[F22-PP] The Old Ways Die, and are Reborn <<Katana Skill Acquisition>>

[Freyd 0]

Sitting akimbo on the padded mats of a sparsely used dojo buried deep within the Cathedral of the Lost, Freyd had been staring at the same simple blade for hours.  Set loosely on the ground before him was an ornate wooden bokken of black walnut, crafted by special request from the limbs of a fallen treant down on floor eight.  A friend among the elves of Ellesmera had secured the rare materials and one of the local craftsmen had been kind enough to work it into the proper form. Its wrappings still lay scattered all around it.  A dozen more, far more weathered than the prize before him, lay cradled in racks along the wall, each having seen a wide variety of wielders and combat styles.  Given the size of Firm Anima, it wouldn't surprise him to find that several masters of the art had passed through here in their time.  

Only one person came to mind, if he were truly to commit to such a path.  He'd seen her rise from a novice to undisputed mastery, and would proudly call her sensei, given the chance.  Setsuna had also been considered, yet her style no longer fit with his intended idiom, though he likewise treasured her talents and company.  Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, this was a drastic departure from everything he had always been. 

Give them hope.

Words branded in his memory, perhaps prophetic or the first steps in a long journey never believed to be possible within the confines of his universe.

"Wouldn't that be nice?"  Whispered dreamings murmured to a fancy stick.  It seemed apt.  Freyd shadow spread out long and wide behind him, suffusing the back half of the chamber with its silence.  The choice was finally made.

To: @Katoka From: Freyd When you have a moment, please join me in the dojo at the guild hall.  I have a favour to ask.

Garb and cowl cast aside, even his favoured weapon was nowhere to be found.  He'd banished it along with his armor, leaving him only in basic workout wear.  No one ever bothered him in here anyway.  Nothing fancy was required.  And if this was to be a new beginning then old symbols had to be set aside, save perhaps just one.  A precious rose - his guiding light in verdigris shining from beyond a world drowning in its shadows - had shown him another, better way.  It was time her earned the faith she and others had placed in him, starting by embracing a vision always previously denied.

***

Freyd | HP: 1180/1180 | EN: 156/156 | DMG: 4 | ACC:2 | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | BH:65 | LD:6

Spoiler

Name: Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows
True Tier: 17
Level: 33
Paragon Level: 133
HP: 1180/1180
EN: 156/156

Stats:
Damage: 4
Mitigation: 45
Accuracy: 2
Evasion: 4
Battle Healing: 65
Loot Die: 6

Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket: 
  - Bokken of the Elder Wood (Vanity)
Armor/Trinket: 
  - Black Pants (Vanity
Shield/Armor/Trinket: 
  - Fight O'er Flight (ACC 2 | EVA 2)

Combat Mastery:
  - Combat Mastery: Damage R3

Combat Shift:
  - AOE Shift

Familiar Skill:
  - Grappling Familiar

Custom Skill:
  - Shades of the Gemini

Skills:
  - Battle Healing R5
  - Charge
  - Cloth Armor R5
  - Energist
  - Extended Mod Limit
  - Extended Weight Limit
  - Fighting Spirit
  - Howl
  - Martial Arts R5
  - Quick Change
  - Searching R4
  - Curve Sword R1

Extra Skills:
  - Survival
  - Forgotten King's Authority
  - Meditation
  - Parry

Inactive Extra Skills:
  - Frozen Hide
  - Hiding R2
  - Lady Luck
  - Photosynthesize
  - Assault Mode
  - Brawler
  - Disguise

Addons:
  - Focus
  - Focused Howl
  - Nimble
  - Precision
  - Reveal
  - Stamina

Mods:
  - Athletics
  - Detect
  - Emergency Recovery
  - Justified Riposte
  - Night Vision
  - Tracking

Inactive Mods:

Battle Ready Inventory:
  - Crystal of Divine Light (Reusable) x1
  - Hope's Covenant - Resolve +4 (T4 Demonic Weapon (MA) - AA, Phase, Frostbite,,VO x1
  - Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+10% HP) x7
  - Ordsea Crystal-B x1
  - Rhino's Horn (Reusable) x1
  - T4 Vitality (+16 EN) x7
  - Teleport Crystals x7
  - The Shadowed Rose | ACC 3 | Para.Imm x1
  - The Thing Behind All Lies (T4 Demonic MA, AA, Blight, Static, Para.Ven (Off))  x1

Housing Buffs:
  - Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
  - Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
  - Basic Kitchen: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30.
  - Storage Closet: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
  - Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
  - Attic (Bedroom): +1 Expertise to declared utility skill. Cannot boost a skill without ranks, or increase a skill past its maximum rank. Cannot boost a skill the user has not learned yet. Ranks obtained using this buff will make the mods of that rank available for purchase. Mods obtained this way are unusable if this buff is removed until the skill is returned to the appropriate rank by way of SP purchase.
  - Basement: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
  - Guest Room: Players can have one «Amenity» in a «Guest Room» and the «Amenity» cannot be recovered. Players are allowed to change which «Amenity» is in the «Guest Room». Multiple instances of the same «Amenity» do not stack. This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.
  - Extended Workshop: +2 Crafting EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
  - Ornate Fishing Pond: +2 Fishing EXP per Attempt and additional +1 LD & CD to fishing attempts.
  - Dining Hall: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed. Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread.
  - Mega Slime Farm: +10% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post.

