Freyd

“I saw it. But -I don't know who told you but- it is not my story to tell. Sorry” Temptation to pry instantly dismissed, the evidence poorly concealed across the wincing lashes and droplets winked away at the edges of her eyes. The rain should stay outside. Freyd had already done too much to her to push a sore spot further. Maybe someday, if she was ever ready. “Prison?” Who would actually have the guts or the gaul to dare? Mari was no slouch, even in a self-proclaimed state of reclamation. Few other than NIGHT or Raidou could match her skill. Maybe Macradon and Baldur, bu

Something in the water. The spot marked by sonar waves delivered by the shrilling cry of pursed lips as an unusual source of revelation. Their guide's added taunts were overlooked as Whisper instincts kicked in. Another puzzle to solve. Anything to get away from the trajectory of their earlier conversation seemed a blessing. Nisa's shamelessness would win out over all, he was certain. "Huh... would you look at that." Freyd thought it wise to avoid disturbing the water any more than necessary. The ladies had already done their share with their playfighting, yet Nisa somehow still sens

"You called me, Sam. Seems like poor cricket to knock an arrow towards my face." Stepping out of the shadows, the Whisper kept his hands at his sides, in plain sight. She was wise to be careful. Appearances could too easily be altered in this world, and one poor choice could quickly cascade into calamity. "Freyd. You know. Your friendly neighbourhood PK exterminator?" Leap taken, but nobody ever asked about that damnable book unless the subject of player killers was involved. "What's all this about? Your message made it sound urgent." Swiping a gauntlet over the darkness in his w

Reference to the Sundered Spire gave him pause, clearly prompting the analytical engine perched upon his shoulders to ponder the possibility. An eyebrow raised at the prospect of connection, but promptly fell again. “Not sure it matches quite right. And that crimson plague was put down when Firm Anima hunted down Lun’Rael and buried her for good. Though… Katoka did find worrying traces recently.” A shaggy shake broke the imagined tether before it could sink hooks into his imagination. “No… I don’t think it adds up… though I’m genuinely surprised that you remember.” “You should k

Sympathizing with Wulfrin's sheer lack of luck, Freyd would share some fortune if he could. The tides would turn eventually, and give them all a turn at such foul moments. The best he could offer, in their current predicament, as to help finish off their foes as swiftly as possible to grant them all a much needed reprieve. Neither portion of slime still lingering would make it easy, wobbling at such high frequencies that they bounced off the dreary sewer walls like overexcited particles on the verge of nuclear fission. Not an enticing prospect. Slamming both, Freyd did his best to corra

No lashing out. No bitter bile spewed or accusations. “Is…does this event seem a little…off to you too?” In more ways than one. “The letters and words seem a little jumbled. Everything here is.” Epiphany strikes. “That’s why you’re here.” “Moth to the flame. Guilty as charged." Hefting himself onto the remnants of a stool, he glanced at the parchment without gleaning much. "This whole floor is completely off its rocker. Nothing here makes much sense, which seems to be this place’s particular meta-puzzle. When we fought the last raid boss, the mob had been twisted grote

“Unfortunately, I’m looking for something with a little more body - but by all means - don’t let me stop you from drowning yourself in that. You seemed pretty at home slinking around with those slimy abominations out there.” A weaksauce rebuke? She was either out of practice, or playing it coy until she knew who she was dealing with. His complete nonchalance about her orange marker might have put her on edge, being more readily accustomed to people freaking out in proximity - especially anyone knowing her past. Clues continued to drop, wondering how long it would take. . A promp

Taking inspiration from Macradon's style and flair, Freyd was already airborne as Raidou slammed the valkyries' mistress harshly, forcing her to suck stone. Familiar tones of a mob's shattering defenses were greeted by the banshee's wail that were Samael's Pride releasing its celestial seals. Maybe the two mythologies just didn't like each other. Maybe the material void wrapped around his fists was just hungry. Maybe the universe was just letting them have this one. Who cared? Diving down from on high, the Whisper's fury crashed through Athia's hide like a meteorite through butter. H

ph ***

Freyd's widened at the sight of her, like a child watching something deemed impossible manifest itself before them in defiance of suppressed naivete. That wonderlust slain by jaded aging and the dreaded pragmatism of adulthood. Yet, in that moment, the oppressive gloom of their surroundings melted away and even the heaviest downpour failed to keep his spirit from alighting with cherished relief. Dozens of questions piled up behind his lips, vying for control of his larynx, denying any one of them access to his voice. All that emerged was an awkward gurgle and snort as she did all the thing

"Please don't say 'plague' out loud. This floor seems to have enough bad ideas on its own, without us helping it along." Having only cleared the stone out of sheer curiosity, the storm itself seemed to lose strength as they tended to the remnants of this place. "Huh. Would you look at that. Looks like you might have stumbled onto something." Wandering over to the nearest sepulcher, Freyd diligently traced various symbols and markers built into its ornate exterior, like he was following some sort of secretive map. "I've seen some of these markings around. No idea what any of them mea

Order Form Item Name: [imperial quarter blend] Item Type: [Potion] Item Tier: [Tierless] Item Quality: [Perfect] Enhancements: [Damage III] Description: [Smoke and gunpowder, with lingering scents of exotic jasmine and bergamot. Razwell himself would enjoy this blend.] Quantity: [20] Cost: [60 materials]

ph ***

"Reports," Freyd replied. "More accurately, the complete absence of any." A bearded grimace mixed with a smirk, offering a hint of levity in a world gone mad. "By now players would normally have scoured half of a new floor's area, painting a fuller picture of what we had on offer to explore in greater detail. So far, we've been lucky just to hold Ilridge. That's not enough, if we're to press forward." Eyes blinked their approval at Wulfrin's new duds while the rest of the Whisper made no mention that they'd both wandered into dangerous territory alone. "Aincrad has no shortage of def

