Freyd

"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

Freyd seemed to tune out as Lium spoke. Maybe it was him? Or, maybe it was the glaring orange irony bulb spinning over the man's head. Time slowed as he processed all of the available data, then sped up again as he reverted back to Kodo's original question, having blended in Lium's thoughts with his own. "Because not everyone's clockwork is tuned to the same settings, or even time zones. And don't even get me started on that daylight savings bullshit." An equally angry grab and vicious chomp fatally wounded the offending deli delight. It would never recover. Freyd, meanwhile, had c

"You're a fool, Montjoy. A damned, gullible fool, and you're dragging your friends along for the ride. She's using you, along with the rest, and you're leading them right into her hands! This is nothing less than self-inflicted checkmate. You've bound and made yourself a pet, just like that surrogate of yours." In the world that never was shadows didn't need to whisper, and could be heard by all. Montjoy debated Freyd openly, with Takeshi's soul held in the balance. How odd and confusing it must be for his friends to see his inner selves so clearly, and yet neither of them truly him

Thread Summary: 12579 words / 30 = 420*5= 2100*Tier Only 1 full page, so everyone gets full credit, who made at least 3 posts. Baldur (1 post, no EXP) @Astreyareceives: 6300 EXP (Word Count [2100*3]) @Nari-Lanrethreceives: 2100 EXP (Word Count [2100*1]) @Snowreceives: 6300 EXP (Word Count [2100*3]) @NIGHTreceives: 25200 EXP (Word Count [2100*12]) 3780 col (3780 [Laurel, +15% of EXP as col]) @Astralinreceives: 8400 EXP (Word Count [2100*4]) 1260 col (1260 [Laurel, +15% of EXP as col]) @Morningstarreceives: 2100 EXP (

"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 t

Freyd happened to enter the guild hall kitchen at precisely the moment that Lium sent his message. Who knew that one little black book could contain so much information? It was like someone had hacked the code and fit an extra ten thousand pages behind the original fifty, each filled to overflowing with notes six-point font. The margins had margins. And how on Earth had he written so far into the central fold that Freyd's eyes couldn't even reach the words? Fingers already pinching the bridge of his nose, something pinged and made him look up, only to see Kodo and Lium already stand

"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

"Oof. Err... oh," Freyd glanced around the blonde, not even having seen Raidou's companion. A flickered glare at shadows above confirmed that Persi had skedaddled. Of course she had. Traitor. "Xena?" He blinked twice, not having expected to find his recently discovered, previously long-lost, companion here. Equally thrilled that he wasn't entirely left alone in trying to get oil and water to mingle. Rumour had it that they were perfectly capable of reaching key milestones like hand holding, lip push-ups and...*gasp*... dancing. How they'd managed the third without removing the res

"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 versi

Yup. Still lots of people. Too many for his liking. Freyd was a loner at heart, and crowds just increased the probability that he'd find a way to cram his entire leg in his mouth, as opposed to the foot-only standards of others. Socially awkward was an understatement, especially if small talk was required. He made a mental note to ask Shiina if such an art could actually be weaponized by performers, and pictured an explanation that involved crayons, fireworks, and Baldur's entire palace breaking out into a massive Bollywood number. A shiver shook his spine. Something blonde with imp

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

Smirking in response, Freyd tenderly pressed a single fingertip against the heavily lacquered wooden rod, dismissing it to the ether as one might a treasured memory or a pleasant dream for safekeeping. Hirru had no idea what he was asking, but it warmed the Whisper's cold exterior to know that he was kind enough to care. Perhaps some stories could be told. Not everything had to be a secret, after all. "It began as I said. Rumours of some sort of flaming cat in the jungles near Krycim had drawn my attention. I make it my habit to get to know as much of the geography of all the floors

"Spoken like a true believer," Freyd replied, chuckling. "But I'll concede that I am just about the least qualified person to give advice on matters of the heart." 'Should that have stung,' he wondered. It felt like maybe it should, but Freyd was too pragmatic to let blunt truths bother him. They were merely accepted, tucked away for later processing, and then moved beyond. "Just be careful that you're not chasing a dream dialed up to beyond perfection, Eruda. You and Raidou deserve happiness, but even that is a messy affair, fleeting and wrapped in a bundle of chaos. It wou

In the absence of knowing what to say, Freyd simply elected to keep his mouth shut, his head desperately searching for additional space to retreat back into the depths of his cowl. Katoka's timing was impeccable. Promptly sticking the spear in Elora's hands also helped to dodge and diffuse a potentially awkward conversation, for which he was ill-prepared. When the freshly dubbed and now appropriately armed Cerulean Storm steered them back towards their pretext for meeting, Freyd jumped all over it. "Yeah. Yeah... I... uh..." Padding countless invisible pockets, it wasn't until Persi

"Look," he added, putting on his best older brother face. "I say this with complete sincerity: you two really just need to have it out in the back of the guild hall one day, with absolutely no regard for who is listening." With that, he gave her the 'you know I'm right face. "You both desperately need it, and it's getting to the point where the rest of us need you to just do it already." Leaning against a nearby tree and casually crossing his arms, Freyd just laid it all on the line. At first she thought that he was just mocking, but the look on his face never flinched or faded.