Guild Hall Buffs:
  - Trading Hall: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters and Rank 4 merchants/performers receive +1 crafting/identification attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters and Rank 5 merchants/performers receive +2 crafting/identification attempts per day.
  - Treasury: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild Totem:
  - None

Wedding Ring:

Crafting Profession:
 - Appraising[3478exp] R5

Gathering Profession:
 - Fishing[576exp] R5                                                                                                                            

 

Edited August 18 by Freyd

[Katoka 0]

A sigh of relief escaped the samurai's lips as she flopped onto her couch. She had just finished deep cleaning her kitchen and had left the room sparkling, a satisfied smile on her lips. She knew that she didn't have to actually clean any part of her house that way, the system could restore a space to a shining new state, but the action was liberating for her. Reaching out to her coffee table she grabbed a glass of water and gulped down a few mouthfuls as a notification pinged in her periphery. Setting the glass down the tapped the icon and scanned the message. Freyd needed her at the guild dojo? Must be something important.

She let out a groan as she stood, stopping to look down at herself, "Listen body, we aren't old yet so don't go making noises when we get up alright?" she huffed and went upstairs to freshen up. After a quick shower, a clothing swap, and a potion to refresh her energy, Katoka was feeling much more like herself. She locked up as she left and made the walk from her home, down the cobbled paths of floor twenty two she smiled as she took in the sights. It was such a wonderful day that she couldn't help but feel a tinge of happiness.

It was always very convenient that she lived so close to the guild hall. She loved swinging by the archives to gather information on the various quests that the others had completed in order to prep herself for whatever might come ahead. The thought made her stop in place for a moment, realizing that she was behind on her own reports that needed submitting. "Next time, I'm not accepting a promotion. Not without a good raise." her voice echoing with annoyance through the empty main hall.

Having been by the dojo only a few times, it still took Kat a few tries to find the room properly. She had preferred practicing in the private comfort of her own backyard over the semi public area of the guild. Bowing slightly as she slipped her shoes of and stepped into the room, old habits die the hardest, the samurai saw her friend sitting down in the room with what looked like a wooden practice sword in his lap. "Hey! What's this favor you need? We doing a bit of sparing?"

---

Katoka | HP: 780/780 | EN: 112/112 | DMG: 23 | MIT:78 | ACC:5 | EVA:1 | BH:43 | REC: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16

Spoiler

Name: Katoka, The Cerulean Storm True Tier: 6
Level: 33
Paragon Level: 24
HP: 780/780
EN: 112/112

Stats:
Damage: 23
Mitigation: 78
Accuracy: 5
Evasion: 1
Battle Healing:
Stealth Rating: -2
REC: 8
FLN: 16 HLY: 16
Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket:
- Muramasa's Legacy | T4/Demonic/Katana | Holy II, Fallen II
Armor/Trinket:
- Oni Haori | T4/Demonic/Light Armor | MIT 2, REC 2
Shield/Armor/Trinket:
- Aquamarine | T4 Demonic Trinket | ACC III, EVA I

Combat Mastery:
- Combat Mastery: Damage R3

Combat Shift:
- ST Shift

Familiar Skill:
- Rending Familiar

Custom Skill:
-

Skills:
- Battle Healing R5
- Energist
- Katana R5
- Light Armor R5

Extra Skills:
- Concentration
- Forgotten King's Authority
- Parry
- Survival

Inactive Extra Skills:

Addons:
- Ferocity
- Precision
- Resolve
- Stamina

Mods:
- Meticulous
- Vengeful Riposte

Inactive Mods:

Battle Ready Inventory:
- Teleportation Crystal x
- Tincture of Recovery | HP Recovery x

Housing Buffs:
- Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
- Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
- Basic Kitchen: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30.
- Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
- Attic (Storage): +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests
- Slime Farm: +5% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post.

Guild Hall Buffs:
- Trading Hall: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters and Rank 4 merchants/performers receive +1 crafting/identification attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters and Rank 5 merchants/performers receive +2 crafting/identification attempts per day.
- Treasury: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild Totem:

Wedding Ring:

Crafting Profession:
- Alchemist[1817exp] R8
Gathering Profession:

 

[Freyd 0]

"Something like that, I think.  Though it may be more up to you than me."

Patting on the matted floor next to where he say, Freyd invited his friend to join him.

"You've been very open and honest with me about your own recent struggles.  It seems only right that I should share alike."

