[PP-01] Facing Old Fears <<The Second Lesson - Xena>>

[Freyd 0]

It was years ago, but somehow still felt like yesterday.  In the verdant fields that surround the starting city, a fledgling Freyd had nearly met his end on the tusks of one of the meanest, nastier, most mundane boars anyone had ever met in the game.  He was a total newb at the time, of course, having barely set foot beyond the false safety of the city walls.  Xena had been his only companion, and he'd been scared half to death just fetching some herbs for Zackariah.  Flush with confidence, they'd forayed out into the fields and had their asses neatly handed to them.  Had Freyd not managed to run back to the gate and trigger the guard s' response, that would have been his last day in Aincrad, with not much to show for it.

So here he was, years on, sipping vanilla-scented coffee while sitting next to that same guard.  The jabbering part of this visit was already done.  Freyd was just enjoying the sun and slow pace of traffic in and out of the city gates.  Things were much more hectic back then, when all ten thousand players were crammed into the confines of a single floor.  Now it was barely more than a trickle, and half the traffic that remained was pre-programmed NPCs on travel runs meant to explain how goods magically came to market every day.

One final sip, then his cup vanished.  It was time to find some closure and help a friend get beyond the same fears and limitations that had kept him cowering inside these walls for far too long.  She's already done the hard part.  All that remained was to kill a few boars and redeem their own bacons.

To: Xena From: Freyd We're doing the thing.  Meet me at Marv.  Bring something sharp or pointy.  We're going after some boars.

@Xena

***

Freyd shares: Gugnir’s Shard (Untradeable/Unique/Reusable Consumable): Crème Brûlée Tray | ACC 2 | Feast (6/6) - takes 1 portion + filled

Freyd | HP: 1120/1120 | EN: 146/146 | DMG: 24 | MIT: 78 | EVA: 2 | ACC: 8 (incl. AA) | BH: 61 | LD: 5 | BLGT: 32 | STK: 40 | PV(O) | REC: 8

Full Stats: 

Spoiler

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadow
Level: 32
Paragon Level: 110
HP: 1120/1120
EN: 146/146

Stats:
Damage: 24
Mitigation: 78
Evasion: 2
Accuracy: 8 (incl. AA)
Battle Healing: 61
Loot Dice: 5
Static: 40
Blight: 32
Para. Venom (Off)
REC: 8

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: The Thing Behind All Lies (T4 Demonic WH, AA, Blight, Static, Para.Ven (Off))
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
Vanish
Surprise Attack (Assassin)

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 (T4 MA | HLY 2 | FLN 2)

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:

 

[Xena 0]

Xena had only just woken up at the time, when her message notification pinged her, Freyd sent her a message. Seemed he wanted to do something, she didn't know what all she knew was to meet him at the first floor, crawling out of her sleeping back her hair was messy, after the usual wake up things she made her way down to floor 1 where Freyd was, walking over she rubbed her eyes yawning. "What's this about boars...?" She mumbled looking at marv with a small wave. She didn't know the guard that well but he was good friends with freyd so. She had her usual claws and cloak, not like she had anything else to wear. Looking out the gate she smirked remembering the first time they left it to go and do that fetch quest. Oh those were the days, any way no wasn't the time for remembering apparently they were hunting boars and Xena had no clue what was going on or why. "Oh uh, so why are we hunting boars...? Isn't that like a beginner level quest...?"

Xena | HP: 320/320 | EN: 50/50 | DMG: 12 | MIT: 32 | EVA: 1 | BH: 6 | LD: 3 | BLD: 24 | REC: 4 

Lvl 16

Spoiler

Xena,
Level: 16
Paragon Level: 0
HP: 320/320
EN: 50/50

Stats:
Damage: 12
Mitigation: 32
Evasion: 1
Battle Healing: 6
Loot Dice: 3
BLD: 24
REC: 4

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Beasts Claws
Armor: Beasts Cloak
Misc: The Fierceness of Grass

Custom Skill:


Skills:
Claws R5
Cloth Armor R5
Battle Healing R2

Active Mods:

Inactive Mods:
Untraceable

Addons:

Active Extra Skills:

Inactive Extra Skills:
Hiding R2

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

Housing Buffs:

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild:

Wedding Ring:

@Freyd

Edited March 1, 2022 by Xena

[Freyd 0]

"Yup.  Totally a beginner quest, and the same one that nearly got me killed all those years ago.  Marv saved my bacon from angry bacon that day."  He patted the big NPC's shoulder with gratitude.  "We're going to keep working on getting you out more, and part of that involves us formally overcoming those old memories.  We're going to replace them with newer and better ones."  Leading them away from the gate and deeper into town, Freyd could already hear the distant clanging of steel on steel as they neared Tealeaf's smithy.  Lyle was like an older, whiter-haired, equally socially awkward version of Griswold, and lacked the intimidating manner of Freya and Eruda's father, whose default pose made you think he was wondering how best to rip your heart of your chest and use it as an annealing agent.  Lyle, by comparison, looked jovial and harmless - almost jolly, really.