Freyd stepped next to her and intertwined the two trinkets in her hand, closing her fingers over them. "He loves you. I have no doubts about that. But he's spent his entire time in here forgetting what that means, and burying his feelings so deep beneath responsibility that it will take some time for them to surface and sort themselves out. If we try to rush it along, he'll probably get the feels bends or something. Whatever. It won't be pretty." A little humour went a long way and reminded him that he was still processing so much himself. "We've opened the unopenable door, Er

Missing wasn't an option. If this thing got back to its feet and focused on Kodo, the outcome could be 'twinky-bad', as one of his old schoolmates used to say. It was some sort of old movie reference, but he'd heard it so many times that it had gotten stuck, like long term ear worm, or something. A flex of his fingers triggered the change, void instantly replaced by roiling purple-black clouds of dark energy that left contrails as he moved. Briefly, his fractured forms of both hands were visible, looking like he'd dunked them in acid, then had them electrified for good measure. It wasn't

Spidey senses tingling, Freyd whirled and kicked high, catching the second minotaur in the chin. Head flying up and backwards, Govarron flailed failingly for purchase, his attempt to sneak up on the intruders having flopped just as he did, on his backside. Pressing his advantage, Freyd lunged and smashed a fist into the beast-man's elbow, the force of the hit causing his hand to jerk open and wicked, giant axe to fall free. The wooden haft landed with a heavy thud, followed by the ringing clanging of metal on stone as the axe head made contact. He'd left the mob stunned and disarmed.

A flurry of frost, darkness and cherry blossoms. A patrol ambushed and decimated. Not a noise to be heard, and all evidence of passage subsumed. Freyd wiped his hands on his jacket to help get the sparkly bits of bad guy off. Combat had to be selective and isolated. They couldn't risk giving away their position or they'd have the entire crew bearing down on them. More players would need to arrive first, and help spread the chaos. When it came to combat tactics, a gaggle of players was more often akin to unleashing a horde of raging barbarians or gladiators than it was any semblance of o

Fishing was boring. Fishing with a pair of gabby sad sacks was even boring-er. In the grips of ennui, Persi wandered back to the main party, slinking unseen between footfalls and shades of flailing arms holding sloshing drinks. Dodging between spilled drips and drops, she took stock of the various bipeds milling about the space, disregarding the various conversations. They all, literally, went over her head, and lummoxes all sounded alike to her anyway. And then she saw a familiar bit of fabric, its crimson edges floating predictably above floor level, always just a little bit beyo

A coy smile and non-committal gaze. Of course he was up to something. He was always up to something. It kept life entertaining. Otherwise, he'd be up to his eyeballs reading reports and living a vicarious life vicariously. Something, something, 16 walls. Content to let Eruda take the lead, he only smirked when she corrected him about the order of the quests on their meeting day. He'd honestly forgotten about Worn Out Welcome, because she's hardly said a word through that entire encounter. Now, here she was fearless and confident as she led three other warriors against th every same foe

"Using Marv as your personal coffee table again, are you?" "Actually, if you must know, he volunteered. Just ask him!" Marv just yawned. Because that was about all Marv ever did, or probably could do. Freyd still had his eyes to the ground, his higher brain functions having realized that another person was nearby, but not quite who, or the significance of that, or the social niceties that should probably have followed. Because Freyd. "Mark my words, he's gonna be the next NPC to develop AI JUST SO THAT he can finally abandon this post!" Freyd halted his collection, his head

Thread Summary: 9808 words / 30 = 326*5= 1630*Tier Xena receives: 3560 EXP (Word Count [1630*2] + Quest [300]) 400 col (400 [1 page]) Unlock familiar skill [Scouting] Freyd receives: 22820 EXP (Word Count [1630*14]) 2 materials [loot] 5842 col (2419 [loot] + 3423 [Laurel, +15% of EXP as col]) - Given to Xena

"Mmmm... twanks!" Devouring the entire cake in one ravenous bite, Freyd promptly greeted the others and extended them party invites. The Hoya quest was then shared for Lium's benefit, Freyd's eyes lingering on the boy who seemed to have no understanding of the consequences barreling towards him for the sake of of pilfering a few trinkets. That he could so casually brand himself with the mark of his former captors was disturbing, and frankly disappointing. What would Sam say about it, he wondered? "Eruda and I are celebrating, after a fashion. It was during my very first foray into th

"Nah. That's old hat. Everybody's met that guy. It take a real Marv to save someone's bacon, though." Clearly a reference to the event that nearly cooked his own keister, it seemed the most appropriate way to capstone their reminiscing. "Are you still running with scissors, I mean... claws?" He tried, but the smile just couldn't be contained. "I've come to know some of the best blacksmiths in the game. When you're ready for it, I can set you up and get you some top notch gear. Maybe then it won't hurt so much when you keep falling out of trees." He fully expected to get hit,