She saw him pause, gulping down something difficult, yet intangible, momentarily stuck in his throat.  

"A long time ago, shortly after Raidou and I first met, we ran through the Scents of the Wilds quest chain, much as you and I have been.  We got to know each other a lot better, and soon realized how much alike the two of us truly are.  Ever since, I've felt like we've been acting like flip sides of the same coin, with the same ridiculously dedicated resolve.  I have no greater respect for any man, than for our guild leader.  And so was honoured when he asked, near the end, if I would take over his role as guild leader if he ever fell."

Silence surrounded them like a smothering blanket by those words being spoken aloud.

"I don't make vows casually.  It's been with me constantly, ever since, guiding every decision that I've made.  Even my decision to tank in the last raid was influenced by that promise.  'Give them hope,' was what he wanted. Raidou had already confronted something all tanks inevitably face: the realization that they may have to die to fulfill their purpose. Our meticulous guildmaster was laying plans within plans, as he so often does.  But it stuck with me, and has been gnawing at something in my soul ever since."

Despite the words spilling freely from him, Freyd didn't seem troubled in the slightest.  Quite the opposite held true.  Katoka had rarely seen such a sense of calm serenity about her quiet, typically secretive friend.

"I've long been accustomed to fighting battles myself, sticking to the background and the shadows, but those days feel like they are coming to a close."  A hand reached out its slender fingers to press their tips upon the sword laid on its side before him.  "It may be time for me to grow up, little sister, and properly embrace the promise I made so long ago.  I won't give up my cowl, but its place is no longer in the shadows.  It needs to stand more clearly between light and darkness."

Clearing his throat, Freyd realized that he was speaking his thoughts aloud, and that they likely sounded like riddles.  

"If I'm going to be a tank, then I should actually be a tank, and not some poor imitation of Raidou.  I need to find my own path, and it feels like the answer lays in finding my own past: through the sword."

Edited August 18 by Freyd

[Katoka 0]

Katoka rested on her knees, listening as Freyd spoke earnestly with her. He had been mor and more open as time had passed, something that Kat treasured dearly. She could tell that the possible weight of him having to become guild leader was weighing on his shoulders. At the moment the weight seemed to be for the good, but she felt that it wouldn't take much for it to tip in the opposite direction. "I respect your resolve in becoming a better pillar in the guild. Just don't forget that Raidou is still around, you don't have to take up that responsibility just yet. He doesn't seem like the type to go down that easy anyways." she flashed him a grin.

The samurai stood, brushing off any invisible dust or dirt that may have collected on her and opened her inventory. She unequipped her weapon and scrolled down to a bokken that she had stored deep in the mess of items that she kept on her. With a tap the item appeared at her side and she nodded, swiping the window away and placing a hand on the handle. "Now, I'm not much of a teacher. At least I don't think I am, I've never really taught anyone anything. I climbed a mountain and went through a secret waterfall to learn from some old man NPC, so this might be a bit weird."

Katoka thought back to her time on the mountain. She had spent quite a bit of time swinging her wooden sword and getting battered and bruised from that old man. He had a twinkle in his eye though, something that she couldn't quite place. It was her first interaction with an NPC that felt real. Like he was more than just code in a system. A soft smile touched her lips, she had come a long long way since then.

"Tank or not, you're going to need need the resolve and the patience to know when to draw your blade." the Cerulean Storm drew her bokken, "Do you think you have it in you?" her demeanor had changed in an instant. Her sweet and soft expression now radiating with almost murderous intent. She shifted her stance, placing her back foot down with enough force that previously unseen dirt and dust were blasted from the tatami mat.

"Stand. First I will show you basic stances. Follow along with me. When you think you are ready you will assume them without my assistance. If you are unable to execute the stance I will... correct you." the samurai swung her wooden practice sword once, allowing a shockwave of air to blast through the dojo as a quick demonstration. She stood back up and her face shifted back to the sweet and goofy girl once again, "Shall we begin?"

[Freyd 0]

Closing his eyes and drawing one final breath, he held it, lungs clinging to it like a past life a part of him wasn't yet prepared to leave behind.  An imagined hand, caressing the side of his face and lilting nervous laughter rung in his ears.  Warmth and passion loosed the tension around his heart, allowing him finally to exhale.  Reaching for the dark wood blade, Freyd accepted... no... chose to claim a new fate.  Rising on the spot, his feet extending like a scissor lift, he held the bokken aloft with both hands apart.  Bowing respectfully to the blade, as well as his sensei, signaled his acceptance.

"Patience and resolve have never been my problems.  But my focus has always been in carving a path of destruction, dodging around the consequences.  That duty now falls to you: sensei, captain, friend."  Mimicking her stance with unnatural perfection instantly reminded his new mentor of Freyd's bizarre kinship with the gemini.  His appearance even seemed to flicker momentarily.  If it extended to their reflexive assumption of traits and talents, he could be a dangerously fast learner.  Leave it to the Whisper to find a back door. Subtle twists of grip and muscle tension signaled adaptation beyond what should be possible for any novice.

