menu by the time Freyd had arrived at her location. His sneak skills vastly outweighed any search skills she had, which were none. She had completely stopped farming for, well. A good long while, she simply broke down after the incident. She truly broke down completely, as soon as she had made it back to her shop back then she had collapsed onto the floor and just laughed and cried till she couldn't anymore. That was how she dealt with grief, and to some, they may call her psychotic, she had pushed a button making a potion form in her gauntletted hand, careful not to scratch the bottle she looked at it, she had then pulled out a small black book, setting the potion in front of her she flipped through the pages to find where she had written the location she got that potion from. It could of been any number of alchemist, but this one was special. This one was from the first quest she and freyd did together, she smirked. He was so upset at that tax collector, if she hadn't whacked him on the back they might not of gotten that quest. She then frowned, the quest just after that was when everything went wrong. Taking the potion back it vanished into a burst of crystals returning to her inventory and she placed the small book back into her cloak. The cloak itself was new, she had recently gotten it due to a anonymous tip about a good tailor on another floor. It was cold but, she supposed it was worth it, the shirt and pants were nice and form fitting and the cloak was warm and soft, while also being able to blend in with the forest. Not that conventional hiding would work in Aincrad. It might of if you and the person you hid from had no search and hide skills, but even a low level search skill would reveal you. Pulling her hood down her orange and gold hair got caught in the breeze almost immediately, it felt nice. Cool even, she still couldn't help but feel vexed though, she knew players didn't frequent these locations but. What if someone did decide to try to sneak up on her, with her level she wouldn't stand a chance. But, it was a risk she was willing to take she supposed, besides, who would try to sneak up on he- as she looked to her side to see a black figure sitting directly behind her, she almost didn't even notice. Then she did, and practically fell out of the tree hanging on only from slamming a claw into the branch. She winced feeling a tingle in her elbow, as if it wasn't ready to feel her weight being forced on it. But it didn't hurt in reality, this game wasn't programmed for pain to feel like it should. Looking at the figure more properly, she didn't really recognize them, they seemed to just sit there though, and Xena didn't exactly know how to react. Her hand wasn't about to pull herself closer to them, and she could let go on a dime if he decided to rush her. So the decision was left to this mysterious figure she couldn't recognize, she couldn't even see his health bar from this angle which was somewhat concerning.


Xena | HP: 80/80 | EN: 26/26 | DMG: 7 | MIT: 6 | BLD: 12 | REC: 2

 

Spoiler

Xena,
Level: 4
Paragon Level: 0
HP: 80/80
EN: 26/26

Stats:
Damage: 7
Mitigation: 6
BLD: 12
REC: 2

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Panther Claw's
Armor: Panther Cloth Armor
Misc: Vanity [No Stats}

Custom Skill:


Skills:
Claws R3

Active Mods:

Inactive Mods:

Addons:

Active Extra Skills:

Inactive Extra Skills:

Battle Ready Inventory:
Starter Healing Potions (50 HP) x3

Housing Buffs:

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild:

Wedding Ring:

 

Edited February 8, 2022 by Xeno

[Freyd 0]

The figure tilted its cowl-covered head in an oddly puppy-like gesture, like a hound struggling to make sense of its quarry's odd behaviour.  Under different circumstances, she might have imagined a pair of big floppy beagle ears dangling from either side, but her current predicament was considerably less conducive to imagining phone app dress-up skins.  

"Well, you're still nimble, but you spook worse than I recall."  The voice was spot on for Freyd.  As he leaned forward, a few stray beams of light managed to pierce the canopy and illuminate enough of his face for a proper look.  It was definitely him, but there was a veneer of age and weariness over him - that sort of air of competence and responsibility you can just feel from certain people.  And his gear was min, though his sense of style hadn't improved much, but at least the quality was way better.