Picking up a few tools and doodads, Freyd rummaged through the smith's wares while waiting for some other player to finish listening to Lyle's spiel.  He'd heard it a thousand times before, but there was something comforting and nostalgic about the NPC's voice.  

"Make sure you eat those snacks I brought.  We can't have a repeat of last time, right Xena?  And I'm fairly certain that you'll need to collect most of the boars he's about to ask for by yourself.  Cardinal gets all edgy is anybody helps."

Folding his arms over his chest, still waiting for their turn, he leaned against a nearby wood table and reminisced.

"It still smells the same as it did back then, yanno?  I mean, I expect that it would.  Those types of details never change.  But people do, don't they?"

Vanity Tag: @Griswold

[Xena 0]

Xena very clearly was running on about 12% at the current moment, she had basically just gotten out of bed, she even seemed to sleep in her armor instead of actually sleeping clothes. She just didn't have the Col for that kind of stuff, listening to the NPC was something she had already expected and she just waved it off as she had already heard the spiel 2 years ago as well. "Speaking of Cardinal what ever happened with that? You finally realize it wasn't trying to stick a spear into your neck?" She joked with a sly grin her tail waving a bit behind her as her ears perked up her grin turned into a large yawn as she stretched her back. Sleeping bag or not she was still basically sleeping on a stone floor. Maybe she should invest in a house or something, or atleast a bed. Probably a bed, a house is expensive, and like already stated she didn't have much col to her name. It didn't help her performer shop wasn't very popular. Then again basically every performer was ignored unless you needed the familiar song status effect. 

"And yeah, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if that was the exact same prop all those years ago, the first time you just stuck your head in there to smell it, what are you a dog?" She chuckled pushing her hands out her back still stretching. In truth she could definitely imagine Freyd acting like a dog at times. At least, the old him, back when he was more innocent. As they say, innocence is bliss, but all innocence fades, like it or not. "Sometimes, people change for the worse." She simply stated not going into further detail, merely as a passing comment to Freyd's statement. The quest finally popped up on the twos views, seems that was all the chatting that was needed for the NPC to finish the spiel. "There it is, you got something other then a flimsy starter sword this time?" She joked of course, if Freyd didn't he'd of died by now she was sure. Though she could imagine someone trying to beat the game with just the starter equipment if death wasn't permanent.

[Freyd 0]

"What happened with Cardinal?  Pretty sure that our digital overlord is still around and kicking.  He certainly likes to kick me around every chance he gets, or that I give him.  But we've come to a semblance of compromise, at least for now."  Was it wrong that he liked to tease the brokers with absence of details?  Xena could be both naively innocent and churlishly grumpy at times, but she was always wholesomely human.  He respected that.  So far as his actual difficulties with the administrative program, they had fallen by the wayside out of necessity, save a certain metaphysical battlefield that remained elusively beyond his ability to fully comprehend.

"Dog?  No."  He pointed to the slinky shadow mongoose prancing playfully around a few spilled embers from the forge.  "I thought my spirit totem was pretty obvious, no?  What sounds do mongooses make, anyway?  Mine came without any voice-over."  Persi beamed, sensing that they were talking about her without needing to understand what was actually being said.

The offhand comment about change caught his ear - those of the less fluffy and catlike variety.  Did she mean him or herself?  Maybe both.  Maybe neither.  Maybe Lyle.  Probably Lyle.  Definitely Lyle.  Freyd gave the NPC a suspicious 'I'm watching you' look as they left his shop.  A plain metal longsword appeared in his hands as they returned to open sunlight.  It look like a flattened stick made out of grey plastic - something they might hand out to kids at a birthday party to prevent them from actually hurting each other.

"Would you believe that I actually still have this thing?  The cloak's around somewhere too.  Nostalgia, I guess, and appropriate that it should come back out for the occasion."

