[Heilong]

[Lvl 12 Marksman]

Freya looked at the green box over the head of the black-haired girl. She led Freya over to a quiet part of the market. Infamous Biscuit looked on from a distance. Heilong looked like she was hesitant to have him in on their conversation, so Freya told him she’d find him later.

“Sorry to call you out like this. I just happened to see your player ID. But I’ll get straight to the point, do you know Meridian Manipulation?”

Freya stared at the girl, “What-where did that come from?”

Heilong put one hand on her hip and fiddled with her hair with the other.

“I saw your username mentioned in a forum post, it was a stupid anonymous trash talk rant, but there was something odd. It said you used a skill called ‘Shockwave.’ But people who have read the skill book for Shockwave have said one of the prerequisites for learning Shockwave is Meridian Manipulation.”

“Oh, well…” 

“If you can tell me how to get Meridian Manipulation, I’ll show you the entrance to a level five story dungeon.”

“Um… you see, well…” Freya’s head swam. What should she say? 

Heilong’s inquiring gaze bore into her. Freya worried the marksman could read her thoughts just by her intense stare. Telling the truth was always easier than trying to keep up with lies, but she wasn’t sure how much to reveal. After all, the first person to suspect she had Meridian Manipulation had tried to kill her.

Trying to gain time she said, “I’m actually trying to teach someone else that skill too.”

Waving over Infamous Biscuit who was still standing close by, Freya smiled nervously. He told her story dungeons were hard to find, but he also advised Freya not to reveal her previous NPC status. And talking about Meridian Manipulation would probably do that.

“This is Heilong. Heilong, Infamous Biscuit,” she said before realizing it was pointless to introduce them as they could already see each other’s names.

 “Heilong wants to trade information about Meridian Manipulation, ah she found out I have it.”

Infamous Biscuit looked more shocked than Freya expected, “How?”

Freya re-iterated the story, Heilong jumped in at the end, “It’s a rare skill. There’s not much information about it in the game yet. It’s mentioned in other skill books, but no one has ever seen a skill book for it. As I said, if you can help me get this skill, I’ll guide you to a level five story dungeon.”

“Would you be coming along in the dungeon as well?” Infamous Biscuit asked.

“Are you also coming?” Heilong shot back, looking up at the much taller man.

“We’re a team,” Freya said. “It’s fine if we all go into the story dungeon, right?”

Infamous Biscuit nodded but looked unhappy.

“We don’t have a tank,” Heilong said, scanning the tops of their heads. “But it’s a level five dungeon, and we’re all far above that level, so we should be fine. So, what do you say?”

Freya scratched her head, “Well… I don’t know for certain if I can teach it.”

Heilong’s eyes flashed with interest, “So you learned it on your own?”

“I guess you could say that?” 

Freya scrunched her mouth together.

She thought to herself, It’s harmless to teach about meridian lines and qi right? This girl is offering a fair trade. She’s not threatening me. It’s within my shaman duties to teach.

Then she remembered something.

“Can I see your hand for a moment?”

Heilong gave her hand to Freya.

She didn’t need to hold her hand long.

“Okay, I think you have the potential to learn it. I’ll do it.”

Heilong’s eyes sparkled with intrigue, “Great! How about tomorrow for the story dungeon? I found it recently, but it’s not hidden particularly well. If someone else enters it first, it will disappear.”

“Tomorrow is fine,” Freya said, looking at Infamous Biscuit who also nodded his approval.

Heilong sent them both a friend request.

“Alright then, I’ll DM you tomorrow about the dungeon location. I’ll leave you to enjoy the market. See you tomorrow.”

She waved and disappeared into the horde of people. 

Freya glanced back at Infamous Biscuit, trying to decipher his expression.

“Would it be so bad to reveal my background?” Freya asked quietly. “It must be linked to why I have Meridian Manipulation.” 

Infamous Biscuit fiddled with his shirt, “It shouldn’t be that bad I suppose. Sorry, maybe I’ve just been overcautious.”

He looked out over the crowd and scratched his beard, “It’ll certainly attract attention if you tell too many people. Some people might try to kill you like Azer did. But it’s more likely a lot of players would just bother you, all wanting to learn Meridian Manipulation. But I guess I’m not that different in that respect.”

Freya looked up at the strangely dressed, dark-skinned, tall man with an octopus spirit wrapped around his neck.

“You told me that when we decided to work together. You said we could both learn something from each other; I’ve certainly learned a lot from you. I don’t know if I’ve taught you anything. So you don’t have anything to feel guilty about.”

Infamous Biscuit flinched a little, “But in the end, I think you’re the one with more valuable information.”

“Eh, if you hadn’t answered my questions about this game mess, I might have tried to exorcise myself. Value is relative.” 

“Exorcise yourself? How would that work?”

Freya avoided his gaze, “Well, there are various methods, from charms to potions to death.”

“Oh…”

“Anyway,” Freya said, drawing herself up. She put her hands on her hips, “I thought we came here to enjoy the market.”

Infamous Biscuit laughed and let out a long breath.

“That’s right, we came here to find a good deal. Let’s shop!”