"You're also not dead, so that's a relief.  Brokers don't exactly have the greatest life expectancy in this game."  His tone was playful and amused.  Reaching down, he grasped her forearm above her blades, and pulled her up to his branch with the strength of a single arm, settling her easily by his side.  Blue eyes accustomed to a harsher mien looked her up and down, as if trying to reassure themselves that she was truly who she appeared.

"It's been a very long time," he added, softly, pensively, and with a slight hint of a smile.  The words spoke silently of how much had happened since they last saw each other, without getting into the details.

"How've you been, old friend?"

[Xena 0]

As her small and slim body swayed under its own weight, the wind blowing it from side to side, the digital tree could be very fluently seen dented by the clawed marks she had left, her reflex's were like a cats thankfully, managing to have saved her from one hell of a fall, landing on her feet wouldn't of helped either, it'd of likely broken her legs, if that were even possible in this game. Examining the player, they looked playful, as if this was merely a joking jester, it seems the jump had been sprung on her, instead of the other way around. She herself hadn't changed much physically, aside from swapping from claws that extended from the forearm to claws embedded into gauntlets, they were very clearly useful, had she been using normal claws they'd of just chopped the branch in half most likely. Funnily enough, as she looked at the figure, the aura he gave off didn't even spook her anymore. As if the initial fright was of just the suddenness of it all, her red eye's innocent in appearance, simply continued to watch the figure, until they finally decided to speak, and that was when all sense of worry faded, she didn't remember his voice entirely well but, it was something you could remember even if you felt you'd all but forgotten it, he joked, funnily enough at her peril. As she hung from the tree a good 20 too 26 feet in the air, the only cushion she'd find was her own butt and maybe a pile of leaf's, but Xena had ignored that smiling, it was the kind of joyful smile you wouldn't expect in SAO, the kind of smile as if they knew everything would be alright. The figure then finally leaned forward until the light had reached his face, which had brought Xena's face to a resting one, perhaps one of minor concern, from her POV it seemed the time that had passed had physically aged and likely mentally aged him. He seemed much more serious, though certainly seemed eager to tease and joke at her, like she had him all that time ago. He had then commented on the fate of most brokers and the surprise that she was even alive, tell her about it, she already had been handed her own amount of threats. With a playful roll of the eyes from his comments she simply tried to pull herself up her arm struggling, only to find that she seriously could not do that with one arm whatsoever,,And with a struggle that could only be defined as pathetically adorable she felt her fore arm get grabbed through the gauntlet. As she got pulled up effortlessly, being sat next to them Xena herself seemed embarrassed, certainly a much more reserved personality sense the beginning, by now she would of likely cracked a joke, or did something that she'd define as funny, but right now she just felt pure embarrassment. She had originally planned to get that jump on him but, it seemed it happened the other way around this time. She simply paused, and with the words its had been a long time, and how was she, she simply and suddenly embraced them. "I'm... so happy you're ok..." She had tried her best to avoid doing this, with plans of jumping out and spooking him, and then casually commenting she was happy he was ok. But, now that it had gotten to such a serious reunion so quickly, she just couldn't help herself. "I'm so sorry I never tried to contact you I just... I was hurting so much..." Commenting on her own guilt for just leaving without a trace, she kept her head pressed against his chest not wanting to make eye contact, though if he were to push her away she wouldn't resist at all, personal space is personal space after all, no matter how emotional a reunion this was. She barely knew much about what happened to Freyd after the two split, she wasn't even aware he was so high leveled, this was almost entirely due to, well, Xena never checking her friendslist, out of a extreme fear, that when she checked she'd find his name grayed out. The sign of death, one Xena just wasn't willing to face, not until early today. And even then it had taken her entire will power to check, and even more to send a single message. "I, I shouldn't of vanished like i did, I... I should of said something..." She had basically just repeated the same thing, it was all she could say. She even stuttered, her quiet voice barely audible in the windy loud jungle. She had said all that with a quiet tone of fear and regret, one unlike her in the past, as she had always been the confident one ready to jump into anything head first, but over the time she had spent in this game, the threats of danger and death, they had forced the personality to get bottled away, and become a more reserved one. One that fears the inevitable, and all it took was a single bad experience, but now, everything just might end up alright. 