[Xena 0]

 Xena had just crossed her arms leaning against the counter watching Freyd. "That, didn't answer my question." She simply commented, she actually looked a tad bit annoyed at the game Freyd was playing. "Ya know half the time i think you leave me in the dark because the light is too bright." A expression, basically saying that he often didn't tell her the whole story cause it might hurt. Which she supposed she couldn't entirely judge, she just wasn't happy about it. Next came the dog comment which she looked unamused about just facepalming. "I question how Persi here manages to put up with you on a daily basis." Xena snickered after finishing that comment finding it funny, its likely the familiar had no issues at all with Freyd. She knew Amber would never give her any problems ever. Familiar's just didn't do that kind of stuff, and you could call that a blessing. 

Stepping out of the shop she put a arm over her face as the sun beamed directly into her eyes, looking towards Freyd he had a starting long sword equipped. "Honestly no, I cannot believe you still have that." She said that but then again she still had her starter claws somewhere, maybe it was in a chest somewhere who knows. She didn't that was for absolute sure, the two ended up walking out towards where the boar quest was last time Xena rather stressed about the whole endeavor, Freyd would be fine, but what about her was the question.

Edited March 3, 2022 by Xena

[Freyd 0]

"You're a broker."  A bluntly honest answer.  "You should be accustomed to this response: How do I know that my answers will not be sold?"  That could hurt, but she needed to hear the truth, and she had asked.  "Out of courtesy for our old friendship, I'm being forthright.  But that doesn't mean I'll make it easy."   A neutral guise maintained, he gave her nothing by his expression to gauge the measure of those words.  Friendship required trust.  And, while he wholeheartedly wanted to offer that, years had passed between them.  

"Sometimes, people change for the worse."

"Don't play the wounded party," he added, pre-empting any potential outburst.  "The best way to avoid answering a question is to counter with another question.  You know this, or you should.  Besides, I want to see how good you are at this particular game, and seeing what you can manage to get out of me is a good test."

A sideways glance and smile were spared for his inky blotch of a familiar.

"I'm pretty sure that she thinks she's the player and that I'm just her minion.  Who knows?"  He shrugged, chuckling.  "She might actually be right."

The verdant fields surrounding the starting city soon spread out before them, festooned with coarse-looking piggly-wigglies - bacon in the waiting.  Freyd paused a few dozen yards from the walls, crossing his arms over his chest and waiting for a show.

"Alright.  I've already done this quest.  It's time to see what those claws of yours can really do."

[Xena 0]

Xena elbowed him cutting him off after he said she's a broker. "Yeah yeah broker Yada Yada should already know Yada Yada whatever, if you don't wanna tell me something just say it jeez." The annoyed cat girl walked ahead pulling her hood up frustrated. That genuinely is starting to hurt her feelings, maybe that was his intention. Maybe he'd laugh at her for being so soft on the inside who knows. She just grumbled ignoring his mention if his familiar, she was just frankly upset now, and Freyd was too much of a ass to notice most likely. She walked out into the field first leaving Freyd by the gate, he clearly wasn't even gonna help fight, yeesh. "Fucking useless twat..." She'd just mutter to herself in her own anger of Freyds smart mouth. As she entered the area the boar were meant to spawn she just looked around her eyes sunken as she was frustrated.

 

Xena used shared: Gugnir’s Shard (Untradeable/Unique/Reusable Consumable): Crème Brûlée Tray | ACC 2 | Feast (6/6) - takes 1 portion + filled

Edited March 4, 2022 by Xena

[Freyd 0]

"Oh, I never said that I didn't want to tell you anything.  But I've also told you that I tend to view things in transactional terms.  If you want information, sometimes you have to earn it.  Quid pro quo.  Isn't that how this works?"

She might have expected some sort of smarmy grin on his face, only to be tempted to slap it off.  Except that there was none.  Freyd was dead serious.

"I need you to choose, Xena.  What is the nature of this relationship going to be?  Are we friends, or business partners?  They carry very different meanings and expectations.  Either way, I must tell you up front that there are things I cannot reveal to either choice.  You've told me that you are a broker, but I have never told you precisely what role the me you knew subsequently adopted."