"By accepting this blade and role I'm choosing to pay those prices myself."  Textile audibly creaked as he tightened his grip upon the hilt, shifting his footing to better space out his stance and balance his greater height.  These were not the moves of a novice.

"Don't look so surprised, Katoka.  I spent all my early years as a swordsman, after all. Even if the system support no longer exists, it's not like you forget the motions." The tiniest hint of a smirk perched itself on the edges of his lips.  Katoka was gonna cream him, but he might as well toss a little head game into the mix to make it more fun for them both.  Trash talking wasn't really appropriate for this anyway.

"Ready."

Edited August 19 by Freyd

[Katoka 0]

Thinking back to one of the first quests they ever did together, Kat remembered Freyd using a bladed weapon. "I do believe I remember you using a sword back when you took a few of to kill that damn sand shark." the blonde felt a sense of nostalgia wash over her as she thought about how far she had come since then. What was even funnier was that she was teaching the man that had been pretty much the level she is now back then in that moisture deprived sand trap.

"Alright, I'm going to show you the five basic stances. I want you to copy them to best of your ability and then once I finish you'll be doing them on your own while I correct you." her voice had become calm and commanding now, the sound resembling that of a proper tutor. She nodded to Freyd and stood in line with him, there being enough distance between them that they could move without hitting one another. "Begin!"

With a yell she moved into position one, pausing so that he could observe and copy her to the best of his ability. Once she was certain he was done and moved to the next, and so one and so forth. As Katoka cycled through each form she let out a "Hai!" to signify the change. After the fifth form she started from the beginning and went through them again to be sure the Whisper was able to absorb the information. When she finished she slipped the sword into the fabric tied around her waist and turned to her student, bowing deeply for a few seconds.

Righting herself she nodded, "Good. I know from experience that you know how to fight. It's clear that you also show how to swing a sword around. But it's also obvious that you are a novice when it comes to using wielding a katana." she smirked and began to circle the dark haired man, "Each time I will shout 'Hai!' and you will change positions starting from form one. I will correct you in the areas that I observe until you can get everything down." After completing a full revolution around Freyd she stopped in front of him. "Ready? Hai!"

She watched her friend, now student, as he moved himself in a near copy of her from earlier. She circled him slowly, inspecting his stance as she went. In a quick, fluid motion, she drew her bokken and struck him on the back of his knee. "Keep your knees bent more, you're too stiff!" she watched him nearly fall from the strike, righting himself quickly before striking his right forearm next, "Keep your arms level, they're dipping too low!"

Deep down Katoka knew she was being a bit... rough. But she also knew that Freyd could handle it. She couldn't go easy on him, not when he was expecting her to teach him properly. After a second rotation she was pleased with his form, she nodded once more before shouting, "Hai!"

[Freyd 0]

"It's been a very long time." Freyd carried a nostalgic look, smiling wistfully at intruding memories of his earliest adventures.  "I spent a long time carting around a blade that had literally fallen out of the sky.  Turned out that NIGHT had dropped it while on an upper level and it just happily landed at my feet.  Awkward to be found wielding it, later, when we finally, properly met."

Following her instructions with reasonable skill, Freyd's stances suffered a bit from lack of use.  "Samael's Pride was first formed as a greatsword, later a staff, and now wraps.  It might be time for its form to evolve again. Makes me wonder whether this might be its final form?"  Grimacing at his own sloppiness, he redoubled his focus on Katoka's words.  Eerily, their shadows seemed to mimic first, Montjoy falling into line then dragging Freyd along for the ride.  Sometimes, one might wonder which was the caster, and which the shadow?

"HAI!"

[Katoka 0]

Thwack!

Another swift strike corrected Freyd's form.

"Regardless of whether or not this will be its final form, Samael's Pride will follow you into battle just as willingly as the rest of us will. Maybe some day in the future, you will be able to hang it on your wall instead of at your side." Katoka knew that this would more than likes not be true for a long time, but she felt it would not be a bad thing for her friend to one day retire the weapon he wielded like an extension of himself.

The samurai found herself striking her student less and less, only moving his elbows and knees ever so slightly. She also noticed that he settled into the motions much more fluidly than he had at the beginning. A small smile touched her lips but she hid it quickly. So there was still a swordsman still in there. After completing one final rotation around him she stopped, meeting his eyes as she slipped the wooden sword into the fabric tied around her waist. "I think now it's time for the next step." she nodded, signaling him to return his weapon to his side as well.

Bowing deeply Kat assumed her signature stance, placing her left hand on the hilt of her weapon. "I will draw my sword, and when I do I want you to attack me. Your forms will guide you. I will only be on the defensive so do not be afraid to make the first move." She nodded once more before drawing her weapon in one swift motion. "Hai!"