Edited February 8, 2022 by Xeno

[Freyd 0]

Freyd laughed, one of the really solid kind that barreled right down through your chest.  Mirth seemed a better description of his reaction.  

"I don't know why you feel the need to apologize.  I'm the one who nearly got killed by those boars.  Who knew they could be so lethal?  It's really kinda weird."  

His reaction faded, but still left a smile upon his face, largely nondescript and easily forgotten in a crowd.  Freyd wasn't handsome, like so many players in the game made themselves out to be.  Despite his penchant for disguise and trickery, he was actually more forthright than most people ever realized.  He just preferred to seem mysterious as a means of maintaining safe distance.  But here was an old friend - his oldest, most unexpected friend - clinging to him with unexpected sorrow in her eyes. 

'What do people do in these circumstances,' he wondered internally?  Having never been a people person, and after spending so long trapped in the prison of his own mind, he truly wasn't sure. She's surely felt him stiffen at the unexpected closeness. Worried that hesitation would send the wrong signals, he gently wrapped a hand around her and patted her back.  His attire would be largely unfamiliar to her, compared to the last time they'd met.  Gone was the tattered woolen cloak and dull longsword, replaced by black travelling clothes of mixed leather and cloth.  Clearly his gear favoured the practical and pragmatic, right down to his trademark black cowl.  She remembered his eyes being red, like hers, but now they were blue-grey, like the haze of a cloudy sky on a restless ocean.  There must be a story there, somewhere.

His hands were the strangest, normal in shape, with those same long, skinny fingers that gave him a slightly spider-like appearance, but they were darker than pitch.  Reflecting not even a hint of light, both appendages moved like holes in reality, yet she felt him brush aside a few strands of golden hair.

"Why don't we just say we both screwed up and call it even, though it will probably still actually be my fault.  Sounds like the fairest solution."  He blinked, as if suddenly remembering their surroundings.  "Which also begs the questions, why reach out now, and why are we in a tree?"

[Xena 0]

Xena certainly didn't agree at all with what he was saying, the girl had her reasons for that. She was lucky enough to recognize his face, but, it wasn't one she ever wanted to forget. His attire changed, which too be fair made sense, hers hadn't by much though, her cloak still a nice forest green, though it had a fluff to it now, one to defend from the cold. Her shirt was still a dark grey completely unarmored, she wore a brown leather skirt and beneath it a pair of brown cloth pants, even lower she wore a pair of boots which seemed hardened at the end, most likely meant to aid in climbing. Her entire outfit made her look like a elven scout in from other games. Except in this game she was anything but a elf, in fact she even had a few vanity items now that made her closer to her favorite animal. But she didn't wear them currently, it would of been a tad embarrassing, hell she hardly wore them in general, due to the fact most others didn't even slightly alter their appeared race usually. Looking at him now, tears somewhat formed in her eyes she simply blinked to get them to disappear. It was now that he finally embraced her back, in truth she was about to let go out of fear she had overstayed her welcome. But now that she looked up at him, she was able to tell the changes that had been made, more specifically his eyes and his attire in general. "Blue...?" She simply mumbled to herself confused how that could of even happened, perhaps it was a item that hadn't had its knowledge brought to floor 1, that or Xena was just extremely out of the loop. She paid notice to his hands, gloved by clearly high level gloves, they were practically void, but they had feeling to them, she knew such when he decided to brush some of her hair out of her face. 