Spotting a cluster of boars nearby, Freyd clenched his fist.  Dark mist rose from the ground, crackling with bolts of indigo lightning.  It was time for a demonstration.   Breathing aligned.  A twisted of the wrist and arm drawn high.  Release as he dropped to a knee and planted that darkness so firmly into the ground that a pulse of force rippled through the ground causing the nearest boars to explode.  But not just explode.  Xena watched the individual strands of code unravel in real time, each one sundered and split into individual code characters that burst anew in an infinite cascade of digital death until every mote of light from their shattered shards had been completely and utterly annihilated.

"So?  What will it be?  Do you want to be Xena or the broker when we talk?  Because you're dealing with someone who can vaporize field bosses or players alike as easily as a swarm of uncooked bacon.  The stakes are different for me now, and I need to know where we intend to stand with one another."  There was something else behind his eyes, though they refused to relinquish whatever secret might be contained within.

"I don't want to see you get hurt, because of me."

Spoiler

Post Action | AoE-I (x15 AoE, 11 EN, +2 AoE Shift, +2/hit,): 21 EN - (Rested 1/2; Stamina) = 18 EN.  
Free Action | None

ID #204749 | BD: 8+8=16 (hit).  DMG (15*24=360)
ID #204750 | BD: 6+8=14 (hit).  DMG (15*24=360)
ID #204751 | BD: 2+8=10 (hit).  DMG (15*24=360)
ID #204752 | BD: 6+8=14 (hit).  DMG (15*24=360)

Freyd | HP: 1120/1120 | EN: 128/146 (146-18) | DMG: 24 | MIT: 78 | EVA: 2 | ACC: 8 (incl. AA) | BH: 61 | LD: 5 | BLGT: 32 | STK: 40 | PV(O) | REC: 8
Xena | HP: 320/320 | EN: 50/50 | DMG: 12 | MIT: 32 | EVA: 1 | BH: 6 | LD: 3 | BLD: 24 | REC: 4 

Boar Pup #1 | HP 0/5 | DMG 3 (5-360)
Boar Pup #2 | HP 0/5 | DMG 3 (5-360)
Boar Pup #3 | HP 0/5 | DMG 3 (5-360)
Boar Pup #4 | HP 0/5 | DMG 3 (5-360)

 

[Xena 0]

Xena's eyes just seemed to sink, she crosses her arms the clawed gauntlets digging into them. Damnit now he's forcing her to choose something that should just be a obvious answer, but it wasn't, he acted like she couldn't be both. Could she not be both? She wasn't even sure, she just felt off now. "Freyd..." She muttered before just staying quiet, she wanted to talk but her body just wouldn't let her now, she could feel her virtual heart sinking due to this conversation even happening. She suddenly just wanted to leave, again, go back to the safe zone where everything was laughs, no real harm being done. Where she could just go to sleep instead of worry about these kinds of things. "If that's a threat... Then I really can't say anymore..." She simply stated after the last part, his response would decide for her, even the final part just made her seem to want to back up more. She wasn't sure what this was anymore, and while her deepest feelings would say friendship. At this point, her mind wasn't sure, and that was hurting her more then Freyd's words of distrust. Looking away she pulled her hood up, this quest needed to be finished before she could leave. And it's likely Freyd wasn't going to really help her with her shocked silence from his words. She wanted to cry, but it would show a weakness that he could exploit, whether it were for the better, or worse. She just couldn't handle any type of exploiting of her emotions right now. With a quiet noise that to the right ears could be herd as a faint cry for help she pushed a button suddenly, and a mask formed over her face. It fit just right to cover her face and stay within her hood. "I don't want too hurt you either..." She simply stated as a final word, despite her head being turned away from Freyd could at the very least see the mask was white or perhaps a light grey, if he were to look to see the rest he'd find a wide grin was painted on the mask, with red markings on it, two eye holes with a dark covering over each of them were also visible, it certainly wasn't stealthy at all. But maybe that was the point, or maybe it wasn't who knew anymore.
 

Spoiler

(Mask)

 

Edited March 5, 2022 by Xena

[Freyd 0]

"It wasn't a thread.  Not even close."  "

Freyd spoke softly, steadily, his arms resting at his sides without threat.  Few moments could be more sensitive than those where truths were exposed.  Sometimes, just ripping off the bandage was the only option, even at the risk of tearing open old wounds.

"I know Laughing Coffin, and how they operate.  I know that no one pisses them off and is simply left to walk away without paying some sort of a price.  I know that there are ways for orange players reach into the safe zones and cause harm without ever wielding a knife.  They never forget, do they?"