[Freyd 0]

Katoka's compliment struck Freyd harder than any corrective blow, his mouth opening yet void of any form of response.  It was a humbling gift, and a role he'd never aspired to achieve.  Maybe Raidou actually saw something in me, after all?  A solo grinder doesn't consider the benefits and responsibilities of leadership.  Their purview and goals revolve around survival and management over their themselves.  

Thwack!

Becoming O&I's captain had already shifted that perspective, at least indirectly, suddenly adding oversight and management of an unpredictable, dynamic resource: people.  Freyd tried to handle too much on his own and was ultimately compelled to admit that a group effort was required.  A spider cannot operate without its web, though the web itself need not bear the brunt of the danger.  There had been so many close calls, and even a few agents lost.  Some also burnt out under the mental strain of the work and faded into informal retirement.  Maybe they would return in time?

Thwack!

The Front Line's last raid proved to be an epiphany and inflection point, thrusting him into unexpected discomfort for the sake of... progress?  No.  That felt like a lie, reflected by his opinionated shadow.  Montjoy.  Freyd always hated when his conscience was proven right, especially when it was actually, honestly correct. 

"It's taken me too long for me to realize this."  Admission and admonishment muttered under his breath.  These words tasting air for the very first time.

"I think now it's time for the next step." 

Truth.  No... Veritas. 

Raising his practice blade in a high guard, Freyd accepted the choice he'd been darting around far too long.  Katoka was going to smash him to pieces, and that was okay.  It was his whole reason for being here in the first place.  Every day since he'd first set foot past Marv's guard post, he'd been dodging and evading, weapons as much as obligations.  His sensei was expecting the same.  Time to play against expectations.

Freyd's attacks were deliberate and weak, seeking to provoke a reaction and throw his opponent off her guard.  Not his usual feints and misdirection, attacking from blind corners, this was plain and pedantic prodding.  Inelegant.  Formulaic.  Predictable.  He was baiting, waiting, calling for the inevitable and necessary smite that destiny had sent him hurtling towards so many years ago.

[Katoka 0]

The cracks and thocks of wood against wood echoed through the dojo. Kat could tell that Freyd was not attacking with his all, his movements and the force behind his hits told her as much. This ignited a spark of irritation inside the small samurai. Seeing an opening in his footing she quickly disarmed him, sending his weapon sailing from his hands and then bringing her bokken around to knock his feet out from under him. Just as his back slammed into the tatami mat beneath him, her sword was already in a downward swing that stopped just shy of striking him, though his hair blasted back rom he force of the wind pressure. After a second of holding the weapon in place she tapped him on the forehead ever so slightly.

"Why are you holding back?" her tone was flat, though there was a hint of irritation. "Are you going to fight like this on the frontlines as well?"

She tapped him again on the head, this time slightly harder. She gestured to his weapon and stepped back to let him retrieve it. "Again, this time with some actual force."

Katoka watching her student as he retrieved his sword. The rough and forceful persona that she was exuding was taking a mental toll on her. She didn't want to be the asshole teacher, but she knew that if she was too soft with the Whisper then there would be little progress. "It will be much more satisfying to wallop him when he's actually trying to hit me anyways." she thought to herself as the two once again faced one another.

"Ready? Hai!"

Edited September 3 by Katoka

[Freyd 0]

"Apologies, sensei-chan."  Freyd bowed, sincerely, but with dual meaning.  Though he'd invited Katoka to teach him the art of the sword, this exercise was as much about accepting the brunt of her deliberately fostered frustration - ideally also learning to do the same against future opponents.  He'd also witnessed aggression stirring in Katoka since she'd received her newest blade.  It was essential to determine whether it was the result of the blade's innate darkness or something deeper.  Samael's Pride carried its own pull and price.  Would such a burdensome weapon prove too much for his friend's carefree nature?

A wave of his hand pivoted his shadow against the light to consume his fallen blade, swallowing it with its umbra.  Reaching behind him, Freyd summoned the freshly-consumed bokken, still trailing wisps of pure anathema as it re-emerged from the void.  An amusing tactic, meant mostly for show, but also to confound and intimidate.  Setting his jaw, Freyd resumed his stance, this time with a more tightly wound posture.  Arching his brows in a predatory fashion, he would launch himself into a flurry of light, quick strikes intended to force her into giving ground, leading to the inevitable.  For his goals to reach fruition, he needed to prove to himself that he could play the game, provoke and ultimately take the hit.

Giving it his all, his speed was no match for the master against whom he fought, but that was no different than facing a raid boss.  There was always a bigger, stronger, faster fish, often with a much nastier bite than any mere player could deliver.  If he was to place himself before such a beast again, he needed to be ready to face the consequences.  After all this time, Freyd was finally learning the lesson that Raidou had taught him those many, many moons ago: to face and accept the fate awaiting any tank, and still choose to stand in peril's inevitable shadow.