"Fine... If you wanna say it's your fault, but I'll keep saying its mine silly." She gained a small smirk, reminiscing on the past, it wasn't until now that he finally asked why she decided to contact him, in truth she wasn't entirely content with the answer she had, as it felt like she was simply using him. "Well... too be honest... it started with me finally getting the courage to check if you even survived..." She stated as she flashed back to finally sliding her menu to view her friends list. In truth the relief she felt when she had seen his name not greyed out was, something you'd only imagine feeling in a fantasy. "And... I just really wanted to see you again... I had a quest planned and what not if you were interested but... Heh well, I guess the short and simple answer is just i wanted to see you again."  It wasn't until about 15 seconds later that he asked about why they were in a tree. "Oh heh, i was..." She had pointed at the warp pad. "I was planning to pounce on you for a laugh but, seems you got the pounce on me huh?" She smiled innocently, as if pouncing on him from like 20 feet in the air wouldn't scare the shit out of him, probably. 

Edited February 8, 2022 by Xeno

[Freyd 0]

A single eyebrow arched while the opposite side of his lips curled upward into a smirk.

"Pouncing, eh?  Oh!  That actually reminds me of something."  Reaching out before him, his hand vanished into thin air, as if he'd somehow punctured the very fabric of their world.  With a twist, he seemed to grasp at something and withdrew the appendage.  Opening his palm to reveal a small ring of ornately carved green stone.  Its surface was sculpted to look like swaying grass, partially concealing the form an inset black stone in the shape of a panther.

"I hope you haven't changed your preferences," he joked, half-seriously.  "I found it ages ago, but was just too preoccupied and stupid to think to give it to you earlier."  His words seemed to be equal parts admission and light-hearted humour.

"Oh, and, safety-tip: pouncing on people who deal with very horrible people on a regular basis isn't good for your insurance rates.  Just saying."  Joke as he might, Freyd knew that he might have accidentally killed her in response, had they not been in a safe zone.  A man in his position couldn't afford to be surprised.  Especially not with the weight of so many riding on his shoulders.

"You mentioned a quest?" He offered, quickly changing the direction of the conversation.  "Which one are we doing?  It'll be just like old times."

Freyd gives Xena:

The Fierceness of Grass | Trinket | #203379 | LOOT DIE III
An intricately carved jade ring covered with finely detailed blades of grass, marred by the passing of infinite sharpness, organized around the tiny, but powerful form of a natural black mark in the stone that carried a striking resemblance to a panther.

[Xena 0]

Xena had watched him as he seemed to consider what she had said. In truth, anyone else she wouldn't of pounced, she probably wouldn't of even pounced him to begin with due to how different he looked. She'd of likely tried to hide herself more, only to of gotten spotted immediately. As he had seemed to finally comprehend what she had said he seemed to push his hand through reality, gosh she was so out of the loop she actually backed up a bit frightened by how that looked. As he had removed his hand through she certainly hadn't been expecting a gift, especially not like this. "O-oh, well, no I, still happen to like cats heh..."  She seemed to be mad at herself for about a second due to the stutter she just did. She clearly didn't like how reserved she was acting, as if at any moment someone could come up from behind her and rip her heart out. "Your not stupid silly, your just adorable when you act stupid." She had teased mostly due to not liking the fact he looked so badly of himself. She slowly took the ring from his palm holding it up to her eyes to gaze at it, it was beautiful, and so she said as much. "Its... a beautiful ring... It almost seems, too good to be true." She slid it around her finger almost instinctively, her gauntlet seemed to shift and contort to allow her to do so. He then mentioned his situation and how he might of harmed her had she pounced on him, she frowned but nodded. "Yeah... Your right, this isn't a joke with the level difference, you really must of been through a lot..." She stated somewhat solemnly. "I'm sorry I wasn't there with you..." As the topic shifted towards the mention of a quest she had opened her menu, with a single button press a book appeared in front of her which she caught, catching it seemed to pull her forward a tad from the weight of the book, it was a extremely large book. The kind you'd expect to be a massive dictionary but when she opened it, it was notes. All kinds of things she's jotted down over the years, it wasn't a diary no it was a Info Brokers diary. The kind they wrote everything they had learned in. Flipping to a page deep deep in it she put a tipped finger on a few words. "Well, word had recently traveled down to the first floor, about the familiar quest, and about a hour ago, i had been told about the quest holder being on this floor, i, didn't think you'd mind joining me for it... It's not exactly a combat quest to my knowledge, the kinds i imagine you've been doing..." Xena said this rather sadly, she hadn't done a single combat quest ever since the incident that happened years ago, she never had the courage too do so. "I, I can definitely change my schedule though! I-if this is too boring for you." She stated that quickly due to suddenly coming to the realization that he had likely already done this quest many times before. It was a repeatable one after all, she looked at him with slight panic in her eyes not wanting to bore him out of this reunion. She had slowly shut the book, and it had then vanished into particles returning to her inventory. "I'm up for anything you'd like to do of course!" She made a shaky smile, her entire personality felt like it could shatter any moment, she was just happy to be here sharing a moment with her past friend. Even if it was only a single moment, which she was afraid it might be.