Three steps taken to close the gap between them, each slowly and deliberately taken.

"What happened to you?  Why the mask?  You reached out first, and I can't help but hear a cry for help behind your every word.  But, right now, your silence makes you as suspicious as your sudden reappearance.  So, where do we go from here?  The broker would stay silent.  The friend would reach out."

A boarlet trotted between them, drawing an invisible line that brought them back to the past, when they'd fought side by side, and he'd taken a goring to keep these same foes away from her.  It had nearly killed him, and probably would have without Marv's timely interference.  He wanted to believe, but the years had built up too many scars and too much suspicion.  Blind trust simply wasn't in the cards.

 

 

[Xena 0]

Xena kept her arms crossed actually stepping away a step when Freyd got too close. She didn't wanna talk anymore,  she wanted to leave already. But he wasn't just gonna let her do that would he. "You... You wouldn't get it... Someone who can slay field bosses in one hit wouldn't get it at all..." Using his own words against him though with little traction, she seemed to just want to reject the situation by using insults. "You wouldn't get being hunted for a entire year..." She whispered quietly to herself. "Never knowing when you we're safe... when someone was watching you..." She looked towards the boarlet that was now on the offside of the field, she'd attack it but she was having enough trouble keeping herself from getting emotional, maybe once this conversation was through she would. "I mean look at you... No one is willing to fight you... No one wants to hurt or kill you... Your safe, you don't need to worry about your own life, because unless its a floor boss it'll never be in danger..." She was just mumbling to herself at this point, the mask muffling her a tad. It's grin likely hid a face like nothing on the outside, her eyes were glossy, if you looked directly into the masks eye holes you'd be able to tell she was crying, though Xena wouldn't admit it. "I just wanna go home already..." She mumbled with a simple statement, a yearning for home, a way out of this mess. Such a thing was unlikely, and with all likely hood, she'd be dead before they finally escaped this hell hole. As she stated that she seemed to just pull her cloak shut covering her torso and lower legs, she had shut herself away not wanting to say anything more, she just wanted this to be over now. Maybe the next quest wouldn't be so harmful to her almost nonexistent emotional defense.

[Freyd 0]

"Actually, you'd be surprised."  How could he explain in a way that didn't reveal too much?  He stopped advancing, lest she feel the need to bolt.  That wouldn't help anyone here.

"I spent a long time jumping at my own shadow, worried that it was gonna shiv me when I wasn't watching.  It was terrifying when I finally pulled together enough nerve to step beyond the starting city and take my chances in the wilds - Cardinal be damned.  I never felt safe then, and still don't now.  Being a frontliner just paints a different kind of target on your back."

He also wanted to reveal how the position without Firm Anima also carried significant risks.  Freyd wasn't a broker, but only because he didn't share the secrets he gathered.  It was fairer to call him an information hoarder, and the arsenal at his disposal would make many people uneasy, if it were ever known.  People would kill to get their hands on that sort of intel.  And if they couldn't get to him, they would target people closest to him - people just like Xena.  How could he make her understand?

"What makes you need that mask, Xena?  Hiding your pain doesn't make it any easier to live with.  It never did for me."

Eyes searched the space between them, seeking the proper words, almost as if decoding some sort of encryption that prevented precisely that form of revelation.

"I could have become a monster.  If I'm truly honest, I know that I would have, and this crystal spinning over my head would have marked me as a traitor myself and all aspects of humanity still lingering in this world.  Having friends made all the difference.  Trusting in good people and learning from them kept me from the brink, and I came close to tipping over on more than one occasion.  You seem to be struggling with the same."

Reaching out, he offered her his hand.

"I asked you here because, in a way, we're back to where we were the first time we ever took this quest together.  The details are different.  We are different.  But the choices remain the same.  Don't go back to hiding, Xena.  Take off the mask, at least when you're with me.  Let me help you deal with that fear and anger before it consumes you, like it almost did me."