***

Vanity Tag: @Raidou

Edited September 4 by Freyd

[Katoka 0]

As the two warriors clashed their training weapons together again a delay of sound followed after. As if lighting had struck several miles away, the earth rumbling cracks of the wooden swords seemed to reverberate through the entirety of the guild hall now. It would only be a matter of time before the members of Firm Anima that resided on the property would come to find the source of the noise. Katoka felt her mouth pull into a fierce grin as she felt the building electricity inside her. Stray bolts of power snapped and cracked from her as she began to pick up speed.

The samurai could feel the strength of Freyd's blows each time they connected. Pain jumped from the palms of her hands and up her forearm from the sheer force of each strike. If these swords had been real wood they would have been reduced to splinters long ago, but had this been the real world the two of them would not have been this strong either. Katoka felt a hunger deep within her begin to slowly creep its way through her body, its source still foreign to her. The need to fight seemed to throb and expand it's ravenous tendrils through her with each and every crack of her bokken.

It seemed to happen in an instant. The two players had locked weapons, both pushing against the other while standing still for the first moment since they had began this exercise. Kat's eyes seemed to change, as if they were replaced with a predators. She side stepped and let Freyd fall forward, the momentum from locking weapons sending him tumbling forward and rolling onto his back. Before he could continue his roll to get back on his feet Kat had her blade held a few centimeters from his throat. The sword in her hand was not the polished wood she had been holding before, instead of was the cold steel of Muramasa's Legacy. The woman stood above the Whisper, her eyes wild and her chest rising and falling rapidly.

Her wrist turned ever so slightly causing the light in the room to reflect off the sword and into her eyes. Blinking rapidly Katoka looked down and for the first time saw what she held in her hand. With a gasp she stepped back and dropped the katana, letting it clatter to the floor as her blood ran fringed in her veins. "Holy shit! Oh my god Freyd I'm so sorry, I have no idea what happened!" panic filled her voice as she began to pace around the room. "I-I don't even have the damn quick change mod, how did it even show up in my hand?!"

The blonde felt the bloodlust that had gripped her begin to recede back to wherever it had come from, dissatisfied that it wasn't able to feed like it wanted to, yet amused with it's actions.

[Freyd 0]

Her form was perfect, blade slashing all about him like it was dancing to the tune of her fingertips, cutting through the air as if it were frictionless void instead.  Freyd knew that feeling, and the all-consuming appetite concealed in the absolute nothingness behind it.  How else could one describe a sensation whose entirety was the consumption of all others?  He saw it now, but in the face of a friend.  So this is the test, is it?  It took longer than expected, and a different form than Freyd had expected, but there it was: the same bloodlust that had overcome his senses in the form of War.  Every time Samael's Pride loosened its grip, even slightly, the same power ate away at the digital fabric of his avatar, taking just a little bit of him away.  He'd just learned to feed it those things that deserved to be discarded.

The blade had been a fusion of other component shards, assembled in his own Edges, near the outskirts of Angel's Point. Katoka had wanted a taste of that same power.  Now she would discover its price, and he the cost of handing a lethal weapon over to someone who might not be ready.  No one is ever ready.  You weren't. 

Admittedly, he'd expected a whomping blow from her bokken.  This was different.  Worse.  It confirmed his deeper suspicions and raised others, including a terrifying possibility.  The slightest exhale of breath was the only sign of tension in the aftermath of her halted strike.  He'd faced the possibility of death.  With that weapon in her hands, unprepared and without armor, she might have ended him.  Freyd knew the math, having used it to devastating effect.  Yet, he hadn't even flinched.  

A dull thud as the sword tumbled from his sensei's trembling hands.  Panicked apology and fear followed like a tsunami in the wake of the earth moving beneath her feet.  Terror.  Shame.  Doubt.  All were feasts to the void.  His hands lightly touched her shoulders, steadying her in the storm.   This was his role now, the rite passed and destiny reforged in the absence of blinking eyes.  

"Katoka!"  Calm and quiet, her spoken name cut through the fog addling her sense far more effectively than his blade against her defenses.  

"It's fine.  I'm fine.  See?"  He pointed to his neck, without any evidence of injury, his health bar likewise unscathed.  

"It happened again, didn't it?  Just as you've described?"  Pursing his lips in that Whisper's way, his features beckoned at truth behind her eyes with genuine sincerity.  "I have to ask: have you checked yourself for embers since returning from the Fire Woods on 28?  Are you certain that nothing had afflicted you?  I've seen that look in your eye and felt it's equal, nearly losing myself to it in Cleansing the Corruption.  Something's wrong, and we need to figure it out, together, little sister."