Xena accepted Freyd's Gift:

Xena Equipped:The Fierceness of Grass
The Fierceness of Grass | Trinket | #203379 | LOOT DIE III
An intricately carved jade ring covered with finely detailed blades of grass, marred by the passing of infinite sharpness, organized around the tiny, but powerful form of a natural black mark in the stone that carried a striking resemblance to a panther.

Edited February 10, 2022 by Xena

[Freyd 0]

Feigning insult, Freyd waved away her excuses and concerns.

"Nonsense.  You asked for my help, and I'm happy to do so.  If you don't have a familiar yet, then it's something we should fix."  Looking down at his own chest, he poked himself firmly in the sternum a few times until something seemed to shift beneath his armor.  "Wake up, sleepy head.  We have to go find that gypsy lady again.  You know the one.  I think you are her entire treat supply last time."

Something dark and inky slithered out from beneath his shirt, pooling at his feet like some sort of independent shadow.  A pair of brilliant azure eyes opened within as the intangible mass took the shape of a long, sinewy mongoose made entirely of shadow stuff.  

"You know the one, Persi.  She wanders all over the place."  His eyes peered into the shadows between the tree line of the heavily forested floor.  "That way," he offered, pointing to the east where a well-worm trail could be seen carving its way through the underbrush.  The critter stuck her nose up into the air, as if huffing against his presumption that she was there to do his bidding.  But he had mentioned those tasty snacks, and they might be enough for her to forgive him - this time.

"This won't take long.  Also, what is it you're looking for, as a familiar for yourself I mean?"

***
Freyd uses Tracking to find the gypsy.

[Xena 0]

Xena watched as he seemed to have a, snake? She wasn't even entirely sure, but whatever it was it was certainly neat, and then it finally formed into what appeared to be a mongoose, it seemed to also know the direction they were going for. "Yeesh, maybe I should of expected you to know exactly where to go." She smirked pushing his shoulder, she looked down with a sad look though. "So we gonna be monkeys and swing along the trees or you wanna help a lady get down from here?" She joked and teased at him with a nice innocent smile. "And honestly, I doubt the kind of pet I want is here, maybe I'd be able to find a cub, I dunno." She had stated all this coming to a stand pulling her hood down to let the wind blow through her hair. "I feel you could just teleport down there if you felt like it" She stated with a happy giggle not at all knowing Freyd's capabilities. She gave a small stretch her body seeming to be more then happy to get up and move around a bit. Looking at him she calmly waited for his responses, as if eager just too here him talk some more, maybe that's why she asked so many questions in such a short amount of time. She even offered a hand to help him stand up if he'd like, should he of refused it she'd just cross her arms smiling waiting to see what he'd do.

[Freyd 0]

Looking up at her outstretched hand, a wry grin spread across Freyd's face as he rolled off their branch and tumbled down that trunk of the giant tree like some sort of spider-monkey.  Given how stiff she remembered him being, it was an impressive display.  Within a few seconds he was on the ground, staring up at her from where she's expected to ambush him.

"So?  What are you waiting for?"  His grin got wider.  "Pounce, already!  I've got all this stuff for nabbing familiars, but it's gonna spoil if you take forever!"