[Xena 0]

Xena simply placed a hand on her mask, a nervous giggle could be heard from behind it, she was struggling so badly to hold it together right now in a combat zone. Freyd was being nice but, that was part of the problem likely, he's gone from nice to spooky to mean to nice over and over and it was just so confusing. "Why can't you... just pick a way to be with me..." She just commented in a voice that sounded full of emotion that was being muted. Looking towards the boar on the opposite side of the field just watching them, it felt like it was mocking her despite not evening moving, it probably didn't even register her existence. "All I can say at this point is you have your secrets and I have mine... And neither of us will ever learn them." She stated with a soft sigh as the mask vanished as Xena rubbed her sleeve over her eyes clearing them up. She just wanted to get this over with, but Freyd likely wanted to talk this out some more, which she couldn't disagree too. "What makes me need a mask is if I'm ever myself in this world I'll die, I imagine you'd get that." She said with a sigh, whether its a physical or metaphorical mask, Xena wears both, maybe multiple at the same time.

[Freyd 0]

Freyd frowned one of those 'are you kidding me now' kinda frowns.

"Seriously?"  He couldn't quite keep all the frustration out of his deadpan voice.  If Xena had meant to be playful, her reaction was having the opposite effect.  Freyd wasn't the type of man who appreciated having his time and efforts wasted, and that was what this was starting to feel like.  Nor did he have enough emotional wherewithal to let this slide off his back.  He'd invested too much in the effort and was struggling with the notion of just cutting his losses and walking away.  But Xena deserved better.  She'd helped him out in those early days, so he would stick this out in turn.  Pinching the bridge of his nose, the momentary tension bled away.  She had made her choice, or, at least, he was making his based on her response.  Business relationship it was.

"Okay.  Fine.  Let's move on and get these boars killed."

[Xena 0]

Xena mumbled something, or, more so just moved her lips to form the words but no sound was audible. She didn't wanna talk anymore, or even be here, Freyd was being different again and she wasn't able to understand it right now. "I understand..." She mumbled lying to herself as if able to hear his thoughts of this being a business thing now. She simply walked up to the boar, might as well get this started. Her movements were that of a saddened individual, someone who didn't wanna be there. With a slow lengthy sigh she had walked up to the boar and whipped her hand, in front of her causing 3 slash marks to appear moving forward and hitting behind it, these slashes had ripped into the the bushes killing 3 boars Xena didn't even notice. The one directly in front of her being fine, she looked mildly surprised but still seemed down, she would back up but its unlikely the boarlet could even really hurt her seeing how it was a level 1 mob.

 

Spoiler

Post Action | AOE-I (x11 | 11 EN + [2 * targets] EN) = 17 EN

Free Action | None

 

ID #204971 | BD: 1 (miss)

ID #204972 | BD: 10 (Crit +2).  DMG (11x14=154)  Bleed applied.

ID #204973 | BD: 8+2=10 (hit).  DMG (11x12=132)

ID #204974 | BD: 8+2=10 (hit).  DMG (11x12=132)

 

Freyd | HP: 1120/1120 | EN: 128/146 | DMG: 24 | MIT: 78 | EVA: 2 | ACC: 8 (incl. AA) | BH: 61 | LD: 5 | BLGT: 32 | STK: 40 | PV(O) | REC: 8

Xena | HP: 320/320 | EN: 33/50 (50-17) | DMG: 12 | MIT: 32 | ACC 2 | EVA: 1 | BH: 6 | LD: 3 | BLD: 24 | REC: 4 

 

Boarlet #5 | HP 5/5 | DMG 3 

Boarlet #6 | HP 0/5 | DMG 3 (5-154) Bleed 24

Boarlet #7 | HP 0/5 | DMG 3 (5-132)

Boarlet #8 | HP 0/5 | DMG 3 (5-132)

 

Edited March 6, 2022 by Xena

[Freyd 0]

Freyd laughed.  Not in a mocking manner, but because he had been in Xena's shoes.

"Yeah.  Cardinal can be really weird.  Don't overthink it."  Walking over to her side, he hoofed the original target like a football, punting the digital pig skin high into the air.  It came crashing down to the ground several dozen yards away and exploded into a messy pile of pixels.  Snorting at the comparison between their original venture, he looked around the scene for drops.

"Oh.  They must have gotten rid of the part where you had to gather the boar tusks.  Well isn't that nice.  You have no idea how many of these damned things you used to have to kill to complete the quest.  It was just brutal."  

A quest milestone window appeared before each of them, reminding them to return to Lyle for their rewards.

"Come on.  Let's go turn this in.  You look tired and frustrated, and it will help you feel better to put this behind you."