[Katoka 0]

The constant whine of psyche induced tinnitus filled Katoka's ears, drowning out any other sound that attempted to slip in. She was having a panic attack, the first one in a long time. Normally she would recognize the symptoms as they creeped their way through her body and she could take the steps she had learned to keep it somewhat under control. This one was different. She looked around the room with frantic eyes as her chest rose and fell at an alarming rate. After what seemed like an eternity her gaze managed to fall upon Freyd just as he shouted her name. The sight of him allowed his voice to pierce through the annoying ringing, sending a shock through her as the rest of the rooms sounds all rushed back at once.

With a gasp Kat fell to her knees, regaining control of herself as she forcefully slowed down her breathing. In, and out. In, and out. Her cheeks were wet, she hadn't even noticed that she had started crying at some point. Looking up at her friend she could see that there were no marks on him, she hadn't actually cut him with her sword. Relief rushed through her, thawing the frozen blood in her veins. After a few shaky breaths she finally choked out a response, "No embers. I checked thoroughly that day." Her eyes shot to the katana lying on the ground. "I think it's the sword. It makes me... want to kill things. Like it's ravenous for blood and it makes me hungry in turn."

Katoka shakily rose to her feet, taking a moment once she was up to steady herself. "I... I've never felt like that before. At least not that... Strong. I felt it a bit previously but there was something about our match, even though it wasn't equipped. Like it's already apart of me." she felt herself shiver.

[Freyd 0]

Katoka collapsed in his arms, tears streaming down her face as her breathing heaved and grew increasingly ragged.  Freyd had never witnessed a panic attack before, and the outpouring of raw emotion caught him off guard.  Catching the smaller, slender woman, he was instantly surprised by how heavy someone could be when their body became dead weight, threatening to throw him off balance and topple him over as well.  Muscles honed in this very dojo clenched and steadied them both, striving to provide both physical and emotional support for his friend.  Their landing was rougher than expected, but neither sprained anything or fell into some embarrassingly compromising position, as would inevitably have been the case in any of his childhood anime.

"Katoka..." he tried.  "KATOKA!"  Gently, but firmly, he repeated her name like a beacon to guide her back towards shore amid stormy seas.  Her eyes were wild, at first, but gradually recovered their bearings.  Alien instincts took over, causing his own eyes to widen with uncertainty as he wrapped his arms around her head and shoulders, holding her tight and using his own heartbeat as an echo for hers to follow.  She'd settle a few moments later, Freyd loosening his grips as her body relaxed, easing back towards just holding her shoulders to keep her from suddenly toppling over again.

Listening to her explanation, concern dominated over his doubts.  "You should check again, just to be sure.  There are change rooms around the corner.   We also don't know how slowly that affliction spreads and can't take any chances.  But, so far as the blade is concerned... I understand.  These weapons are powerful, and exact a heavy personal toll.  Wielding them can become a burden and require unexpected sacrifice, though each one is likely unique."  He paused again, lightly letting go and watching to make sure she'd stay upright.  "The other possibility is that it's just magnifying something you already had inside.  Just between us, is there anything gnawing at you inside?  I know my demons, but don't think we've ever talked about yours."

[Katoka 0]

The samurai took her time getting her breathing under control. She felt significantly more safe there with Freyd, but there was still a part of her that kept her heart beating faster than usual. After one final deep breath in and slow out she nodded, letting her brother know that she was fully in control again. "I've  always felt excited when fighting, especially once I got to the level I am now. It wasn't anything sociopathic or anything. A good fight would get my blood pumping, the thrill of the hunt and all that." she shook her head. "It just feels so much stronger now."

Standing up, Katoka looked at the weapon on the floor. She turned from it, leaving it on the ground and walked toward the changing rooms, "I'll be right back, I just want to be sure I haven't sprouted anything new." Stepping around the corner she reached up and gripped the front of her clothing tightly, taking another deep breath before finding a place to change.

Slipping into a space and pulling a curtain closed she opened up her menu. Normally she would just undress like she would in the real world, but for the sake up speed she unequipped her armor and clothing for a speedy inspection. Using a wall mounted mirror she checked her entire body for any crystalline protrusions that may have grown over time, make extra sure to check the places on her arms where she was bitten by the wolves. Much to her relief nothing appeared to be out of place. Taking a quick second to pinch at her mid section she frowned, "I can't be getting fat can I? No. That would just be cruel."

Once her gear was re-equipped her finger hovered just over the weapon slot, nearly tapping it to return her katana to her side. She instead swiped the menu away and returned to the dojo.

[Freyd 0]

Freyd waited patiently, watching Katoka make her way to the change rooms from the corner of his eyes.  Sitting patiently, he turned his gaze back towards the troublesome blade that seemed so bothersome to his adopted sibling.  Its features were unchanged.  Though no smith, he'd forged its amalgam in ways no steelmonger ever could, wielding the mystic essence inherent to such items as only appraisers could.  It was like playing with the soulstuff of items, yet remained relatively unknown given its recent addition as a game feature.