Planting his hands on his hips, Freyd stared up at her, daring her to follow through on her original plan.  He could catch her easily enough, if she really followed through.  In effect, this had become a trust exercise.  But would she follow through?  Freyd was honestly curious.  That she's reached out to him in the first place was telling.  Too much time and trickery had taught him to be wary, and while he had no true suspicions of an ominous sort, he wanted to see how far she'd actually go.

***
Freyd gives the following to Xena:

Pheromones | [148626]
When used during the «Feeding your Enemy» quest, gain +1 CD when attempting to tame a familiar. Effect lasts for one thread.

Familiar Sight | [164419]
When played during the <<Feeding your Enemy>> quest, gain +2 LD when attempting to find a familiar. Effect lasts for one thread.

Ghost Treat | [203365]
Allows its user to skip the searching portion of the <<Feeding your Enemy>> quest. If the player fails to tame the creature, they will have to find it again by the searching rules in the quest. Can also be used to change a familiar’s appearance to a ghostly form of itself. 

Berry Crumb Bars (Snack) | LOOT DIE 3 | [195115-2]
Tart crumbled and held knitted together by jam and cut pieces of berries. Chewy, crumbly, complex. Mild.

(You can use all of these on your next post)

[Xena 0]

As the man decided to roll off the damn tree she panicked and went to grab his arm though she missed. Of course she would as fast as she may be she isn't nearly fast enough to do that. Yeesh that asshole! He's fine but he just gave her a heart attack. "That wasn't funny you dummy!" She screamed watching get onto his own feet, then he tried tempting her, she felt like a cat, but instead of toying with prey, she was being toyed with. "W-why you!"  Taking the challenge Xena got on all fours before suddenly just flinging herself off the tree with zero idea of the risk she just took, she held her fingers together to avoid her claws harming him, but she was still a 120 pound kitty cat dive bombing towards him at about 20 miles an hour. She clearly didn't mean this in aggression though, more a playful rise to his challenge, though her face wouldn't show that. It looked like she was tempted to tear him open, or at least knock him on his butt.

 

Xena accepts and uses:

Pheromones | [148626]
When used during the «Feeding your Enemy» quest, gain +1 CD when attempting to tame a familiar. Effect lasts for one thread.

Familiar Sight | [164419]
When played during the <<Feeding your Enemy>> quest, gain +2 LD when attempting to find a familiar. Effect lasts for one thread.

Berry Crumb Bars (Snack) | LOOT DIE 3 | [195115-2]
Tart crumbled and held knitted together by jam and cut pieces of berries. Chewy, crumbly, complex. Mild.

Xena accepts and pockets:
Ghost Treat | [203365]
Allows its user to skip the searching portion of the <<Feeding your Enemy>> quest. If the player fails to tame the creature, they will have to find it again by the searching rules in the quest. Can also be used to change a familiar’s appearance to a ghostly form of itself. 

Edited February 12, 2022 by Xena

[Freyd 0]

"Did she just...?"

Freyd's eyes widened as Xena leapt from the treetop, seeming to lack any coordinated plan or aim, other than to call his potential bluff.  He hadn't actually been bluffing, but jumping the way she did probably wasn't going to end well, and he wasn't getting speared for it.  His grin widened further as he took a step back and her shadow appeared on the ground in front of him, basically telling her where her face was going to land - painfully.  At the last second, he turned and disappeared, only to reappear from beneath a large bough at her side and pluck her from mid-air as she was about to make impact with the ground.  Instead of a splat, they skidded to a stop a few yards off to the side of the clearing, Freyd bracing a leg against a thick root to stop their momentum.  Then he burst into laughter.

"You're nuts.  You know that, right?"

Gently putting her feet on the ground he tussled her hair and gave her the promised goods, even as Persi returned with an air of success about her.

"Come on Xena," he added, pointing towards the eager mongoose.  "It's nice to see that you can still roll with crazy."