Spoiler

Freyd regains +4 EN
CD 12 (+8 EN from REC proc) ID #204976

Post Action | Basic Attack (1 EN)
Free Action | None

ID #204975 | BD: 7+8=15 (hit).  DMG (24)

Freyd | HP: 1120/1120 | EN: 139/146 (+4+8-1) | DMG: 24 | MIT: 78 | EVA: 2 | ACC: 8 (incl. AA) | BH: 61 | LD: 5 | BLGT: 32 | STK: 40 | PV(O) | REC: 8
Xena | HP: 320/320 | EN: 33/50 | DMG: 12 | MIT: 32 | ACC 2 | EVA: 1 | BH: 6 | LD: 3 | BLD: 24 | REC: 4 

Boarlet #5 | HP 0/5 | DMG 3 (5-24)
 

 

[Xena 0]

Xena somewhat smiled watching him knock out the boar she had somehow missed at pointblank range. Seeing as he was as close as he was maybe now would be best. Suddenly hugging the man she simply stated. "I'm sorry, about all that... I wanna be a friend... I just have a hard time speaking my mind... If there's anything you need to ask I promise to tell the truth, I just, couldn't seem to find my words a few minutes ago." As those words had finished Xena let go, it was only now that a mother boar decided to dash out of the bushes towards Xena who by reaction struck it with a punch to the nose in a somewhat of a panic. The boar flew back crashing into a tree exploding into pixels as Xena put a hand against her chest now energized by a adrenaline rush. "I- forgot about that." She mumbled having forgot that a mother boar comes after you as a part of the quest line.

Spoiler

Xena regains +2 EN

CD 3 (No from REC proc) ID #204988

 

Post Action | ST-1 (x12 | 12 EN)
Free Action | None

ID #204980 | BD:3+2 +1=6.  DMG (12*12=144-15=129)

Freyd | HP: 1120/1120 | EN: 128/146 | DMG: 24 | MIT: 78 | EVA: 2 | ACC: 8 (incl. AA) | BH: 61 | LD: 5 | BLGT: 32 | STK: 40 | PV(O) | REC: 8

Xena | HP: 320/320 | EN: 33/50 (33+2-12) | DMG: 12 | MIT: 32 | ACC 2 | EVA: 1 | BH: 6 | LD: 3 | BLD: 24 | REC: 4 

Mother Boar | HP 0/60 | DMG 15 | EVA -1 | Mit 15 (60-129)

 

Edited March 6, 2022 by Xena

[Freyd 0]

A nod of understanding and a door left open to future possibilities.  They'd managed it.  This time had been different. Not perfect.  Never perfect.  But different, and they had both lived.  Progress.

It took every ounce of will not to rip her in half when she wrapped her arms around him.  The machine wanted blood before information.

Betrayal!

'No,' he replied, arguing against himself.  No harm done.  No harm given.  Give her a chance, or she could be lost forever.  A gentle pat on the back instead, offering encouragement and hope.  Freyd was keeping his promise and taking a chance on friendship.

"I want to, also.  We both know that it will take time.  Let's take that time, for both our sakes."

Some giant boar foolishly darted from the bushes only to meet its fate by her hands.  

"So you can fight after all," he said, chuckling.  "Good to know.  And so long, Bacon Bits 2.0."  He smiled at the expression on her face.  "Long story.  But it's funny how often life likes to repeat itself.  Glad we didn't need Marv to save us this time.  Come on.  Let's go turn this in and then I'll buy you a drink."

[Xena 0]

Xena wasn't able to sense violence from the man, even if his inner voice told him to hurt her. She genuinely wanted to give being friends a try, and was ready to answer any question he could ask her. Providing that another boar doesn't charge at her, her menu flashed in front of her showing she picked up boar jerky. She wasn't sure what it did, likely it was just a buff or healing item most consumables are. "Well, as long as it isn't alcoholic." She said with a small smirk, in truth she couldn't handle liquor well, but thankfully it wouldn't matter here, as it doesn't actually effect you that much. "Kidding of course." She stated innocently at the end, not wanting to draw any kind of aggression from the jokish response.

Xena had properly looted the boars after about 3 minutes of walking around their corpses regardless of quest neccesity before they had left, free col is free col after all. Walking but up to Freyd she simply asked. "Did you, have a place in mind to get something at?" She asked calmly trusting he wasn't just about to try to ambush her, that'd be silly and far to elaborate. 

 

Xena obtained: 

• Boar Jerky
  • Received if you examined the glass vial and defeated <<Mama Boar>>
  • T1 Perfect Consumable | DMG II | MIT I

Edited March 6, 2022 by Xena