Three items, clandestinely dropped off in a giant honey bun box. *** Freyd gives Wulfrin: x1 gleaming scale Frostflame Bulwark +1 | T4 Perfect Armor (Heavy) | Thorns II | Flame Thorns I Acquisition ID: 213804g | Crafting ID: 244215, 244216, 244217 Forged in the heart of an elder glacier pierced by a volcano, the Frostflame Bulwark hums with opposing primal energies. The metal is slick with frost yet warm to the touch, engraved with runes of fire and ice spiraling around its form. It bears the symbol of a tiny black rose, barely visible on the sacrum plate. Source: ht

Step 1: Item Evals: Rank 5 Appraiser (Base: BD 10, CD 8+ for unique, 10 identifications per day) +1 to CD from Hermes’ Scale +2 EXP: Hard Working (also +1 IDs per day) +2 EXP: Lucrative (Firm Anima) (also +2 IDs per day) +1 EXP: Custom Ambition Tool (bought from own shop 2020-07-16) Identifications: 3x T4 Perfect Items (@3040 col) = 9,120 col 3x Reroll #1 (@1000 col) = 3,000 col Net Cost to Banker: 12,120 col Items sacrificed to obtain 9 Mystic Essences, all consumed below: Item Evaluations:

Glad to re-provision ahead of the next raid. Thanks Zee! *** Crystal of the Blood Dragon Horde | Mass HP Recovery (Tierless, x12) 223788-1, 223788-2. 223783, 223778, 223778-1, 223777, 223776, 223776-1, 224808, 224809, 224810, 224803 Potion of the Ancient Rock Dragon | Overhealth III (Tierless, x6) 236057, 236058, 236059, 236049, 236049-1, 236045

Shambling along in the haze of persistent gloom, his drenched and steadily dripping form bore uncanny similarity to that of a water-logged Nazghul. Coal-coloured cowl plastered to scalp, enough of its finely crafted ebonweave draped forward to provide shelter for his face, and likewise sold the part. Like a ghostly suit of blackened armor in quasi-samurai style, Freyd had trudges off the regularly beaten patrol paths in search of a trail and a rumor. Acanthus had been acting strangely in their battle against the Spectral Knights, and others similarly before her. Questions were asked. Conne

Skill(s) Being Dropped: Leadership R5 Mod(s)/Addon(s)/Shift(s) Being Dropped: Elusive, Rally, Steadfast, Inspiring Speech, Press the Attack (0 SP) SP Incurred Towards Limit: 50/50 SP Refunded: 50 SP Cost: 50,000

The ink was still just barely dry. Left with a trusted ally, without the poor lad ever knowing it or its terrible purpose, Freyd hadn't been sure he'd return from the raid to collect it. Wrong raid, but the sentiment hadn't been far off. Now, here it sat, silently open with the last of its illicit contents disgorged and digested. it felt as nasty as it sounded. The book was a necessary blight, depending on your point of view. In some ways a manifestation of the concept of mutually assured destruction. It could nuke people, or lead others to do so, delivering destruction with naught but a

"Did you forget what down means?" barely a moment passed before white queen took black queen and upended the board to a very soaked checkmate. What never crossed his mind, in a million years, was the idea of these two providing him a bird's-eye view to their spontaneous wet t-shirt contest. "Uh..." Repeating Nisa's finger gun maneuver from earlier, he gave them both a double barrel salute, mid torso. "That water must be really cold." One's a goddess. One's a friend. One's a goddess. One's a friend... Deadpan, yet wide-eyed, Freyd's saucers swiveled freely in search of somethin

Ah... so that's it. Still trying to sort herself out, even after all this time. Freyd had been struggling with a sense of identity since the dawn of his tenure in Aincrad; paranoid, cold and machine-like, shattered in uncertainty. He'd already lived through whatever the seven stages of grief equivalent for self-awareness. A soothing pang over his heart soon turned to warmth and the easing of tension from his frame. He'd been fortunate enough to find purpose beyond the calculating universe of clandestine whispers, even if he'd never fully managed to detach himself from that world. It

Flitting through penumbral folds, Freyd reappeared a dozen feel away and mid spin. Contact made, the greater of the three sludges wobbled, rolled and then smashed into the far sewer wall. Slime detritus sprayed, leaving two quasi-fresh lesser versions in its stead, both quivering like Jell-O in the dazed aftermath of their forced division. "Pair of newbie puddings on the far side," Freyd called, already slamming his fist for cosmic force into one of their adjacent cousins and leaving a smeared trail collapsing into simmering starlit motes. The final vestige fared better than the rest,

Silently, somberly, Freyd listened as Nisa described the divine condition in plain language and metaphor. Eyes scanning the strange avian carvings, it seemed an apt analogy. Did it all relied on the same set of absurd physics that always managed to squeeze more clowns into tiny cars than should ever be possible? Inspired by their surroundings, Freyd found himself imagining aloud. "It sounds like you're describing a gilded cage and faced with an oddly poignant 'Uno-reserve' style question: how many birds could it keep out? It's like the whole thing is a paradox of expectations, feeling

Shrugging off the mental image of elbows with asses, Freyd's reverie broke as said pressed buttons set their surroundings to vibrate. Stone slid past stone like a pair of sassy slick thighs, surely helped along by the ambient moisture of this netherworld. The stench was less enticing. "Oof. Putrid. Someone really let this place go stale. Mechanism like this also need a lube, once in awhile." Between the added references to sticks, surgeries and dark holes, Freyd simply chose not to engage further, wandering forward in silence instead. Sam... Roxi... 'the other one' (tm) - he wa