[Xena 0]

In all honesty Xena herself realized what she just did was mildly crazy about 3 seconds into the fall after her anger rush wore off, she's never experienced fall damage in this game, but if he decided not to catch her this was gonna be a painful first lesson, may even kill her. Putting her arms infront of her in a minor attempt to not die she just kinda hoped for the best. Whats worse she could see Freyd vanish, which mildly hurt. She did sorta trust him with her life just now. About 2 seconds from impact though a secondary force hit her from the side catching her out of the air, though she could feel the ground suddenly hit under her she didnt take the brunt of the slide thankfully. Looking up she saw Freyds face who had decided to use a alternative method of catching, if you were perspective you could notice Xena was shakey, as if in a panicked state somewhat. "You sc-scared the shit out of me pulling that stunt ya know!" She answered after he called her crazy. Too be fair maybe she was going a tad crazy in his presense, she's never done anything that risky before, feeling like she could survive just about anything it was a strange effect Freyd had on her thats for sure. "Just a tip for next time, next time a girl trusts you like that, P L E A S E don't make a joke of it." As much as she wanted to play it cool she couldn't, her knees quaked and her entire body felt lighter then air. She was well and truly panicked and only barely hiding it in its entirety for now the only sign was her quaking knees. As Freyd said for the two to go she nodded slowly beginning to walk behind him, she didnt know where they were going after all.

[Freyd 0]

"I pulled?"  Freyd burst out in another bout of incredulous laughter, making little quotation marks in the air.  "Keep in mind that this was your original plan.  Pouncing, remember?  Don't get mad at me because I played along."  He knew that she was just blowing off adrenaline, and simply let it die.  "You really wouldn't have, by the way.  Die, I mean.  Players are made of sterner stuff than most of us realize, unless facing bosses while naked and unbuffed."  His voice gave out when his brain registered when he'd just said, thinking it best to just move on.

"And, no, I do get to make a joke out of it.  Welcome to the twenty-first century.  Foolishness if gender-neutral and, thanks to equality, the consequences get stacked where they belong.  Sorry to be the one to break it to you, but the feminists killed any obligation for chivalry.  Maybe just down jump out of trees at people no more."  A mischievous wink and flaring of eyebrows made it clear that she wasn't likely to win this one.  Fortunately, the walk to the gypsy didn't take long at all.

"Hey, Mama Yaga," Freyd called out, keeping up his strange habit of giving NPCs random nicknames.  "We gotta bag ourselves something small and fluffy, preferrably adorable.  Or fierce?  What were we going for?"  He glanced at Xena for a moment to confirm.

"Either way, we're gonna need a bag of your magic beans to make it happen. So, please, puff-puff give."  

Stunned by the man's audacity and her own inner struggle to bridge his words with her programming, the gypsy simply offered them the bag of familiar food.  She seemed about to protest, but Freyd waved her off with a big goofy smile and led Xena farther along the trail to the deeper parts of the forest.

"Right.  So, here you are."  He handed her the sack, which seemed to provide whatever form of snack best fit the type of beast or creature the user sought.  "You already ate the Scooby-Snacks I gave you, so we should be good to go."

 

[Xena 0]

Xenas eyes seemed to dilate from her anger, she definitely seemed like she was about to swipe at him in any moment. "Yeah your the one who ran up basically naked and unbuffed to a damn mother boar aren't you!"  She was obviously just trying to hit him where it hurt for once instead of being nice cause she was clearly very upset. Her adrenaline will likely wear off soon and she'll apologize, maybe. "Your being a big butt at the moment..."  She had stated pouting and crossing her arms. "And why are you bringing politics into this...?" The topic confused her as Xena generally never paid attention to politics at all. It didn't matter to her, but she was certainly acting more like her past self. If not a little meaner due to the fact she was upset. Supposedly they found the gypsy, Freyds moon speak confused both Xena and the gypsy and by the time either had went to comment Xena was being dragged away. "D-did something change in the past 15 minutes or, are you just opening back up?" She had asked due too the fact he was acting all emo and edgy earlier. "Hmph, well regardless the least you could do is offer to give me a piggy back ride or something." She joked but if he did end up doing that she'd likely be too embarrassed to keep up her angry talk. Taking the bag that was basically tossed at her she didnt really know how this quest worked so she just looked at him with a raised brow.