"What if I messed something up?  Could it be taunting its wielder instead, goading them into violence?"  Given subtle changes in behaviour exhibited by certain mobs after this much time in an active game environment, it seemed naive to think that items might not glean similar growth in their own sense?  There were too many potential explanations, most of which amounted to pure supposition and were therefore pointless to pursue.  When this day was over, he knew Samael's Pride would likely be back in his hands, forcing him to face the same sorts of consequences, yet had no more insights to offer his teacher.

"Everything alright," he asked, half turning his head, not having moved from the spot where she'd left him.  If they could at least eliminate the embers as a cause, that would certainly help lessen the stress load.

[Katoka 0]

Stepping back into the room Katoka let out a sigh. "Yeah, all is well. Nothing out of the ordinary anywhere so I think I'm alright. For now." Her gaze fell once again onto the discarded sword on the floor, she had noticed that Freyd had also been glancing in its direction. Gesturing with her hand she opened her game menu and tapped on the icon for the weapon, making it fizzle away from it's location and back to her side. Then swiftly dragged it to her inventory so that it was once again no longer equipped. She hopped that if she remained vigilant, it would remain there. Now that she was certain that the sword had some sort of mind of it's own, her will would need to always remain the strongest.

With another swipe her menu was once again closed and her attention was tuned back to the Whisper. "Well. Despite the added... interactions of certain inanimate objects. I think your training was otherwise successful." a smile returned to Kat's face, warm but still tinged with the stress of what had happened. She straightened up and bowed deeply, "I'm proud to call you my student and my friend Freyd. And I'm honored to call you my brother." standing back up straight she continued, "You know more than anyone the burden of wielding a weapon like this, so I hope you'll be there for me if I need it. Just like I'll be right behind you during any fight."

[Freyd 0]

"Thank you sensei."  Freyd's usually casual and flippant demeanor always made it more poignant when he chose to be formal.  There was weight behind the words, conveying unspoken gratitude for far more than the lessons they had shared. 

"But, I worry that you might be substituting one type of pain for another," he added, glancing in the direction of the missing sword.  She'd know what he meant without the need to make it any more blatant. 

"And you never answered my earlier question about your past."  It was a statement of observation, intended only to provoke more introspection on her part.  Had she glossed over it in the moment, or was she burying something she shouldn't?  Only Katoka would know, and only if she was honest with herself.  It wouldn't be fair of him to pry any further.

"The darkness in these blades is unforgiving of unresolved trauma, Katoka, I assure you." Keeping his glance away from her to avoid making her feel like she was being grilled under his glare, it was intended as a courtesy for a friend.  Freyd knew he could be overbearing and intimidating just by his intensity, and was trying hard to respect her boundaries.

"I see many aspects of an earlier me in you, as you grow into your power.  You are strong, little sister.  Among the strongest warriors in Aincrad, with that weapon.  Temper that power with the wisdom and joy you've always had in your heart.  It's your best quality, and makes you the special person you have always been."

When had he found this much serenity? Did he even deserve such a boon?  He wasn't sure, but welcomed it after so many years of turmoil.  Hopefully, his friend's journey would be different and better lit.  As they concluded their lesson, Freyd couldn't help feel the passing of yet another torch.  He'd given so many away, lately, each one lightening the burden on his shoulders, soul and fledgling heart.  When his eyes finally turned to meet hers, they seemed rejuvenated and at ease in a way she had hardly ever seen them.

"Come on, ravenous one," he joked.  "Lunch is on me."

[Katoka 0]

Katoka looked away awkwardly at his mention of pain, choosing not to respond but knowing he got the message.

"Other than getting bullied in school for a bit there's nit much in terms of a dark and gloomy past." she shrugged, "I hid in my room and put up appearances while absorbing myself in games to distract myself. I don't know if that plays into this or not but it's not something that I keep pushed deep down anymore."

It was reassuring to her that Freyd was coming more and more out of his shell, trusting those around him to help carry his burdens so that he didn't have shoulder the weight of the world. Kat didn't have a problem shouldering some of the Whispers troubles, she didn't realize though how intense it was to carry a cursed weapon. Normally she would rest a free hand on the holt of her weapon, however this time she hesitated before crossing her arms. "Strength or not, I'm going to make damn sure I don't loose control. I don't think I could forgive myself if I were to hurt someone."

The Cerulean Storm gave the Whisper in the Shadows a nod, "Lunch sounds perfect". They both had changed so much in such a short amount of time that the people from their pasts might not even recognize them.

---

Thread Closing:

Katoka receives:

2,949 EXP (Word Count [7,022/10x6x0.7])
642 col (1 page [200] + 15% P5 Reward [442])
 

Freyd receives:

8,356 EXP (Word Count [7,022/10x17x0.7])
1,453 col (1 page [200] + 15% P5 Reward [1253])

[Katana Skill] Unlocked

Edited September 15 by Katoka