Edited February 10, 2022 by Xena

[Freyd 0]

'Here we go,' he thought to himself, mentally rolling his eyes as Xena vented and ranted as her temper calmed down.  He wasn't the type to let people toss accusations at him without firing back, even if it was just in the form of playful banter.

"What are you even talking about?"  He laughed, that annoying grin still beaming from beneath his cowl.  "Opening back up?  I never closed down.  I'm just calling you out based on what you'd already told me."

Arms stretched high and wide as he loosed a yawn and twisted his neck left and right, limbering up for whatever was about to follow.

"Oh my.  Piggy-back ride, or something?  You really need to choose your words more carefully around me.  Maybe this calls for a refresher."  Spinning around suddenly, he swung low and passed an arm between her legs to scoop her up and over his shoulder like a people-sized dufflebag.  Ignoring any protests, he raced forward, deeper into the forest, cackling madly as he ran, following his instincts and the distinctive ping of Persi's trail leading them wherever they were meant to go.  After a few hundred yards, both screeched to a stop by bracing against the exposed roots of one of the giant local trees, and he dipped forward to clip a poor rattled Xena back onto her feet.

"Wish granted!"

[Xena 0]

Xena certainly was still in a adrenaline fueled temper tantrum you could call it. She didnt understand half the things Freyd was saying and honestly couldn't remember if he was like this before or not, she wasn't entirely able to remember. Looking to the side was a big mistake however, she heard him stretching but she had simply watched the forest, she could of sworn she heard something. Not that it mattered as she felt herself suddenly grabbed up by Freyd, most girls would probably kick or scream more but Xena who just wasn't expecting it at all held her hood down going quiet, a second adrenaline rush kicked in but this one was simply being used to keep her from fainting by the rapid movement, she tried to keep track of what was in front of her but he was moving so damn fast that she couldn't by the time it was over and her feet hit the ground they weren't able to keep her up dropping the hooded girl to her knees, she was shivering a bit. "I-i..." Her voice had became shrill and she seemed to have gone a tad bit pale, though she pulled her hood completely around her face to hide any other details. She did technically ask for it but, God she wasn't ready for it. She wasn't able to just go with it at this point, not quite yet. She needed a bit more coming out of her element before she could go with THAT at least. At the very least for Freyd it seems to have shut her up with all the insults. On the sad part, she didnt look like she could actually stand up right now, so they may be there for a little bit, her hands were grasping her hood tightly thankfully the claws didn't tear right through it, though they were shaking like crazy. The jungle simply felt still to her now, after how fast she just got dragged across said jungle. In truth she looked like she was having a minor panic. Her ears listened to her surroundings closely, as her eyes were covered completely, she could only see black right now. 

Edited February 11, 2022 by Xena

[Freyd 0]

"Hey, are you alright?"  A hand haltingly came to rest on her shoulder, immediately sensing the tremors shuddering through her body.  "Xena?"  His laughter stopped as Freyd came to some inkling of what she might be experiencing.  Empathy was still a new concept for him.  He had only meant to be playful, engaging her on the same level as she was doing, but perhaps things had been taken too far.

"I'm... sorry."  Rare words, never spoken by the Whisper in recent memory.  "I should have realized that all this is still a bit much for you, and didn't stop to think.  Please, take a minute.  We're in no rush, or shouldn't be."  

His own discomfort grew by the second.  This sort of open exchange was still new to him and his instincts were screaming at him to keep his distance, struggling against an impulse to atone for an unintended wrong.  He withdrew his hand, stepping back to give her some space and himself a bit of time to think this out.

'What is wrong with me?' he asked himself internally, shaking his head at his foolishness from beneath his cowl.  It was odd to see him so hesitant and uncertain, but this was truly unfamiliar ground.